I'm 55 and I don't have any problem shoveling snow, other than it's cold and takes a long time.
But that's the key. The longer it takes, the less chance you have of overexerting yourself.
- Don't shovel if you have a known heart condition or haven't been evaluated by a physician recently
- Get a smaller shovel. I use a plastic grain scoop shovel. It picks up about half of what a standard snow shovel picks up, and the raised edges on the sides of the scoop keep the snow from sliding off the sides like it does on a snow shovel.
- Pace yourself. If you have a strap on heart rate monitor, use it, and keep your rate within or below the aerobic levels.
- Dress warmly so you're not cold, but in layers so you don't get so hot you're sweating.
- Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out. Point to remember, if you stop breathing, you stop breathing.
- If you're shoveling too fast to carry on a conversation, you're shoveling too fast.
There's only a few things you should be shoveling at all: stairs, porch or deck, right next to your automobiles, and any place else you can't get your tractor into (like maybe a roof).
