SNOW SHOVELING
Heart failure due to overexertion is the most common and serious health problem associated with snow shoveling. When shoveling snow, follow these commonsense guidelines regardless of your physical condition:
- Wear clothing in layers because it allows better evaporation of perspiration. Shoes, boots or overshoes should have rubber soles to reduce slipping and falling.
- Use a lightweight shovel made of aluminum that has a Teflon coating or rub the surface of an uncoated shovel with paraffin (wax) or coat with a silicon spray to prevent snow buildup and save time and effort.
- Use a shovel of modest size. Don't try to heap the snow on the shovel. Lightening the load reduces the strain on stomach, back and abdominal muscles. This reduces the pressure in the chest cavity and circulatory demand on heart walls.
- Use the entire body when lifting the shovel, letting the back and legs share the work. If the snow is deep, take small loads and rest often.
- Take frequent rests and go inside to warm up. Cold and overexertion are hard on the heart.