A winter storm looms over the eastern United States. Though most of us will remember to stock up on food, what many people forget is to follow snow safety.

Every year, shoveling snow causes the death of 100 people while sending more than 11,000 people to the Emergency Room. Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio found the majority of these hospital visits involved strains, bone fractures, and other injuries from slips and falls. However, 7 percent were due to cardiac problems, mostly heart attacks.

So why does shoveling the drive seem to increase the risk of heart attack?

Apparently, it’s mostly due to the chill. Cold temperatures cause the arteries to constrict and this increases blood pressure, the heart and vascular team at Cleveland Clinic explains. With a rapid rise in blood pressure, those with vulnerable hearts easily succumb to an attack.

Another reason shoveling sidewalks might raise the risk of cardiovascular events is that many people are not used to this exercise. Leaving their toasty houses, they have not prepared themselves by performing warm-up exercises for the task. Worse, hurrying to complete the job, they push themselves beyond endurance instead of listening to their bodies.

To learn the safest techniques for shoveling snow, watch this Fairfax County government video: