Pint's a Pound, the World Around

Believe it or not, the way we measure weight is based on water, just as you would think with the old rhyme "a pint's a pound the world around". Or at least that is true of the metric system, where a kilogram is defined by the weight of a liter of water. (one gram is the weight of 1 cubic cm of water at 4 degrees centigrade at sea level if you want to be geeky about it)

"So what?" you might ask. "Shoveling snow" I would answer.

We woke up to four inches of snow today. Wet, dense, heavy snow. Kids - it is be-AWESOME snowball snow...have at it. Everyone else, be careful shoveling those sidewalks and driveways.

When snow is very cold, it holds it flaky, crystalline shape, and there is lots of air in that shovel-full of the white stuff. Melt that gallon-jug sized shovelful of powder and you might get a cup of water - give or take a little. That would weigh 8 oz., or half a pound. When it is warmer, close to melting, dense and compacted, that gallon-jug sized lump-o-snow is going to weigh pretty darn close to a gallon of water. A gallon is 8 pints, meaning 8 pounds. 

And that, folks, is why medical people call this a "cardiac snow". If you are out of shape, and try to shovel this dense, wet snow the same way you have been shoveling powdery snow all winter, then people with underlying heart disease can get into trouble. It keeps the orthopedic department pretty busy too, with lifting injuries to backs.

So don't add to those poor, hardworking doctor's  and nurses' day unneccisarily ... pace yourself. Lift with your legs, not your back. Take a rest if you need to do so. BUT for goodness' sake get medical attention if you need it.

Those of us in the Holistic department are saying eat well and exercise all the time so this isn't a problem in the first place - and you'll be ready for next big spring snow.