BOSTON -- This time of year, a lot of folks are spending time sprucing up their gardens -- but afterward, their backs and shoulders often suffer from aches and pains.

RESOURCES Get The Dirt On Pain-Free Gardening Garden Fitness Stretches

Chris Bezreh digs gardening -- sometimes a little too much.

"I get excited and try to do too much at once. You start bending over, and you pick up one weed, and then an hour later, your back feels like it's going to break," Bezreh said.

Physical therapists and trainers see lots of aches and pains this time of year. They say people forget that gardening is a real workout.

"It's very enjoyable under the sunshine, but you're reaching, you're pulling, you're pushing, you're digging. So your body is experiencing all sorts of phenomenon that it's not used to experiencing during the week," HealthFit spokeswoman Audrey Epstein said.

Before and after you dig in, Epstein suggested trying some stretches.

For shoulders and chest, grab your hand behind you and just reach back and down.

For legs, get down on one knee, in "marriage-proposal" style. Then just lean a little forward.

For the lower back, grab underneath your knee and give it a slight pull. You can hold that for about 15 to 20 seconds.

Raking is another activity that can take a toll on your back. Many times, people try to over reach. Epstein said to use shorter strokes, and switch arms, doing a little to the left, a little to the right.

Other general gardening tips include:

• Stand up every 15 minutes.
• Change activities from weeding to mowing.
• Drink plenty of water.

Gardening is a real exercise -- expelling up to 450 calories per hour.

"It's pleasant to be outdoors instead of inside running on a treadmill, watching television. And you get an end result of a very beautiful garden," Bezreh said.