30 MH.CO.ZA/ August 2019
GETTY/GALLO IMAGESBODY SCIENCEWHAT HAPPENS WHEN...
...I Train
In The Cold?
PUT YOUR EXCUSES ON ICE. BRAVE
THE PLUMMETING MERCURY, AND
YOU CAN FIRE UP ANY FITNESS PLAN.- Cold Comforts
Maintain your outdoor
training all winter,
and you’ll promote
the release of mood-
enhancing hormones
beta-endorphin and
noradrenaline – which,
combined with the
endorphins released by
exercise, will help you
to ward off seasonal
depression. These
biological benefits will
also make everyday
stresses such as wet-
weather traffic and not
being able to find your
thermal underwear more
manageable. - Freeze Out Flu
If you think all of this hard
work will play havoc on
your immune system
(which is bad news, in
the season of the office
lurgy), have no fear. In
reality, the chill primes
your defences. According
to the Mayo Foundation
for Medical Education
and Research in the US,
regular cold-weather
training could cut your
risk of man flu by 20-
30%. Fight fire with ice,
essentially. - Maximum Air
The cold causes your
body to continue making
subtle adaptations: your
blood vessels narrow,
and your heart and lungs
work harder. This helps
to improve your muscles’
aerobic function, meaning
they receive more oxygen
during exercise. An animal
study by Northern Arizona
University suggests it can
increase your VO2 max
by 34%, and your long-
distance running speed
by 29%. - Warning Signs
The shock you feel when
you swap your duvet
for the frosty pavement
is physiologically
unavoidable. But the
shiver up your spine
signals that your
metabolism is revving
up. Your body is hard-
wired to prefer storing
fat over burning it, so
it sends you a warning
that you’re at risk
of expending your
stockpiled kilojoules.
That’s the point – so
push on. - Extra Time
Your body now starts
to convert “lazy” white
fat cells – used for
energy storage – into
kilojoule-melting beige
cells. Researchers at the
University of Colorado
Sports Medicine and
Performance Centre
found that regular
exposure to the cold
causes your metabolism
to switch from burning
predominantly carbs to
torching fat: equivalent to
doing seven hours’ extra
cardio per week.
Want to take your cold training to the next
level? Check out The Cold Embrace, p86.