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" When you live in a region with all four seasons, snow is just a fact of life, and not everyone can afford a snowblower \u2014 that just leaves the old-fashioned way of digging out: shoveling. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that there were more than 26,000 injuries from shovels, ice breakers, scrapers, and similar snow removal tools in 2009 \u2014 and since the tools we use haven&amp;#039;t changed much since then, there&amp;#039;s bound to be at least that many injuries this year. Anyone who is at risk for heart problems has to be especially careful; shoveling adds stress to your heart and cold weather constricts oxygen to the heart. In fact, people 55 years and older are four times more likely to experience a heart-related problem while shoveling. But whether you have heart trouble or are totally healthy, there are key things you should do to shovel snow safely and easily. 1. Start shoveling early. Fresh snow is easier to remove as it&amp;#039;s not as solidly packed and requires less effort to push and lift. 2. Choose an ergonomic shovel (like the aptly named Backsaver) that isn&amp;#039;t too heavy, too short (forcing you to bend more) or too long (making it harder to lift the weight at the end) for your size. RELATED: Doctored-Up Hot Cocoa Mix-Ins for Your Next Snow Day 3. Let your leg and thigh muscles do most of the work \u2014 not your back. And push snow as much as possible instead of lifting it. 4. Dress in layers that are easy to remove as your body warms up. Cover your nose and mouth with a scarf to reduce the amount of cold air you breathe in. But make sure nothing is blocking your vision so you don&amp;#039;t trip on the icy or uneven ground. 5. Keep hydrated! Bring water outside and store it near the area you&amp;#039;re shoveling. 6. Take a break after 15 minutes or so of work. If you feel yourself getting too hot or too cold, take a rest even sooner. 7. Invest in equipment beyond the basic shovel. While snow blowers can easily set you back a few hundred dollars, a smart tool like the Toro Power Shovel or Snow Joe only costs a little over $100 and will save you the burden of lifting the snow. The best advice? Do whatever you can to convince the youngest and strongest person in the house to shovel the snow. Turn on the charm, use guilt, or plead doctor&amp;#039;s orders \u2014 whatever you think will work. Or, if there&amp;#039;s a lot to clear, take turns shoveling. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/fitness/a19691/tips-for-shoveling-snow/>