Dirty Fitness

When I was studying at the Berkshires Botanical Garden to become a professional horticulturist, I was obsessed with learning everything I could about gardening. I devoured books and classes but was so hyperfocused on learning about the plants, I didn’t focus on the one thing that would actually be doing the work—my body. That is, until the aches and pains started showing up.

Madeline Hooper of GardenFit is on a mission to help gardeners learn strategies and exercises to move with freedom, prevent injury and stay in the game. Follow Hooper online for helpful tips or watch episodes of her vibrant PBS show GardenFit. There she travels the country connecting with gardeners and showcasing their gardens. With the help of a certified personal trainer, she helps us learn better alignment, increased range of motion and ergonomics.

Hooper has been gardening in Columbia County, NY, for more than three decades and says the main principle she loves to emphasize with people is that “their body is their most important gardening tool.” 

How can we stay garden fit doing chores this fall? Keep your spine “stacked,” Hooper says. That means not bending your back at all, instead use the strongest muscles in your legs to squat. “Keep your back out of the equation,” she says.

Garden fit, indeed.