Best of Fast Fitness: Is Shoveling Snow a Good Workout?
The snowstorm may not have been as big as we thought (or in some spots, nothing at all). We may have escaped it this time, but snow is almost certainly coming at some point before the flowers come up. You might view shoveling snow as a great workout opportunity, but it really isn’t. Check out this post from the Fast Fitness archives to learn why.
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You may be wondering to yourself whether shoveling snow today is a good replacement for the treadmill. Well, depending on who you ask, it really is more of a mixed bag than you may realize. The night before the big snowstorm, I texted my dad to be careful clearing the snow for this very reason. Shoveling snow ranks high on the workout intensity scale, given that it can be considered both an aerobic (walking with the shovel or snow blower) and anaerobic (lifting wet, heavy snow) activity.
So before you or a loved one goes out there to clear out those mounds at the end of the driveway, you may want to share this post and reconsider spending a little coin to let the landscaping service clear you out while you fire up the treadmill. Learn more at the American Heart Association website.
– Dan Mulcahey
