2016 BLIZZARD! After such a mild December – I would imagine anyone who owns a snow plow is beyond thrilled today  With this amount of snow, along with how heavy the snow is today and the additional wind you might make the right choice in hiring them to do your driveway. Studies show that hundreds of people die each winter from cardiac-related injuries associated with shoveling snow. Many researchers believe it could be double or even triple that depending on the snow fall amounts. The reason is that when young healthy people shovel snow, their heart rate and blood pressure increase more than when they typically exercise on a treadmill. Combine it with the cold air, which causes arteries to constrict and decrease blood supply, you have a perfect storm for a heart attack. Snow shovelling is particularly strenuous because it uses arm work, which is more taxing than leg work. Straining to move wet and heavy snow is particularly likely to cause a surge in heart rate and blood pressure. In addition, many people hold their breath during the hard work, which also puts a strain on the body. One more thought when doing any exercise the prime time for snow clearance is between 6am and 10am which is when circadian fluctuations make us more vulnerable to heart attacks. If you have to shovel today do it slow, don’t wait for it to pile up before you start. Go out every 2-3 inches and shovel. Make it a family affair and give everyone a piece of the driveway and spend 20 minutes then come in and warm up. If you can hire the snow plow it’s a good day to do it. If you are in the position to do a good deed and you have a neighbor who is elderly, sick or alone then make sure you check on them and spend the extra dollar to have their drive way plowed as well. Blizzards are only fun if everyone is healthy, safe and warm.