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PHYSICAL THERAPY CORNER - Hiking

4/29/2024

With longer days and warmer weather, it is a great time of year to hit the trails. We are lucky to have great hiking trails in many parks in Howard County, such as Patapsco State Park, Middle Patuxent Environmental Area, and Wincopin Trails. A little knowledge and preparation can make your next or your first hike a more enjoyable experience!

The Community Gear Closet has numerous backpacks, tents, and sleeping pads available if you wish to extend your day hiking trips into a backpacking adventure. Trekking poles and some smaller day packs are also available to borrow.

Make a plan: There are a lot of websites that provide information on where to hike. This can help you find hikes that are appropriate in distance for your skill or fitness level. Have a plan for how long you think you will be hiking. The speed of walking on natural surfaces is slower than on paved surfaces. Generally, the more rocky and rooty the trail is, the slower you will go. Also, remember to look at elevation gain. A general rule of thumb is to add an hour to your planned time for every 1000 feet of elevation gain on the hike. Be sure to have a copy of the route you plan to hike. In more remote areas, cell phone service is not always reliable. If you plan to use a website or app, download the route to be available offline. For safety purposes, have a hiking partner, or be sure to let someone know your plan if you are hiking alone.
Be prepared: You should have an adequate amount of water and food for your hike. Check the weather forecast before heading out to ensure you have the appropriate gear, such as sunscreen, hats, extra layers, or rain jackets. Bug spray can help prevent tick bites. Carry a small first aid kit with you to treat minor issues, such as cuts and blisters, should they occur. Pre-assembled kits are available at stores, but you can always customize your own for individualized needs. Trekking poles are optional, but some hikers enjoy using them to improve balance or offload knees, particularly with steep ascents and descents.
Attire: Always test what you plan to wear before going for a hike, particularly for a long one. There is nothing worse than finding out those hiking boots you haven’t worn in 5 years now give you blisters!! Shoe choice is individualized, with some people preferring light trail running shoes and others preferring the support and stability of a hiking boot. Avoid cotton socks and instead choose one that is wool or a synthetic blend to wick moisture and help prevent blisters. Clothing should also be lightweight and moisture-wicking.
Have the proper fitness: Hiking is a great form of exercise that can improve your fitness. Performing a regular exercise routine before you hit the trails can improve the strength and stamina in your legs to increase your chance of a successful hike. My favorite exercises to train for hiking include performing 2 sets of 10 reps of the following:
1. Step up with a march - Start with just body weight and progress to using a weight in one or both hands
2. Step downs
3. Squats - can modify to a partial squat. If you suffer from knee pain, try using the edge of a chair and performing sit-to-stand repeats.
4. Lunges - can always modify to partial or mini lunges if this hurts your knees. Watch that your front knee doesn’t extend past the toes on that same leg
5. Heel raises- perform sets with both a straight and bent knee to target the two major muscle groups in the back of the leg.
6. Balancing on one foot--For this exercise, see how long you can hold it and then challenge yourself to 3–5 sets of this at the same time. If this is easy, try balancing on a foam pad. You can also make it more difficult by taking an object like a water bottle and passing it around your body at waist level as you balance.

Author

Karyn Dulaney, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist who has practiced in outpatient orthopedics for almost 2 decades. She enjoys helping patients achieve their personal goals and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. An avid outdoor enthusiast and competitor/participant in various adventure sports, she is passionate about helping others explore outdoor activities for the mental and physical health benefits that come with them. Karyn co-founded the Community Gear Closet, which lends outdoor gear so others can have opportunities for their own outdoor adventures.

LETTER FROM YOUR AGROECOLOGIST- Ongoing PRojects Spring 2024

4/29/2024

Dear Farm Fam,

Hey there! It’s been a few months since I’ve written one of these so I hope this finds YOU, dear reader, doing well this Spring. I’m not gonna lie, Winter can be a tough season for me so I am pleased that Spring has arrived and

brought with it a beautiful rejuvenating energy for myself! And it came with no time to spare – the farm is abuzz with wonderful work to be done as we transition from projects that we hoped to but maybe didn’t quite totally finish this Winter and into projects that Mother Nature has pushed to top priority; ready or not!

A peek into a few ongoing projects that I am working on:

Lawn Transition at Freetown Farm
- Recently I have brought folks together to help me remove the Bermuda grass and other lawn weeds around our Market Garden, which can be quite the task! This is one step in the process of converting more lawn into pollinator habitat and part of the journey to reduce all lawn space at Freetown Farm to what is strictly necessary. The grass that once occupied the land will be replaced with native shrubs, grasses, and flowers that will not only attract a variety of lovely pollinating species but also help with some of the stormwater issues that our Market Garden has been facing recently.
New Food Forest!
- We are planting a new food forest in our Market Garden and after spending time this winter to design the space its time to get roots in soil! We still have a ways to go but thus far we have blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries in the ground. I cannot overstate how excited I am for berry season!
New Fiber Garden!
- The Fiber Garden team and I put in a great effort to establish a new plot at the farm to expand our fiber production and offer more opportunities to educate folks on where the material for their clothing comes from.
Stormwater Management - Planting
- Our two newest rain gardens that were constructed last year are finally getting outfitted with a variety of edible, deep rooting, native plants that will help to mitigate some of the harmful impacts that excess stormwater has been causing at our farm.
Follow the Raindrop Tour
- Our first Follow the Raindrop Tour is coming up in May and I have been finalizing the last details on how to best offer this information to the community and brushing up on a few topics myself. These tours are meant to highlight the stormwater Best Management Practices we have at Freetown Farm, but also to provide folks with more information about their watershed, stormwater issues in a changed climate, and what role they can play in keeping our communities resilient. I’m looking forward to (and maybe a little nervous for) the discussions that take place during this first event!

