Shovel Time - Be Careful Out There!

Cripple Creek, CO January 2008

Snow shoveling is tiring, aah...really? It gives the biceps a good workout, but oh...the back! Are you lifting with your knees and taking frequent breaks?  According to the University of Vermont Extension - "snow shoveling is one of the most high intensity exercises you can do.  You are using all your major muscle groups" (does that include my brain)? "If you load a shovel (two plus pounds) with ten pounds of snow every five seconds, you move a load of over one hundred forty pounds per minute."  They say that's more than a ton of snow moved in fifteen minutes! Maybe it's time to book a flight south, anywhere there's no snow!  Nope, I'm staying put. "Who would shovel if we left town?"

Click here for a short video on correct shoveling - Proper Shoveling Techniques 

I'm reaching far back to the early 80's when quoting Sergeant Phil Esterhaus from Hill Street Blues- "Let's be careful out there." Anyone with health issues is probably better off staying indoors. Hopefully you have a kind neighbor, friend or relative who is helping with the shoveling chores. Some neighborhood associations have organized volunteers to assist those who need some support. In my neighborhood there's a group called A Little Help. Read how this group got started- Denver Post Seniors Stay in Homes with Help.  

Photos from past snowy years -

Garlic April 2014

Snowy Landscape February 2015

Raised Beds, December 2006

Ferris IS a snowball, April 2013