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Community Corner

Make the Most of Shoveling - Turn the Dreaded Chore into a Workout for Your Core!

Shoveling is a dreaded winter chore that can consume hours of your time after another New England Nor’easter. Snow shoveling leaves even the best feeling lethargic with sore muscles, leaving little energy to head to the gym. Thus, why not turn the boring chore into your workout for the day. Boston Sports Club (BSC) recommends the following exercises to get the most out of your hours hauling snow.

1) Get Warm:  Warming up is essential prior to any workout, including shoveling snow.  Before heading into the flurry, make sure you’re dressed in clothes that are movable, not restricting your muscles from certain movements.  Some pre-workout moves include squats, shoulder shrugs, and bicep curls (using just your body weight).

2) Watch Your Back: Hurting your back is the most common snow shoveling injury, which you’re out of commission for everything if it occurs.  To prevent back injuries while shoveling, always lift with your legs.  Focus on performing lunges with the shovel and pushing with your body weight to scoop the snow.  When lifting the shovel up, use squat movements, lifting with your glutes, quads, and biceps.  Taking all that tension away from your hips will help prevent a back injury. 

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3) Don’t Get It Twisted: Most people have the inclination of twisting at the hips to throw newly shoveled snow into the big pile, which in turn increases chances of a back injury.  Instead of twisting your body, use your abs to stay tight and move your feet to turn your body towards the snow pile, that way you tighten your stomach without hurting your back.   

For more information, please visit: www.mysportsclubs.com.

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About Town Sports International Holdings, Inc.

New York-based Town Sports International Holdings, Inc. is a leading owner and operator of fitness clubs in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States and, through its subsidiaries, operated 159 fitness clubs as of March 31, 2013, comprising 108 New York Sports Clubs, 25 Boston Sports Clubs, 17 Washington Sports Clubs (two of which are partly-owned), six Philadelphia Sports Clubs, and three clubs located in Switzerland. These clubs collectively served approximately 512,000 members. For more information on TSI, visit mysportsclubs.com.

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