Learn how to shovel snow without hurting your back or setting yourself up for any other kind of injury.
In many parts of the world, a beautiful blanket of snow is common during the winter months.
As pretty as it is, snow does bring the challenge of removing it for safe access to the outdoors.
A good way to look at this is to think of shoveling driveways and sidewalks as a cardio event.
You can really get a good workout and burn plenty of calories if you take it on in a safe and sensible manner.
How To Shovel Snow Safely
Before you tackle this chore, it’s important to follow a few precautions:
- Warm up your major muscle groups before starting
- Dress in layers to avoid hypothermia
- Wear proper footwear to prevent slips and falls
- Stay hydrated to ward off dehydration
- Engage your hips, legs, and shoulders and minimize twisting to help protect your back
- Only fill your shovel half full as to not overload joints or muscles
- Take breaks every 10 to 20 minutes and give your back a little stretch
- Be sure once you’ve finished to do a few cool-down stretches as you would after any cardio routine to prevent delayed muscle soreness
- If you experience any lightheadedness, dizziness, extreme sweating, chest pain, or nausea while shoveling, it’s time to head inside and assess your overall condition to avoid a medical emergency
While clearing driveways and sidewalks, we want to ensure that we avoid any injury such as pulled muscles, especially in the back and shoulders, or an emergency event such as a fall or cardiac episode.
We hope that by taking the time to review this video and practicing the suggestions included, you will be able to tackle the task in a confident and safe way.
Keep in mind, if you are not practicing regular exercise activities and maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle, it might make more sense to just hire it done.
Perhaps there is someone in your neighborhood who would love to pick up a few extra bucks for this service.
So stay safe my friends, and HERE’S TO FEELING GOOD!
Never miss a Fitness With Cindy video! Get my latest workouts delivered to your inbox as soon as they’re posted by entering your email address below.
