It’s that time of year again.  When, folks who have barely managed to do 10 minutes of exercise a day (or even 100 minutes a week) take on a most strenuous task.  No, I’m not saying don’t do it- I’m saying do it right.  What the heck am I talking about?  Snow-shoveling.

My technique is one that I have employed for nigh 4 decades now.  Now, one might have thought (it’s way too late to hint) that my children might have shoveled now and then.  But, it’s always been my task.

I don’t wake up in the morning and see a mountain of snow, lament, bundle up, and then charge ahead into the task.  Nor, do I call anyone to come rescue me (i.e., shovel my walk).  No, when there is snow in the forecast, I break the task (repeat the task?) throughout the snowfall.

Every three hours or so- unless it’s a fast falling blizzard, when I do this more often- I go out and shovel my walk.  (Just to give you an idea, we’re talking about 650 square feet (60 sq meters) of walk and driveway.  With that time duration, the depth is rarely more than 2 inches, so the weight of snow I have to lift with each shovel is always about 10 pounds. (I really aim for 5 kg.)  And, it takes about 30 minutes to make the circuit.  The trick is to work steadily (some might call me speedy, but it is my normal pace).  And, by doing it often- before the snow settles in and packs, the task is completed without a great deal of effort.  Oh, I am not saying, when all is said and done that I have not expended a fair amount of energy- but there’s a heck of a difference between walking 10 miles and sprinting for 5!

I will advise you to go slower than you might normally consider your pace.  It is generally colder during the snowfall than after it stops, so your body will expend more energy.  Of course, you will expend less energy moving a 2 inch depth of snow than a 4 inch depth (or, as if often the case where I live, a 1 to 1.5 inch depth versus a five inch depth, as I shovel throughout the storm).    Plus, no coffee drinking BEFORE you shovel- that causes your heart to speed up.  Trust me, your heart will get plenty of exercise, as you shovel.  Enjoy your caffeine as you warm up, after  you shovel.

You see, there are some 1200 heart-failure deaths annually specifically tied to snow-shoveling.  And, the whole fault could be laid at the feet (arms?) of Frederick Winslow Taylor.  You remember him- the Progressive Era’s efficiency expert, the father of “scientific management”, who believed that one could find the single best way to accomplish every task.

Taylor determined that a well-toned individual could handle a full-day’s work using a shovel that held  21.5 pounds.  I do wonder why it was raised to 24 pounds by the Center for Occupational Health & Safety (Canada); I doubt very much that Canadians are more “fit” than the employees of Bethlehem Steel Works were a century ago [1911] (and am willing to bet they are a heck of lot less so).  And, Taylor didn’t give a rat’s ass about worker health- he cared specifically about maximum output!

Taylor was also worried that your arms would get tired.  Today, folks are more leery of their lower backs (lumbosacral junction)- rightly so- since it’s among our weakest links (and most common cause, other than the cold, to miss work).   So, those longer handled snow-shovels makes lifting the snow harder on the back and the heart.  The bent shaft snow shovel makes the initial grab of snow harder (you have to stoop), but much easier to lift the snow once it’s on the shovel.

Of course, one of the best ways to handle the snow is to whip out your snowblower.  No lifting necessary.  Oh, and it works much better when the snow depth is below 3 inches- so don’t wait for the end of the storm, even if you have such a behemoth.  Unless, of couse, the snow is falling in the middle of the night.  Let you neighbors sleep (and avoid that noise ordinance ticket).

Last night was the first night of Chanuka (when the candles get lit) and today is the first day.  May this Festival of Lights bring peace, knowledge, and love to illuminate your lives and hmees.

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