Baby It’s Cold Outside: 10 Benefits of Cold Weather

If you’re not a fan of the winter months, you might be surprised to hear about the benefits of cold weather. Believe it or not, there are a number of advantages to the cold, particularly in relation to physical, emotional, social, and psychological health.

Benefits of Cold Weather:

Burning Calories

When you are exposed to cold weather, your body compensates by burning fat to balance your body temperature. Fat that normally would have been stored is now converted into…

Increased Energy

Because of the increase in your metabolism, you will find that the cold stimulates activity. That crisp, refreshing sensation when you take a deep breath of cold air? That’s your body releasing feel good chemicals to compensate, which leads to…

Emotional Boost

The release of feel good chemicals (endorphins) as a result of the cold will improve your mood, and consequently, your emotional health. This will brighten even the coldest winter day, and also create

Psychological Boost

An emotional well being leads to a psychological well being. All the systems of your body are connected. If you are feeling good, your mental state will start to improve, and you will gain

Clarity of Mind

Exposure to cold helps to bring your mind into focus- directly through the sudden temperature drop, and indirectly through chemical chain reactions that stir your metabolism and lighten your mood. This is quite important considering…

More Efficient Exercise

Believe it or not, it’s difficult to work out on a hot day- or even a mild one. Moving about generate so much heat, which is why we sweat. However, working out on a cold day allows us to regulate our temperature more effectively, because the act of exercising warms ups up while the cold air cools us down. This is quite helpful given the fact that

The Cold Reduces Inflammation

When we work out too hard, or for too long, our bodies break down. Our muscles need time to relax, recharge, and rebuild after a workout. Cold temperatures help to soothe sore muscles and reduce inflammation. Then again, inflammation is simply part of recovery. Speaking of which…

And Helps with Exercise Recovery

In addition to reducing inflammation, cold numbs pain and gets blood flowing, which is just as important for recovery as it is for exercise. Oxygen rich blood flows through your body, delivering much needed nutrients to damaged muscles.

On the Bright Side:

A Reduced Insect Population:

Insects don’t do well in the cold. As such, in the winter months, they die out, hibernate, or go underground. It makes the outdoors a little more refreshing.

More Social Connections:

The cold can make you uncomfortable, and misery loves company. Or the cold can inspire happiness and determination (based on the above points), and the funny thing about joy, is that it loves company too. Get out there and exercise with your friends.

In the end, there are a lot of benefits of cold weather, some obvious, others less so. The truth is, every season has something to enjoy, and even the most uncomfortable things have their silver lining.

Thankfully, San Diego experiences really mild winters…75 and sunny all year! If you’re feeling a little left out by the change of seasons, head over to San Diego Cryotherapy and reap the benefits of cold weather.