By Maureen Linke, USA TODAY
Keeping your cool could help you stay on the treadmill longer, a new study says.
Obese women were able to exercise for a longer period of time when the palms of their hands were cooled, reports researcher Stacy Sims, an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist at Stanford University School of Medicine.
About two dozen women ages 30 to 45 exercised three days a week for three months - some holding a hand-cooling device during portions of their workouts. Those who held a the device during treadmill walking had significant improvements in exercise performance, heart rate, waist circumference, and blood pressure, Sims reported at the American Heart Association's meeting.
"If you can slow the rate internal temperature rises and cool someone who is obese, they don't store as much heat and don't feel as uncomfortable. They can do more work."