Viva Challenge: drink more warm water

drinking water Viva Challenge: drink more warm water

We all know that for beauty sake, we should be drinking lots of water.  But did you know that the temperature of the water you drink makes a difference too?  So should we be drinking hot, warm or cold water? 

I used to think it’s old wives’ tale that we should be drinking our water hot or warm, not cold or chilled.  However, old wives’ tale or not, it made an impact on me.  I don’t know when I started but I’ve mostly drank my water warm or at room temperature.  There is no chilled water at home and we hardly have any use for the ice in our fridge.  In fact, when I was carrying my baby, I avoided all the cold stuff, for fear of harming my baby.

Drinking warm water prolongs cell life
Well, apparently this is not exactly old wives’ tale although I can’t find any scientific studies to back this up.  Because according to this book “Best Kept Beauty Secrets Of The Orient” by Christine Teh that I’m currently reading, warm water is reputed to lessen the effects of aging because it prolongs cell life.  In fact, the author states that warm water imparts energy to living cells and keep them working longer.  Hence, when the cells live longer, we are able to maintain a youthful appearance.

Drinking chilled or cold water makes our body work harder
Well, if you think about it, this does make sense since our body has to exert more energy to restore our body temperature when gulping down cold or chilled water. This is definitely not good news if we’re trying to slow down aging. In addition, while drinking cold water maybe more satisifying in terms of quenching our thirst, they actually solidify the fats from the foods we have just eaten and make it harder for us to digest and disperse the unwanted fats from our body too.

So what do you think? Does this make sense to you? Would you take up the Viva Challenge to drink more warm water? Or at least avoid drinking cold or chilled water?

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  1. says

    Great news to read! I only drink warm water these days or room temperature water. Not cold because I read its not good for digestion

  2. says

    it’s also the old man’s wise for not drinking the cold water…
    ans i always follow~~
    more more more warm water!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  3. says

    I only drink my water fresh from the kettle, no matter how warm the weather is. It’s a mental thing, considering that I can always find ants in my plastic flask. >.<

    Now, even more reason to drink fresh warm water ^^

    • sesame says

      Oh that’s funny cos I was puzzled why there were ants in our flask too no matter how much I washed it. So I’m not alone!

  4. Ratna says

    Um that’s just not true about cold water solidifying fats (buh?). Aside from being simply bad science, it’s also an urban legend that has been debunked:

    I prefer to go to scientific studies as opposed to old wives’ tales which, while having some good advice once in a while, are most often full of crock. “Warm water imparts energy to living cells”–what in the world is that author talking about??

    As for drinking water, it doesn’t matter what temperature you’re drinking. Obviously you don’t want to be drinking something boiling hot unless you like burning yourself. The ACSM emphasizes quantity not temperature although it does say that ingesting water that is cooler than ambient temperature helps with palatability which of course leads to better consumption rates:

    Cold water is also better at being absorbed by your body as opposed to water at room temperature or higher.

    And if you’ve heard of cold water helping you burn calories because the “body has to warm up the water to process it” or something along the lines, that is sort of true. However, the calories being ‘burnt’ is so small it doesn’t really matter.

    • sesame says

      Well, I guess as much there some of these will not make sense to people who are more incline in scientific studies. I can’t say what the author is talking about but it make sense to me…afterall, this is part of the beauty secrets from the orient. Maybe someone who is competent in TCM can explain this better though.

    • Danielle says

      Solidifying fats? Clearly wrong to anyone who knows anything about the digestive system.

      Extending “cell life” seems plausible for those who understand the life cycle of cells, but in the long run probably won’t have so much affect, considering skin cells are replaced frequently, so the actual “youthful appearance” being retained can’t exclusively be from that.

      But your Snopes link only refers to cold water and the stomach lining, not about calories and your body (not just stomach) being affected from the cold/warm water.

      I’ve been looking at this subject for awhile, and it’s pretty universal that approx. 16 oz of ice cold water burns 15-20 calories, so while it’s small, you could burn an extra 100 calories a day or so by drinking very cold water.

      Additionally, remember that cold water takes up more space (volume) because it is slightly less dense. If you had a glass of cold water and a glass of warm water that both had volumes of 20 oz, the warm water would actually give you more hydration because it has more molecules in it.


      • Sesame says

        Thanks for your comment. Well, I did write that many things discussed in my posts probably don’t make sense to anyone without a TCM background. Perhaps cold water does well to reduce weight but I don’t think it’s that great when our concerns are a youthful appearance.

  5. says

    Yes it seems ants either need water or love swimming now. :( it’s disgusting to see ants in my glass esp after i’ve gulped down mouthfuls!

  6. says

    It makes sense! Since I got married, my hubby was pushing me into drinking warm water or room temperature water and I find I don’t get coughs and colds as often too! I don’t know if its related but I do feel healthier and no more sinuses! I also feel that the body felt much better with warm water going down through your throat (yes I can feel it) . :)

    • sesame says

      Ya, I didn’t let my son drink cold beverages until very recently. Sometimes I’m appalled to see little ones at 2 being given icy cold drinks.

  7. gem85 says

    I oso drink warm water or room temp water.. =)
    As my office is freezing sometime.. Especially when it rain..

  8. stella says

    a voice coach mentioned to me that warm water is good for the throat. i’ve also heard that drinking cold water will help you burn some calories. so whatever counts i guess.

  9. Den says

    Great post! I am always paranoid about drinking warm water, even when dining outside. I guess it is also a TCM saying that warm foods and water are preferred…I am sticking to it and I have no complaints so far!

