On Mon, 19 Jun 2000, Ken Stuart wrote:

> >JUSTIN SAYS:
> >That was me.  Swimming doesn't allow your body to heat up.  Thermogenesis is
> >the only muscle sparing fat burning mechanism.  You can get adrenaline and
> >thyroid levels going with a swimming workout, but thermogenesis just doesn't
> >happen, unless the water is warm like in a lake or something.  It probably
> >did more for your upper arms b/c it reduced your bodyfat, but not b/c it
> >built more muscle.
>
> So, if you were thrown into the 35 degrees F. waters of the Arctic Ocean, you
> would not generate any heat???

I wondered about this myself.  I always thought that
thermogenesis was precisely the body's mechanism for maintaining
its internal temperature when the environment threatens to lower
it.  Since water conducts heat away from the body better than
air, a swim in a pool at 80 degrees F. should cause more
thermogenesis than a walk in the open air at the same
temperature.  The body must use more energy to maintain its
temperature.

Todd Moody
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