If you perform vigorous exercise daily or live in a hot climate, like I do, you may need more than the recommended amount of daily water intake. But did you know there are benefits to drinking cold water?
Drinking Cold Water Boosts Metabolism and Burns More Calories (Somewhat)
My favorite reason to guzzle the clear stuff in cold form, in fact! Our bodies work hard to maintain a steady 98.6 temperature. Drinking cold water cools our innards. Your body works to stabilize that temperature and can burn as many as 17 calories per 16 oz ice water.
From experience, according to my Fitbit, I burn about 6.6 calories a minute during an intense exercise session. That means that chugging a glass of ice-cold water burns as many calories as 3 minutes of high-intensity rope jumping. (Alicia’s Note: This cannot safely burn enough calories to outrun a bad diet or sedentary lifestyle, but it’s great for a little boost). Beauty tip: It’s also good for the skin!
May Help Prevent Heat Stroke
When warmer temperatures arouse the spring flowers and summer grass, I feel the urge to move my workouts outdoors. Intense exertion in high temperatures can lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Your body absorbs cold water more quickly than warm water and helps lower your core body temperature. Of course, you still need to exercise caution when temperatures soar.
Drinking Cold Water May Help with Alertness
Cold water stimulates adrenaline production. Adrenaline helps wake you up and put you into a more alert state. It also helps stave off dehydration which can make you feel sleepy.
How to Increase Your Cold Water Intake
- Never pass up a water fountain. Water fountains tend to have colder water than drinking from a tap. When out and about, if you see a water fountain, take a moment to imbibe.
- Order a glass of water with your meals. When you sit down to a meal, enjoy a glass of ice water along with your primary beverage. I actually prefer water with my meals as the flavor doesn’t clash with the food.
- Set an alarm on your phone. Never feel thirsty? Set a few alarms to remind you to chug a bit of cold water every few hours.
- Carry an insulated water bottle. My favorite tip! Carry an insulated water bottle. If it’s handy, you are likely to find yourself drinking cold water more often throughout the day. I like the SteadyDoggie Insulated Water Bottle the company sent me to try.
At night, before I go to bed, I fill it with water and put it in the fridge. It holds 20 oz of fluid and maintains the temperature for the entire day.
Yesterday, I left it on the counter, untouched. *Doh* I forgot my trusty water bottle behind. When I finally remembered it (9 hours later), the water was still cold. Additionally, it didn’t sweat all over my countertops (note to friends: use a coaster at Taylor’s Cozy Nook. Sweaty glasses staining tabletops are a major pet peeve.)
SteadyDoggie Insulated Water Bottle comes with 2 lids. One lid has a straw – which is perfect for those cold beverages. The screw top lid is perfect for hot beverages because sipping coffee through a straw? Highly NON-recommended. Because, yeah! This bottle works for coffee, too! (BTW, NO leaks from the straw or cap!)
Bonus for those of us that like to go for walks! It comes with a carabiner so you can easily clip it to a backpack.
Unlike many insulated stainless steel water bottles, the SteadyDoggie Insulated Water Bottle is dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. (Another Taylor’s Cozy Nook pet peeve – I hate hand washing dishes). The plastic straw, lids, and stainless steel are BPA free.
I have been enjoying using this water bottle for almost 2 weeks now and haven’t had any problems with it at all. I haven’t had any metallic aftertaste, which I halfway expected. I’m thinking about buying another one so that I always have a cold one in backup – or in case David decides to confiscate it for his road coffee that day.
BONUS: No plastic bottles to throw in the landfill!
I am very happy that SteadyDoggie sent me their water bottle to try. I’ve always thought of insulated water bottles for hot drinks, but I learned they are great at maintaining cold temperatures as well. While I received a significant discount, I genuinely loved the product and wouldn’t tell you that if I didn’t.
Alicia Taylor
We enjoy hosting parties and my husband and I are both avid gamers. You can find me on PS4 as SunshineFlaGirl. We also play tabletop RPGs and eurogames.
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31 Comments
Strawberry Chai Tea Recipe • TaylorLife
April 21, 2016 - 2:59 pm[…] easy access to fresh water. If I’m spending the day outdoors in the Florida heat, I carry my insulated water bottle. I use my smaller Gear Ultimate Infuser Water Bottle when I am likely to get sweaty and need […]
Toughcookiemommy
April 6, 2016 - 9:27 pmI would love to drink more water during the day. I have to be more disciplined and make sure I drink enough water daily.
Claudia Krusch
April 6, 2016 - 12:53 pmI used to hate water! But it has been our best friend for the last 3 years! I don’t live without it! So many benefits!
Carrie
April 6, 2016 - 2:10 amI can’t drink water unless it is cold! So I love getting all the benefits of drinking cold water! The first thing I do in the morning because it wakes me up!
