Recovery Tips After Planting
Unfortunately, injuries are far too common in the planting industry. Whether it’s repetitive strain injuries, twisted ankles, lower back pain, or worse, getting injured is the best way to reduce your paycheck, if not end your season completely. Luckily, preventing injuries isn’t that hard as long as you start with pre-season training, listen to your body, and take care of yourself. We’ve already got articles on pre-season training and planting ergonomics, so start there if you haven’t checked them out yet.
Once you’ve set yourself up for success in the preseason and are using the proper technique to reduce strain and optimize efficiency, what more can you do to prevent injury and maximize your performance? This article will act as a guide for how to recover most effectively from a day of planting, and how to set yourself up for success the next day.
After Work Snacks
Planters work hard, which comes with burning a lot of calories. Some planters report burning up to 5000 calories per day, and most say they lose some weight throughout the season, even when doing their best not to. After a day of planting, you’ve probably already noticed that you’re absolutely starving and your muscles are sore. What you may not know is that the best time to eat is within 30 minutes of finishing your exercise (or work day). There are two main reasons why this helps with recovery. First, after a day of planting, your body is running on empty and is burning calories that aren’t there. The longer your body goes without new calories to burn, the more it will resort to burning your fat stores, or worse, your muscle mass. That’s why it’s important to give your body new calories to burn as soon as possible to stop your body from degrading. Second, your muscles are fried and your body reabsorbs protein most efficiently within that 30-minute window, which helps repair muscle tissue and reduce soreness.
We recommend bringing some food to eat in the truck on your way back after work. It doesn’t matter if it’s a few Clif Bars, a bag of trail mix, or whatever, but we recommend that it has fairly substantial calories, carbohydrates, and lots of protein. Pair that with a bunch of water or electrolytes to replenish your fluids, and you’ll be on a solid foundation for recovery for the rest of the day.
End of Day Stretching
Range of motion is important for active jobs, and tree planting is no exception. Poor range of motion can easily cause injuries, so it’s important to have a daily stretching routine after work. Set aside some time after work to do some stretches. You don’t need to spend hours on it, but 15-30 minutes should be fine. The important thing to remember is that while a stretching feeling is normal, pain is not. If you start to feel pain with any of these stretches, stop immediately. Here are some stretches/light yoga that will help you stay limber:
Example of Quad Stretch
Example of the Lunge
Example of Bridge Pose
Toe Touches: Tried and true, touching your toes keeps your hamstrings and lower back mobile. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend forward at the waist, reaching for your toes. If you can’t touch them, go as far as you can without pain. Hold for 10-15 seconds and repeat a few times.
Quad stretch: Another classic for sore legs. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and bend your right knee, bringing your foot toward your buttocks. Hold your ankle with your right hand and hold the stretch for 10-15 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
Shoulder stretch: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and clasp your hands behind your back. Gently lift your arms up and away from your back, stretching your shoulders. Hold for 10-15 seconds.
Neck stretch: You’re looking down most of the day, so it’s important to keep your neck from getting stiff. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and tilt your head to the right, bringing your ear toward your shoulder. Hold for 10-15 seconds and repeat on the other side.
Lunges: Lunges are great for planting because they activate several muscles in your legs and hips. Step forward and bend both knees until they are both at about 90 degrees. hold there for 10 seconds, then repeat with the other foot forward.
Forearm stretches: Stretching your forearms will help prevent tendonitis. Start by putting your open hands together close to your chest with your fingers up (like the classic praying emoji 🙏). Then, rotate your hands so that your fingers are now facing downwards. Finally, lightly pull your hands up, keeping your palms together to stretch your forearms. Hold for 10-15 seconds and repeat a few times.
Bridge Pose: Since you spend most of your day bending forward, you have to make an effort to stretch the other way to keep your core balanced. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet close to your buttocks. Put your hands beside your ears, with your fingers facing your shoulders. Push your pelvis upward, making an arch with your body. If this is too challenging, then you can also keep your shoulders on the ground with your hands down by your side, grabbing your ankles if you can. Hold for 10-15 seconds and repeat a few times.
Get Enough Sleep
As much as we love to think that we work best with 4-6 hours of sleep, we can’t. Getting eight hours of rest every night is super important to waking up healthy and staying injury free. A tired body is a weak body, and a weak body gets injured. If you can be diligent about getting a full night’s sleep every night, you’ll make it way easier on yourself as the season progresses.
