Safety During Snow Storms

Tis the winter season and along with it comes the snow. During the winter, many people prefer to stay indoors and are less active during the season. In fact, it's the time where weight gain is increased as the comfort of staying in and eating, watching tv, surfing the Internet, using the hand held devices, playing video games all contribute to a more laid back sedentary life style. Now here comes the snow and many people get out the shovel to remove the snow. Most of those people have not lead active lives and are at greater risk for heart attacks, back injuries and other painful injuries.

As a matter of fact, about an inch of snowfall and with the temperature as low as 20 degrees can cause the death rate to triple for men between the ages of 39 - 45 years old. The cold weather makes it difficult for the cardiovascular system and the heart. Your body wants to keep warm therefore your body tries to conserve heat which narrows the blood vessels as a result, your blood pressure is raised. If your blood pressure rises, the heart has to get to work to pump the blood to the other parts of the body. Picture it - narrowed vessels - blood needs to get through - heart starts pumping harder to do it's job - exhausting process. In the case of what you don't know can't hurt you is not quite that simple as many may not be aware that they have a small plaque rupture in a heart vessel wall and with all the work happening in the cardiovascular system - a hazard to your health and wellness. Keep in mind that the blood clots more often in the cold weather.

Smokers, previous heart attack patients, overweight and inactive people should consult with your doctor before shoveling. Do not ignore pain after shoveling as you can dismiss it as just after effects of the shoveling or a pulled muscle - it can be a heart attack.

Symptoms of a heart attack includes:

cold sweat
pain, pain in the arms, back, jaw or neck
shortness of breath
discomfort or a squeezing sensation in the chest
nausea
shortness of breath

Women need to be especially aware of shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting and back or jaw pain as these symptoms are related to a warning for them.


Here are some help full tips for safe ways to shovel the snow:

stretch before you venture outdoors
dress appropriately (layer up covering your nose with a scarf and a hat to cover
your head and ears
take frequent breaks (pace yourself over exertion is not good)
be sure to bend your knees to help with lifting rather than bending over and
putting the strain/stress on your lower back

You can always hire a neighborhood teenager or a professional service. Then again there has also been a sighting of the snow fairy so you may be in luck.