Temperature shouldn’t be overlooked when working out. Both the heat and the cold can affect results, which has led to some fitness enthusiasts deliberately seeking out exercises in the extreme heat (like ‘hot yoga’) and exercises in the extreme cold (like ‘cold water swimming’).
The burning question is: ‘do you get a better workout from exercising in the heat or cold?’. Spoiler: it depends on your goals. Nonetheless, let’s compare the two forms of exercise anyway.
The Heat Is On!: Benefits and Risks of Hot Workouts
Hot workouts include outdoor exercises in scorching hot weather or indoor sessions in sauna-like rooms. A trendy example right now is hot yoga, which involves practising yoga in an infrared-heated studio.
The benefits of exercising in the heat? Expect your heart rate to go up and your blood pressure to go down. Your core temperature will also be hotter, which can help boost your metabolism, encouraging you to burn more calories. Exercising in the heat can also make you sweat more, which can help to get rid of toxins in your body. In fact, many people choose hot workouts for their detoxification benefits, often feeling much cleaner inside and healthier afterwards.
There is of course a big risk of exercising in the heat, which is dehydration. You need to drink more water to replace the fluids you are rapidly losing. Sunburn and heatstroke are also risks when exercising on a hot summer’s day outdoors. Slapping on some sunscreen and wearing a hat may help present these problems.
Hot workouts include outdoor exercises in scorching hot weather or indoor sessions in sauna-like rooms. A trendy example right now is hot yoga, which involves practising yoga in an infrared-heated studio.
The benefits of exercising in the heat? Expect your heart rate to go up and your blood pressure to go down. Your core temperature will also be hotter, which can help boost your metabolism, encouraging you to burn more calories. Exercising in the heat can also make you sweat more, which can help to get rid of toxins in your body. In fact, many people choose hot workouts for their detoxification benefits, often feeling much cleaner inside and healthier afterwards.
There is of course a big risk of exercising in the heat, which is dehydration. You need to drink more water to replace the fluids you are rapidly losing. Sunburn and heatstroke are also risks when exercising on a hot summer’s day outdoors. Slapping on some sunscreen and wearing a hat may help present these problems.
A Cooler Option?: Benefits and Risks of Cold Workouts
Cold workouts involve toughing it out in bitterly low temperatures. They include exercises like jogging outdoors in the winter or cold water swimming in a river or the sea.
Cold exposure has some of the same benefits as heat exposure when working out. Studies have found that cold temperature also boosts our metabolism by requiring us to burn more fat to stay warm. Exercising in the cold can also reduce post-exercise inflammation and can actually be useful for helping with injury recovery (provided you keep exercise low-impact).
It’s important that you don’t skip warm-up exercises though - if you do this, you can expect a greater risk of muscle cramps. In very cold temperatures, you also have to limit exposure to avoid serious conditions like hypothermia. When getting into the likes of cold water swimming, start by limiting your time in the water to only a minute or two and avoid water temperatures of less than 5℃.
Cold workouts involve toughing it out in bitterly low temperatures. They include exercises like jogging outdoors in the winter or cold water swimming in a river or the sea.
Cold exposure has some of the same benefits as heat exposure when working out. Studies have found that cold temperature also boosts our metabolism by requiring us to burn more fat to stay warm. Exercising in the cold can also reduce post-exercise inflammation and can actually be useful for helping with injury recovery (provided you keep exercise low-impact).
It’s important that you don’t skip warm-up exercises though - if you do this, you can expect a greater risk of muscle cramps. In very cold temperatures, you also have to limit exposure to avoid serious conditions like hypothermia. When getting into the likes of cold water swimming, start by limiting your time in the water to only a minute or two and avoid water temperatures of less than 5℃.
Hot vs Cold: Which Should You Choose?
Whether you choose team hot or team cold is up to you. Both will help you burn more calories than exercise in regular temperatures. However, hot exercises are better if you’re looking for a detox, whereas cold exercises are better for improving muscle recovery. Of course, you don’t have to settle for one or the other - experimenting and alternating between both can be a great way to vary up your workouts and acclimatize your body to different temperatures.
Whether you choose team hot or team cold is up to you. Both will help you burn more calories than exercise in regular temperatures. However, hot exercises are better if you’re looking for a detox, whereas cold exercises are better for improving muscle recovery. Of course, you don’t have to settle for one or the other - experimenting and alternating between both can be a great way to vary up your workouts and acclimatize your body to different temperatures.
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