So why is this California born and raised girl who has been to the snow a whopping 1 time writing to you all about how to shovel snow safely?

Because in the last month I have had 3 clients come back from vacations in the snow, hurt from shoveling it while they were away. So I figured it might be good to pass along some smart shoveling tips to you all. Whether you live in the snow or you simply visit, you need to be careful.

For those of you who like me, do not live in a snowy location, you still need to know this information too. Why? Because with the global epidemic that is climate change you really never know when snow is coming your way. It snowed in Vegas for the first time in 25 years this past holiday season. How trippy is that?

So today I am going to reveal my top safe shoveling tips:

1.) Warm-up Before You Begin Shoveling

You need to get your body ready to shovel snow just like you would warm up before intense exercise. Sometimes we forget snow is heavy, especially when it’s wet, and it’s not the easiest thing to move
around. If your body is tight and cold when you start to shovel then you will dramatically increase your chances of short or long-term injury.

I designed a great shoveling specific five-minute warm-up to get your body ready to rock. I focused on opening up the hips and chest to save your back and shoulders, the two most commonly injured
areas of broken down shovelers:

Perform each exercise in the following warm-up circuit at a slow, controlled tempo for 50 seconds with a 10 second rest and transition between exercises. Do this warm-up indoors to better increase core temperature and total body blood flow:

Exercise#1- Stationary High Knee Run

Exercise#2- Jumping Claps (modified jumping jacks with arms moving across chest level, palms facing)

Exercise#3- Alternating Forward Lunge, Overhead Reach, and Twist

Exercise#4- Alternating Lateral Lunge with Opposite Hand to Toe Touch

Exercise#5- Prisoner Squats (hands behind head with finger interlocked)

2.) Stay Balanced

Back pain is probably the biggest complaint for avid shovelers. In most cases, a sore or tight back stems from restriction at the hips (see the warm-up above to best remedy this). A lot of pain can also be prevented by keeping your body and movements in balance. From the stance of your legs to the direction of your toes, balance in your body and your movements is the key.

So to start off:

· Use a split stance, where one leg is forward and the other leg is back, when shoveling. Most
people stand with their legs parallel, this stance puts your lower back at a greater risk of injury due to the greater likelihood of excessive flexion of the lumbar spine that often leads to back spasms in the short run and herniated discs in the long run. However, with a simple switch to shoveling in the split stance described above, you will not only help prevent this hyper flexion while bending over and moving snow, but you will also actively stretch and open up those tight hips at the same time. Alternate which leg you put forward every 10 reps or so to keep things balanced.

· Point Your Toes In Same Direction of Shoveling –Even when you split your stance, you can be susceptible to injury whenever you perform a rotating back extension (e.g. a shovel toss to your rear). So, to further bolster your body, be sure to always shovel snow in the direction that your toes point to minimize excessive spinal rotation that can literally wrench your back.

· Shovel EQUALLY to BOTH Sides –Another big mistake people make is that they always shovel to their strong sides causing further strength and flexibility imbalances that can put your body at greater risk for injury. Be sure to do an equal amount of shovel tosses to your left AND right. Do 10 shovel tosses to your left with your left leg forward and then do 10 shovel tosses to your right with your right leg forward. Repeat until your driveway or sidewalk is crystal clear.

3.) Buy or Rent a Condo

No, I’m not joking. The great thing about a condominium community is that they do all of the outdoor maintenance for your home, including shoveling. You will save valuable time and the extra stress of having to do it yourself. If it is a viable option and you live or like to vacation in a harsh winter climate, make the smart move and get a condo. 3b). This is my personal favorite – vacation on the beach instead! It’s hard to get hurt shoveling if you never shovel.

So there you have it. The 3 tips above will go a long way in keeping your body as bulletproof as possible during the next blizzard or snow-bound vacation. If you do hurt yourself shoveling snow, it’s a sign of an even bigger problem: being overweight and/or highly de-conditioned. However, if the unfortunate happens and you find yourself side-lined by a snow shoveling related injury, try to think up a better story in case someone asks why you’re limping around like their 85 year old grandmother. Tell them you got hit by a
snow plow truck. You’ll never hear the end of it with the real version of the story. 😉

Stay focused,

Sarai D. Jones