How Does Your Body Feel After a Blizzard and a Workout With a Snow Shovel?

Yesterday, we were hit with one of the worst pre Christmas blizzards in years.  The weather man actually got it right.  For days they had been predicting a massive Nor’easter and we got it!  By the time the sun came up this morning most areas had between 12 and 24 inches of snow.

It’s so frustrating on days when you have to go to work and see snow on the ground.  Today however was not one of those days.  Nope, today was Sunday and there was more time and a lot less of a frantic pace to get the snow cleared.

Besides all I needed to do was clean the cars in the driveway, clear the driveway itself and then the walk to the house.  And considering that I have a 24 inch wide snow blower, I figured that the snow was really going to be no big deal.

But, was I ever wrong because upon attempting to start the snowblower I soon realized that the  carburetor was bad.  I attempted to repair it, but without any luck and Home Depot didn’t have a replacement.

I was able to clean off the cars but considering that there was in excess of 20 inches of snow on the ground and the driveway and walk needed to be cleared there was nothing left to do but pull out a good old fashioned snow shovel.

As I said, normally the snowblower makes this kind of work easy, but digging out with a snow shovel is a completely different story.  However considering that there was no alternative, there I was shoveling over 20 inches of snow.

Surprisingly enough I cleared the snow, and although it did take a while I must have been up to the task because I didn’t feel tired and had no sore muscles or joints – a cup of hot coffee and I was on my way to do more holiday shopping.

Would you like to be able to shovel snow and not have it take a physical toll on your body?  Well, you can, but there are a couple of things that you are going to need to do.

1. Keep track of the snowfall – If a lot of snow is expected it’s best to shovel a couple of inches every few hours.

2. Dress warmly and in layers – shoveling snow is hard work.  In fact, it a form of exercise and by dressing in layers, as your body heats up, you will be able to remove your outside layers of clothing and still keep warm.

3. Pace yourself – If you’re not in shape or have not done physical work in a while, make sure that you don’t do too much at a time.  Divide the areas that you need to shovel into smaller areas and do one at a time.

4. Don’t lift too much and don’t bend with your back – Don’t put the stress on your back and if the snow is wet remember to only take small bites at a time.

Shoveling snow is hard work!  It can really take a toll on your body especially if you are out of shape or have not exerted yourself in a while.  Take care and shovel wisely you will be very glad that you did.

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