We seem to have missed spring this year. The weekend snow during early May was followed up by 20 plus degrees and high humidity. It’s during these hotter days that you learn of the people who prefer the cooler seasons over Spring and Summer, and not many people fall under the Winter season with their top pick. Ontario is rejoicing about the summer like weather we have, hoping it will never end. Many grumble and moan about the Canadian winters but we should be doing the opposite. Research has shown that there are health related benefits to our cold winters.
1. Artic cognition: Believe it or not, colder temperatures have been related to clearer thinking, which lead to better performance. Similarly, people are less inclined to tackle cognitive tasks because the brain needs more glucose to preform less demanding mental effort tasks.
2. Increasing brown fat: So, if you didn’t know, there are multiple types of fat. Most of the time when people hear ‘body fat’, people usually think of white fat. This is the fat that surrounds organs, in under skin, and stores energy for later. It also plays a role in hormone function related to many different processes. However, too much white fat has been related to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Brown fat, is what people call baby fat, which usually sticks around the neck and shoulders. However, this type of fat is a big catalyst for burning fatty acids and keeps you warm while also helping prevent obesity. Now, research, although only on men, has shown that colder temperatures increases brown fat and further increases ones metabolism.
3. Less allergies: Outdoor allergies are very few during the colder months. Pollen in non-existent, which makes it more enjoyable when spending time with loved ones outside.
4. Lowered risk of disease: Yes, you’re more likely to get the cold but there are many diseases and viruses that are more prevalent and strong during the warmer temperatures. Additional, bugs that carry possible disease, like mosquitoes, are not active during the winter.
5. You sleep great! For you to truly fall asleep, your body temperature needs to drop and it does that naturally. It’s similar to how your body temperature drops when you are relaxed. However, during the summer months, with the naturally hotter temps, it takes longer for your body to cool down and can take people up to 2 hours to truly fall asleep.
6. You’re better primed to fight illness: As odd as it sounds, colder weather causes your body to naturally activate your immune system, preparing it to fight off illness.
7. Helps your heart health: working out in the cold comes with its own challenges but it will also cause the heart to compensate for the activity plus the added work of keeping the body warm. It makes your heart strong!
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