Shoveling Snow for Exercise

Clearing Snow off Your Driveway Doesn't Have to be a Chore!

I’m not crazy about the snow unless I’m skiing on it! But with all the snow that’s falling in the North and Midwest, you can use the white stuff to your advantage. More to the point, SHOVELING snow is a sure way to work up a sweat and burn off some of those holiday pounds.

According to the Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health, just 15 minutes of snow shoveling counts as moderate physical activity! And seeing as how the optimum stay-in-goal for aerobic activity is 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least 3 times a week - then shoveling snow certainly fits the bill!

The flip side of this is that just like any other kind of sports activity -- if you’re going to shovel snow you need to warm up first and stretch out a bit. Think of shoveling snow as an exercise similar to bent-over rowing that you would do with a barbell in the gym. Or compare it to bicep curls with a dumb bell or barbell. You wouldn’t just go in the gym and start doing those exercises without a warm-up. Researchers have reported an increase in the number of fatal heart attacks among those who shovel snow after heavy snowfalls. This rise may be due to the sudden demand that shoveling places on an individual's heart. Snow shoveling may cause a quick increase in heart rate and blood pressure. One study determined that after only two minutes of shoveling, a sedentary man's heart rates rose to levels higher than those normally recommended during aerobic exercise.

Hey -- shoveling represents an intense workout even for healthy college-aged students! A study performed by researchers at North Dakota State University determined that, based on heart rate, shoveling was a moderately intense activity for college-aged subjects most of the time but was vigorous activity during about one-third of their shoveling time of 14 minutes.