Exercising in the cold: Activate good fat burning!
Our freezer temperatures make us want to stay in our armchair, wrapped in a fluffy blanket with a cup of hot chocolate, rhythmically listening to the soothing sound of the air conditioner sending us generous doses of warmth!
All this until we learned that exercise in the cold activates brown fat and kickstarts metabolism much more dynamically, like a cold but powerful jolt, benefiting our body! Time to put on our thermal wear and go for a run or a bike ride!
image credits: unsplash.com[/caption]
We all have brown fat, or "good fat," in our bodies. Unlike white fat, which stores calories, brown fat cells burn energy and produce heat in the body.
Brown fat or brown adipose tissue stores energy in a smaller space compared to white fat. It is full of iron-rich mitochondria, which determine its color. When brown fat burns in the body, it creates heat without shivering. This process is called thermogenesis.
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image credits: pinterest.com[/caption]
In the past, scientists believed that only infants possessed brown fat to maintain their body temperature, but in 2009 it was discovered that brown fat is also present in adults, albeit in different proportions. People with a lower body mass index also have a larger amount of brown fat in their bodies.
[caption id="attachment_4907" align="alignnone" width="270"]
image credits: instyle.com[/caption]
The time we spend in the cold awakens brown fat in our body and promotes the production of new cells, according to a 2014 study by the National Institutes of Health of the United States. Brown fat "helps us maintain our body's proper temperature in a gentle and safe way," as stated by Barbara Cannon, Professor of Physiology at the Wenner-Grenn Institute in Stockholm and President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.
[caption id="attachment_4909" align="alignnone" width="181"]
Barbara Cannon[/caption]
Brown fat helps babies, who are not yet able to shiver, stay warm. In adults exposed to cold, this good fat acts as an "internal heating material" that keeps the blood returning from our frozen extremities back to the heart and brain at the correct temperature, as explained in their research by Harold Sachs, head of the Los Angeles health system, and Michael Symonds, Professor at the University of Nottingham.
Its location is difficult to pinpoint to a specific spot in the body, as brown and white fat cells are mixed in the body's fat tissue. So far, brown fat has been found in unexpected places in the body, such as the shoulders, neck, and abdomen, although this varies individually for each person, depending on their weight and lifestyle quality, according to Aaron Cypess, head of the diabetes, endocrinology, and obesity department at the National Institute of Diabetes and Kidney Diseases in America, who first identified brown fat cells in adults in 2009.
[caption id="attachment_4911" align="alignnone" width="130"]
Aaron Cypess[/caption]
It is also worth mentioning that it was recently discovered that the hormone irisin, which is related to weight loss and was named after Iris, the swift-footed messenger of the Olympian gods, helps convert white fat into brown fat. Individuals with a sedentary lifestyle produce less irisin in their bodies, which makes burning calories even more difficult.
Future studies are focusing on creating a drug that will activate brown fat in the body, as it is very important for combating obesity and all related cardiovascular diseases.
Until this "magic pill" is found, armed with this useful information about your body, you can venture outdoors with all the necessary equipment against the discouraging cold, for your regular jogging, brisk walking, or long bike rides on your favorite route!
[caption id="attachment_4930" align="alignnone" width="329"]
image credits: pinterest.com[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_4915" align="alignnone" width="421"]
image credits: pinterest.com[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_4919" align="alignnone" width="347"]
image credits: pinterest.com[/caption]
To further aid the blood's journey from frozen extremities back to the heart, ensuring good circulation and proper body temperature, you can choose to wear graduated compression socks.
But what is this brown fat?
[caption id="attachment_4905" align="alignnone" width="363"] image credits: unsplash.com[/caption]
We all have brown fat, or "good fat," in our bodies. Unlike white fat, which stores calories, brown fat cells burn energy and produce heat in the body.
Brown fat or brown adipose tissue stores energy in a smaller space compared to white fat. It is full of iron-rich mitochondria, which determine its color. When brown fat burns in the body, it creates heat without shivering. This process is called thermogenesis.
