motivation

On Vitality

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“I used to sit on the banks with a raft and watch the water roll lazily by. One day I pushed my raft into the shallows of the water and found the water moved swifter than I thought. My raft was actually a boat. Then, after some time, I rowed my little boat into deeper water. There were great storms, mighty winds, tremendous waves, and sometimes I felt so alone. But I have noticed my little rowboat is now a mighty ship manned by my friends and loved ones; and beautiful calm seas, warm sunny days, and nights filled with comfortable dreams always double after a storm. Now, I could never go back and sit on the bank. In fact, I search for deeper water. Such is life when lived.”

B. D. Gulledge

On Weight Loss: Does Drinking Iced or Chilled Water Help?

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One question I’m commonly asked by clients is whether drinking iced or chilled water can aid in weight loss.  The short answer to the question is yes, but let’s take a look at how this all works.
Let me begin by saying that I’m a big advocate of nutritional guidelines that suggest eight servings of eight ounces of water per day is best for most individuals.  Our bodies’ metabolic and physiological processes are dependant on adequate water intake to be at their peak of efficiency.  And all the clients I’ve worked with who follow the guidelines for a total of 64 ounces per day do better at reducing and keeping their body fat levels lower.
Now lets look at how that cold water comes into play in weight loss.  I’ll spare you the mathematics involved in determining how many extra calories are involved, but I’ll summarize by saying that one eight ounce glass of iced water utilizes about 8.75 extra calories to bring it up to your body temperature.  If you are curious and want to see how this is determined, I suggest you check out this site.
If you are drinking the suggested 64 ounces per day of water, and and you choose to drink it iced, you will expend approximately 70 calories daily to bring it to core temperature.  That may not sound like a lot, but let’s take a look over the long haul.  That’s 350 more calories per week, or 3,500 calories in 10 weeks, or 18,200 calories per year!  I purposely mentioned 10 weeks since the 3,500 calories is equivalent to one pound of body fat.  And carrying that further, that would equate to 5.2 pounds of body fat in a year!
So, in answer to the question, I highly recommend following the nutritional guidelines for daily water intake as part of your healthy and fit lifestyle.  And consider chilling or icing it to maximize your fat-fighting efforts.
Rick