by David B Hitchcock

Created on: November 02, 2009

What do Halloween, cold fall nights, and windy days mean to you? If you said raking leaves, you are not alone. This time of year, raking leaves is one of the jobs that many people dread. But it can be a healthy exercise, if you follow these tips.

Raking is a chore few people enjoy. The first step is to consider why do you not like raking? This will affect how you will enjoy raking the most. Do you tend to do too much? You can break it up into front yard one day, side yard another, and so on. Do you always end up with a sore back? Don't twist or reach too much, or do less raking at a time. Do you have bad memories of raking as a child only to have the wind blow them all over again? Rake up one pile, and bag it before moving on.

Now that your biggest problem has been dealt with, let's make raking healthier for you. One obvious way to do this is to leave the riding lawn mower in the garage, and rake the leaves by hand. You don't get healthier sitting on your butt all day riding around your yard!

If you always are very sore after raking, these next tips are for you. Raking is a repetitive exercise, and as with all exercises of this type you should get ready for raking. This involves a few steps.

First make sure you have a rake that you are comfortable with. It should be fairly light, give you a good reach, and most importantly be comfortable to hold and use. If you are happy with the old fashioned metal fan rakes, stick with them. But if you have back problems, you should consider the ergonomic rakes that let you stand up straighter while raking.

Once you have the proper rake, you need a plan. Do most of your leaves collect in the front yard? side yard? driveway? Does the wind always blow from one direction? How large is your yard? These are some of the most important things to consider when planning your raking. Generally you want to end with the area that has the most leaves, since the other areas will go fast and you won't be as tired when you get to the last area. Almost everyone realizes its a bad idea to rake on a windy day, and an even worse idea to rake into the wind. If you plan ahead, its easy to avoid this problem by letting the wind help you move the leaves to one place in your yard. And if you have many many leaves to rake up, split it up over a few days to save your back.

Now that you have your rake and a plan, you need to start raking! But watch your style. Bad habits can lead to sore muscles faster than you can say Ouch! As with any exercise, you should stretch and limber up your muscles before you start. This is doubly important if you don't exercise very often. Next while you are raking pay attention to how you are doing it. Try not to twist your torso while you rake - instead rake in a straight line. Do your best not to over reach to get long strokes - this will hurt your muscles fast and in the end it won't be faster than shorter easier strokes with the rake. And last, if you can switch your grip around or even switch hands. Small changes like that can bring different muscles into the exercise, and that will keep you from getting sore as fast. If you have good form, and take regular breaks either for a drink of water or to bag up the piles you have raked, you will be ready for more raking tomorrow!

Remember the best way to make raking fun, and less work is to have someone help you! Two people will work faster and spot bad form or sore muscles before they are a big problem. Plus the joking and talking will make the time fly by.

Raking is an autumn chore nearly everyone has to do, but if you use the right tools, take the time to make a plan, and go at it the right way it can be a healthy and fun way to pass your time.

Learn more about this author, David B Hitchcock.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.