Gardening can certainly cause a host of aches and pains. Why? Because it requires us to twist, bend, and reach, and causes us to spend too much time in precarious positions that are not healthy for our bodies. This is all compounded by the limited window of fair-weather opportunities we have here in the Northwest. Today we are continuing our spring series on how to set up your garden and position your body to avoid lower back pain.

Tight hip flexors are a huge problem with Parkinson’s disease. Many people with Parkinson’s complain of hip and back issues that stem from a tight psoas muscle. It’s a hard muscle to stretch, and oftentimes you strain your back trying to stretch it.

The psoas is a major hip flexor muscle that performs several complex actions, like lifting your legs and bending forward. It is the only muscle that connects the spine to the leg. You can see why when this muscle gets tight it causes so many balance, posture, and gait issues.

Gardening and spring cleaning are so good for our mental well-being, but they can often cause a host of aches and pains, especially if you have Parkinson’s. Why? Because gardening requires us to twist, bend, and reach, causing us to spend too much time in precarious positions that are not healthy for our bodies. This is all compounded by the limited window of fair-weather opportunities we have here in the Northwest.

If this sounds like something you need to learn more about, it’s your lucky day! I’m teaching a Free 30-minute live mini-class on techniques for proper stretching to get you ready for spring activities. Click below to learn more.

Hand stiffness and loss of dexterity is a major complaint for people with Parkinson’s. I have many fighters and dancers whose hobbies include sewing, painting, woodworking and playing an instrument.

Those hobbies all take fine motor skills that are not only affected by stiffness, but also tremor. Chrisann, one of my lady fighters and a retired school principal, showed me how she exercises her fingers and hands with three magnetic rings.

Last week one of my fighters with Parkinson’s thanked me for all of the squats and cardio workouts Rebel Fit Club has provided for years, but especially this last year during the pandemic. We’ve really pushed everyone hard in our daily online boxing bootcamps. I’m a firm believer that a strong back and glutes are a cornerstone to moving better with less pain, and we put a big emphasis on hip hinging and strengthening the glutes and core during our workouts.

This hard work paid off recently when locally (in Portland, Oregon) we got a sudden ice and snowstorm with high winds that left most families without power and water, downed trees, and a lot of snow to remove. One of our families had to shovel snow for 14 hours. Thankfully, because they were strong and had a great fitness to take on this task, they were able to do so with no injuries.

I wanted to share some tips from myself (a “Minnesota girl”) on how to safely shovel snow without hurting your back. This is also handy for dirt while gardening in the spring!