Winter brings on several factors that are directly correlated to gaining or losing extra weight, a study published in the recent issue of Obesity Review shows. The temperature inside your home and office and the time you spend outdoors can be a matter of a few pounds on or off even during the current month.
If your home temperature is lower and you have to stay outdoors for prolonged periods of time, your body is called upon to generate extra heat to keep warm, and as energy keeps getting burned, the body weight begins a countdown.
On the other hand, if you remain indoors and try to keep your heating system working at full throttle, your body doesn’t have to cope with the drop in temperature, and this kind of thermal comfort may result in putting on a few unwanted pounds on the waistline.
The scientists from University College London say that a sedentary life with a habit of maintaining a warm surrounding atmosphere and lack of outdoor activities in winter makes a significant contribution to eating habits and general physical activity as factors aggravating obesity. Lead researcher Fiona Johnson writes that, while it’s too early to affirm that energy expenditure in winter will undoubtedly lead to dropping excessive weight, exposure to cold can be regarded as a reliable method for treating obesity.
The authors of the study urge everyone to go easy on heating, thus decreasing energy consumption and making your body work out warmth. They concluded that when your body is fighting cold it produces brown fat that does not just store energy (like white fat does) but assists in the heat generation process.
Source of the image: Photl.
