Winter is a season I enjoy. I like snow and many of the winter sports, but as a motorcyclist the winter months take a toll on my body. Many people gain weight in the northern states during the winter.
Inactivity and additional eating due to boredom are contributing factors, but many avid motorcyclists actually loose weight during the winter months. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota recently published their study on Motorcyclist's Winter Weight Loss. The study showed that 60% of their test group of avid motorcyclists lost between 6 - 25% of their total body weight. The average weight loss was 11%! It appears that there are subtle changes in the motorcyclists brain chemistry which affect the appetite and the metabolism. The riders craved raw vegetables and plain yogurt and lost interest in fatty foods, unhealthy snacks and red meat. "This combined with an increase in their metabolic rate caused substantial weight loss," explained Dr. Toldyaso. This unusual medical malady is being called The Flat Tire Syndrome, since the majority of the test subjects had rather large "spare tires" at the beginning of the study. "For many people this weight loss is a benefit, but for people who are average or below average in their weight range this syndrome can become a serious medical issue," explained Dr. Toldyaso . "It appears some who may have more serious cases of the syndrome could lose substantially more weight and this could present a health risk."
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| I was wasting away and didn't know it |
This study was eye opening for me, as my wife would often tell me I seem to waste away during the winter months. I usually responded with a smile and a witty comment like " I just feel like being a bunny rabbit in the winter!" Yesterday she was empathetic that I put on my motorcycle ride wear and lay on the floor so she could take a photo. I was shocked. Well either I need to move to a warmer climate or start riding my cycle all winter.
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