Weight management, especially weight loss is one of the most common worried around the world.
People tend to try everything to lose weight, from dieting to exercises, almost everything that shows some signs of hope. However, there are so many simple things that can help you with the goal of losing weight without much efforts as required by heavy exercises and workout regimes. You can start taking stairs instead of the elevator or escalator, or walk at a faster pace or carry your groceries home rather than riding a cab. You daily life activities can help you lose weight easily. You may be surprised to know that you can lose weight even by taking a cold water shower every day.
According to a recent study by Wijers et al, published as ‘Human Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Uncoupling Is Associated With Cold Induced Adaptive Thermogenesis’, suggests that human brown fat tissues can accelerate fat burning process in response to cold temperatures. The easiest way to let the brown fat tissues get the experience the cold temperatures is to take cold showers every morning. Although the study has confirmed the response of the tissues to cold temperature, the reason behind the response is still to be confirmed. The researchers found that regular cold water shower can speed up the metabolism more than exercise and diet alone.
So how can one lose weight with a cold shower? Here is what you can do.
- Step 1:
Since the main aim is to let yourself stay under the cold water for some time, you can start your shower with warm or hot water and finish your chores likes shampooing, conditioning and washing. Once you are done, you can slowly turn off the hot water knob and to gradually switch to colder water. You don’t have to rush, let your body adjust to the change in temperature of the water. Keep turning the knobs until you get the coldest temperature you are comfortable with.
- Step 2:
Now that you have the cold water running over you, stay under in for couple of minutes until you adjust to the temperature. You will not notice but your body would already have started using the brown fat tissue to generate more heat in response to the cold temperature.
- Step 3:
If possible turn to even colder water and let it run over your shoulders, neck and back, the areas where most of the human brown fat is found. Stay under the water for at least 3-4 minutes. The cold water would accelerate the fat burning in the body, allowing to lose more weight.
Take the cold water shower every morning and if possible shower two to three times every day to get the most out of it. While humans do not have extensive amounts of brown fat, it are easy to stimulate allowing better chances of weight loss and improved metabolism.