A Cold Minnesota Winter Could Help Burn Extra Calories!

The holiday weight gain is real. Cookie platters are everywhere I look, and the Boy Scouts just dropped off a big tin of peanut butter chocolate popcorn on my doorstep. How am I supposed to keep that extra "Christmas cheer" off my hips?!

Luckily, some cold air might do the trick! According to a study out of the University of Utah shivering is the work out I need to be doing. Our bodies have a basal metabolic rate, which is basically how many calories we burn just by existing, and that rate increases when we are cold. When our bodies are trying to maintain a warm temperature, more energy is used and calories are burned. It really increases when we start shivering!

But don't take that Zumba class off your schedule just yet. Unfortunately this increase in the metabolic rate really isn't enough to justify skipping the gym. And if you are thinking working out outside in the cold is going to give you a boost, you're wrong. Our bodies do a pretty good job of regulating temps when we are active.