Weight Loss Through Hydration

Weight loss is never easy and the more and more one searches about the factors that can help the bigger the list grows as to all the things that should help you lose weight.  Lets return to the basics.

Want to make a small change that you probably already utilize? It's simple, HYDRATION.  Water has been shown to have wonderous benefits on your body but one area of untapped potential is the ability it has to help you lose weight.  Let's break it down for a minute:

A calorie is the amount of heat that is required to raise one liter of water one degree celsius.  If you were to drink 3 liters of ice cold water (starting at around 0 degrees celsius) and use all your body's energy to raise that water up to body temperature, 37 degrees celsius, you would burn between 100-125 extra calories a day just by drinking water.  Think of the added effect that could have over the weeks and months.

Your body does whatever it can in order to keep a constant temperature of 37 degrees celsius (98.6 degrees fahrenheit).  This is another added effect of drinking cold water.  When ingested the cold water will actually decrease your body temperature and force your body to produce more heat in the form of burning calories.  As an added bonus the added hydration will allow your body to feel better and make your cells work more efficiently.

You can further use water in your quest to lose weight.  Using cold therapy stimulate decreased in body temperature will also cause the body to burn more calories in the form of heat.  There  are several ways  to utilize cold therapy, lets start with the least painful.

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·       Cold Packs: any type of cold pack or ice bag will do just fine.  Simple place ice on and around the base of your neck and your upper back.  This is an area dense of brown adipose tissue (BAT) that has actually been shown to stimulate fatty acid mobilization.

·       Cold Showers: Start off your shower normally in hot water and apply shampoo and face wash and then step out.  Turn the water to cold, rinse and then turn around and back slowly into the cold water until it is focused on your upper back and lower neck.  Apply soap and rinse as normal in the cold water.

·       Cold Tubs: Using about 20 lbs of ice (cost around $4 at local gas station) start the first 10 minutes only up to waist.  Move up to you chest with hands out for the next 5 minutes and for the final 5 minutes go fully submerged, including hands and obviously excluding head.

·       Cold Walks: Simple enough, wear semi-minimal clothing and step outside into the cold wintry air and go walk around for 5-10 minutes to start and gradually increasing from then on.

Water is an essential nutrient to life and it can also aid in improving it in many ways.  Make sure and use this resource to its maximum.