How the Harsh Winter Cold Can Really Help You Lose Weight
Feeling so cold that you shiver is awful, awful, but there is a hidden perk. Shivering can actually burn some calories through the magic of biochemistry.
As explained in this video from YouTube’s Reactions channel , there are two main types of body fat: white adipocytes and brown adipocytes, or white fat cells and brown fat cells. White fat cells store energy and soften the body, while brown fat cells are used to generate heat and burn calories. The browns are the ones you want. How do you get them? Exercise, of course. Regular exercise increases levels of the hormone irisin , which can turn white fat cells into brown ones.
But what does this have to do with the chilling cold of winter? Well, shivering from the cold is your body’s way of manually generating muscle heat. Your muscles contract quickly when you shake, just like during exercise, stimulating the production of irisin . The more you shake, the more white fat cells act as brown fat cells, releasing heat and burning calories. As Reactions notes, a 15-minute chill in the cold can burn as many calories as an hour of exercise.
However, this does not mean that you should sit in the cold instead of exercising . But if you hate the cold as much as I do, knowing that shivering can keep you on track to your dietary goals can help you warm up a little ahead of the winter season.
The Cold Truth About Fat | Youtube