Losing weight counts high on every person’s wish-list today. That’s because working people invariably end up sitting for long duration’s or just don’t manage to exercise. Combined, this causes piling up of fat and leaves you feeling low. A lot of times, we are told that drinking more water actually aids in losing weight and all we do is laugh it off. “How can I lose weight by drinking water! I’ve tried everything and it didn’t work, how can this be possible” is our retort. But trust me, drinking water actually helps in weight loss in more ways than one.
The calories vs. exercise debate
There are two ways to losing weight
*Cut back on calories intake through less food and spend more calories through activity
*Spend more calories through rigorous exercise
Either way, our body starts losing weight. However, in the first case, the body perceives less food intake as starving and starts to store fat with added gusto. Our metabolism slows down in response and soon we actually stop losing weight. In the latter case, it works in the long run because you are consuming enough food for the body to replenish itself after rigorous activity.
The Golden rule is to combine both and add up your water intake. Here comes another phenomenon- the Resting Energy Expenditure. After a bout of exercise, our body starts to burn calories efficiently. This process doesn’t stop at once after you stop exercising and continues even after that, even when you are resting. Experts say that this resting energy expenditure increases by drinking water within 10 minutes of exercising and the benefits last for almost an hour after that. Calories burned by This Resting Energy Expenditure accounts to almost 75% of our daily calorie burned. This happens when you’re standing instead of sitting or doing any physical activity. Studies have shown an added few kilos of weight loss by people who drink water after exercising. It is seen to be more beneficial to drink cold water and not warm water because the body uses more calories to warm up the cold water to suit its temperature. Why, it is actually seen to burn 23 calories more after drinking cold water.
The water story
Do you get the point now? But there is another catch. Many people exercise rigorously on an empty stomach. The key is to have some light snack like a fruit or some nuts before exercising. That’s because once you are done with your regimen, you tend to feel very hungry and then rush to grab some food. Does that make you feel guilty about losing the benefits of exercising? Not quite. In fact, munching on some food after exercise does not negate the benefits of your activities.
Another benefit of drinking more water is it satiates your thirst and keeps you away from aerated drinks, juices or other calorie-laden drinks. Since water contains no calories, it aids in losing weight without adding more calories. Read more....
