Hello, loves. Happy Monday.

Did you have a good weekend? Mine was very low key – with a lot of Netflix, a little time in the kitchen, and a hard core spin sesh. Then on Sunday, I spent the entire morning on the slopes, and the entire afternoon evening eating snacks and sipping on a vodka mimosa (my made-up term for vodka+la croix+OJ) or two.

Oh yeah, there was football in there too, somewhere. Who won again?

Every weekend, I encourage my clients to get in some play time. Some call it active rest, but really, the goal is to get out there and move while at the same time refreshing your soul. That’s what I did on Sunday while skiing.

Exposure to Cold Air Decreases Body Fat?

On one of our first lifts up the mountain, I felt my husband shivering a bit (it was cold and cloudy when we first arrived.) It brought to mind a study that I’d read, and a concept that’s getting more attention lately: the concept that exposure to cold bursts of air increases our calorie burn.

It does this through 2 methods:

1) it forces our metabolism and body to work harder thermogenically, to keep our body heat regulated.

Not surprising, right? But this method isn’t so well known:

2) it increases a protein that is critical for brown fat (the type of body fat that generates hear) to form.

Brown fat is higher in newborns than adults because of what researchers think is due to us constantly living our lives in ambient temperatures. Brown fat is the only type of fat that actually burns excess energy (in terms of regulating body temperature – i.e. to keep us warm) instead of stores it as, well, excess body fat (the white kind, which does not burn energy.)

I thought this was really interesting because if you think about it – it makes sense! If it’s cold out, we shut all of the windows and turn on the heat. When it’s too warm, we do the same, and blast the A/C. I know my preferred body temperature is not too hot, and definitely not too cold, but just right.

This typically means on the couch. Under a blanket. Snuggled with some extra body heat 😉

Over the years, our need for the temperature heating brown fat is less and less, so what’s the point in keeping it around for our body? Except, the research study says that exposure to cold air – even just a burst of it – can help formulate more of it. Interesting, right?

So, what does this mean for you? Well, I certainly don’t expect you to forgo heating this winter and freeze yourself out. However, taking a short, daily walk during the winter couldn’t hurt! I actually ask my clients to do this anyway (provided it’s not below freezing, and it’s safe out) just to get some fresh air, vitamin D, and a little additional movement logged. Now, we can add “formulate some extra brown fat” to that list 😉

[Tweet “Cold Air to Decrease Body Fat? via @TrainerPaige”]

Cold weather: love it or hate it?

I hate to admit, I grew up hating the snow and cold – except when I was a really little kid. I used to play all day – sledding and building snow forts. That desire for play went away – until I moved to Colorado. Unfortunately, I have Raynauds, but Hot Hands and heated ski boots work wonders for that 😉

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