Beat the chill and reap the benefits of training in the cold. Working out in cold weather increases your metabolism and lung capacity. Get fit and stay warm this winter.
It’s cold outside, and the last thing you want to do is go for a run. But what if I told you that winter exercising could help your body burn fat? Or does getting into shape in colder weather mean avoiding cabin fever by taking advantage of the winter months?
This article will explore some of the benefits of training in cold weather and what might make it unsafe. Hopefully, by the time we’re done, I’ll have convinced you that hopping out of bed on a freezing morning isn’t a bad idea after all!
Introducing cold into training makes the body work harder.
The main benefit of training in the cold is that it makes your body work harder. That means you’ll burn more calories, which can help with weight loss, maintenance, and recovery.
Burning more calories helps keep your metabolism elevated throughout the day, even when you’re not exercising. The reason is that when you exercise, especially if it’s an intense exercise like lifting weights or running sprints, your body releases more adrenaline into your system than usual. Adrenaline increases how quickly and efficiently fat cells break down into energy so that you have enough fuel to keep going through the activity.
Research shows that exercising outdoors in colder temperatures could slightly boost over-exercising indoors because it forces the body to burn even more energy to maintain its core temperature over time—which means burning even more calories overall!
Training in the cold can help athletes gain a competitive edge.
Cold weather training is a great way to prepare for winter sports. Ice skating, skiing, snowboarding, and hockey are all sports that can benefit from cold-weather training. Athletes need to adapt to the conditions they will face in competition. For example, when you play hockey in the cold, there is more ice friction, making it harder to stop or change direction quickly. This means that athletes must build stronger muscles before competing so their bodies can handle these conditions better and give them an edge over their opponents, who aren’t used to playing in the cold weather yet!
Cold weather training helps athletes gain a competitive edge against their opponents because it helps them improve their physical fitness levels faster than those who don’t do any outdoor exercise during the fall or winter when temperatures tend toward the freezing point (32°F). It also improves mental toughness, which helps athletes stay focused even if things don’t go according to plan, which is especially useful when trying new techniques during practice time before big games start happening soon after the due date arrives this November 1st, 2020—so don’t hesitate any longer!
You’ll amplify your body’s ability to burn fat.
When you exercise in the cold, your body will burn more calories because it needs to create heat. This means that you’ll be able to burn fat more efficiently. As a result, you’ll need less food to stay energized and maintain weight.
Your body will become more efficient at burning fat even after training in the cold because it’s working harder than usual—and this means you can continue to lose weight even when exercising isn’t taking up a lot of your time!
It Boosts the Immune System
When you begin a training session in the cold, your body instantly gets a jump start. Your body would normally work at its own pace, but now that you’ve thrown yourself into an unnaturally cold environment, it goes into survival mode. This state activates your immune system to fight off any potential threats. So the more you train in cold weather, the better your immune system will be overall.
Cold temperatures can ease the pain.
Cold temperatures help relieve pain in the body because they numb skin, muscles, and joints. When you get cold, your body’s temperature receptors are activated. These receptors tell your brain how hot or cold it is outside. When you get too hot, these receptors send a signal to your brain that tells it to cool down (sweat). On the other hand, when you expose your body to cold temperatures for extended periods (like during winter running), these same temperature receptors will send signals that say, “This is freezing!” “We need something warm.”
The way we process information from our environment is essential in preventing us from feeling pain. For example: If your foot catches on fire while walking barefoot on asphalt pavement at noon on a sunny day under 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius), then yes, you will feel pain—a lot of it too! But what if we talked about submerging one foot in ice water? “Likely nothing would happen because there isn’t enough heat or friction involved for those tiny nerves in our feet called nociceptors, which detect pain from heat or pressure, respectively, thus, allowing us to feel no discomfort when immersed into icy cold water as this scenario describes.”
Training in the cold may boost your energy levels.
You may have heard that exercising in the cold may benefit your health by boosting your energy levels. It’s true! When you exercise in colder conditions, the body needs to work harder to keep warm. This causes the heart rate to increase, and blood vessels to dilate, meaning more oxygen reaches the muscles and helps them produce more heat. As a result, athletes tend to push themselves harder during training sessions in cold weather compared with warm weather.
However, this doesn’t mean you should always train outside when it’s cold. If you’re training for a race or competition (like an upcoming marathon), having extra energy might not be helpful if it means pushing yourself too hard and burning out before race day.
You’ll become more comfortable in cold weather.
It’s no secret that running outside when it’s freezing hurts your body more than when the temperatures are milder. But did you know that training in cold weather can help your body get used to the cold and make you feel less of an impact? Yes, there are benefits! This is because when we exercise, our bodies release heat energy.
So if we run at a moderate pace (or even faster), our bodies will produce enough heat to keep us warm. In addition, as you begin training outdoors in colder weather, you’ll notice that your muscles start working differently: they use less oxygen than usual during exercise and produce fewer lactic acid molecules (which cause burning sensations). Although running may be difficult at first due to the decreased air temperature or “wind chill factor” (a measure of how cool air feels on exposed skin), your body will adapt and become accustomed to it over time.
You can get outside during the winter months.
Winter training offers an excellent opportunity to get out of the house and hit the ground running if you’re tired of the gym grind or prefer exercising outside. Not only can outdoor activities be fun, but they also offer unique benefits that indoor workouts can’t match.
