Cool Hands, More Work, Less Pounds

When you're trying to lose those extra five pounds but you've plateaued at a weight line, exercise can be frustrating. Any extra tip can be helpful. So, here's a fascinating tip from a recent study reported in the LA Times:

A study finds that holding a hand-cooling device while exercising may help obese women keep moving longer. [snip]Two dozen women ages 30 to 45 exercised three days a week for 12 weeks. Some held a palm-cooling device chilled to about 61 degrees during cardio portions of their workouts.

The others held the same device, but theirs was at normal body temperature, 98.6 degrees. All study participants worked toward exercising for 45-minute periods at 80% of their maximum heart rates.

During the three months the group that held the cooling device cut an average of five minutes off their time during a 1.5-mile walk, reduced their waist size by an average of almost three inches, lowered their resting blood pressure and increased their exercise heart rate. Those in the control group saw no significant changes.

[Lead author Stacy] Sims, an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist at Stanford University added, “If you can slow the rate internal temperature rises and cool someone who is obese, they don’t store as much heat and don’t feel as uncomfortable. They can do more work.”

But it's also important to remember that "doing more work" doesn't necessarily mean that you should exercise longer. Daily exercise for 15 to 30 minutes is usually enough to keep most people fit. If you can only exercise three times a week, then aim for 30 to 45 minutes. Optimum health is generally found in moderation of exercise and diet, so overdoing intensity or frequency of exercise may well backfire unless you're already a top-conditioned elite athlete.

If you have found results by using a palm-cooling device, or are looking for more tips on exercise, leave a comment below or ask Dr. Johnson directly.