Skip to main content

Do You Burn More Calories If You Train In The Cold



Winter workouts definitely make you feel like you deserve, if not a big feast, then at least a fondue. But does exercising around and below zero really help you burn more calories?

"Only in some very specific cases," says Bob Seabor, a nutritionist, trainer and physiologist. "Energy consumption only starts to increase significantly if it's so cold that you start shivering," he added.

Energy consumption

Once you tremble, your body suddenly starts burning a lot of calories. According to Seabor, these involuntary muscle contractions lead to twice, three times or even four times the energy expenditure above the basic metabolism. However, an analysis of several studies from 2010 shows that 75-80% of the calories expended in trembling come from muscle glycogen stores. This means that if your teeth start chattering, you need to increase your carbohydrate intake.

After all, if you are dressed appropriately, you will probably not tremble and therefore will not need extra fuel. "But that doesn't mean you have to walk lightly dressed in cold weather to burn more calories," said Marnie Sumbal, a sports nutritionist and triathlon coach. Doing so only increases the risk of frostbite. It is better to dress properly and do a few extra intervals.

Unexpectedly good combination

Another way in which training in the cold can help you burn more calories is by activating the so-called. brown fat. This type of fat helps regulate body temperature by burning calories. Babies are born with many of them, but until recently, scientists thought we lost them all as we grew up. But it turns out that's not true.

"One of the best ways to activate brown fat is to exercise at low temperatures," said George King, a Harvard professor and chief scientist at Jocelyn, the largest diabetes research center. Another great way to activate brown fat is through regular exercise.

Jocelyn recently introduced a special workout called "Jocelyn Cooling," which uses low temperatures to activate brown fat. However, you can cause a similar effect by simply going out to worship outside on a colder day. Best of all, King doesn't need to be cold. "Temperatures in the range of 16-17 degrees are low enough to activate brown fat," explains the professor. However, he warns you not to have too high expectations, because brown fat can cause additional burning of between 100 and 300 calories a day.

Do not neglect hydration

When training in the winter, there are a few important things to keep in mind. Although the heat is just a distant summer memory, one of them is good hydration.

The body produces a lot of heat and you continue to sweat profusely. "In addition, inhaling cold and dry air leads to serious water loss so that it can be warmed and humidified. So in the winter, athletes need to take care of restoring fluids lost through breathing and sweating. Because you feel less thirsty at low temperatures and you don't feel like drinking too much, you should try to drink fluids consciously, ”explains Richard Quincy, former medical director of the American Ski and Snowboard Association.

Protect fuel from freezing

Of course, in the winter it can be a big problem how to keep food and liquids from freezing if you plan to spend more time outside. "If you ride a bike for two hours at minus 10 degrees and try to bite off a protein bar, you'll feel like you're chewing granite," said Patrick Sweeney, who crossed the Arctic Circle and became the first person to ride a bike to Everest Base Camp.

If you train in sub-zero temperatures, it's best to bet on things that can be eaten frozen or melted quickly. Also, keep your water as close to your body as possible. Sweeney's favorite choices are chocolate candies made with coconut oil (which liquefies at very low temperatures) or a thick slice of bacon wrapped in brown sugar. "Once it's frozen, it's almost like chewing candy," he says.

As long as the load is of low intensity, enough blood reaches the gastrointestinal tract, which helps digestion. That is why in winter many athletes prefer solid food instead of sports drinks, gels, bars, etc. In the summer, blood is directed to the skin to help cool it, making solid foods harder to digest.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

7 Reasons Why Your Muscles Stop Growing

There are 7 Reasons Why Your Muscles Stop Growing, and they can all be summed up in one word, protein. So, what is protein? Protein is the building block of all healthy muscles, and it is also the fuel that burn up fat and builds muscle. This means that if you don't get enough protein, no matter how hard you work out, your muscles won't grow. So how do you get enough protein? Well, obviously, you have to eat a lot of protein rich food... or take supplements, which is why most people prefer to take supplements instead of eating foods rich in protein.  Now, there are 7 reasons as to why your muscles stop growing, but if you break it down into simple terms, all 7 reasons can be boiled down to one thing - fat. Yes, the main reason why your muscles stop growing is because you've been consuming way too much fat. If you want to build big muscles, you need to follow a proper workout routine, one that consists mainly of compound exercises. These are exercises that work multiple musc...
Post a Comment
Read more

How To Make Your Own Weight Training More Effective

People in good shape know that even if they do not have equipment, they can ensure excellent training.  They know how to adjust their level to the exercises with their own weight and how to adapt them when necessary.  Here are some rules on how to train more effectively without any additional equipment. Rule 1: Length increases strength When you increase the distance between the source of strength (ie the muscle you are loading) and the end of the object you want to lift (in this case - your body), you decrease the so-called  mechanical advantage.  Simply put, this means that the longer your body is, the weaker you become and the more your muscles need to work. This is the main difference between modified push-ups and regular ones.  When doing push-ups on your toes (rather than leaning on your knees, for example), your torso muscles need to work much harder to keep your body in the air. How to apply it:   Stretch your arms over your head while doing lu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Best Exercise for Stress Relief.

Too much stress can cause a lot of problems in our lives, and one of the most common problems is exercise and stress relief. But many of us do not have the time or energy to simply go running or lifting weights to release the stress in our bodies. How then can we find the best exercise for stress relief? Well, here are some tips on how to get started.  VIGOROUS EXERIENCE.  Perhaps you already know that exercise is great for the body, but perhaps you are just too busy and anxious to add it into your daily routine. Wait a second though, because even if you feel like you don't have the energy to start jogging or lifting weights, you will still be able to take advantage of some of the health benefits that come with even the simplest forms of physical activity. Jogging, for example, can even get you more physical fit than you would ever think possible.  Jogging allows you to increase your stamina and endurance, both physically and emotionally. This, in turn, can help you throu...
Post a Comment
Read more