Heating Things UP!

We all know that a good metabolism that burns calories efficiently is critical in maintaining a healthy weight. But can the outside room temperature actually affect one’s internal calorie burning potential, and therefore help us gain advantage over the battle of the bulge?

Lower thermostat equals higher burn

A paper published just last Wednesday in the scientific journal, Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism, suggests that keeping your home’s standing temperature a few degrees lower could not only save you money in the winter, but may also help you lose weight.

Researchers found something called brown adipose tissue (or brown fat) in human adults in 2009. Brown fat is different than the white version associated with obesity, and before this, it had been believed that the functional brown type was found only in infants.

The key point here is that brown fat is thought to play a role in our metabolisms heating up to warm our bodies (not to the point of shivering) from the cooler surroundings. As the body works harder in the cooler air to warm itself, more calories are burned leading to potential weight loss over time.

Save Money and Lose Weight

The suggestion is then to lower our temperature setting by a few degrees based on living conditions and familial needs, which in turn will both save on our energy bills in winter and increases our internal metabolic energy and calorie burning mechanisms. Talk about a win-win situation!

To further the possibilities, try lowering the thermostat at work also. And how about keeping a cap on your fitness room’s temperature for a double bonus on your time spent exercising? Finally, as silly as it may seem, if you drink your beverages really chilled, your body burns more calories from the liquid warming conversion!

Help for Obesity

For individuals more severely overweight, the same studies found that those subjects carried an abundance of white adipose, as opposed to the brown fat discussed earlier. But, as a person loses weight, the conversion from white to brown seems to be a positive side effect.

As a formerly obese person gains a higher proportion of brown fat (as opposed to the white fat that isn’t cooperative), our concept of enhanced calorie burn through the metabolic boost from an externally cooler temperature will in fact begin to effectively work for them also!

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

We all know the balance between our genetics, food choices, lifestyle decisions, exercise regimen, skin care routine and emotional life ultimately fashions our overall health, appearance and longevity. But it certainly doesn’t hurt to have an ace or two in the hole. Every little bit helps in our healthy weight management plan, especially as we age.

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     “By choosing healthy over skinny you are choosing self-love over self-judgment. You are beautiful!”

                                                                                        Steve Maraboli, author

PS: Let us know what you’re thinking! Good, bad or indifferent, hit us with it. This is your blog and we’re excited to make it more interactive as time goes on. Let’s heat this thing UP!