Overheat at the gym? This visual trick can help your body cool down

A little sweat never hurt anyone, but overheating? That’s a whole different beast. Whether you’re lifting in a gym that feels like an oven or running through a heatwave, we’ve all had those moments where it feels like we’re about to spontaneously combust.The cool news: scientists just discovered a visual hack that tricks your body into chilling out — and it’s the last thing you’d expect.For the study, researchers recruited five college-age women to ride stationary bikes at 72°F while strapped into virtual reality headsets, exploring scenes on the “Nature Treks VR” app.Those viewing “Red Earth” were transported to the Australian outback, immersed in fiery reds, oranges and yellows that evoked the sweltering heat of the desert.Meanwhile, others ventured into the frosty world of “White Winter,” where snow-covered valleys and ice-dusted trees set the stage for a much cooler vibe.

When researchers compared the participants’ reactions to the two VR environments, they discovered that their core body temperatures rose far less when immersed in the hot scene than in the cold one.“Our findings suggest that simply viewing a hot environment can act as a powerful stimulus for thermoregulatory processes, and it may play a larger role than we had previously thought,” said Natasha Ragland, a graduate student at Boston University and first author of the study.An increase in sweating while immersed in the hot VR scene likely explains the difference, helping the body to cool down more efficiently during exercise, the researchers explained.In fact, participants sweated about 20 grams more when exposed to the hot landscape than when viewing the frozen one, providing an extra cooling boost for their bodies.Researchers suggested that future studies could investigate VR as a cost-effective tool to help workers in extreme heat adapt more quickly,  potentially boosting their health and safety.“Athletes or military personnel may be able to train for more ...