Trying to increase your time on the treadmill or run an extra mile outside isn’t always easy, especially when the weather starts to get a little too warm. But if you can keep your hands cool, you may be on your way to a longer workout.
A study at Standford University School of Medicine found that obese women were able to exercise longer when they used a device that cooled their palms. However, because the subjects were obese, they have more adipose [fat] tissue, which means they often get too hot while exercising to begin with.
Lead researcher Dr Stacy Sims, says: “Obese women often complain about sweating and getting tired because they’re walking around with extra insulation. 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.”
In other words, it’s hard to say if it would have the same effect on fit people.
Sims evaluated 24 healthy women, aged 30 to 45, who had not exercised long-term in the past. They were obese, with a body-mass index (BMI) of between 30 and nearly 35. The women were split into two groups, each participating in three exercise sessions a week for 12 weeks – the sessions included 10 minutes of body weight exercises, 25 minutes to 45 minutes of treadmill walking with the cooling device and 10 minutes of core-strengthening exercise. They worked up to the time they could handle on the treadmill.
On the first day and last day of the study, the women did a 1.5-mile walk that was timed. The cooling group shaved more than five minutes off their time for the 1.5 mile treadmill test and their exercising heart rate went up from 136 beats per minute to 154. They also lost more than 2 inches off their waist, and reduced their blood pressure significantly.
However, the comparison group did not show any substantial differences in any of the measures!
Sims says the comparison group had trouble sticking with it, dropping out early and skipping a lot of sessions. Whereas the cooling group was more into the regimen, with some women even running on the treadmill. “If you reduce the heat stress, you reduce fatigue, sweating and discomfort,” she told MSN Health. “You reduce a lot of the physiological barriers that [make] people say, ‘I don’t want to continue.'”
Whether you’re overweight or not, it doesn’t hurt to give it a try. Sims recommends freezing a water bottle and taking it with you during your next workout. At least you’ll have ice cold water to drink!
