Chicago area winter storm coming Friday could carry heart attack risks for shoveling
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The snowstorm coming Friday is dumping the very kind of heavy, wet snow that can be hazardous to shovel.
It evokes a winter storm that pounded the Chicago area on Dec. 15, 1987, which dumped a foot of heavy, wet snow from skies filled with lightning. That snowstorm was nicknamed "the heart-attack snowstorm."
The National Weather Service says the forecast for the snowstorm Friday and Saturday looks a lot like that nasty day more than 36 years ago. A total of 34 people died in the greater Chicago area – all of older ages, and all either while shoveling or just afterward.
On our 5 p.m. news the day after that snowstorm, experts told CBS 2's Walter Jacobson that young or old, shoveling such snow would constitute a new exercise regime – and is not advised for someone who is not already physically active.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when you're clearing the driveway this weekend:
- Warm up, like you would before any athletic activity.
- Move your body around – maybe even practice your shoveling movement a few times.
- Try to push the snow instead of lifting it.
- If you have to lift the snow, don't throw it over your shoulder. Walk it to where you want it.
- Pace yourself and take breaks. Don't be determined to keep shoveling until the job is done.
Back in 1987 – in advice that is still seen on health advice websites today - the National Safety Council also advised it is not a good idea to shovel right after eating, and to wait an hour instead. Shoveling right eating can put an extra load on the heart, according to an advice page from Holland Hospital in Holland, Michigan.
Smoking cigarettes is also not a good idea while shoveling – as it makes blood vessels contract. While this would not have come up in 1987 as it was not legal, AARP says smoking marijuana before shoveling snow is likewise not a good idea.
Also, alcoholic beverages should not be consumed before shoveling, and you should stop shoveling if you're out of breath.
