Each year shovelling snow causes the death of 100 people in the United States and sends more than 11 thousand to hospital. It is actually a common cause of heart attacks. Seven percent of hospital admissions are due to a cardiac problem. Other health problems resulting from shovelling snow include broken bones, strains and other injuries caused by falls. Why is there such a high risk of heart attacks? Mostly because shovelling snow is very hard work, done in extremely cold conditions. It is quite intense exercise that sometimes takes more than two hours to complete. If you are not fit and accustomed to strenuous exercise, it can put a real strain on your heart and it will raise your blood pressure. The cold weather conditions lead to the constriction of arteries. So less blood and oxygen become available to your hard working heart. If you have blocked arteries this can be a recipe for disaster. It’s best to try and get some regular exercise so that you are fit enough to shovel snow when needed, but in the meantime please make sure you do some warming up exercises before getting stuck into the shovelling. Also try to work at your own pace. Don’t rush to get the job done because then there’s a real risk you’ll overexert yourself. For information on keeping your blood pressure healthy see our website. To minimize your risk of injuries, please watch this proper shovelling techniques video