WMass spends Thursday digging out

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Whether you were ready for it or not, it was time to break out the shovels and ice scrapers Thursday morning.

Western Massachusetts was hit with its first snowfall of the season and for some people, it's not all fun and games.

"It's crazy, it's cold, I had to wake up and clean all of this," said Luis Hernandez, Springfield.

The snow can be fun or a headache, but there are things you can do to ease the pain.

Doctors say shoveling heavy snow like the kind we had Thursday can cause problems for people with heart or back issues. They recommend asking someone else to do your shoveling for you, if that's not possible, try just pushing the snow to the side with your shovel rather than picking up.  

Also, doctors suggest picking a shovel that caters to your specific needs.

Something a number of people postponed until after this snow fell.

"We had a lot of people coming in for ice melters, snow shovels, looking at snow blowers, anything snow related has been a hot item for us this morning," said Bruce Drewniany, Rocky's Ace Hardware Manager in Agawam.

"My plow broke down this morning so now I'm buying a couple snow shovels," added Agawam's Warren Williams.

But, the snow's not all headaches.

It actually made for a fun morning for people new to New England.

"This is my first snow ever, I've never seen snow before, it's beautiful, I love it," said Maria Gabriela Villnueva, who just moved to Springfield from California.

Just another tip to keep in mind this winter: if you strain yourself shoveling, apply a cold pack to it for the next couple of days.

Then, apply heat to it after about the third day to relax your muscles and increase blood flow.