Alicia Taylor
April 6, 2016 - 12:08 pmYep – that’s one of the great benefits of cold water – it makes you perky!
Amanda Love
April 5, 2016 - 11:39 pmI’m not a big fan of cold water and prefer it to be room temperature which is the way it’s really recommended. You also tend to drink a lot more that way.
Alicia Taylor
April 6, 2016 - 12:11 pmActually, it’s recommended both ways. Cold water has special benefits – like the ones I mentioned in my post. Room temp water has it’s own benefits – such as a digestive aid. How you drink it is personal preference. My son will only drink ice cold water- and he drinks it all day long. My husband will only drink it at room temp. My mom likes it hot with lemon (which also has different benefits). Just because it’s room temp doesn’t mean everyone drinks more. It depends on their personal preferences.
Pam
April 5, 2016 - 11:18 pmI love cold water any time of the day or any day of they year. No matter what the temperature is out. That water bottle looks like it would be perfect for keeping my water nice and cold and available. I love that you can put it in the dishwasher too.
Alicia Taylor
April 6, 2016 - 12:12 pmYeah – that dishwasher feature really sold me on it. Most of the stainless ones have to be handwashed and have BPA lining. Double bonus – this one is dishwasher safe – and has no BPA
Emily S.
April 5, 2016 - 10:04 pmGreat insight on why we should be drinking cold water and how it can be helpful for particular needs. I definitely feel more alert and refreshed after a glass of cold water.
Amanda
April 5, 2016 - 9:36 pmI had no idea the temperature of my water mattered! I need an insulated bottle, because I hate ice.
Alicia Taylor
April 6, 2016 - 12:13 pmI don’t like ice either – and the water bottle actually kept the water so cold that the ice never melted. Water in any form is good for you – but each temperature (warm, cold, hot) has different benefits.
Dawn Nieves
April 5, 2016 - 8:36 pmIt’s the only way I’ll drink my water! Glad to know I’m burning some calories this way!
Alicia Taylor
April 6, 2016 - 12:14 pmYeah – it’s not a significant number of calories – but I’ll take every little boost I can
Ashley @irishred02
April 5, 2016 - 6:38 pmI’m glad I have finally started drinking water like everyone tells you to lol It definitely has been helping to lose weight and keep it off!
Alicia Taylor
April 6, 2016 - 12:15 pmI have learned that sometimes, when I thought I was hungry, I was actually thirsty.
laura
April 5, 2016 - 5:52 pmAll i drink is water as it’s the only thing I really like. I had no idea about colder water helping with alertness – good to know
A Geek Daddy
April 5, 2016 - 5:17 pmI did not know the benefits of drinking cold water. I did know that I need to drink more water than I normally do on any given day. Nice tips in this post!
Neely
April 5, 2016 - 5:14 pmI love cold water! I can’t drink any water thats room temp!
Lois Alter Mark
April 5, 2016 - 4:31 pmThis is good to know. I would rather drink cold water but I thought, for some reason, room temperature was better for you. Now I can go back to the water I like best!
Mama to 5 Blessings
April 5, 2016 - 5:02 pmWater is my least favorite thing to drink. Drinking it cold is the only way I drink it.
Alicia Taylor
April 6, 2016 - 12:16 pmIt used to be my least favorite, too. Have you tried adding fresh fruit to it and let it infuse? That’s how I learned to love it. I should probably write a blog post on that one.
Rebecca Bryant
April 5, 2016 - 3:06 pmI knew water was good for you but didn’t realize it should be cold. I tend to drink room temperature water but I need to start drinking cold water for sure.
Carl
April 5, 2016 - 2:43 pmGreat facts! My family really loves water, in fact we each have a glass with our supper. I use a 1.5L Glass bottle for work and works really well to keep the water cold and fresh.
Alicia Taylor
April 5, 2016 - 2:54 pmDrinking water is so good for you! Glad to see you got your family on board, too!
Bernadette C
April 5, 2016 - 8:25 amI have a few really good water bottles that we use. A good quality water bottle is a must, especially if we are out and about.
Alicia Taylor
April 5, 2016 - 11:27 amAgreed. If it doesn’t keep your water at the temp you like it, you aren’t going to drink it.
valmg @ Mom Knows It All
April 5, 2016 - 6:47 amI prefer the taste of cold water over warm any day. having it over ice is my favorite way to drink it.
Alicia Taylor
April 5, 2016 - 11:27 amBoth warm and cold water have some health benefits, but nothing beats cold on a hot day or after a workout
robin masshole mommy
April 5, 2016 - 4:28 amCold water shocks your system into burning more calories. It is definitely a good thing.
Alicia Taylor
April 5, 2016 - 11:26 amIt also shocks into alertness! In reality, the weight loss is relatively small, but I’ll take any metabolism boost I can get!