DETROIT — This past weekend, Michigan experienced its third largest snowfall since 1880, forcing residents to head outdoors to clear driveways and walkways. Physicians at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network recommend residents keep heart health in mind and pace themselves when clearing snow from their property throughout the winter.

Blue Cross physicians offer the following tips to help prevent shoveling snow from becoming a pain in the neck or resulting in a more serious condition. If you have any of the following conditions (or a family history), talk to your physician before shoveling snow:

• A history of heart problems, heart disease or previous heart attack.

• Previous experience with back problems or asthma.

• High blood pressure.

• High cholesterol level.

• Past history of smoking or are a current smoker.

• Lack of daily, dedicated physical activity.

Go slow and ease into the work to avoid a sudden load on your heart. An average shovelful of heavy, wet snow weighs 16 to 20 pounds. That means for every 10 minutes of typical shoveling, you’ll be clearing more than 2,000 pounds of the white stuff. To remove snow, bend from the knees, keep your back straight, and lift with your legs and carry — don’t throw — it to the side. Try and avoid heavy lifting by pushing or pulling the snow out of the way when possible.  Newly fallen snow is usually lighter, so don’t wait to remove it. Remove heavy snow in two stages: First, skim off the top layer and then remove the bottom. If snow is too heavy to lift, push or pull it out of the way. Take frequent breaks.