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The Healthy Master Gardener Treat with Care

Learn how to care for your body while gardening to avoid common strains and skin issues. Discover techniques and tips for maintaining knee, back, hands, and skin health in the garden.

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The Healthy Master Gardener Treat with Care

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  1. The Healthy Master GardenerTreat with Care Joriel Shepherd Family & Consumer Science Agent

  2. Treat with Care . . . • Knees & back • Hands & feet • Sunburn & skin cancer • Summer heat

  3. Garden tasks require knee strength: • Kneeling • Sitting • Standing • Walking Protect them with regular strengthening exercises & stretches

  4. Preferred work positions: • One knee on the ground • Kneeling pad • Chair or stool • Strap-on knee pads

  5. Raised Beds • Reduce stooping & bending • Adjust according to need • Wide borders offer a seat • Narrow widths

  6. To reduce strain: • Slight arch in low back • Tighten abdominal muscles • Don’t slouch • Use correct postures when raking, shoveling, hoeing, etc.

  7. When lifting large or heavy objects: • Stand the object upright • Feet shoulder width apart • Bend knees • Tighten stomach muscles • Roll object onto bent knees then up into arms • Hold it close to your body – let your legs do the work • Slowly lift by straightening knees • Lower object by reversing this process

  8. When pushing & pulling objects: • Use arm & thigh muscles • Move slowly & deliberately • Rely on tools & equipment Examples: large-wheeled carts long-handled tools lightweight tools small-bladed tools

  9. Skin Moderation Skin on hands & feet are like most ornamental plants . . . Neither like to be dried out or kept too wet Treat your skin as tenderly as the most sensitive plants

  10. Preventing Dry Hands Choose the right glove • Cotton jersey- all around work • Leather- wet work, thorns or spines • Rubber cotton lined- really wet work, handling chemicals Cold weather- cut off the first three finger tips of dominant hand

  11. Treating Dry Hands • Preferred Method: • Soak hands in tepid water at bedtime • Apply petroleum jelly thickly • Wear gloves for overnight moisturization Do Use: petroleum jelly, glycerin, or lanolin-based products Don’t Use: lotions or oils (too thin) Warning: when using fertilizers- wear gloves and wash hands immediately if contact skin

  12. Treating Fingernails • Nails are more than 10% water with loss of water, so is elasticity (causing cracks) • Keep nails short • Apply moisturizer to the fingernails, cuticles, sides, and under the fingernails

  13. Treating Feet Footwear should breathe and absorb perspiration • Dyed leather and canvas • Absorbent insoles • Orlon or polypropylene socks vs. cotton • Wool socks Waterproof boots can hold moisture in as well as keep it out Wear a good pair of socks

  14. Sunburn Treatment • Aspirin or ibuprofen helps the pain • Cool water helps the swelling & redness • Lotions with 1% hydrocortisone help pain & itching • Menthol containing products soothe • Spend a minimum of 2 weeks out of the sun

  15. Skin Cancer Pre-cancer spots first appear on tops of ears, bald spots, noses, temples, lower lip, and tops of hands • Basal cell carcinomas- growth slow on body but faster on face, least intrusive, rarely spread • Squamous cell cancers- greater risk of spreading, red crusty growths • Melanoma- less common, metastasize early, more likely to be terminal, originatein childhood sun exposure

  16. Sun Damage Prevention • Avoid being outside between 10:00 – 2:00 • Cover skin with gloves, hat (with ear & neck protection), long sleeves, pants • Light cotton reflects heat • Apply SPF 15-50 sunscreen, containing titanium oxide (if light sensitive), to uncovered skin30 min. before sun exposure • Reapply sunscreen every hour when working • Don’t forget about your lips

  17. Eye Protection • Studies show an increased risk of early cataract formation with prolonged sun exposure • Protect your eyesight with sun glasses • Extremely dark lenses allow eyes to dilate • Buy glasses with a UVA blocking filter coating the lenses

  18. Heat Stress Body is unable to get rid of excess body heat by its normal exhaust methods – either from sweat evaporation, or from increased blood circulation to the skin surface where body heat can escape through radiation

  19. Environmental Conditions Air temperature Humidity Wind Radiant heat Individual Factors Age Gender Weight Physical & medical conditions Personal heat acclimation Environmental Conditions vs. Individual Factors

  20. Heat Related Illnesses • Early heat illness or fainting • Heat cramps • Heat rash (“prickly heat”) • Heat exhaustion • Heat stroke

  21. Heat Stress Solutions • Become a weather watcher • Plan activities for cooler time of day or season • Stay hydrated – water is preferred • Thirst is an indicator you’re dehydrated • Dress appropriately – cotton clothing • Take frequent breaks

  22. Care for your body, as you do your plants

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