We are two student workers who have just put up posters (for science day) in the bitterly cold weather. Our body had to make a lot of effort to keep us warm, have we burned calories with that?
Answer
Kristel,
it is indeed the case that your body has to make more effort to keep warm in the cold, which you can notice in extreme cases because your muscles start to contract involuntarily. This shivering is intended to generate heat through rapid muscle contractions to maintain your central body temperature.
So if you make an effort in very cold (or also in great heat), your body not only needs the energy to make your effort, but also to maintain your temperature. So you consume (a little bit) more…
Answered by
prof. Dr. Paul Dendale
Cardiovascular diseases (specialization in prevention and rehabilitation) Physiology and pathophysiology of the heart and blood vessels
Agoralaan University Campus Building D BE-3590 Diepenbeek
http://www.uhasselt.be/
.