In case you’ve been stuck inside next to a nice open fire with steaming hot chocolate in hand, you will have noticed that winter is well and truly here in the UK. Experts suggest, in fact, that it is the coldest winter since 1993!
Anyway, we wanted to answer the question that many of our readers seem to be wondering and that’s if the cold weather makes it harder to lose weight. On the face of it, it does.
According to medical research, it is suggested that the colder weather reduces calories burned although this would seem somewhat contradictory to studies of survival which take place in areas of extreme cold which suggest that your body needs more calories in order to survive the cold. At present, the science is pretty sketchy as the actual effects of the cold weather on weight loss.
One thing that is clear however is the fact that protein breakdown is heightened in the cold weather so anyone looking to convert fat into muscle mass had better warm up before lifting weights or doing toning exercises.
I think it is pretty clear that the cold weather makes people eat more and do less. They spend time inside eating comfort foods and watching movies (avoiding walking to the gym or perhaps even avoiding the gym altogether) and making themselves feel warm inside with a massively unhealthy but comforting dish.
The best way to keep your weight loss programme on track is to watch what you eat and try to stay as active as possible. Enjoy the snow; even if you can’t get your car out, if you can, walk to work. Play in the snow with your children (pulling a sledge is a superb way to burn calories and tone arms and shoulders, not to mention have a good time!).
