The Impact of Cold Water after Exercise

After a long workout, sweat started pouring profusely. For that, we should immediately fill the lost body fluids. One way to do this is to drink enough water to keep the body hydrated. The American College of Sports Medicine and the International Society of Sports Nutritions even recommend drinking cold water after exercise to restore the body’s freshness.

Cold water vs warm water, which is better to drink after exercise?

Maybe some people think that consuming cold water after exercising is a bad thing because it will affect heart health. But in fact, cold water is more recommended to be drunk after exercise. However, we are asked to avoid consuming water that is too cold or too warm, so the right choice is cold water which has a temperature between 4 to 15 degrees Celsius which is considered capable of being absorbed by the body more quickly.

Cold water is different from ice water
Cold water is certainly different from ice water, as you know, cold water temperatures range from 4 to 15 degrees Celsius, while ice water has temperatures below 4 degrees Celsius. Water temperatures that are below 4 degrees Celsius will startle the organs that have just been hot after exercising. In addition, ice water can also inhibit the body from optimal absorption so that instead of quenching thirst, it will increase thirst. Therefore, it is recommended to drink water instead of ice water after exercising because it has many benefits that are good for the body.

Benefits of drinking cold water after exercise
1. Cools body temperature
drink cold water after exercise
Drinking cold water helps lower body temperature after post-workout sweats | Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

When exercising, body temperature will increase and body fluids will be lost and excreted by sweat. For that, we need a drink that is more easily absorbed by the body, namely by consuming cold water. Cold water with a temperature of 4-15 degrees Celsius is believed to be more easily absorbed by the body as well as being able to control body temperature so as not to increase in temperature, so the body will be more fit and the time to continue exercising will be longer.

In fact, the results of an analysis from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute explain that drinking cold water before exercise is believed to be effective in lowering body temperature so it won’t make you hot when exercising.

2. Burn more calories
Drinking water after exercise makes the body expend more energy to neutralize the incoming cold temperature with body temperature. So there will be a lot of calories burned.

3. Fresher and tastier
Drinking cold water after exercise can increase your appetite because cold water is considered fresher than water with a normal temperature or even warm water. This delicious and refreshing cold sensation then encourages people who have exercised to drink more.

4. Get more fluids
Besides being fresh and delicious, cold water is recommended to be drunk after exercise because it can increase a lot of fluids by up to 50 percent than water with a normal or warm temperature. So don’t be surprised if there are many sports competitions that provide cold drinks for athletes so they don’t get dehydrated.

Well, it turns out that drinking cold water is recommended to be consumed after exercise to restore lost body fluids. However, to ensure that the body does not become dehydrated, a few hours before exercising you are advised to drink water first. Also make sure to check the color of your urine after exercising, so you can know whether your body is dehydrated or not.

Source: hipwee