Your Body Burns More Calories During This Season
If you like to exercise outside, you are already making positive strides not only with your physical, but mental fitness. For starters, you are breathing fresher air. An outdoor walk (or jog) around the block is also better than walking around the track in a gym because of the ever-changing terrain and scenery. Furthermore, when you are outdoors, you get exposed to vitamin D, which is commonly lacking in people who are overweight. Chances are you may find it more difficult to motivate yourself to get outside when the weather is too warm or cool, but the benefits are still there. As long as it is not unbearably hot or cold, your body can generally adapt to temperature changes without any problems, according to Everyday Health. But how does the weather affect caloric or fat burn? And do you burn more calories in hot or cold temperatures — or does it even matter?
Exercising in colder temperatures burns more fat and calories
The answer comes down to how your body turns fat into fuel. Your body has two kinds of fat: white and brown. White fat is used for energy expenditure and brown fat is used to heat your body. So if you work out in cooler weather, you are burning energy from white cells as well as brown fat to keep your body warm. Furthermore, when you are warming up in cold temperatures, you shiver, raising the temperature of your body, which burns more calories, as noted by Health. In fact, you burn up to 30% more calories when you exercise in the cold, according to the American Sports and Fitness Association.
You should always dress appropriately when working out in cold air. For most, this means dressing in layers, with a moisture-wicking layer closest to your skin. The second layer should provide insulation and a third layer should protect against wind and rain. Don't forget a cap for your head and ears and gloves for your hands. Most importantly, don't forget to warm up and stretch before jumping into a workout (via Cleveland Health Clinic).