[caption id="attachment_4917" align="alignnone" width="361"] image credits: pinterest.com[/caption]
In the past, scientists believed that only infants possessed brown fat to maintain their body temperature, but in 2009 it was discovered that brown fat is also present in adults, albeit in different proportions. People with a lower body mass index also have a larger amount of brown fat in their bodies.
[caption id="attachment_4907" align="alignnone" width="270"] image credits: instyle.com[/caption]
The time we spend in the cold awakens brown fat in our body and promotes the production of new cells, according to a 2014 study by the National Institutes of Health of the United States. Brown fat "helps us maintain our body's proper temperature in a gentle and safe way," as stated by Barbara Cannon, Professor of Physiology at the Wenner-Grenn Institute in Stockholm and President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.
[caption id="attachment_4909" align="alignnone" width="181"] Barbara Cannon[/caption]
Brown fat helps babies, who are not yet able to shiver, stay warm. In adults exposed to cold, this good fat acts as an "internal heating material" that keeps the blood returning from our frozen extremities back to the heart and brain at the correct temperature, as explained in their research by Harold Sachs, head of the Los Angeles health system, and Michael Symonds, Professor at the University of Nottingham.
Its location is difficult to pinpoint to a specific spot in the body, as brown and white fat cells are mixed in the body's fat tissue. So far, brown fat has been found in unexpected places in the body, such as the shoulders, neck, and abdomen, although this varies individually for each person, depending on their weight and lifestyle quality, according to Aaron Cypess, head of the diabetes, endocrinology, and obesity department at the National Institute of Diabetes and Kidney Diseases in America, who first identified brown fat cells in adults in 2009.
[caption id="attachment_4911" align="alignnone" width="130"] Aaron Cypess[/caption]
It is also worth mentioning that it was recently discovered that the hormone irisin, which is related to weight loss and was named after Iris, the swift-footed messenger of the Olympian gods, helps convert white fat into brown fat. Individuals with a sedentary lifestyle produce less irisin in their bodies, which makes burning calories even more difficult.
Future studies are focusing on creating a drug that will activate brown fat in the body, as it is very important for combating obesity and all related cardiovascular diseases.
Until this "magic pill" is found, armed with this useful information about your body, you can venture outdoors with all the necessary equipment against the discouraging cold, for your regular jogging, brisk walking, or long bike rides on your favorite route!
[caption id="attachment_4930" align="alignnone" width="329"] image credits: pinterest.com[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_4915" align="alignnone" width="421"] image credits: pinterest.com[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_4919" align="alignnone" width="347"] image credits: pinterest.com[/caption]
To further aid the blood's journey from frozen extremities back to the heart, ensuring good circulation and proper body temperature, you can choose to wear graduated compression socks.
Graduated Compression Socks
Christou1910's Athletic Compression Socks can keep muscles and tendons tightly bound, activating good blood flow in the legs and throughout the body while you train. They keep extremities remarkably warm, without causing sweat thanks to the special Coolmax weave that regulates temperature and allows the foot to breathe. As you exercise, Compression Technology increases muscle oxygenation, reducing fatigue and recovery time, preventing cramps and injuries. With special reflective protection markings for those who prefer exercising at night.
ATHLETIC SOCKS WITH COMPRESSION TECHNOLOGY €16.70
If you simply decide to go for a casual walk, cotton or elastic compression socks will give your steps strength and vitality, further activating the breakdown of fat cells. Thanks to graduated compression, they enhance blood circulation in the body, keeping extremities remarkably warm, light, and rested. Incredibly durable, they maintain their elasticity even after repeated use, for steps without swelling and heaviness, full of energy!
MEN'S COTTON GRADUATED COMPRESSION SOCKS €13.80
WOMEN'S GRADUATED COMPRESSION SOCKS 140DEN €10.00
