5 ms·

What's funny is that the article never suggests that the simplest solution would be to go swimming (Phelps example) instead of resorting to things like the cold

What's funny is that the article never suggests that the simplest solution would be to go swimming (Phelps example) instead of resorting to things like the cold vest or sleeping without a blanket. And swimming has more advantages than just being cold : it provides your cardio in a non damaging way (contrary to running) and you gain a valuable skill that can save your life.

stinos 12y ago
This is actually a very good point. Other studies found the general damage done by sedentary lifestyles lived by lots of us is irreversible and I don't think thee are lots of studies showing negative effects of light excercise in general. So trying to cope with obesity by not moving but instead just sitting and having cold (not sure if the article literally suggests it but there were definitely hints towards it) certainly goes against that.
chaghalibaghali 12y ago
I think the idea is that this worked for Phelps because he was in cold water all day, and this is what the vest is trying to replicate in a way that will fit in more easily with most peoples' lives.
learnstats2 12y ago
I agree, with one caveat: I've read in the past that being cold from swimming tends to make your body think that you are in need of calories. So casual swimmers will eat their workout at the vending machine, the one conveniently placed near the pool exit.
- iopq 12y ago
  That's what happens with any exercise or anything that uses calories. Your body is meant to survive anything. So any caloric expenditure is met with higher feelings of hunger.
  - eru 12y ago
    Though while exercising, most people feel a suppression of hunger.
udalov 12y ago
Could you please elaborate on running being damaging?
- Xylakant 12y ago
  Running, especially when heavy or overweight puts a lot of stress on your joints, most notably the knees. The effect is worse when you're untrained and don't have a proper technique. Swimming does not, since your body weight is suspended by the water.
- saraid216 12y ago
  It messes with your knees and heel. When you take a step during a run, your leg lands with your entire body slamming into it. There are ways to run that are less damaging (better equipment, like socks and shoes, or using the technique where you largely only make contact using the balls of your feet), but it doesn't change the fact of a shock happening. That said, it's unlikely to be so damaging to you as to outweigh its benefits. Swimming is better mostly because water has less resistance than the ground, and pushing off isn't really a shock to anything.
  - eru 12y ago
    Less the resistance than the ground, and more than the air.
  - pmahoney 12y ago
    > There are ways to run that are less damaging I looked into this quite a bit some years ago and found no research to suggest more cushioned shoes, less cushioned shoes, pronation-control shoes, barefoot running, etc. have any effect on injury rates. Are there recent studies or info that I missed on this topic? > it's unlikely to be so damaging to you as to outweigh its benefits It's even possible that all the shock and load bearing of running /is/ a benefit. Running is associated with acute injuries of all sorts, but as others have commented does not correlate with osteoarthritis or other long term injuries.
- rossriley 12y ago
  It's actually an often repeated myth that running is bad for your joints/knees etc[1]. General medical consensus is that moderate running is an indicator for better joint health. [1] http://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134861448/put-those-shoes-on-running-wont-kill-your-knees http://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134861448/put-those-shoes-on-r...
