Sex and Health : Hugging your heater won’t benefit you when you’re trying to lose weight
Last week, the heating vent in the middle of my living room became my best friend. My human best friends don’t keep me toasty like a blast of central heat does.
Unfortunately, according to a report done by researchers from the University College of London, more than just our heating bills are growing when the central heat warms up our homes. In a study published Wednesday, the researchers found there could be a connection between obesity and central heating. Over 27 percent of Onondaga County adults over the age of 20 were obese in 2009, according to a Center for Disease Control and Prevention report. So maybe those of us in Syr-arcti-cuse should listen up.
Temperatures in our homes have increased over the years. On average, bedroom temperatures in the United States were kept at about 66.7 degrees in 1987, and by 2008 the average temperature was up to 68 degrees, according to the study.
When we shiver, we burn calories. So it makes sense that when the heat is up, we shiver less and consequently burn fewer calories. In addition, our bodies’ internal heating systems knock off calories,so when central heating does the work for us, the calories stay intact.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that when we are in a 60-degree room, we increase our natural calorie burn by 100 or 200 calories per day if we are wearing clothing as light as hospital scrubs. Over the course of several weeks, this calorie burn could culminate to the 3,500 calories needed to lose a pound.
This is all very intriguing, but there are other factors that I think weigh heavier on our hips during winter than the fact that we get trigger-happy with the ‘up’ arrow on the thermostat. It’s much easier to sit on the couch and watch other people work out on ‘The Biggest Loser’ than to make the chilly hike to the gym during this time of year. And with MTV’s ‘I Used to Be Fat’ and A&E’s ‘Heavy’ making their ways into our weekly television regimes, the opportunities to watch other people work out are abound. Oh, and let’s not ignore the fact that a 410-calorie Starbucks grande white hot chocolate is about 410 times more appealing than a zero-calorie glass of ice water after a frigid campus trek.
So should we turn down our thermostats? Do I really want to live life to the soundtrack of my chattering teeth? No. Quite frankly, I don’t think I’m ready to sacrifice my relationship with central heating. I don’t know about you, but I don’t even own hospital scrubs.
Instead of forcing ourselves to shiver inside our own homes, maybe we should cut back on those high-calorie beverages that keep us warm and opt for a Splenda-laden mug of hot tea. And instead of watching ‘The Biggest Loser’ while lounging on the couch, we should force ourselves to watch it during our workout session on the elliptical machine. The glacial journey to the gym may be uncomfortable, but at least you don’t have to feel guilty about turning the heat up to 70 degrees when you get home.
Published on January 26, 2011 at 12:00 pm
