There's A Dark Reason You Shouldn't Shovel Snow This Winter
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If you're going to be shovelling snow any time soon - and given the weather it's pretty likely you might be - then you better watch out.
It. Can. Kill.
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Don't take my word for it, listen to Barry Franklin, director of preventative cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation at William Beaumont Hospital, an expert in the hazardous effects of snow removal.
He told the BBC he believes hundreds of people die every year in the US from shovelling snow because they 'don't have any idea how taxing it is on the heart'.
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Apparently even when healthy, young men shovel snow their heart rate and blood pressure increase more than when exercising on a treadmill.
"Combine this with cold air, which causes arteries to constrict and decrease blood supply, you have a perfect storm for a heart attack," he said.
"People at greatest risk are those who are habitually sedentary with known or suspected coronary disease, who go out once a year to clear snow."
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Franklin believes it's so dangerous that nobody over the age of 55 should do it. And if you smoke or are overweight the risk of death is also higher.
The reason snow shovelling is so dangerous is because it requires arm work, which is more taxing than leg work.
So next time someone tells you to shovel that snow, just remember to say one word: NO!
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