It’s the movement, not the frigid water, that keeps this bear in shape.
Here we go again. Can’t help myself. It drives me crazy. This is the oldest crap in history. "Cold exposure – an approach to increasing energy expenditure in humans” in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, Jan. 22, 2014.
So turn your thermostat down for God's sake. And in ten years, assuming you consume the same amount of calories, you'll lose 3 pounds.
Here's a better idea: Sleep with no covers.
What if you did your workouts in a meat freezer? More practical, watch TV, use your iPhone and do computer work in front of an air conditioner (summer and winter).
Think of the possibilities! If cold conditions burn fat, turn on your car's AC in the winter time. Wear less warm clothing. Shovel snow in your skivvies. Try ice swimming. Bike in the winter in shorts (double caloric burn), or set up your stationary bike outside and ride in your birthday suit. That might help your neighbors lose some fat, too, no?
If this were valid and practical, their would be no fat Norwegians, Swedes or Eskimos! How about polar bears? Seen any skinny ass polar bears lately? If so, it's because they’re swimming all day long.
How about just cutting out a few calories every day and kicking up your workouts. And be sure you are building the real calorie burners, hot or cold: Muscles.
Da Coach
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Polar bears photo by catherine [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons