Winter months are usually chilly and these months create some form of physiological stress to the body. A healthy person can cope up with this kind of stress more easily than an unhealthy one. Even if your new year’s resolution is to get active, it can be tough to find the motivation to get out of bed on a cold and chilly morning. But, is there any difference between exercising in cold weather compared to other seasons?
Benefits of Exercising in Cold Weather
- Burns more calories: Your body tries to keep warm and keep up the core temperature. In cold weather, the body needs to push itself harder to maintain the inside temperature to balance with the outer environment temperature.
- Boosts immunity: Boosting immunity during the cold weather helps to ward off common viruses causing cold and flu. Exercise helps in the production of WBC (white blood cells) that help fight infections in our body.
- Improves endurance: Exercising in cold weather increases the efficiency of the workout as the heart has to pump harder to maintain the normal blood flow to all organs effectively.
- Staying slim: Brown fat, also called brown adipose tissue, helps produce more energy compared to white fat. Brown fat production happens in cold weather. Brown fat keeps up the heat production through cold weather and temperature regulation within the body.
- Stronger bones: Warm sunlight on a cold morning is an experience in itself. It indirectly helps in getting doses of Vitamin D as you tend to exercise in sunlight during cold months. More Vitamin D = stronger bones!
- Improves mood: Exercising in cold weather elevates the release of endorphins. Positive feeling is usually triggered by endorphins which stay active for a span of 20-30 mins. During winter, cortisol or stress hormones are higher. Exercising in cold weather helps reduce the cortisol in the body.
If you’re exercising in cold weather, dress in comfortable, dry clothes to stabilize core temperatures. Keep your feet warm and stay hydrated! Cold weather can leave you more dehydrated due to increased urine production and drying nature of the cold weather. Keep your motivation up and get out of bed on a cold morning to get your daily dose of exercise without fail. People on the heavier side can benefit more from this!
We hope this article on exercising in cold weather helps you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more on fitness, check out Healthy Reads or subscribe for LIVE interactive sessions with our experts on GOQii Pro within the GOQii App.
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