11 Ways Winter Can Kill You (Seriously)

Shovel right to protect your heart

People with underlying heart or circulatory disease are at increased risk of trouble when the temperature takes a dip because cold weather can put more stress on your ticker. “Your body is smart, and when it senses cold it protects your core by decreasing blood flow to your extremities,” says Dan Weinstein, MD, Medical Director of the University of Vermont Medical Center Urgent Care and Assistant Professor at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine. This process, called peripheral vasoconstriction, may increase your blood pressure and the work that your heart needs to do to pump blood. “If you add physical exertion such as shoveling into the mix that can cause additional work for the heart.” Here’s what cardiologists want you to know about shoveling snow. Reduce the strain by trying this snow shoveling technique.