***OFFICIAL 2026 WEATHER THREAD***

Am I being ignorant in asking how shoveling snow regardless of wet/compactness would lead to a heart attack?? Do people not workout or get bloodwork?

I think even for in shape people it's still different muscles and repeated movement in a short burst which can intensify things.
 
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This stuff is melting so fast the parts of the driveway I cleared first had completed melted off and dried by the time I finished the entire thing.

Best part about this time of year is more and more daylight that can really deteriorate snow and ice quicker.

Also the harsher temps won't be around too long. It's already supposed to be in the high 30s by mid-week.
 
I think even for in shape people it's still different muscles and repeated movement in a short burst which can intensify things.
This is the main reason we got our snow blower 5 or 6 years ago. Spent about 3 to 4 hours scooping out the drive and after I got finished called my wife at work and just told her "I am almost 60 years old and we can either plan on paying for my heart attack or get a snow blower". She replied back, "get your damn snow blower." No heart attack, and removing the snow is now almost fun.
 
Hell, even clearing snow with a two-stage snowblower can be a real physical challenge if there is enough snow and/or it's wet/heavy. I have a lot of ground to cover with a lot of drifting and two separate places where I have to clear what the city plow leaves behind. Took me 90 minutes today and by the time I wrestled the snowblower through all those drifts, I was wiped out.
 
I wasn’t calling people out and everyone brings up fair points. Maybe I underestimated the fragility of the human body and the effect mother time can have. Today’s snow wasn’t easy by any means, was just a thought I had. Happy weekend!
 
I bought a little electric snow thrower last year. It is probably designed for cleaning steps and less than three inch snows. Not this bad boy at my place. Used it today to clean the deck and back patio. We had around eight or nine inches of snow here. Where the snow piled up deeper than it wanted to throw, I took two or three passes to get to the bottom of it.

This blower is narrow, perhaps nine inches wide, but throws the snow far away from where it started. I have used it on the drive in lighter snows to eliminate lifting and throwing. I shovel the snow to the side of the drive then use that electric blower to throw it to the wind and away from the drive. It is absolutely a work smarter and not harder tool. It was priced around $130 but was a Sam's Club black Friday special for $70.00 and worth every cent at either price.
 
I wasn’t calling people out and everyone brings up fair points. Maybe I underestimated the fragility of the human body and the effect mother time can have. Today’s snow wasn’t easy by any means, was just a thought I had. Happy weekend!
I agree with you. A heart attack seems unlikely. Back pain comes long before your cardio is stressed.
 
I don’t wish back pain on my worst enemy
I have always had a bad back, my kids loved to give me crap about it. Well a few months ago our daughter's back went out. She kept saying "now I know what you have been talking about all these years." No crap, is all I told her, love those back spasms, when it feels like someone shoved an icepick into your back that comes out of nowhere.
 
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I wasn’t calling people out and everyone brings up fair points. Maybe I underestimated the fragility of the human body and the effect mother time can have. Today’s snow wasn’t easy by any means, was just a thought I had. Happy weekend!
I just turned 61 and go to the gym fives mornings a week cardio and weights. My hands were cramping up today after using the snowblower, so yes this type of snow affects you differently. I think the reason was using my arms to shove the snowblower into the piles at the end of the driveway. One of my neighbors gave me an extra $10 as he saw how hard I was working to get his driveway cleared.
 
I bought a little electric snow thrower last year. It is probably designed for cleaning steps and less than three inch snows. Not this bad boy at my place. Used it today to clean the deck and back patio. We had around eight or nine inches of snow here. Where the snow piled up deeper than it wanted to throw, I took two or three passes to get to the bottom of it.

This blower is narrow, perhaps nine inches wide, but throws the snow far away from where it started. I have used it on the drive in lighter snows to eliminate lifting and throwing. I shovel the snow to the side of the drive then use that electric blower to throw it to the wind and away from the drive. It is absolutely a work smarter and not harder tool. It was priced around $130 but was a Sam's Club black Friday special for $70.00 and worth every cent at either price.

I have had a corded version of one of those electric blowers for like 7 years now. Cheapest thing possible. Throws 6 inch snow like 50 feet. Complete beast.

I always see people dog on them and they have no idea how handy those things are around the house in winter
 
This is the main reason we got our snow blower 5 or 6 years ago. Spent about 3 to 4 hours scooping out the drive and after I got finished called my wife at work and just told her "I am almost 60 years old and we can either plan on paying for my heart attack or get a snow blower". She replied back, "get your damn snow blower." No heart attack, and removing the snow is now almost fun.
Ha! Hey, just for the fun of it, the next time your wife goes in for her annual checkup, say "Okay, get your damn mammogram."
 
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I just turned 61 and go to the gym fives mornings a week cardio and weights. My hands were cramping up today after using the snowblower, so yes this type of snow affects you differently. I think the reason was using my arms to shove the snowblower into the piles at the end of the driveway. One of my neighbors gave me an extra $10 as he saw how hard I was working to get his driveway cleared.
My older neighbor gave me a case of Busch Latte! He has never paid me before. I have lived here 30 years.
 
I have had a corded version of one of those electric blowers for like 7 years now. Cheapest thing possible. Throws 6 inch snow like 50 feet. Complete beast.

I always see people dog on them and they have no idea how handy those things are around the house in winter
I had a tiny Toro Snow Sweeper for years that did every bit as good of a job as a big snowblower, just with more narrow swaths. What I loved most was it was so lightweight, I could easily pick it up and throw it in the back of a van and go help others.
 
Ha! Hey, just for the fun of it, the next time your wife goes in for her annual checkup, say "Okay, get your damn mammogram."

RIP Pope.
This sort of reminds me of the joke that Jim Walden used to tell at Cyclone outings.
His wife went for annual check up and when Jim got home he could her singing in the kitchen so he figured things went well. He asked her about her doctors visit and she said she had a great report. The doctor even said that I had the breasts of an 18 year old. Walden replies, did he say anything about your 50 year old a$$, no Jim, your name never came up.
 
This is the main reason we got our snow blower 5 or 6 years ago. Spent about 3 to 4 hours scooping out the drive and after I got finished called my wife at work and just told her "I am almost 60 years old and we can either plan on paying for my heart attack or get a snow blower". She replied back, "get your damn snow blower." No heart attack, and removing the snow is now almost fun.
First "big" gift my siblings and I got my Dad was a snowblower after we had all left the house and thus weren't around to help him shovel anymore.
 
First "big" gift my siblings and I got my Dad was a snowblower after we had all left the house and thus weren't around to help him shovel anymore.
What a great idea! Good job outta you and your siblings.
 
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