Snow Shoveling Back Injuries

An injury to your back can be easily accomplished if your not use to shoveling, don't dress warm enough and don't prepare your body for the repetitive movements. Here's a 5 minute warm-up that can save you from back injury while shoveling all that snow.

1. Activate all your muscles. Perform slow standing marches (30 sec.), immediately followed by crunches (15 reps), then quarter squats(15 reps). take a 1 minute break and repeat twice. Notice how you feel. The blood is really flowing, the muscles are getting warmer and your ready to put on your outdoor wear and do some more work.

2. Remember to just like exercise, take your rest periods seriously when shoveling snow. It's funny how there are so many more injuries shoveling snow than there are exercising in the gym. I think the ratio is like 100:1 for injuries due to shoveling snow. A key reason is that people don't warm up and don't take at least 1 or 2 minute breaks.

I know it's cold out there, but take care of your body. You only have one.

Stumble It!