As anyone with a green thumb can most likely agree, activity and farming go hand-in-hand. And while it’s great to stay active as we accomplish our gardening goals, it’s also just as important to stay safe. Here are 4 no-brainer reminders to protect our bodies – our vessels – while we are outside this and every season. Below, we’ve added our accompanying Youtube video for those of you that are visual!
Skin Protection!
Whether you are black, white, or purple – please protect your skin. It’s the first line of defense between the outside world and our internal state. And in fact, our skin is the largest organ of our body – even if it doesn’t pump, or move large amounts of fluid. It is also susceptible to threats – such as over sun exposure – the extreme of which can lead to skin cancer, over time. According to studies, 1 out of 5 people will have some presence of skin cancer by the age of 70. That’s alarming – especially for those of our active farmers on the field. Simple protections include – sun screen, high density fabrics such as denim or articles with a verified UPF rating, and headwear such as hats or the atypical farmer sombrero. Fashionable and useful!
Hydration – Drink Yo’ Water
If water is so important for the plants that we grow in the garden, just imagine what it means to us! Water by weight comprises about 50-60 % of our body and is crucial for a plethora of life processes including brain function, distribution of wastes, and of course, temperature regulation via sweat. Personally, we recommend a durable thermal regulating thermos like this one at Bambaw for a low 20$. Not only is having hydration on hand important for our productivity and accomplishing our goals, but its also cost-effective too. Think about it, one reusable container can effectively eliminate the use of countless plastic bottles – for a fraction of the lifetime price.
Gloves – Let’s Protect Those Hands!
Our hands are perhaps the most useful parts of our body and how we interact with the physical world. And yet, time and again, I’ve seen many older farmers who – over the course of decades of work – have callused and toughened hands often developed by not wearing appropriate gloves. Of course, normal wear and tear will happen as we work hard on our farms, but we can limit the damage to our digits by wearing work-appropriate gloves. Not only are they protective physically, but also chemically. As farmers, its not uncommon to handle dangerous chemicals such as pesticides, oils, and fertilizers that can seep into our skin with repeated use. And we just talked about skin damage in the last section! Be smart, invest in gloves. Your hands will thank you 🙂
Choosing when to Farm
Sometimes the best thing to do when an unstoppable force (yourself) meets an immovable object (your farming goals) is to do.. nothing. Yep, sometimes the best thing through something is around it – and that applies to your goals on the field. Personally, I choose to accomplish the majority of my farming between the hours of 6-10 and 2-6 EST. This allows me to circumvent the majority of the hours of the day that are super hot and intolerable.
And that’s it! For now, these were some simple reminders that we believe everyone would do well to reflect on as they’re out on the field. Comment either here or on our channel to let us know if we missed anything!