Working out with the fan on .. less sweat = less calories burned?

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's THAT dumb of a question. After all, burning calories is a result of generating heat. It makes sense that you might think if you're hotter/not staying as cool you'd generate more heat. But it's not the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lost a few brain cells reading this thread.

That’s one way to lose weight

[Anonymous]

People are rude. That’s the sad thing.

The only advantage would be environment conditioning if you are training for some form of outdoor event. Otherwise best to be as comfortable as possible. In the summer, I often use two fans when running on my treadmill since we keep the AC relatively high at like 78F.

[Anonymous]

This is why I don't think it's a dumb question.

I have a walking route I use often for exercise. When I do it at the exact same pace, I burn more calories when it is hotter out according to my apple watch. For example, on an 85 degree day I might burn 245 calories on the 3 mile walk. But if it's 50 degrees out, even if I move at the same pace for the same distance, I only burn 190 calories.

Why is that? I've always assumed because my body is working harder because of the added element of heat in the environment. No?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it works that way.

Exactly.
What is OP thinking? This is basic.

OP does not appear to have the ability to think. This is one of the dumbest questions I've ever seen here.

[Anonymous]

If it wasn't true, then why do people do hot yoga? What's the appeal of it?

[Anonymous]

Whoever responded that OP is a moron is definitely highly regarded except replace on of the letters in regarded. Of course you burn more calories in the heat. If the fan is cooling you down, your body works less hard to cool down. As someone else said, the caloric difference is minimal. But the answer to OPs original question is YES, not "durrrr you stoopid"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it wasn't true, then why do people do hot yoga? What's the appeal of it?

To lose water weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it wasn't true, then why do people do hot yoga? What's the appeal of it?

Hot yoga is not for weight loss. Some people might use it that way but that's not why it exists. Hot yoga helps you feel more limber and there is some argument that a hot room for yoga will decrease your chance of injury or pulling a muscle, because your joints are warmer.

My personal experience is that this is true (I am someone with tight muscles generally and benefit a lot from warming up muscles and joints before yoga), though the dehydration of true hot yoga can counteract the benefits of increasing flexibility. I've found the ideal situation is either to do some cardio and practical movement beforehand that gets the body warm, or to attend classes where the instructor really knows how to build up to the deeper, longer poses and holds, and knows how to build heat in the body and in specific joints before getting to that point. It's better for your body generate it's own heat anyway.

In any case, any weight you lose due to sweating at hot yoga will just come back when you replenish the water you've lost.

[Anonymous]

I think this is a lot more complicated than people seem to think. First, for most people it's not going to make a huge difference. The most important thing to to exercise, so if having a fan makes it more enjoyable and induces you to work out more, turn it on.

When it's very hot, your body burns energy trying to stay cool. So if you're just sitting around in 100 degree weather, you will burn more calories than if you sit around and it's 75 degrees. "Hot weather can make you feel sluggish because your body has to work harder to keep you cool while pumping blood to your muscles." (https://qz.com/693468/how-to-deal-with-the-heat-and-optimize-your-summer-run) "living in extreme heat is simply hard work for your body. While it’s a passive process for the most part, sweating buckets can burn some calories, even without any exercise." (https://2newthings.com/your-bodys-efforts-cool-down-use-up-lot-extra-energy/)

But when you're exercising, if it's hot out, your are naturally going to more less intensely. And this isn't just a matter of comfort. There's a reason that professional runners go slower in hot weather, and it's not because they are lazy. Your body regulates itself so you don't raise your internal temperature to a dangerous point. (For details, see https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/how-elite-athletes-respond-extreme-heat/ which reports on the issue in a lot of detail. The many scientists who have studied it don't think it's a stupid question.) That's not going to be a big factor for most people, but the concept is the same: You are going to bike/run/whatever slower if you don't have the fan running, and that might more than offset the extra work your body does to stay cool.

In summary: Being hot burns calories; slowing down in response to heat reduces energy. The net effect is hard to determine and varies, so do what you prefer and what keeps you going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It’s OK, OP. We all ask dumb questions sometimes.

There are no dumb questions, PP. There are only dumb people who ask questions.

[Anonymous]

Stressing your body with heat or cold does burn calories, although with heat, there are tradeoffs with performance. Cold is great because you get both higher calorie burn and good conditions for performance.

I think it is weird that anyone thinks this is an odd question. It is really, really common for runners to stress train in heat or cold. But OP, stress training is something you should do when you're already in fantastic shape. Otherwise you can hurt yourself. If you're just in it to burn calories, your best option is a slow-ish, sustainable pace for a long time. So, an hour per day at 5mph would be good for dieting. Walking for 2 hours per day is also great for straight up calorie burn. Avoid anything that could injure you, especially if you are just looking to get nice hamstrings for the summer or whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why I don't think it's a dumb question.

I have a walking route I use often for exercise. When I do it at the exact same pace, I burn more calories when it is hotter out according to my apple watch. For example, on an 85 degree day I might burn 245 calories on the 3 mile walk. But if it's 50 degrees out, even if I move at the same pace for the same distance, I only burn 190 calories.

Why is that? I've always assumed because my body is working harder because of the added element of heat in the environment. No?

I'm concerned with your critical thinking here. Firstly, your apple watch has zero clue how many calories you actually burned. You know that, right? Your apple watch has an algorithm that guesses how many calories you burned based on heart rate, time, type of activity, and the information you've given it about you (weight, age, sex). That algorithm is based on lab research, but its just a guess. Secondly, that algorithm relies in part on your heart rate. Your heart rate will be higher on a warm day than a cold day. That's because your heart has to pump faster to cool you. That faster heart rate in the heat isn't because your body is burning more energy, it's because it's harder for your body to get rid of the heat it's generating.

[Anonymous]

I feel like this is one of the dumbest questions I’ve ever read on DCUM. I’m really sorry op, but Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s a dumb Q. People where sauna suits to work out.

Sweating more doesn't mean you're burning more calories. Sweat doesn't contain calories.

Raises body temp, increases HR, therefore burn more because exercise now more difficult.