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This task throughout the winter may be very demanding. Learn from the advice of fitness experts if you've been assigned powder duty.
Shoveling a driveway is physically demanding work, as anybody who has done it will attest. And yet, can it be considered physical activity?
Personal trainer and ACE head of international business development Anthony Wall says it all comes down to terminology.
He argues that shoveling snow after a major blizzard does not qualify as exercise since it is not a sort of physical activity that is planned, organized, repeated, and with the purpose of improving health or fitness (as defined by ACE). Nonetheless, that's only part of the picture.
According to Wall, shoveling may be considered cardiovascular exercise, and if done frequently, it can help you gain strength as well.
However, before you get out the shovel, think about the potential dangers involved.
The Cardiovascular Benefits of Shoveling
Although some may disagree, Wall insists that shoveling does count toward the 150 minutes of exercise per week advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He classifies it more as cardiovascular exercise than strength training because it takes more time to complete than a standard strength training session.
Do not be fooled by the mundane aspect of the task at hand. Seattle emergency care doctor Stephen Morris, MD, MPH, says shoveling is much more physically demanding than most people would prefer to engage in for fitness. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it may even be used as a substitute for a stress test, which is used to determine how hard your heart is working during exercise. In fact, your risk of a heart attack might go up if this is the type of thing you don't usually do.
"You can burn 600 calories in an hour of shoveling snow," Wall adds, so if you're hungry afterward, it's not your fault. He compares it to a high-intensity interval training session, but claims it lasts longer.
To be sure, shoveling counts as physical exercise, but for reasons we'll go into, it's far more taxing than a "healthy" vigorous activity should be (see below).
Multiple muscle groups can be used when shoveling.
Experiencing soreness in your muscles after snow shoveling? Not a big surprise there. Unless you often engage in comparable activities, like vigorous gardening, your muscles will feel the strain from this task, Wall warns.
Mount Sinai's chief of sports medicine, James Gladstone, MD, believes that the number of muscle groups you use depends on your technique. Don't overwork your upper body — that includes your arms, shoulders, and back. Put your "core" and "legs" into it, he says, and you'll be "a bit more efficient," and "a little less weary" in your upper body.
Realize You Might Have to Alter Some of Your Regular Weekly Exercise Routines
Your level of exertion while snow shoveling, as well as the intensity of your regular exercises, will determine whether or not you need to modify your exercise routine.
According to Wall, going for a stroll is risk-free anytime, anywhere, and can even reduce muscle pain. If you're training for a marathon, for example, and you feel completely spent after shoveling, it could be wise to reduce your training miles for a day or two.
Give yourself enough of time to recuperate after shoveling before hitting the gym for a strength-training session, especially your upper body, which performed a disproportionate amount of the work. According to Dr. Gladstone, if you had scheduled an upper-body day, you should switch it out for a lower-body day or anything else that is less stressful.
If shoveling snow was particularly exhausting, you may want to take it easy during your next scheduled workout as well. According to Gladstone, "there's a breakdown portion and a growth element" when it comes to working out and gaining muscle. You may say that "they have to equal out."
He warns about trying to establish a new personal record on the squat rack just after plowing the driveway.
If you live in an area that is regularly pounded by snow, you may use your workouts to be ready for the next winter. Gladstone claims that, while it's difficult to replicate the precise motions of snow shoveling, kettlebell exercises get quite close.
Please Consider the Dangers of Snow Shoveling
Experts advise caution if a long, intense workout is what you have in mind as a means of challenging yourself. High-intensity activities like these might be dangerous for people who aren't accustomed to working out frequently and intensely.
According to research published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, more than 11,500 persons sought medical attention for injuries sustained while shoveling snow between 1990 and 2006. There was a 16 percent rise in heart attacks among males the day following snowfall, according to a research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in February 2017.
Dr. Morris warns that there are various risks associated with shoveling snow. It's easy to overdo it since the surface area of your driveway and sidewalks, or how much snow has fallen, serves as the prompt to stop, rather than a self-determined cue like a specific time or exhaustion level, Morris adds. Most individuals don't shovel for a set period of time as they do on a walk or 30 minutes at the gym; rather, they shovel until the job is done.
Also, it's hard on the back and other main muscles, which might increase the risk of injury. Injuries including rotator cuff tendonitis and tendinitis of the elbow have been linked to snow shoveling, according to research conducted in Gladstone.
There's also the fact that shoveling snow often takes place outside, where the temperature may be rather low. Although it's really chilly, many individuals will begin to shed clothing out of a false sense of comfort. Morris believes that's bad for your circulatory system. The blood vessels near your body's periphery are dilated widely to release excess heat. "They take off their coat and are immediately hit by a blast of frigid air; talk about a rude awakening!" There are others who are more susceptible to fainting, stroke, and heart attack as a result of shock, he explains.
Pregnant women and those who have a history of cardiac problems, stroke, or extremely high blood pressure should also avoid shoveling snow. Morris warns that one must not approach this endeavor flippantly.
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