By, Pam Teel
Did you know that drinking warm or hot water can improve weight loss? To kick start your metabolism, drink a cup of warm or hot water in the morning with some lemon in it. It has a detoxifying effect on your body and helps you to get rid of harmful toxins. Hot water can also break down adipose tissue (body fat). It also stays inside the stomach longer than cold water. Cold water is absorbed more quickly by the body.
Drinking warm or hot water also creates a feeling of fullness than that produced by drinking cold water, which in turn is helpful for avoiding snacking in between meals.
According to ancient Chinese medicine, drinking a glass of warm water early in the morning activates your digestive system which helps avoid indigestion. It also helps stimulate blood flow to the intestine and helps prevent constipation. It reduces pitta in your body and helps prevent acne and other skin problems. Drinking warm water increases blood circulation along with protecting internal organs from damage. It’s also good for people suffering from nasal and throat congestion by aiding in the expulsion of phlegm. Warm water increases blood flow to the tissues, provides relief from joint pain and menstrual periods. Lack of water in your body creates constipation. Warm water aids constipation, and it’s said to halt premature aging. Hot boiled water can be damaging to throat tissues and esophagus so let the hot water cool off a few minutes before drinking.
Cold water is an excellent post work out drink. As you exercise, your body temperature increases. To lower body temperature drink cold water. Cold water will solidify oily stuff you’ve eaten and slow down digestion. It’s best to drink hot soup or warm water with a meal. Cold water also can make nasal mucous thicker. Drinking cold water can also trigger migraines. When you drink cold water, your blood vessels shrink and this restricts your digestion. Avoid cold water when you have a cold or the flu because it will result in slower digestion. Like warm water, cold water can also aid in weight reduction because your body has to work harder to warm the water up, therefore burning more calories. Cold water is not an obesity cure although it does contribute to your weight loss efforts.
The good news, your stomachs natural heat will eventually bring all contents to a uniform temperature. Even ice water won’t stay cold very long inside your stomach. Your stomach will start to release enzymes that will start to break down protein in foods.