Are you fit enough to shovel snow? Check out these tips

Quick, how many calories can you burn off shoveling snow? With two-thirds of the country buried under snow and ice, it’s a fair -- and fairly relevant -- question.

But that’s presuming you’ll be shoveling snow. Those who aren’t fit or have heart or back problems should skip the winter workout and hire someone to clear snow for them. Slate makes a convincing case in this post aptly titled “Snow Shovels of Death.” Think we’re kidding? The Chicago Tribune tells the story of a 69-year-old man who died, apparently after shoveling snow for five hours.

Now back to the calorie-burning question. Someone who weighs 155 pounds burns 223 calories in 30 minutes, this Harvard Medical School chart says. That’s shoveling by hand, not using a snow-blower or plow.

No matter how big the snow drifts around your car, it’s best to pace yourself -- as if you’re running a marathon. Here are some tips from a comprehensive safe-shoveling guide from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety:

-The maximum shovel load (weight of the shovel plus snow) is 24 pounds.
-The optimal throw distance to remove snow is about 3 feet.

-Fifteen minutes of shoveling should be followed by 15 minutes of rest.

And then there’s this unfortunate snow rage story where two women wound up getting hit in the head by snow shovels. Ouch.