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.
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