  10. says

    I’ve been so addicted to icy cold water for some time now, cause the weather is so darn hot.. hehe this article reminds me to try to cut the ice…

  11. says

    Count me in! I’ve also heard from friends that drinking warm water is better. This might be an easy challenge since I don’t have access to cold water where in my apartment.

  12. says

    I feel like there are advantages for drinking warm water and advantages for drinking cold water too. I tend to feel better when I drink warm water after a heavy meal; I don’t feel as stuffed. And when I don’t have anything in my stomach (especially early in the morning), I avoid drinking cold water. One time I did this and I almost vomited.

    Interestingly, my mother (a very well-trained nurse) said cold water can be good for you if you want to speed up your metabolism. How is it able to do this? Well, it’s just like you said–our bodies work harder. I guess the best thing to do is what every doctor tells me–keep things in moderation.

    But overall, I like warm water better. I get cold easily haha

  13. says

    Its difficult to drink warm water on humid days though. Drinking that icy cold water is just so refreshing! I drink warm water when I exercise though since icy cold water is bad for you when you workout. Nice post Sesame (:

  14. says

    I always drink room temperature water because I catch colds rather easily! Your post was really interesting, thanks for sharing.

  15. eliza says

    hmmmm didn’t know it can prolong the life of cells

    i always thought drinking warm water is just for better digestion especially when eating spicy food or for blood circulation…….

    if just drink green tea instead of water would it be ok?

    • sesame says

      It’s the Chinese TCM belief that it can produce more “heat” for the body. Just like during confinement, women are advised to drink warm drinks and soup…

      Drinking green tea is fine. No problem.

  16. Muta says

    Good news for me! Because of my sensitive teeth, I mostly only drink water at room temperature or warm. :D

    My mother and my aunties all are often told to look at least 10 years younger that their real age (50-60), and they almost never drink ice water. So maybe this technique has merit?

    • sesame says

      Maybe their drinking habit has some effects, in combination with their diet and their lifestyles too.

  17. Ms. Blacklace says

    I like drinking luke warm lemon water. it relaxes you.

    BUt my intake of water is really low anyway… So the only good news is that i can survive with very little water.

    THere is one thing cold water is good at. Quickly cooling you down when you feel really really pissed. I just changed jobs recently and I’m not used to the enviroment yet. So when somebody pisses me off really bad I just rush to the pantry and get a glass of really really icy cold water and just one mouthful cools me down instantly.

    • sesame says

      You survive with little water? Amazing!

      Oh ya, cold water is literally good for cooling down. Hee… But hope you’ll get used to your new environment soon so you won’t need to drink so much cold water. ;)

  18. jamaica says

    hhmm, i think i’ve read somewhere that drinking cold water is good if we wanna lose weight cause the body is burning up calories to convert the cold water to body temperature… confusing eh??? oh well, water, cold or warm is good.. heehee

    • sesame says

      Yes, I recall reading something like that. But cos my focus is more on anti-aging, I suggested drinking warm water.

  19. Liz says

    I too have heard of this a long time ago. For awhile was doing it but completely forgot so this was a great reminder because I surely will be drinking warm or room temp. water from now on.

  20. says

    My mother-in-law scolds me whenever I drink cold water :P I’ll have to remember to only drink room-temp water when she’s around. Tee hee! :P

  21. says

    Hmmm… I take warm water mostly. Its better for digestion- as that’s why the chinese drink hot and warm tea after a really oily dish.

    cold drinks solidify the that’s bad for digestion.

    hot liquids are good if there is a stomachache. yea.. although i know most caucasians don’t like warm water. thats problly coz a lot of them are not used to it.

    • sesame says

      You’re right. I think the concept of drinking warm water sits well with Asians – Chinese especially, but maybe alien to other cultures.

  22. says

    Chanced upon this after 2 months but I’m a die-hard fan of cold water, it’s cold cold cold no matter what.
    It does make loads of sense to me…I’m sure I’ll have a tough time to switch to warm water, but I will try :) Good finding/recommendation. Cheers.

    • sesame says

      Do it gradually. Eg. maybe start with once a day and then slowly increase to two glasses and so forth. You need to get use to the warmer temperature.

  23. Tracy says

    I started drinking a cup of hot water upon waking and between and after meals because I had read that it helps to push out toxins in the body. I started to notice right away that I wake up much quicker than I did from coffe and also it seems to get my once sluggish bowels going. If that’s not enough I have lost 4 pounds and I have not changed any other thing in my daily actvities or diet.

    • sesame says

      That’s good to know. I find that drinking water upon waking up is really good for our digestive system.

  24. Cat says

    Yes it’s true most whites drink cold water however I have been drinking room temp water for about ten years and only drink iced drinks on special occasions. There is an interesting fast by Edgar cayce called the apple fast where the person eats only apples and warm water for three days, then the last night takes olive oil and hot water to complete the toxin-flushing fast.

  25. Xiu says

    If the body needs to expend more energy to heat cold water, why doesn’t it need to expend more energy to cool hot water? The entire argument is flawed and not verified scientifically. Chances are the changes you ‘feel’ are merely placebo effects. Until TCM undergoes controlled scientific testing it should be regarded in the same way as Witch-Doctery, Voodoo, etc.

    • Sesame says

      Hasn’t it crossed your mind that the body temperature might be in line with the warmer water? We’re not talking about hot boiling water dear. Some things are not always about science. Equating TCM as witch-doctory, voodoo is flawed. Many hospitals are already embracing TCM so are they dabbling with witchcraft? :roll:

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