The cold weather can affect your heart, especially if you have cardiovascular disease. People who are outdoors in the cold should avoid sudden exertion, like shoveling heavy snow. Outdoor activities in the cold puts physical stress on the body. The risk of heart attack during snow shoveling may increase for some. The combination of colder temperatures and hard work puts strain on the heart.
Along with cold temperatures, high winds, snow and rain can also steal valuable body heat. Wind is especially dangerous because it removes the layer of heated air from around your body. Dampness from snow and rain causes the body to lose heat faster than it would in drier conditions.
Children, the elderly and those with heart disease are at special risk. If you must shovel snow, wear layers of clothing to keep warm, consult your doctor, use a small shovel or a snow blower, take frequent brakes, don’t eat a heavy meal before or soon after shoveling, learn the heart attack warning signs and listen to your body.