Buffalo winters can be brutal, but research shows you might get some health benefits during the colder months.  When it's cold, your body has to work harder to maintain its core body temperature — and as a result, you might burn more calories.  Colder temperatures can help reduce both allergies and inflammation.

  1. Cooler temps boosts your brain - Colder temperatures help people think clearly. Research shows that people perform tasks better when the room temperature is set at a cooler setting than a warmer one. 
  1. It might help you burn calories - When it's cold, your body works harder to maintain your core temp. Our bodies use a considerable amount of energy to keep us warm, and humidify the air we breathe when we're out in the cold.

  2. It increases brown fat - Most fat in human beings appears whitish in color, while brown fat is the mitochondria-packed fat cells that burn energy and produces heat in the body. 
  1. It improves allergies - If you have outdoor allergies, good news! Pollen counts are virtually nonexistent in cold and snowy weather.
  1. Winter can lower inflammation - You know how ice packs are used to decrease swelling and pain after an injury? Well, you might notice your joints feeling less swollen or puffy in winter, because the cold air acts like a natural ice pack to decrease inflammation.
  1. It can lower risk of diseases - Sure, you might be more likely to catch a cold, but you're in the clear for several diseases and viruses that are more prevalent in warmer temps. 
  1. You'll sleep better - Your body's core temp naturally drops when you're trying to sleep; this process can take up to two hours in the heat of summer but is much faster in winter.

  2. It can help you fight infections - Yes, you might get more colds during the winter (not so great), but you are actually better primed to kick your immune system into gear and fight the infection more effectively. 
  1. It can rejuvenate skin - Moderately cold temperatures could be good for skin's health because it constrains blood vessels in the skin. This makes the vessels less prone to redness and swelling, as a result of a reduction in blood flow.

  2. It can better your ticker - Cold weather can actually do your heart some good when you're bracing it for your winter workouts outdoors. Cold weather makes working out a fun and challenging activity, and the heart will have to pump more oxygenated blood to not only compensate for the activity but also to ensure that the body maintains a warm enough temperature to stay within balance. 

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