A new multi-authored research study claims just that. The idea is that without the body burning extra energy to regulate its internal thermostat, AC lets one burn fewer calories. And by making people feel cool in summer, it makes them want to eat more, especially more high-fat, high-calorie “heavy” food.
Lack of sleep has been previously connected to weight gain, because of how it disrupts various circadian rhythms.
Now, can one live without air conditioning? Sure. I live in Dallas, and for the past several years up to 2005 went light on its use. Last year, I finally did totally without it. And I live in an apartment that only has windows on one side, so I can’t get cross-ventilation.
There are tricks. In the heat of the day, even on weekends, “borrowing” some office AC time, or library AC time, helps. But that’s secondary to other ideas.
First is eating light — lots of liquids, fruits and salads, light on fatty and fried foods — means one doesn’t feel so “loggy” in outdoors heat. That, then, lets one get outdoors more comfortably, and therefore, theoretically, more often. You get outdoors more often — and actually walking around outdoors, not just going to your car — and you get more acclimated. You might actually do some exercise outdoors, lose a few pounds, and get more acclimated yet.
Find a park and stay outdoors a couple of hours under the shade of a large tree and read a good book. Eventually, you won’t miss TV, computer, video games, or whatever was distracting your life inside.
At home, box fans, and ceiling fans if you’ve got them, and you can get by. (I would NOT want to live as did pre-electricity Texas inhabitants, let alone peasants of India who may today have intermittent electricity at best.) Trust me, it’s doable. And, if it’s doable in Dallas, it’s certainly doable in Detroit.
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