'Do You Burn More Calories Working Out in the Winter or the Summer?'

"Do you burn more calories working out in the winter or the summer?"-Casey E., NYC

Great question, Casey, and one I hear often as the temperature drops and, for many, the number on the scale rises.

Many of my clients have theorized that they pack on winter weight because their metabolism slows down during the winter.

"From an evolutionary standpoint it makes sense, in the days of the hunter and gatherer your body would want to store body fat so you can survive the winter and that's why you don't burn as many calories during the colder months," my hypothetical, existing solely-for-the-sake of-this column client will state.

"Plus, " my fictional client will continue, "your body has to work harder to cool your body down so you don't overheat when the heat raises your body temperature, so, naturally you burn more calories during the summer."

Here's the thing, your body does have a system in place in order to maintain stasis and does have to exert extra energy to cool the body down, but with that in mind, wouldn't it also follow that the body, similarly exerts additional energy in order to warm the body when its cold?

If you are exercising outside, the body does expend additional energy and, therefore, burn more calories in extreme weather, whether it be hot or cold. If you are standing still or walking pace, the body does have to work a bit harder to warm itself (one of the reasons why you begin to shiver.) But if you are exercising at a moderately intense level, your body temperature elevates under any conditions, and as a result, the body does have to exert slightly more energy to cool the body in the heat than it does to warm up during the winter.

If you are exercising indoors, you burn the same number of calories regardless of the season. However, the biggest factor in folks packing on extra weight during the winter is that they spend more time indoors, move less and eat more. With all of this in mind, you might want to make an effort to make your time in the gym count a bit more. Since many of us tend to consume more calories during the winter, it's a perfect time to up the intensity level of your workouts. Calories are a measurement of energy so use you might as well put all of the excess energy you are putting into your body to get some kick ass workouts in.

Hope that answers your question, Casey. Now get out there and kill it during your workouts.

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