Get Out in the Cold
With the upcoming cold spell this weekend, I thought I would write a post about why cold exposure has so many amazing health benefits.
Cold therapy is a hot topic in longevity and health research these days. Perhaps you have seen/read about various individuals immersing themselves daily in an ice-cold lake or swimming in open water. According to longevity researchers, daily (or at least weekly), exposure to cold seems to improve cell longevity by maintaining or lengthening the telomeres (tips of our chromosomes that make up our DNA). Exercise, hydration, and nutritious food contributes to keeping our telomeres long and healthy.
Cold Thermogenesis is using any type of cooling strategy to induce a metabolic effect. In other words, when we are cold, our metabolism goes up, meaning we burn fuel to make energy to maintain a normal body temperature. And, yes, you guessed it...the fuel we burn is fat!
Interestingly, exposure of our head and chest to cold causes an uptick in the activity of our brown fat cells (think of these as "good fat" cells). When these get active, they fire up the white fat cells to release fatty acids to fuel the fire that warms us up. So, getting cold induces rapid fat loss without exercise.
My favourite “cold activity” is winter biking!
Now, it is not necessary to jump into one of our cold lakes to benefit from cold therapy. You can simply go for a walk with fewer layers on to extract such benefits. For the brave, cold soaks are fantastic however, they do take a little getting used to. Cold showers or alternating 10 seconds warm, followed by 20 seconds cold ten times, will kick start your metabolism as well.
Ultimately, getting cold is super healthy. Other benefits include:
Restores and maintains the blood-brain barrier
Improves our immune system
Lowers our appetite and improves the connection between our gut and brain
Sends blood and nitric oxide to the brain keeping our neurons (brain cells) firing
Burns Fat and helps with weight loss/control
So, this week, get out in the cold. Your body and health will be so grateful.