“9” Shoveling snow tips
Tips to shoveling snow safely
Snow season has hit Edmonton and while I look outside and see the snow gently falling, I realize that the task of snow shoveling has become part of my exercise routine. Exercise? Seriously the amount of energy you use to shovel snow equals 30 minutes of moderate physical activity for the day. Some people have even gone so far to say that the energy use is compared to an active round of tennis!
Like any “sport”, there are tips to remember when shoveling snow with the aim of keeping your safe and still get the job done in the most effective manner.
Shoveling snow tips
1. Dress properly! Dress in several layers so you can remove a layer as needed. Trust me you will work up a sweat very easily. Be sure to wear proper boots with good traction.
2. Be sure you can see what you are doing. I know for the longest time I used to wear the hood on my coat but it kept falling over my face so I could not see and I would slip on ice patches and then there was the issue of uneven surfaces that I would trip over! Wear hats and scarves that wont block your vision.
3. At one time I would get dressed and go out to shovel snow..big mistake! I got so sore so quickly and I would hurt my back, where I would be pretty much incapacitated for days at a time. What did I learn? Just like any sport that runners or other athlete do, I have learned to stretch my back, shoulders and hamstrings.
4. Hydration! Shoveling snow is very thirsty work and its easy to get dehydrated! I keep a water bottle close by so that I can keep hydrated.
5. Be sure to take breaks! I know that the first year I shoveled snow when I came to Edmonton, I wanted it done and over with and went crazy trying to get it all done as fast as I could. Well that didn’t work out as planned and I was so exhausted that I could hardly keep up with the rest of the day! Lesson learned? the snow is not going anywhere and it is still going to come down..so why rush? I have learned to go slowly and to take lots of breaks, that way my heart is not pounding and I get it all done.
6. Unless you love being in pain, then using your legs to lift the shovel is a very wise idea. Lifting properly is an absolute must, so dont bend at the waist don’t twist your body as you throw snow over your shoulder ( it may look good in the movies, but your back will tell you otherwise!) and don’t take big shovels of snow!
7. I know its tempting to want to wait until the snow has stopped falling before shoveling, but I have to be honest and say that I have found it much easier to clear the snow when it is just a few inches and I have found that my body likes me a lot more when I push the snow rather than having to lift or carry it any distance.
8. Did you know that spreading sand on a sidewalk before ice forms can also make future ice easier to remove later? While this tip is not strictly about snow shoveling, spreading sand or gravel on icy patches is just a considerate thing to do for pedestrians.
9. I think the best snow shoveling tip you will ever hear is to listen to your body! If you start feeling pain or you are experiencing heart attack warning signs the stop and get yourself medical attention pronto! ( for those of you who may be unfamiliar with signs of a heart attack..pay attention to chest, shoulder, neck or arm pain; dizziness, fainting, sweating or nausea; or shortness of breath.)
Are there any special tips that you can share about shoveling snow? Do you have a favorite style of shovel ( some people prefer the plow type over other styles) and have your tried the trick of putting lard/oil or the cooking spray “Pam” to help stop the snow from sticking to a shovel?
So many questions….
Related articles
loading...
loading...
Nov 21, 2013 @ 19:49:53
Here’s tip number 10. Call the neighbor’s kid down the street, offer him $, pour yourself a cup of coffee and watch him out the window
loading...
loading...
Nov 21, 2013 @ 20:48:20
I was thinking about adding that tip Carol, but then realized that there just are not enough kids around who want to make any money this way…gone are the good old days! What I will offer as a tip instead is getting a neighbor to do it with you, that way you don’t feel so alone! In are neighborhood we help each other out and will take turns shoveling the neighbors pedestrian walk, just to give us all a break..its a good feeling to do it and doesn’t take that much more time.
loading...
loading...
Nov 21, 2013 @ 20:37:16
Hi Diane, very timely article. We just have snow for a week here in Winnipeg. One more tip.
Tell other people in your home to shovel the driveway before they leave garage. The beat up snow is much harder to remove than fresh one. Although this might sound like no brainier, it is not obvious to those who never shovel.
loading...
loading...
Nov 21, 2013 @ 20:50:34
oh my…yes indeed and have been there done that a few times over the years. Where we are living…now… the garage is way back and so we don’t even worry about using it. We have our engine warmer extension cord very close to the front of the house..you get used to it after awhile and thank goodness that we have it!
loading...
loading...
Nov 22, 2013 @ 14:25:28
Better yet live where you don’t need to shovel snow. However if you do, sprinkle rock salt on drive and walkways and then you really don’t need to shovel sometimes. Plus when you do shovel its easier to do. You know our highway departments know how to do this. Why not do what they do and make your lives easier if you must shovel it.
loading...
loading...
Nov 25, 2013 @ 15:00:46
this is a late reply..oops!
Depending on the weather, yes I agree that rock salt is a great way to keep the snow manageable on roads and sidewalks. In B.C. they use a combination of salt and sand to control the slickness of the roads, but it sure is messy. In Edmonton they only use sand because we get such extremes of cold, that salt is unworkable here.
I think there are two ways to make life easier
1 Move to a place where there is never any snow
2. Invest in a slow blower!
For the rest of us who cant do either of these things, then being safe when manually shoveling is the best we can do lol
Thanks for the great feedback Jim and have an awesome day!
loading...
loading...
Nov 26, 2013 @ 03:48:14
The best way I ever discovered to personally shovel snow was with a snowblower…
loading...
loading...