Cold Weather Running....

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workoutqueen628
workoutqueen628 Posts: 220
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey fellow runners!! I just had a few questions about cold weather running that maybe you can answer.

1) Does running in the cold burn less calories than running in the heat? Or is it just that your sweat evaporates?

2) Sweating is just your body's way of cooling off. So doesn't this mean that sweat doesn't determine calorie burn- the more you sweat, the more calories you burn. But couldn't you use your rate of perspiration to determine how hard you are working?

I'm confused, help me out!

Replies

  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    Sweat is just one of the ways your body burns - the majority of your calories are burned from the actual use of the muscles. Running in the cold your body is still regulating its temperature - it's gotta keep you warm too.
  • swrightqh
    swrightqh Posts: 4
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    I don't believe how much you sweat has to do with how many calories you burn. If I were you, I'd get a heart rate monitor. It will tell you how hard you're working and how many calories you burn. Generally people burn 100/mile...cold or warm weather. Make sure you dress warm enough, but not too warm. There are a lot of "cold weather" specific running clothes that help you stay warm while they wick away your sweat. You don't want your clothes to get soaking wet while it's freezing out. Good luck! I really enjoy running in the cold. :)
  • Stepmom1
    Stepmom1 Posts: 155 Member
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    I burned about the same amount of cals running in the cold than in warmer weather. I have a HRM and it indicated same or similar calories burned.

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