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February 15, 2004Heart-smart flake flinging saves workByRecord-Eagle staff writer I've never been much of a daredevil, though there's something about winter that makes me want to cheat death. Ski jumping? Nah. I'm not really into being airborne just long enough to wonder which limb is going to snap when I land. The luge? Looks like fun, but I don't know of any luge runs around here and I don't think anyone wants to freeze their water slide to accommodate the sport. Snowmobile drag racing? Too expensive. I prefer to shovel snow. According to everything we hear on the topic this time of year, any man old enough to have ever played air-guitar to Uriah Heep is taking his life in his hands if he goes out to shovel snow. In fact, a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who rarely exercise are up to 30 times more likely to have a heart attack when they suddenly decide to fling the flakes. With odds like those, many of us would be justified in questioning the motives of anyone who tells us to pick up a snow-shovel. Those studies make me paranoid. I've tried to take preventive measures, but North Flight will not station an ambulance helicopter near my house just in case. Experts have been doing further studies on the dangers right here in Michigan. The reason? We have a ready supply of both snow and pot-bellied futon jockeys. In fact, one such study involved asking 10 healthy men to run on a treadmill while the white-coated clipboard brigade measured their heart rates. A few days later, the same group of men were asked to shovel heavy, wet snow for about 10 minutes. The study has to be conducted again because all of the subjects are now in intensive care. Not really. They actually found that the men's heart rates were at least as high or higher than when they worked out on the treadmill. Now, a study from Michigan State University says snow-shoveling may actually be healthy. Seems it helps the body produce enzymes that may help stave off a heart attack. Maybe I didn't know about the enzymes, but I had an inkling most vigorous activities that can trigger a heart attack are things that would make less of a risk had you done them all along. At my age, I've found the best way to avoid problems is to practice safe shoveling. Some people shovel rapidly as if they're bailing water from a life boat. That's not the best way to do it. You're supposed to shovel without any vigor at all, as if you were trying to clear the driveway one snowflake at a time. That way, you won't put yourself in danger of over-exertion. And whoever asked you to shovel will get so frustrated about the task not getting done they'll either get you a snow-blower or hire a teen-ager to do the job.
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