Insights: The Benefits of Cold Water Exposure

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What is cold thermogenesis and what are its benefits? Let’s talk about the reasons why you should consider doing it.

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Topics Discussed in this Episode:

What is cold thermogenesis
5 reasons why you should consider doing cold thermogenesis

Brown fat activation
Improved immune function
Improved mood and increased resilience
Increased levels of glutathione
Reduced levels of uric acid

Key Takeaways:

Brown fat is a type of fat typically found in the upper back, the shoulders, the sternum, and the collarbones. It’s usually associated with people with a slimmer build and it generates heat by burning the white fat on the stomach, the rump, the hips, and the legs. In other words, it activates the burning of white fat, which is what we normally want to burn.
Cold therapy increases the activation of brown adipose tissue by up to 15 times.
Cold exposure increases your level of how immune system cells fight disease and infection.
Studies show that individuals taking daily cold showers show an increase in white blood cells and shivering increases the body’s metabolic rate.
Cold exposure triggers a hormone called adiponectin, burns fat and increases metabolism, but not hunger.
The primary function of glutathione is to alleviate oxidative stress and is found in almost every cell of the body.

Action Steps:

Have a glass of cold water in the morning.
Start your day by splashing cold water onto your face,
When you take a shower, turn on the tap to cold for the last 30 seconds or less. Just see what you can tolerate. Then graduate to alternating between hot and cold for 30 seconds each. And gradually increase the amount of cold over hot over time and get yourself up to a full-on 5-minute cold shower if you can do it.

Leanne said:

“A usual method of burning white fat is to exercise or calorie deficit, but we can’t choose the moment we want to start burning fat.”

“Adiponectin also increases mitochondrial density, and mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells, they’re vital for energy production and movement amongst other things. And we need mitochondria in big numbers to help us stay in optimal health.”

Thanks for listening!

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