Researchers say that if you want to lose weight and burn excess body fat during this winter, you should exercise outdoors in the cold.
A new Canadian study indicates that vigorous exercise in cold weather may lead to burning more fat compared to exercising indoors or in warm or hot weather. Researchers stated that regular physical activity accelerates metabolism and helps regulate blood fat, and that high-intensity training is more effective for fat burning than moderate-intensity exercises. Additionally, temperature plays a significant role in metabolic processes during exercise.
In the study, a group of adults with moderate fitness levels and who are overweight participated in two sessions of high-intensity exercise. In both sessions, they completed 10 rounds of cycling for one minute at an effort of up to 90%, followed by a 90-second cycling period at 30% effort. One session was conducted at approximately 70 degrees Fahrenheit, while the other was at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. During both sessions, researchers measured participants' skin temperature, core body temperature, heart rate, and the amount of oxygen delivered to the thigh muscles.
According to the study recently published online in the Journal of Applied Physiology, "the current study found that high-intensity exercise in cold weather increases fat oxidation by 358% compared to high-intensity exercise in a thermally moderate environment." Additionally, researchers noted in a press release from the American Physiological Society that long-term metabolic responses following a high-fat meal did not change significantly after exercising in cold weather.
