9 to 5 Wellness
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Discover the art and science of helping organizations grow their most important resource, their people. In this podcast we discuss how organizations can utilize the potential of wellbeing programs to deliver high return on investment (ROI) to employers. We talk about the radical impact that holistic employee wellbeing programs can have on overall quality of work and productivity. We will be sharing insights on investing in human capital. Such as:
🌟 What has helped their organizations gain a competitive advantage?
🌟 How they see the future of employee wellbeing?
🌟 Misunderstandings that are out in the corporate market today
🌟 Advice to other leaders to create a happier, healthier, and more productive workplace
Our guests are C-suite leaders, and wellness innovators across the value chain: HR managers, wellness champions, community wellbeing ambassadors, service vendors, and wellness consultants.
9 to 5 Wellness
Winter Weather Workouts - Embracing the Chill
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🌟 🌟 🌟 If you liked this episode and would like to learn more about wellness training and workshops offered by 9 to 5 Wellness, email us at info@aeshathair.com. You can learn more about our programs at: https://toneandstrengthen.com/workshops-trainings/. 🌟 🌟 🌟
My passion is helping organizations create a culture of wellness, and I do this by setting up health programs that prioritize the most important asset they've got – their employees. Cheers to a healthier and happier journey ahead!
🌟 🌟 🌟 You can learn more about ME- the host at https://www.aeshatahir.com
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Welcome to the Nine to Five Wellness Podcast, a show about corporate wellness solutions with innovators and forward-thinking leaders who are at the forefront of the workplace wellness movement. I'm your host, Aisha Tahir.
Hello friends. Welcome to episode number 98 of the Nine to Five Wellness Podcast. Today I wanna talk about winter weather workouts and the benefits associated with them. I know it's early January and it's been a cold one. If you are like most people, your first instinct when you see frost on the window is to dive deeper under covers. But today I'm going to tell you why you should lace up your sneakers or grab your dumbbells and head out into that crisp air
just because the temperature has dropped outside. It doesn't mean you have to bring your workouts indoors. Most people think winter is just flu season, but it's actually peak performance season. When you take your workout outside in the cold, your body does things it simply won't do In a climate controlled gym and in warmer conditions, there are four benefits of working outdoors that I wanna highlight today.
First winter workouts literally turn your body into a metabolic furnace. Winter workouts improve your endurance. They boost your immune system and it's the most effective antidepressant out there.
So let's dig deeper into these. Let's talk about turning the body into metabolic furnace. I am sure you're very curious about this. I was too, , so I read some literature on it, and what I found out was that when it's cold, your body has to work over time just to keep your core temperature stable.
This activates what we call brown fat. Brown adipose tissue. Unlike regular white fat that stores calories, brown fat actually burns them to generate heat. Studies have shown that exercising in cold can even help transform stubborn white fat into this calorie burning brown fat.
So you're literally burning more calories by just being out there. Your heart gets a major upgrade too, because the cold forces your heart to work harder to distribute blood throughout the body. It strengthens the heart muscle over time, improving your overall cardiovascular endurance.
Interestingly, because you aren't fighting humidity and heat, your heart rate can actually stay lower while maintaining the same pace, which allows you to train longer without getting exhausted. Winter workouts can offer benefits that you can't get from summer workouts. It's counterintuitive, right? You'd think freezing air would slow you down, but the science says otherwise it actually improves your endurance and improves your speed. Research shows that cold weather actually improves endurance because your heart doesn't have to work as hard to pump blood to your skin for cooling. You sweat less and expend less energy, all of which means you can exercise more efficiently. This lower heart rate allows you to maintain a higher intensity for longer periods. So if you think about it, it's basically natural blood doping.
Yes, it is in a way because your body isn't struggling to shed heat like it does in July. So you can push your aerobic threshold further plus. Winter air is denser, which means more oxygen per breath, and your body activates brown fat. That's the good stuff that burns calories just to keep you warm.
So for anyone who exercises outside in the cold, they will improve their cardiovascular endurance, which can make their heart muscle even stronger, and it'll better prepare the body for more strenuous workouts in the future. And not to mention other non-exercise stresses in life too.
If you are wondering what about the winter lungs burn? That's just your body acclimating.
If you layer up and use the weather service windchill chart to stay safe, you're looking at a massive endurance boost by spring. So the cold is actually your secret weapon for elite endurance.
Let's not forget about the mental health benefits of working outdoors even in cold weather. I know a lot of people who struggle with winter blues this time of the year. Seasonal affective disorder affects up to 20% of Americans every year. Getting outside, even on an overcast day, gives you a vital dose of natural light and vitamin D plus that crisp air. Triggers a massive release of dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins.
Exercising outdoor can boost your mood at any time of the year, but it has a particularly profound effect during winter. Sending those all important feel good hormones, soaring and keeping the winter blues at bay in fact. Research shows that a good workout can be up to four times more effective than taking antidepressants for improving symptoms of depression,
as well as being an effective mood booster and pick me up. I can attest to that. I am probably addicted to all these hormones, dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. That's what keeps me wanting to run outdoors no matter how cold it is.
The last benefit of working outdoors and cold weather that I wanna leave you with is it helps you avoid getting sick. Moving your body in the cold stimulates your immune system and increases the circulation of white blood cells. It's a natural defense against the winter bugs going around.
So if you wanna beat the flu season. All you need to do is lace up or grab your weights and head outdoors for your workouts. So stop hibernating the winter miles and the winter workouts you put in are the ones that will make you faster and stronger in spring.
Thank you so much for listening to me today. I'll be back tomorrow with another fresh episode. Till then, keep exercising outdoors and stay frosty.
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