Snow Shoveling Tips for Clearing Your Driveway
Freshly fallen snow looks beautiful, but it can be a menace to your day and your safety. It’s important to clear your sidewalks and driveway thoroughly since fluctuating temperatures can transform that fluffy powder into slippery, solid ice. The following shoveling tips will help you forge a clear path for your feet and your car.
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Get ready for a workout
Shoveling is a labor-intensive chore, so you should warm up before heading out in the cold. According to The Spruce.com writer David Beaulieu, you should stretch your muscles, wear multiple layers, and be diligent about taking breaks. Speeding through shoveling just to get it done can tax your body, leaving you susceptible to injury.
Prep your equipment
Snow gets heavy fast, especially if it cakes onto the shovel. To prevent snow from sticking to your shovel and adding extra weight to every movement, Beaulieu suggests waxing the blade of your shovel before you get to work. You can use a cooking spray like PAM or car wax, floor wax, or even candle wax.
Practice proper form
Shoveling is a repetitive motion that strains specific muscles. Be sure to switch up the side you shovel on, keep a bend in the knees, and use your legs, not your back, to lift the shovel up and down. Beaulieu also recommends switching your grip throughout the process; when snowfall is approximately 1 foot deep, split your scoops in half and do each area twice. Lifting too much at once sets you up for physical injury.
If your car is parked in the driveway and covered in snow, focus first on clearing a path to the driver’s side, advises Beaulieu. Start the car and turn on the defrost function, allowing it to warm up while you tend to the driveway.
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Don’t downplay how difficult, strenuous, and taxing shoveling snow is; listen to your body and be aware of aches and muscle fatigue. Be sure to take breaks and stay hydrated.
DeAnn Owens is a Dayton transplant by way of the Windy City, yet considers herself to be a California girl at heart even though she’s only visited there once. To get through the dreaded allergy season unique to the Miami Valley, she reads, writes, complains about the weather, and enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and their newest addition, a Boston terrier puppy that is now in charge of all their lives. In the future, she hopes to write a novel and travel through time. See more articles by DeAnn.