aragot 12y ago
The article never talks either about "getting cold" (and being sick). How does it work? Each time I spend a few hours in the cold (e.g. at work in Sydney in summer, they keep the A/C at 19C), I feel like I have a mini-fever for 24hrs. Is it a natural reaction of the body? Does it go away after adaptation?
- agarcia-deniz 12y ago
  I occasionally have the same issue: At work all day feeling cold (normally on a Monday as the heating is not on during the weekend) and then I feel like I'm getting a cold, I'm glad it's not just me. Would love to know why this happens though? I always figured it was somehow psychosomatic.
  - Jtsummers 12y ago
    http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/the-weather-wreaking-havoc-on-health http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/the-weather-wreaking... May not be the correct answer for you, but it's true for me. In the winter when the temperature has dropped suddenly I often need to take a decongestant for a few days and then I'm fine for the rest of it. Crud in your sinuses (for me at least) caused by allergies (grasses in my case) or weather can trigger a low-grade fever and other cold-like symptoms. It's worse since I work in a heated (too hot, IMO) office and then have to go back out into the cold. This was less of a problem when I worked in a more "frugal" office where the temperature (while still warmer inside) wasn't so extremely different from outside.
  - mleonhard 12y ago
    Do you wear a long-sleeve shirt? I used to have this problem when I wore t-shirts and worked in an air-conditioned office. Now I wear a long-sleeve button-down shirt with an undershirt and I feel much more comfortable every day.
- PepeGomez 12y ago
  That is the adaptation. When it's too cold, your body turns up its heat production and it kind of feels like a fever at first.
trhway 12y ago
>What's funny is that the article never suggests that the simplest solution would be to go swimming or how about some thinking/learning - brain consumes a lot of energy when it works. I mean when it really works - to save energy we push (as result of training/repetition) many things into habit, automatic response territory and thus most of the times our brain doesn't actually "work".
- eru 12y ago
  I wonder whether thinking harder does burn more energy. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/thinking-hard-calories/ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/thinking-hard-calo... seems to say, not really.
  - trhway 12y ago
    the facts in the article can be interpreted in many ways. Anyway, i was saying it based on my lifelong observations and personal experiences and understanding of how brain works. In short - i've never seen a fat mathematician :)
    - spydum 12y ago
      In my experience, it's not likely because they expend calories thinking, but that they get so emersed into their work, they forget to eat :) lot of good programming folks seem to be the same way
rsto 12y ago
Agree; but note the study of the Swiss swimming team Limmat Sharks on fat reduction and cardio: "The results suggest that in terms of beneficial effects on body composition, there is no difference between aerobic exercise on land and in water as long as intensity, duration and frequency of workouts are comparable. [..] However, swimming as the exclusive sport could be problematic, because the small load on the skeleton is not favourable to prevent osteoporosis" http://limmatsharks.com/Swimming%2BFatReduction/index.html http://limmatsharks.com/Swimming%2BFatReduction/index.html http://www.limmatsharks.com/Fatburner/ http://www.limmatsharks.com/Fatburner/ Generally, the articles of Limmat Sharks are great reads on swimming. I can't recommend them enough.
quickdraw46 12y ago
Why would you say that running is damaging?

