Snow Shoveling - Exercise or Health Risk
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Replies
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nighthawk584 wrote: »Considering last year at this time I was around 80 lbs heavier, snow shoveling should be a breeze and my ticker shouldn't be in so much stress this year! Now watch, I slip and fall and break my neck! Living is a risk.
Not sure if you're aware of Microspikes and Yak Trax, these are like snow chains for your shoes. They go on and off quickly, and give you a lot of purchase on slippery ice. Not terribly expense, especially compared to medical bills.
They're also useful for hiking.
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psychod787 wrote: »I live in Florida... so unnecessary... is that an option.. lol
I lived in NY many moons ago, and I hated shoveling snow, but I also hated the winter and the cold. So I moved... I am now in the California desert, so you probably don't want to hear from me either...
Happy shoveling!4 -
I consider shoveling to be GREAT exercise. Although I swim, bike & run normally. I just limit myself to 15-20 minutes of shoveling and take an elongated rest. Repeat until the driveway is clear.3
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psychod787 wrote: »I live in Florida... so unnecessary... is that an option.. lol
I lived in NY many moons ago, and I hated shoveling snow, but I also hated the winter and the cold. So I moved... I am now in the California desert, so you probably don't want to hear from me either...
Happy shoveling!
I couldn't live in a place without seasons. But California has them too, there's fire season, earthquake season, riot session, and looting season.
I can't wait for the snow, you'll find be skiing. ⛷️12 -
I consider shoveling to be GREAT exercise. Although I swim, bike & run normally. I just limit myself to 15-20 minutes of shoveling and take an elongated rest. Repeat until the driveway is clear.
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NorthCascades wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »I live in Florida... so unnecessary... is that an option.. lol
I lived in NY many moons ago, and I hated shoveling snow, but I also hated the winter and the cold. So I moved... I am now in the California desert, so you probably don't want to hear from me either...
Happy shoveling!
I couldn't live in a place without seasons. But California has them too, there's fire season, earthquake season, riot session, and looting season.
I can't wait for the snow, you'll find be skiing. ⛷️
I think that the cold weather made you a little bit snarky...Many places in the great USA have also fires, looting, murders, hurricanes, flooding, etc...enjoy your skiing while I work in my garden.1 -
I lived in NY many moons ago, and I hated shoveling snow, but I also hated the winter and the cold. So I moved... I am now in the California desert, so you probably don't want to hear from me either...
Happy shoveling!
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On the rare occasion, I've earned well over 1000 calories in one episode of driveway shoveling (something in excess of 4 hours, working along right steady). I'm calling that exercise. And eating up every calorie, besides.
There's more driveway behind where I'm standing to take the photo, and it curves around across the front of the house (long side of a 1953 ranch house), then back out to the road again. It's a capital-D Driveway. And I'm a li'l ol' lady, age 63.
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NorthCascades wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »I live in Florida... so unnecessary... is that an option.. lol
I lived in NY many moons ago, and I hated shoveling snow, but I also hated the winter and the cold. So I moved... I am now in the California desert, so you probably don't want to hear from me either...
Happy shoveling!
I couldn't live in a place without seasons. But California has them too, there's fire season, earthquake season, riot session, and looting season.
I can't wait for the snow, you'll find be skiing. ⛷️
I think that the cold weather made you a little bit snarky...Many places in the great USA have also fires, looting, murders, hurricanes, flooding, etc...enjoy your skiing while I work in my garden.
Meant as humor, not snark. 🙂6 -
On the rare occasion, I've earned well over 1000 calories in one episode of driveway shoveling (something in excess of 4 hours, working along right steady). I'm calling that exercise. And eating up every calorie, besides.
There's more driveway behind where I'm standing to take the photo, and it curves around across the front of the house (long side of a 1953 ranch house), then back out to the road again. It's a capital-D Driveway. And I'm a li'l ol' lady, age 63.
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I shoveled my work truck out last year... now that was a workout. 😊6 -
When I was a kid my next door neighbor died shoveling his driveway. Now that I’m an adult I think of that during winter.
We got our first snow 2 days ago. Not ready for this yet!!!3 -
kosseychick wrote: »
I shoveled my work truck out last year... now that was a workout. 😊
I see what you did there.2 -
Snow blower? pshaw. Snow thrower FTW...
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Not to be too serious, but here are the risks involved with shoveling snow (i.e. factors that put more load on the heart):
Upright posture
Cold temperature
High intensity activity
Sudden onset of high intensity (change of activity from sedentary to high exertion w/little or no warmup)
Higher proportion of upper body/arm work
Frequent Valsalva maneuvers (exertion with breath holding)
For someone with no underlying heart disease, these factors, while adding to the overall strenuousness of the activity, are not threatening.
For those with heart disease (and many people have heart disease and don't know it), the effect can be lethal.
Best advice for older, sedentary people: have someone else do it.
Second best advice: buy a snowblower
Third best advice: Start slowly with small amounts and warm up a little; in general, try to move smaller amounts of snow with each shovel; push as much as possible w/out actually lifting and throwing the snow;7 -
I enjoy shoveling snow...but it's kind of a novelty since we only get maybe one or two storms per year blow through town that drop enough snow to warrant shoveling...even then, it's usually no more than a couple of inches.
Love where I live though...we get seasons and plenty of snow in the mountains and northern part of the state...I can hit the slopes in the morning and the links in the afternoon.2 -
The naysayers are going about this all wrong:
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cwolfman13 wrote: »I enjoy shoveling snow...but it's kind of a novelty since we only get maybe one or two storms per year blow through town that drop enough snow to warrant shoveling...even then, it's usually no more than a couple of inches.
Love where I live though...we get seasons and plenty of snow in the mountains and northern part of the state...I can hit the slopes in the morning and the links in the afternoon.
Weather is so weird. I'm at 47* N and we get snow (in town) every 2 or 3 years.0
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