In addition to everything above, the Tender Greens (our lovingly self titled farm team) has been busting our behinds to prepare for the Plant Sale season ahead of us. By the time you are reading this Earthapalooza has come and gone but there will be many more plant sales to come - one each Saturday in fact - so worry not if you missed out on getting a plant for your home space. To me plant sales mean getting to spend time talking to the community about some of my most favorite things in the world, encouraging folks to have fun in their growing spaces, and feeling good knowing that we are offering affordable, sustainably grown plants for our community. It’s really a beautiful thing to see the excitement on people’s faces as they load up their boxes with the plants we have been pouring our love into for the past weeks or months.

For myself Spring can really be a time for regrowth; physically, mentally, and spiritually. And since Spring can be such a wonderfully busy time for us all I wanted to end with a reminder – both for you dear reader and myself. Don’t forget to take a pause for a small moment of mindfulness to take in the regrowth that surrounds you. Why not even do it right now? Step outside, if you are able, and just take it all in. Notice the buds, the birds, the buzzing. Feel the warmth from the sun and be awash with love knowing that you belong in this community and on this Earth.

Ever Growing,
Simon

PHysical Therapy corner - Elbows, wrists, and hands

4/2/2024

Spring is here, and we are back in our gardens! In last month's PT Corner, I gave some tips on how to create strong shoulders. Moving down the arm, here are tips for preventing injuries in your elbows, wrists, and hands by warming up, using proper mechanics as you garden, and performing stretches afterward.

Before
A dynamic warm-up before being active increases blood flow, priming our muscles to work. It also helps to increase the available range of motion in the muscles and joints to prepare them for the activity you plan to do. Gardening and yard work requires reaching in a variety of directions. It requires the elbows and wrists to bend and flex and our fingers to open and close. Here are examples of beneficial warm-up exercises to do before you start gardening.

Arm circles: Raise your hand in front of your body to an overhead position. Move it backward, lowering it to your side to the start position. Your arm should stay parallel to your body. Repeat 5-10 times.
Wrist range of motion: Stand with your elbows bent at your side. With a flat hand, move your wrists from side to side. Next, make a fist. Now, move your wrists up and down. Finally, with your hand still in a fist, rotate your wrist in a circle, first clockwise, then counterclockwise. Repeat each motion 5-10 times.
Tendon gliding of the fingers (see figure below) Start by sitting with your elbow on a table. Bend at your bottom knuckles so your fingers are in a duckbill position (#1). Straighten them. Repeat 5 X. Then bend your bottom and middle knuckles (#2). Straighten them. Repeat 5 X. Next, bend your fingers to make a claw fist (#3). Straighten them. Repeat 5 X. Then make a half fist (#4). Straighten it. Repeat 5 X.

During
Paying attention to the mechanics of your arms while performing yard work can help prevent overuse injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis or golfer's elbow. Always keep your wrist neutral when using your hands and tools to dig, yank, or pull. Minimize side-to-side or twisting motions at the wrist. Engage your shoulders by pulling your shoulder blades back and together before pushing, pulling, lifting, or carrying objects. Properly fitting gloves can prevent objects from slipping and deter excessive squeezing and gripping from the fingers.

After
Static stretching involves holding a stretch for a sustained period. This type of stretching is best for after activity to prevent muscle tightness. Examples of stretches to perform after yard work include:

Wrist Flexor Stretch (#1) - lift your arm to shoulder height. Pull your fingers and palm backward with your opposite hand until you feel a stretch in your foreman. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 3X
Wrist Extensor Stretch (#2)- lift your arm to shoulder height. Using your opposite hand, push the back of your hand down until you feel a stretch in your foreman. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 3X

3. Chest and Bicep Stretch - With your arms straight, clasp your hands behind your back. Keeping your body upright, slowly raise them toward the ceiling until you feel a stretch in your chest and the front of your arms. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 3X

Finally, self-massage techniques can also help reduce post-activity soreness. Regular massage can help the muscles maintain flexibility, enabling your joints to have the appropriate range of motion. Pressure applied should be tolerable for 1-2 minutes of self-massage.

Forearm massage - Place a small massage ball or lacrosse ball on a table. Put your forearm on the ball and gently move it back and forth. Repeat on the other side of the forearm. Avoid compression directly on the wrist or elbow joints.
Finger massagers—These inexpensive rings simply slip over your finger. Once it is on, rub it up and down to massage the sides of your finger.

PHYSICAL THERAPY CORNER - Hiking

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LETTER FROM YOUR AGROECOLOGIST- Ongoing PRojects Spring 2024

PHysical Therapy corner - Elbows, wrists, and hands

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