Hot Water Vs. Cold Water: Which is Better for Weight Loss
Water is one of the most important factors in living a healthy life; it is essential to your body’s ability to function properly. Keeping your body hydrated is essential to regulating every aspect of your body’s functionality, from your digestive system to your kidney’s ability to detoxify the body. Water even affects hormone production and your mood. If you are attempting to lose weight, then water is your new best friend. You cannot complete a successful weight loss campaign without drinking plenty of water – just do not even try it. The question isn’t if you should drink water, it is how you should drink water; hot or cold.
Many people’s first instinct is to drink cold water. It is refreshing, can cool you off, and really does feel nice going down. And there is a theory that drinking cold water actually contributes to weight loss because your body has to spend energy warming it up. While this is technically true, your body won’t spend enough energy to make a major difference in your weight. According to a University of Washington study, your body burns about 8 calories to warm one cup of water. This is about the same benefit you would receive from moderately exercising for 5-15 minutes.
Drinking hot water can actually be much more effective in helping you lose weight. According to Ayurveda and other medicinal practices, drinking warm or hot water can activate your digestive system and decrease indigestion. It will stimulate the flow of blood to the intestines and combat indigestion. It also helps to detoxify the body and reduces the levels of pitta inside your body. These benefits have an indirect effect on your weight by helping your body to lose weight more efficiently.
