WEEK OF JANUARY 2, 2025
VOLUME 129 | ISSUE 44
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Cold weather brings heart risks BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
When snow blankets the streets around the Denver metro area, it’s not just roads that become treacherous — your heart might be at risk too. The combination of cold temperatures, reduced physical activity and sudden strenuous tasks can create a “perfect recipe” for heart attacks, according to Dr. Akhil Reddy, an interventional and structural cardiologist with HCA HealthONE in Denver. Many might assume the cold itself is the problem, but Reddy clarified that it’s not so much the temperature as it is the activity people undertake in the cold. “The more common scenario is people shoveling snow and exerting themselves and having an active myocardial infarction, or heart attack,” he explained. According to the AHA, intense physical effort combined with cold temperatures forces the heart to work overtime. Blood vessels constrict in the cold, causing blood pressure to rise. When paired with the sudden cardiovascular demand of activities like shoveling snow, this can trigger heart attacks, especially in people with pre-existing risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes. Physical exertion in cold weather can be deceptively dangerous
ty meetings concerning these projects. Boyd said the town is invested in getting the word out to “not only get as much involvement in that as possible, but to also educate the public on who they are and what they have to bring to our local business owners.” The stormwater and sidewalk project kicked off on Oct. 17. The town has received grant money to address extreme icing issues, especially on the south side of Highway 86. Boyd said sometimes the ice gets more than a foot
Shoveling snow may look like a mundane household task, but research shows it’s a workout that rivals intense cardio. “Shoveling a little snow off your sidewalk may not seem like hard work,” said Barry Franklin, the lead author of the American Heart Association’s 2020 scientific statement regarding exercise-related acute cardiovascular events. “However, the strain of heavy snow shoveling may be as or even more demanding on the heart than taking a treadmill stress test, according to research we’ve conducted.” “The movements of snow shoveling are very taxing and demanding on your body and can cause significant increases in your heart rate and blood pressure,” Franklin told the AHA. “Combined with the fact that the exposure to cold air can constrict blood vessels throughout the body, you’re asking your heart to do a lot more work in conditions that are diminishing the heart’s ability to function at its best.” According to Reddy, the danger lies in the sudden increase in demand on the cardiovascular system, particularly for people who are not regularly active. The heart, especially one that hasn’t been consistently active, is not ready for sudden, intense exertion. “When it’s cold outside, you’re more sedentary,” Reddy said. “You just don’t have the ability to understand your own limita-
SEE MAIN STREET, P12
SEE COLD WEATHER, P6
A few of the buildings on the south side of the main road through Kiowa, Highway 86 or Comanche Street. In the center of the photo is Bino’s PHOTO BY NICKY QUINBY Pizza at 318 Comanche St.
Kiowa residents can help shape future Jan. 7 meeting will focus on state Main Street Program BY NICKY QUINBY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
On Jan. 7, the Town of Kiowa will host a community meeting to discuss the possibility of joining the Colorado Main Street Program. The meeting will take place at the Elbert County Fairgrounds Agricultural Building from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Kiowa Town Administrator Kimberly Boyd said representatives from the state Department of Local Affairs Main Street Program will be present to share what the program can do for the Kiowa community. Representatives from Kimley-Horn Associates, the consultants heading up drainage and sidewalk repairs along Highway 86, will also be there to give a short discussion on how the highway improvements will work in conjunction with the Main Street Program to help local businesses. This will be the first of possibly half a dozen communi-
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