It is important to keep the length we have achieved by standing with good poise as we move into doing other tasks in the garden.

Lifting: When lifting, we need to bend at the hips, knees and ankles but keep the head, neck, back relationship as it was when standing (see photograph to right).  This organisation allows us to use the support from the ground through our feet (see standing blog) and consequently through our backs to aid the lifting process.

If we do not organise ourselves well when lifting we can cause excessive strain on necks, shoulders and back.  Not bending sufficiently at the ankles, knees and hips has lead to bending and strain in the shoulders and upper and lower back in the photograph below.