Digging out from the weekend’s massive snow and ice storm could be hazardous to your heart. Related Articles Addicted to your phone? Don’t break up with it entirely. Do this instead Native Americans are dying from pregnancy. They want a voice to stop the trend UH TriPoint Medical Center now includes breast center Florida deregulated nursing schools. Scam colleges and failing students followed Trump administration halts use of human fetal tissue in NIH-funded research Pennsylvania health officials announced three snow-removal related deaths Sunday. All were between the ages of 60 to 84. The Lehigh County coroner’s office cautioned people to take breaks and avoid over-exerting themselves. Shoveling snow is heavy, hard work — research has shown that doing it for even a short time can make the heart work as hard as it does during a major workout. Adding to that stress, the cold temperatures cause blood vessels, including those feeding the heart, to constrict. That raises blood pressure which in turn increases the risk of a heart attack, stroke or cardiac arrest, according to the American Heart Association. Snow shoveling is especially risky for anyone with known heart disease or who’s already survived a heart attack, as well as older adults and people with risk factors including high blood pressure or cholesterol. People who think they’re healthy can get in trouble, too, with that combination of heavy exertion in cold weather – especially if they’re generally sedentary until a snowstorm comes along. Brandon Sherwood shovels his walkway on Route 121 on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Westminster, Vt. after Winter Storm Fern dropped several inches of snow. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP) Keaton Fitzgerald uses a snow shovel to dig out of his driveway, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Owensboro, Ky. (Greg Eans/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP) Katherine Schneider shovels out a vehicle for the fourth time during the storm on Route 100 on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Jamaica, Vt., after Winter Storm Fern dropped several inches of snow. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP) Show Caption1 of 3Brandon Sherwood shovels his walkway on Route 121 on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Westminster, Vt. after Winter Storm Fern dropped several inches of snow. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP) Expand The heart association advises that if you have to shovel, go slow and try to push the snow instead of lifting and throwing it. It also urges people to learn common warning signs of a heart attack and to call 911 if they experience them. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ...read more read less