As Christmas approaches many are looking to lose a few pounds to combat the overindulging and good times the festive season brings. According to a new study, swimming outside in the winter could help burn off more calories than other traditional forms of exercise. But could you brave the cold?
Calories appear to be burned due to skin temperature rising more quickly than those who do not go wild swimming.
The results showed men who swam in freezing water used up the equivalent of around 500 extra calories per 24 hours more on average than other people.
This was measured by wrapping them in cold blankets and measuring their response.
Dr Camilla Scheele, Senior Author of the study from the University of Copenhagen, explained: “Our results suggest people who swim in cold water train their body to deal differently with colder temperatures.
“As they burn more calories, they are likely to lose weight, which could be good for their health in general, as obesity is a risk factor for so many illnesses.”
Dr Mark Harper, keen sea swimmer and a member of the Outdoor Swimming Society further explained what happens to the body after the initial teeth-chattering few seconds.
“In cold water, the ribcage contracts, which leads many swimmers to feel as though they can’t breathe,” he told the BBC.
“Limbs soon become weak, swimming 25 metres can be an achievement, and it only takes a minute or two before the skin becomes a lurid purple-orange-red.
“That said, the joy of swimming without a wetsuit is the ultimate cold-water high: bringing a rush of endorphins and pure exhilaration.
“Winter swimmers frequently become addicted, because a two-minute swim can leave you feeling good all day,” he added.
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How to begin cold-water swimming
As with many forms of exercise and the additional shock element, it is important to participate in cold water swimming safely. If you are unsure about whether you should do it, seek medical advice or professional training.
- Approach it with the same if not more caution as you would beginning a new exercise programme. If you have any health issues, heart or circulatory problems or high blood pressure then consult a GP first and definitely start slowly, and with warmish water before going straight for ice cold winter water!
- Make sure you can swim. It is advised to go with a friend or a group who can swim and look out for each other.
- Start in summer or early autumn when UK sea temperatures are at their warmest around 15-20 degrees Celsius.
- Try swimming in a swimming wetsuit at first to get the feel of it and then maybe reduce down to swimming in only a costume after you’ve been doing it a little while and your body has adapted. There are some great three millimetre thin swimming wetsuits as well as thicker, five millimetre wetsuits for anyone wanting to stay in the water in winter even longer.
- Start shallow and easy with a simple paddle and dip of your body before fully swimming.
- Go on a calm day if swimming in the sea. The initial few minutes when you may gasp and could inhale water if you are deep or swimming is the risky bit. Relax and just sit or stand in the water calmly with your head above the water for this period.
- Time yourself for two to three minutes submerged. Start with short periods of time and build up. Once your skin reaches the same temperature as the water you’ll feel warm.
- Swimming in any open water, there are highly visible safety floats on the market which clip around your waist and float alongside you in the water.
Everything you do burns calories. If you are asking if drinking ice water leads to a greater amount of calories burned than drinking warmer liquids, the answer is not much. The quick math is that it takes roughly 8 calories to raise the temperature of ice water, which is ~37 degrees to body temperature (98.6 degrees), but also keep in mind that room temperature and refrigerated fluids also need to be raised to body temperature so the net gain (maybe an extra 2-4 calories a glass) from drinking ice water compared to other fluids is basically insignificant in the daily scheme of things. If you consume 8 glasses a day of ice water versus regular fluids you would maybe burn an extra 25 calories, which is equivalent to about 3 pieces of sugarless gum (which, by the way, burns many more calories than drinking ice water if you chew it long enough). The bottom line is, don’t give up sound nutrition, exercise or simply moving more for drinking ice water for weight loss. And remember, standing burns almost twice as many calories than sitting and walking can burn 3-4 times more. So if you are planning on drinking ice water for weight loss, make sure you drink it standing up.
Yes your body will need to expend a few calories to take the water from a temperature in the low to upper 30’s up to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are trying to lose weight, drinking ice water will not burn enough calories to make any significant dent in your weight. It is good to drink water throughout the day for health.
Does your body burn calories simply by warming up the water? Yes. But does drinking a lot of ice water help you lose weight, or keep weight off? The answer is qualified.
A calorie is the amount of energy it takes to raise water temperature. So it is safe to say that your body burns calories in order to raise the temperature of ice water up to your body temperature.
When you drink a 16-ounce glass of ice water, let's assume the temperature of the water is zero degrees Celsius. Body temperature is around 37 degrees Celsius. In the case of that glass of ice water, your body works to raise the temperature 16 ounces of ice water by 37 degrees C. In doing so, your body burns only burns around 17.5 Calories, and considering a 2,000-Calorie diet, that 17.5 is fairly insignificant.
But what if you adhere to the daily recommendation of eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day? That's 64 ounces of water, and to warm up all that water during the day, your body burns 70 Calories. So, while ice water consumption won't replace exercise or a healthy diet, try drinking cold water instead of warm water and in the process, burn some extra Calories!
Continue Learning about Calories
Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.