Kozlowski: Shoveling snow has its benefits too

One reason for loving Pittsburgh is the routine material covered by the city newspapers. Like my… One reason for loving Pittsburgh is the routine material covered by the city newspapers. Like my column. Additionally, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette routinely has items extolling random acts of kindness, photos of children tramping through leaves and, most hilariously, a column Friday, on the front page no less, reporting that residents of the city better be shoveling their sidewalks, or else.

Now, as Mr. Native Midwesterner, I find this rather funny. After all, in Chicago we regularly get more than just a few scattered flakes each year. Granted, the weather back home isn’t exactly Buffalo, N.Y. or Minneapolis, but it isn’t Tampa, Fla. either. Indeed, when I was a mere lad, we would trudge to school through inches of snow, uphill, both ways, which was exceptionally difficult because we had to find a hill first thing every morning.

All kidding aside, I did have to do my fair share of snow shoveling over the years, and this winter break was no exception. Doing it by hand gives one a great exercise experience.

Each year, New Year’s resolutions frequently involve more exercise, loss of weight and visits to the gym. We seek physical exertion. Ironically, the history of humanity revolved around avoidance of labor and strain, usually because there was always plenty of that to go around when chasing antelopes or hoeing potatoes. In our era, we avoid exertion while at the same time seeking it out. It is always amusing to see someone use a snowblower to clear their driveway so that they can drive to a fitness center and lift weights.

Now, snowblowers do have their place and are no doubt marvels of modern convenience. I have not quite bought into the notions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and I do not believe that every modern invention since the wheel has somehow ruined our well-being. After all, I’m a chemist, and might someday design preservatives for a living. Nor is this column saying that we have lost our humanity by tying ourselves to machines. All I argue is, if you want exercise, go out and shovel some snow.

Imagine this. First, you wander out, coat on, bundled up because, well, it’s cold out there. Toss a few shovels of snow, and you begin to resent your coat. Each pitch of snow involves lifting about two or three pounds to waist height, then a great thrust to remove it from the shovel. If you’re lucky, the snow flies off cleanly and lands where you have aimed. If the snow is too wet, most of it stays on the darned thing, and you have to bang the shovel every few scoops. If the snow is dry, and there’s just a little bit of wind, half of the powder blows clear into your face. Indeed, some tosses are so rough, I find myself turning a half circle as quickly as possible.

And your job goes on, shovel by shovel, load by load, and if the snow is wet enough, and if you move fast enough, soon enough you have divested yourself of coat, sweater and hat. If it’s warm and sunny, you might be down to your T-shirt. Do this often enough, and you might feel a little sore the next morning.

Man, I love it.

Honestly, this is one thing I miss in college. While it is rough and tumble, snow shoveling can be quite enjoyable if you don’t have to do it for weeks at a time. Unlike the use of a snowblower, there is no threat to your ears, and no gasoline fumes getting kicked back off the equipment. Shovels are a bit cheaper to buy and maintain than their automatic cousins and, provided you aren’t in a hurry, can be rewarding to use.

The shovel is an excellent exercise implement. Perhaps it isn’t the best, but anything that causes one to break a sweat while using it continuously for an hour to an hour-and-a-half must have some benefit. Indeed, a 155-pound person burns about 400 calories per hour while shoveling, and perhaps as many as 600 per hour if it is really heavy stuff.

There are also aesthetic benefits to snow shoveling. It allows one to tune out the world, to meditate, and to admire a fresh-fallen snow. One can see what spots are most heavily trafficked, perhaps see if any wildlife has been out and about, and enjoy a world muffled by the snow. Even in the city, things seem quieter with a few inches on the ground, and it sure does deaden the highway a few blocks from my house.

Think of snow not as a hindrance or an irritation, but rather an opportunity for exercise just waiting to happen. While it might be difficult to engage in snow shoveling here at school, laugh not at those who insist on doing their removal by hand instead of by machine. They might just be out lowering their cholesterol, after all.

Write kozthought@gmail.com