stinos 12y ago

This is actually a very good point. Other studies found the general damage done by sedentary lifestyles lived by lots of us is irreversible and I don't think thee are lots of studies showing negative effects of light excercise in general. So trying to cope with obesity by not moving but instead just sitting and having cold (not sure if the article literally suggests it but there were definitely hints towards it) certainly goes against that.

chaghalibaghali 12y ago

I think the idea is that this worked for Phelps because he was in cold water all day, and this is what the vest is trying to replicate in a way that will fit in more easily with most peoples' lives.

learnstats2 12y ago

I agree, with one caveat: I've read in the past that being cold from swimming tends to make your body think that you are in need of calories. So casual swimmers will eat their workout at the vending machine, the one conveniently placed near the pool exit.

iopq 12y ago
That's what happens with any exercise or anything that uses calories. Your body is meant to survive anything. So any caloric expenditure is met with higher feelings of hunger.
- eru 12y ago
  Though while exercising, most people feel a suppression of hunger.

udalov 12y ago

Could you please elaborate on running being damaging?

Xylakant 12y ago
Running, especially when heavy or overweight puts a lot of stress on your joints, most notably the knees. The effect is worse when you're untrained and don't have a proper technique. Swimming does not, since your body weight is suspended by the water.
saraid216 12y ago
It messes with your knees and heel. When you take a step during a run, your leg lands with your entire body slamming into it. There are ways to run that are less damaging (better equipment, like socks and shoes, or using the technique where you largely only make contact using the balls of your feet), but it doesn't change the fact of a shock happening. That said, it's unlikely to be so damaging to you as to outweigh its benefits. Swimming is better mostly because water has less resistance than the ground, and pushing off isn't really a shock to anything.
- eru 12y ago
  Less the resistance than the ground, and more than the air.
- pmahoney 12y ago
  > There are ways to run that are less damaging I looked into this quite a bit some years ago and found no research to suggest more cushioned shoes, less cushioned shoes, pronation-control shoes, barefoot running, etc. have any effect on injury rates. Are there recent studies or info that I missed on this topic? > it's unlikely to be so damaging to you as to outweigh its benefits It's even possible that all the shock and load bearing of running /is/ a benefit. Running is associated with acute injuries of all sorts, but as others have commented does not correlate with osteoarthritis or other long term injuries.
rossriley 12y ago
It's actually an often repeated myth that running is bad for your joints/knees etc[1]. General medical consensus is that moderate running is an indicator for better joint health. [1] http://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134861448/put-those-shoes-on-running-wont-kill-your-knees http://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134861448/put-those-shoes-on-r...

aragot 12y ago

The article never talks either about "getting cold" (and being sick). How does it work? Each time I spend a few hours in the cold (e.g. at work in Sydney in summer, they keep the A/C at 19C), I feel like I have a mini-fever for 24hrs. Is it a natural reaction of the body? Does it go away after adaptation?

agarcia-deniz 12y ago
I occasionally have the same issue: At work all day feeling cold (normally on a Monday as the heating is not on during the weekend) and then I feel like I'm getting a cold, I'm glad it's not just me. Would love to know why this happens though? I always figured it was somehow psychosomatic.
- Jtsummers 12y ago
  http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/the-weather-wreaking-havoc-on-health http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/the-weather-wreaking... May not be the correct answer for you, but it's true for me. In the winter when the temperature has dropped suddenly I often need to take a decongestant for a few days and then I'm fine for the rest of it. Crud in your sinuses (for me at least) caused by allergies (grasses in my case) or weather can trigger a low-grade fever and other cold-like symptoms. It's worse since I work in a heated (too hot, IMO) office and then have to go back out into the cold. This was less of a problem when I worked in a more "frugal" office where the temperature (while still warmer inside) wasn't so extremely different from outside.
- mleonhard 12y ago
  Do you wear a long-sleeve shirt? I used to have this problem when I wore t-shirts and worked in an air-conditioned office. Now I wear a long-sleeve button-down shirt with an undershirt and I feel much more comfortable every day.
PepeGomez 12y ago
That is the adaptation. When it's too cold, your body turns up its heat production and it kind of feels like a fever at first.

trhway 12y ago

>What's funny is that the article never suggests that the simplest solution would be to go swimming or how about some thinking/learning - brain consumes a lot of energy when it works. I mean when it really works - to save energy we push (as result of training/repetition) many things into habit, automatic response territory and thus most of the times our brain doesn't actually "work".

eru 12y ago
I wonder whether thinking harder does burn more energy. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/thinking-hard-calories/ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/thinking-hard-calo... seems to say, not really.
- trhway 12y ago
  the facts in the article can be interpreted in many ways. Anyway, i was saying it based on my lifelong observations and personal experiences and understanding of how brain works. In short - i've never seen a fat mathematician :)
  - spydum 12y ago
    In my experience, it's not likely because they expend calories thinking, but that they get so emersed into their work, they forget to eat :) lot of good programming folks seem to be the same way

rsto 12y ago

Agree; but note the study of the Swiss swimming team Limmat Sharks on fat reduction and cardio: "The results suggest that in terms of beneficial effects on body composition, there is no difference between aerobic exercise on land and in water as long as intensity, duration and frequency of workouts are comparable. [..] However, swimming as the exclusive sport could be problematic, because the small load on the skeleton is not favourable to prevent osteoporosis" http://limmatsharks.com/Swimming%2BFatReduction/index.html http://limmatsharks.com/Swimming%2BFatReduction/index.html http://www.limmatsharks.com/Fatburner/ http://www.limmatsharks.com/Fatburner/ Generally, the articles of Limmat Sharks are great reads on swimming. I can't recommend them enough.

quickdraw46 12y ago

Why would you say that running is damaging?