I’ve recently talked to a group of women and the consensus was that most of us abhor the cold and we’d all rather burn our feet in the hot sand while sipping margaritas.
It’s common for women to report feeling cold and we know that they have higher core body temperatures than men. And while that may seem backward, when your body is used to being warm, colder air feels even cooler to the body.
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So, what can we do?
In my last blog, The Importance of Protein I mentioned how simply adding more protein to your diet can help you to keep warm. Proteins are highly complex molecules and require a lot more energy than fats or carbohydrates to metabolize. Eating more protein is a great start, but if you are done freezing your butt off, check out these easy to implement solutions.
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Grow some muscle
Muscle helps maintain body temperature by producing heat. All muscles do so but skeletal muscles, the ones you can grow bigger, are contributing most to heat production through contractions.
Hitting the weights at the gym or at home will help build the muscles that keep you warm so you can discard your mom’s old sweater.
Even when you’re not moving, your muscles have the ability to generate heat, just like an idling car. So whether you work out or not the more muscle you have the more heat you generate.
Stay hydrated
Your body needs water to help maintain its core temperature. Water will capture heat and release it slowly, keeping your body temperature in a comfortable range. Water also helps keep your metabolism going and when your furnace is working adequately you can say goodbye to all the extra blankets.
Get enough iron
Low iron levels could be the culprit causing you to constantly feel like your sitting in a freezer. The reason for that is that iron helps your red blood cells to bring heat and other nutrients to every other cell in your body. When red blood cells can’t properly do their job, you shiver.
Iron supplements can be beneficial, but it’s best to elevate your iron intake through healthy whole foods like meat, seafood, eggs, and spinach.
If you are serious about ditching the cold forever, the above tips are solutions you can implement for yourself starting today. While building muscle may be difficult and sound like a lot of work just to keep warm, there are many more benefits to it than escaping the cold.
Building muscle fortifies the bones, ligaments, and tendons and it also improves your immune function and reduces the risk of metabolic problems such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Next to all this building muscle also gives you shape and makes you look fit.
Helping you reach your goal of looking and feeling your absolute best is exactly what I’m all about. If you are interested in working with me, let’s connect.
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