It could be safer to exercise when it’s cold than when it’s hot.
There are a few reasons why cold weather might be safer than hot weather. First, you can exercise when it’s cold without overheating yourself. As temperatures rise, your body must work harder to maintain its natural heat, which stresses your heart and lungs. When you exercise outdoors in the summertime, the sun only helps further increase your core temperature.
But there’s another reason why exercising in cooler climates may be better for you: It takes less energy for your body to cool itself down after a workout than it would if you were working out at warmer temperatures. When our bodies generate heat during exercise and then need to get rid of it afterward (so we don’t overheat), this process is called thermoregulation—or, more simply put, “thermo,” meaning heat, and “-regulative,” meaning regulating or controlling something.
Hence, thermoregulation refers specifically to our body’s ability to regulate its internal temperature through sweating or shivering as needed while exercising outside under different conditions like indoors versus outdoors or hot versus cold conditions.
One could be more favorable than another depending on what they’re trying to accomplish by working out because some people prefer colder temperatures due to feeling less tired afterward. This often results in more repetitions per set than someone who feels exhausted early on. Regardless, everyone should strive to stay hydrated throughout any activity, especially when there.
You won’t feel as breathless.
Training in the cold will help you breathe more easily, speak more efficiently, and run for longer. Your heart rate will also be lower than at room temperature.
To understand how this works, we must examine how your body regulates temperature. When it’s hot, your body sweats so that sweat evaporates from your skin and cools you down; when it’s cold outside (or inside), a similar process occurs with water molecules instead of sweat – they evaporate from your lungs and cool down the air passing through them.
This means that when temperatures drop significantly below what we’d expect for where we live (a phenomenon known as the “thermal comfort zone”), our bodies get confused about whether or not they should start sweating again, which can lead to problems like increased thirst or feeling light-headed due to poor circulation of oxygen through our blood vessels.
The cold can up your mental game.
In the winter, you are likely to be exposed to cold temperatures. When training in the cold, your body must work extra hard with each movement. This means your heart rate will likely be higher than usual, and you can expect a more intense workout.
One of the most notable benefits of training in the cold is that it can help up your mental game by making you focus on what you’re doing and stay alert at all times. Training in these conditions also helps calm anxiety from performing under pressure, being around others, and watching how well you do during workouts.
You’ll be able to exercise year-round and avoid cabin fever.
There are many benefits to cold-weather training, one of which is that you can exercise year-round. This can be especially helpful if you live in a place with sweltering summers, such as Arizona or Florida. Or perhaps you live in New York City or Boston and spend more time indoors during the winter than outdoors. Having options for exercise outside your routine will keep things fresh and prevent cabin fever from setting in!
You’ll also avoid overheating when exercising in hot weather, reducing heat exhaustion chances. Since most people tend to do more intense workouts during warm weather months anyway (think hiking uphill), this can help prevent injury due to overexertion on days when outdoor temperatures climb above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).
It Improves Cardio
Research has shown that exercising in cold weather can have a big positive effect on a person’s cardiovascular system, making them stronger and giving them more energy over time. Not only does this kind of exercise help with fat loss, but it also provides numerous additional benefits such as reduced stress levels, increased muscle tone and better quality sleep at night. By taking advantage of the colder climes we find ourselves surrounded by during winter months, we can take our workouts to the next level and gain some valuable health advantages too!
It Burns More Calories
The extra strain on your heart when running or exercising in cold weather means you will burn more calories. This isn’t an effective way to lose body weight or fat over a short period, but it does allow you to make the most out of your workout. However, drink more water to keep your heart pumping healthily and avoid losing too much hydration.
So if you were wondering what the benefits of training in the cold are, we’ve outlined them here. As long as you know how to train in freezing conditions safely, you can use this as a simple guide to get you where you need to go—you’re sure to make your destination.
Conclusion
Cold-weather training can be a great way to get ready for a winter sport and an exciting new challenge. Whether you’re looking to improve your mental game or physical fitness, there are many benefits to training in the cold. And if you’re already an athlete who loves playing outside year-round, why not add extra challenges to your routine? By doing so—whether running in snowshoes or cycling through ice and rain—you’ll be able to boost your energy levels even more than usual!
FAQs
References
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Petersen, Aaron C., and Jackson J. Fyfe. “Post-exercise Cold Water Immersion Effects on Physiological Adaptations to Resistance Training and the Underlying Mechanisms in Skeletal Muscle: A Narrative Review.” Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, vol. 3, Frontiers Media SA, Apr. 2021. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2021.660291.
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White, Gillian E., and Greg D. Wells. “Cold-water Immersion and Other Forms of Cryotherapy: Physiological Changes Potentially Affecting Recovery From High-intensity Exercise.” Extreme Physiology & Medicine, vol. 2, no. 1, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, Sept. 2013. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1186/2046-7648-2-26.
White, Gillian E., et al. “The Effect of Various Cold-water Immersion Protocols on Exercise-induced Inflammatory Response and Functional Recovery From High-intensity Sprint Exercise.” European Journal of Applied Physiology, vol. 114, no. 11, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, July 2014, pp. 2353–67. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-014-2954-2.
Alex is a fitness aficionado, empowers others towards healthier, active lives through small, sustainable changes for lasting results. Visit Gearuptofit.com for insightful tips and resources to enrich a balanced lifestyle.