We lose a few ‘Old Guys’ to snow shoveling in the snowy winters around here. ;)
Beau does the plowing and I do the seven landings up to the house. I’m no longer the athlete I once was - I take it slow with plenty of Hot Cocoa Breaks thrown in there. If it’s below Zero and I still need to shovel, there’s always Schnaaps to warm you up, LOL!
Now, that’s the spirit! (Literally.)
Anyway, I’m going to venture that the increase in heat deaths is mainly due to:
More people live in cities, which tends to create many more people in city “heat islands”.
More people live in cities, which tends to create many more IDIOTS. (If you live in a city and the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t wear it.)
In general, we have a much fatter*, less fit population, and a huge percentage less of people not acclimated to working in summer heat.
*Heavier body weights to surface areas (ratio) is a real thing, helpful in winter, but the opposite in summer.
Be careful shoveling that snow. My grandmother had a fatal heart attack doing that, about six weeks before her 100th birthday.