Benefits of Cold Weather
Brrrr! For those living in the world’s north, it’s getting colder and colder each day as the winter season approaches. For us Norwegians, it’s cold for more than half of the year—that’s why we have the emblematic saying, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing!”
There’s no reason to be scared of the cold—as you’ll see below, it brings a lot of health benefits to your body, brain, and heart. So put on your layers and go outdoors as much as you can during the winter months.
It turns out there are a lot of similarities between our healthy salmon and cold weather. Just like the Omega-3s in our sustainably raised salmon, cold weather is healthy for your heart, brain, and skin. Additionally, it also brings some other surprising health benefits that you may not have known:
Colder Air is Good for Your Brain
Colder air boosts your brain activity, improves focus, and helps you think more clearly. Numerous studies show that our cognitive functions improve in colder weather: we’re prone to quicker decision-making and staying calm when our body needs more energy to keep us warm. Maybe we should try out eating more salmon outdoors in the colder months for a double brain-boost?
Strengthens Your Heart
Exercising outdoors in the winter makes our heart muscles stronger because they work harder to pump blood and maintain the body’s temperature—and that’s a good thing. Also, our endurance may increase.
Better Sleep
When we are trying to sleep, the body’s core temp naturally drops—a process that can take up to two hours in the heat of summer and is much faster in winter. Usually, cold weather comes with shorter days (darker mornings and early evenings), causing us to produce more melatonin, a hormone that helps us fall asleep easier and stay asleep. What’s more, a bedroom temperature kept between 60 and 67 degrees might help you sleep better and burn extra calories while getting your zzz’s.
Rejuvenates the Skin
Cold temperatures (and cold water) keep your skin tight, vibrant, and radiant. Spending some active time outdoors during the winter helps with increasing the blood circulation in both the face and the rest of your body. That leads to reduced inflammation and naturally less-puffy eyes.
Burns Calories, Increases Brown Fat, and Absorbs Excess Glucose
When it’s cold, our bodies work harder to maintain their core temperature, which typically is about 98.6°F / 37°C. This process burns more calories because it takes a considerable amount of energy. It also activates our brown fat cells—a special type of fat in our bodies used to produce heat. As a result of stimulating brown fat to heat up the body, excess glucose in our blood is absorbed. This means that repeated exposure to cold temperatures leads to improved insulin sensitivity, even for people who aren’t diabetic.
Among the other benefits of spending time in cold weather are the improvements in allergic conditions and the lowering of inflammation. That being said, we don’t want to keep you in front of your screen, so get dressed well and go outside to enjoy some cold air for your well-being!
