1. Stretch both before and after shoveling! You want to make sure your muscles are warmed up prior to shoveling as shoveling is both a cardio and weight training activity. This is especially true first thing in the morning when shoveling before work or getting the kids off to school.
2. Do not lift the snow. Lifting snow in the shovel can be a very heavy weight that you may not normally try to lift. Instead, push the snow forward and to the sides. In my house, we have a shovel that has a 48” blade that works great for pushing lighter, fluffy snow, but I would never use for the wet, heavy snow.
3. Do NOT twist and lift! Twisting or rotation puts extra stress on your discs and can lead to an even worse injury to your back than a simple low back strain.
4. Lift with your legs and not your back if you have to lift. Think of doing this similar to doing squats in the gym where you engage and support your low back and use the strength of your legs to lift.
5. Take lots of breaks. Shovel an area and then take a quick break to stretch before continuing to shovel. The likelihood of an injury happening is a lot lower and you likely won’t be sore later.
ADDRESS: 203 Park Avenue South, St. Cloud, MN 56301, USA