Hot or Cold? Here’s Why the Temperature of Your Water Matters

Today's article is courtesy of Danette May, America's leading healthy lifestyle expert.

Water, water everywhere! You know you should be drinking a ton of it!

About sixty percent of our body is water. Water helps improve blood circulation and transport nutrients. It's also crucial to keep the vital organs function well.

A gallon a day is a good goal but once you start on the hydration journey, other questions start to pop up. Questions like, is hot water better than cold water?

I'm often asked:
Does drinking water at a certain temperature promote better health?
Is drinking hot water better than drinking cold water?

The answer isn’t so black and white, but I think we can shed some light on the water temperature question. Let's take a look at the facts and find out the best time to drink warm water and cold water.

Start here: drinking warm water first thing in the morning does wonders for your health. Here's why:

5 Reasons You Should Drink Warm Water Every Morning

1—Helps digestion. It improves the blood flow in the intestines. It helps activate your digestive system.
2—Promotes bowel movements. Water humidifies the large intestine and helps to regularize bowel movements. Drink a cup of warm water on an empty stomach as soon as you wake up for regular bowel activity.
3—Promotes weight loss. One of the basic for weight loss is to drink warm water with lemon. This will help boost your metabolism.
Drink warm water along with the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon. The citric acid content from the lemon is a crucial component of Kreb's cycle in your body. Kreb's cycle produces energy from food in the presence of oxygen. It's an important tool to burn calories and boost metabolism.
4—Helps to detox. Drinking warm water in the morning helps flush out toxins. A combination of lemon juice and warm water is a perfect detox recipe. Warm water eliminates toxins, while the vitamin C in lemon revives the cells.
5—Relieves nasal congestion. If you have nasal or throat congestion, drink warm water. It acts as a drug-free expectorant.
It helps in the expulsion of phlegm from the respiratory tract. Plus, warm water with a few drops of raw honey also soothes a sore throat.

Here's When you Should NOT Drink Hot Water

1—After a work out. Never drink hot water after your workout. Post workout your body temperature raises and drinking hot water can increase your fatigue. It may also heighten your thirst sensation.
2—Never drink hot water from the tap. Hot water from the tap is more likely to contain contaminants such as lead.

What About Cold Water?

1—Post workout. Cold water helps your body cool down post workout.
2—On a hot day. Drinking cold water on a hot day helps to combat heat stroke. When you experience a heat stroke drinking a glass of cold water helps to beat the heat.

When not to drink cold water?

Not while eating meals. Drinking cold water along with food does not aid in digestion. Whether along with meals or immediately after meals, it can confuse your digestive system and your body will spend a lot of energy in increasing its temperature, which can slow digestion. Cold water shrinks your blood vessels, which can hinder the blood flow to your digestive system and cause digestive issues.

Bottom line, drink enough water to stay hydrated and active. About the question of drinking it warm or cold, always go with the situations.

I drink a gallon of water every day to help keep my body in top condition. It helps flush out toxins on the day-to-day but I also do a full 3 day detox every few months. If you've been feeling bloated or low on energy I highly recommend you give it a try. It's not a crazy detox filled with supplements like others you could have heard about. My detox is simply 3 days of great tasting recipes using all natural detoxifying foods as ingredients.

Grab a copy of my Bikini Body Detox cookbook by clicking here and prepare to feel amazing!

Yours in health and happiness,
Danette