Cooling Fat While Exercising May Be Key

Cooling Fat While Exercising May Be Key

I'm always looking for secrets to getting the most from exercising.  I don't really love to exercise, but understand it's importance in creating and maintaining overall health.

The New York  Times reported recently that a study of athletes may have unlocked the key for overweight people who struggle with overheating while exercising.

The secret?  Adding cooling temperatures while exercising via cooling devices may be a huge game changer.

Someone who exercises and is at or near goal weight may not understand the issues overweight people face when their body starts to heat.

However, for  some people, carrying extra fat may prevent the body from naturally dissipating heat, causing a steep rise in the body's core temperature which leads to becoming exhausted much faster.

The Body Overheating Quickly

Times reporter Anahad O'Connor explained that the possibility of the body overheating quickly and causing exhaustion may be a major hurdle for exercising for some overweight people.  Experts constantly advise Americans to exercise moderately for at least two and a half hours a week to achieve optimal health. 

When overweight people try to exercise, but become overheated and exhausted, they are more likely to abandon the commitment to work on their health.

Fatigue and exhaustion blocks the perceived benefit of exercising.  If an overweight person views exercise as a source of constant exhaustion they are probably going to avoid it.

The Times reported that researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found that simply carrying a cold thermos can have the same effect as wearing a cooling vest or similar.

Stanford University School Of Medicine Study

The Stanford study which has been published in The Circulation Journal found that obese women aged 30 to 45 with no other health problems who held in their hands while exercising had better results than those who didn't carry the devices.

The women took part in three group exercise sessions a week for three months.

According to the Times, by the end of the Stanford study, those in the “cool” group had a better attendance rate than the controls — 98 percent versus 80 percent — and saw their aerobic activity progress at a greater rate. They increased their duration and speed on the treadmill, and had greater improvements in blood pressure, heart rate and waist size.

Freeze A Bottle Of Water To Hold While Exercising

Stacy T. Sims, lead author of the study said you can achieve the same effect by freezing a bottle of water and then holding it as you run or exercise.

Of course you still have to do the exercise but holding a cold bottle of water may give you more stamina and help in many other ways.