As I was clearing the heavy and wet snow from my driveway a couple of days ago it wasn’t long before I noticed that my breathing, while not labored, was heavier than when at rest. This was because of the very nature of the 8 to 10 inches of snow that we had received, I was actually having to push my snow blower while traversing from the bottom of my drive up to the top. This got me to thinking about the poor souls who have no choice but to use a shovel for snow clearing. If the snow blower was requiring effort from my physically fit body, I know that it was going to be quite a taxing activity for those who only have a shovel to use. Add obesity and a sedentary life on top of that, and you have a tragedy in the making.

American Heart Association urges caution!

The American Heart Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, urges caution when picking up that shovel or even starting the snowblower. Research shows that many people may face an increased risk of a heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest after shoveling heavy snow. Snow shoveling along with other physical activities can place extra stress on the heart, especially among people who aren’t used to regular exercise.

Better health should trump appearance with weight-loss!

People often think that weight-loss is all about changing one’s appearance, while not considering the health implications which come from being overweight and out of shape. If this is your mindset, you should seriously consider changing it. When losing weight and increasing your level of physical fitness with regular exercise, your focus should be on increasing the quality of your life. Looking better is only the icing on the cake.

 

 Cold, winter weather in general can contribute to an increased risk of heart attack. Cold temperatures can increase your blood pressure while simultaneously constricting your coronary arteries. Those two factors, combined with the higher heart rate from physical exertion, is known to increase the risk for acute cardiac events. There are even studies that show an increased risk for heart attacks among people using automatic snow blowers!

According to Harvard Health, about 100 people — mostly men — die during or just after shoveling snow each year in the US. Many more are admitted to the hospital with chest pains or other heart problems. Just think, being in your best physical condition can greatly alleviate your risks from falling over dead as a result of clearing snow from your sidewalks and driveways. Most heart attacks are actually preventable just by keeping your body in optimal condition.

Then consider this too, a sedentary lifestyle combined with the unhealthy food choices that most obese people consume is part of the price you pay for an early funeral.

The correlation between snow shoveling and heart attack is obvious for several reasons.

• Shoveling snow (or perhaps other means of snow removal, including pushing a heavy snow blower) can raise your heart rate and blood pressure more quickly and more dramatically than many other types of exercise.
• Snow shoveling requires use of arm muscles, which for most people is more strenuous than other exercise.
• Snow removal happens in a cold environment. That’s important because cold temperatures may cause blood vessels to constrict.
• Many snow shovelers are ordinarily sedentary. The sudden, strenuous workout may tax a system that is not prepared for it.

How healthy is your cardiovascular condition?

We know that exercise keeps our bodies in good cardiovascular condition. However, if you’re not accustomed to a difficult routine and you try to do too much to soon, it may disrupt the way your heart pumps blood and oxygen through your system.

When many people shovel snow, they may get into a hurry to just get it over with. Sudden exertion, like moving hundreds of pounds of snow after being sedentary for several months, can put a big strain on the heart. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes too many families every winter as a result of clearing snow.

Cardiovascular disease affects more than 27 million people in the US and takes more than 600,000 lives each year. An obese person requires a heart that is able to pump greater amounts of blood, so the chamber size—the actual cavity of the heart—enlarges, and the muscle gets thicker as well. Over time in some individuals, the heart cannot compensate, and after a while, it begins to lose some of its ability to relax or its ability to pump blood to the rest of the body. Both can lead to heart failure. (1)

When we become obese, all of that excess weight can put you at risk for coronary artery disease and an eventual heart attack. Losing weight should be the obvious solution, however, this does not mean that you should attempt to lose weight too quickly as that can also exacerbate the problem. You didn’t gain your excess weight overnight, therefore don’t think that you should lose it overnight. Healthy weight-loss is no more than 1 to 2 pounds per week. Any quicker than this, you need to be under the supervision of your physician.

 

(1) Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis