Do cold showers burn fat

You may have heard of Michael Phelps and his impressive 12,000 calorie diet while training for the Olympics. But wait, how could he possibly burn all those calories just through exercise? Even running multiple marathons a day wouldn't add up to that number. Well, turns out there's a science behind it all.

A former NASA scientist, Ray Cronise, did some investigating and discovered that Phelps's secret to burning all those calories was training in water. Swimming in water can actually suck heat away from your body, making you burn more calories just to maintain your body temperature.

As Cronise explains, "Our body temperature needs to stay constant and it takes a lot of energy to make that happen, just like heating your house. You might think you're burning a lot of calories because you're sweating when you exercise, but when you're cold, you burn even more."

And the good news is, the more weight you lose, the less insulation you have, making it easier to lose even more weight.

Cronise tested this theory out on himself by doing cold walks in just a t-shirt and shorts, taking cold showers, sleeping without a blanket, and keeping his house temperature low. And in just 6 weeks, he lost 27lbs without changing his calorie-restricted diet.

Now, he doesn't suggest that this is a substitute for diet and exercise, but it could be a helpful boost for accelerating your weight loss journey.