Serious Hot weather question..

Cranny
Cranny Posts: 27 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey Everyone,

Does anyone know, for sure, if you actually burn more calories when the weather is hot and humid?

ie: I went for a walk with my doggies, 30 min's, MFP say about 145 cals burned. In this weather, I was sweatin' my butt off, and thought to myself, "Wonder if I'm actually burning more than I thought"...

Anyone?

Replies

  • aawh
    aawh Posts: 96 Member
    I'm curious about this too.

    I thought the very same thing the past few days after walking my dog in hot humid weather too!
  • TonyaR
    TonyaR Posts: 78 Member
    I wondered that too after walking today before a thunderstom hit!
  • valeriebpdx
    valeriebpdx Posts: 497 Member
    Sorry, but I think it's actually a little less--your metabolism has to work harder in the cold to keep your body temperature up and the reverse is true in hot weather. It just feels harder. :-(

    OR
    what the hell do I know? LOL - read the article posted below. I had heard the opposite awhile back.
  • Cranny
    Cranny Posts: 27 Member
    Well - I believe I've found the info!! Just a google-click away apparently.... SEE BELOW _ I COPY/PASTED it
  • Cranny
    Cranny Posts: 27 Member
    lthough exercising in hot weather can be uncomfortable for some, it does appear to increase calorie burn. When it's hot outside, your heart has to pump harder to cool off the hard working muscles along with the rest of the body. It does this by pumping more blood to the extremities so that the heat can be released in the form of sweat. If you stop to check your heart rate when exercising in hot weather, you'll usually find that it's higher than when you do the same routine under cooler conditions. Since exercising in the heat also places additional stress on the heart, it provides additional cardiovascular and fat burning benefits. Some well trained athletes take advantage of this fact by putting on a sweatshirt or other heavy clothing at the gym to make their workout harder and burn more calories and fat.

    Unfortunately, exercising in hot weather is not always the safest option. The body can become overheated quickly, leading to heat exhaustion or even heat stroke. This is why it's important to drink extra fluids when exercising in hot weather. Water may not be the best choice since it doesn't replenish the electrolytes that are lost with heavy sweating. If these aren't replaced, losses of calcium and potassium can lead to painful leg cramps or more serious symptoms such as muscle weakness or an irregular heart rhythm. Exercising in hot weather is not for the untrained athlete.
  • Behavior_Modification
    Behavior_Modification Posts: 24,482 Member
    I actually asked my trainer this, when it was still cold out in WI, about cooler vs warmer weather. He said it's all about the heartrate. The weather does not matter.
  • gpies
    gpies Posts: 56 Member
    I wear my HRM all the time and I burned about 125 more cals in my run yesterday (was about 90 degrees in my area). I happen to enjoy the heat and don't mind running in the hot weather which is a plus. But I did have more of a burn for the same route. Just thought I'd mention it.(but I would probably say yes, you would have burned more)
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    If it does matter...it doesn't matter very much.

    I wear a HRM when i run. I burn similar calories when it's 15 degrees, as I do when it's 90.

    However, I prefer warmer, almost hot weather because it's easier to breath, and easier to loosen up.

    and fluids...that's just a given.
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