The Pros & Cons of Drinking Cold Water When Exercising (Yay Got Pros One)


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Last Updated on 2023-03-20 , 5:18 pm

If you’re like me, you’d have heard from someone that drinking cold water when you’re exercising isn’t good: because your body temperature is high, your body would explode (sorry, but that was what I heard) and you’ll become a zombie (okay, that was what I made up).

But for most of us, with body temperature high and gasping for breath, the first drink that comes to our mind would definitely be that ice-cold bottle of 100PLUS just waiting for us to purchase from the vending machine, right?

After all, your throat is parched and you desperately need something cold to cool you down and perk you up and so, many of us consume cold water before, during and after exercise, because it’s more shiok than warm drinks or room temperature water.

I mean, no one would drink hot coffee halfway through a 2.4 KM run (though I think some people might go for bubble tea, but let’s leave that for another article)

How about those rumours that drinking cold water is bad and harmful for the body?

Well, it’s actually both good and bad. Let’s take a look at the facts.

Why you shouldn’t drink ice-cold water:

Less efficient hydration
Drinking iced water will prevent you from replenishing your body as quickly as possible. Water needs to be at a certain temperature for it to be absorbed, and it’s definitely not ice-cold water. This means that if you drink ice-cold water after exercising, you won’t be able to hydrate yourself as fast as if you drink room temperature water. Though, however, it will still hydrate you eventually lah.

Body shock
Now, this is what the rumour is all about. Drinking cold water immediately may shock your body and the organs. This is because while you are exercising, your body heats up and your organs are warm due to increased blood flow. So drinking iced water may cause stomach pains, but that’s about it: it won’t cause your stomach to melt or whatnot.

Why you should drink cold water:

Helps to burn calories
It is alleged that drinking cold water can help to burn more calories after your exercise, although the amount burned is pretty negligible. This could be due to the higher energy required to “heat” up the cold water. Though it might be just 0.000001 calorie (we made that up, but you get the gist), something is better than nothing, right?

It’s absorbed better
Iced cold water doesn’t hydrate you fast enough (see #1) but cool water slightly above room temperature can be absorbed better than warm water. Stick to cool water instead of ice-cold water, and there won’t be body shocks or any issue for you. And it tastes good to the throat as well, so go ahead.

What You Should REALLY Know

Now, it doesn’t matter whether you drink iced water, water or drain water: what matters most is that you drink often. 

You can determine whether you’re hydrated by looking at your urine; the lighter it is, the more hydrated you are. If it’s deep yellow, you might want to drink more water.

That, my friend, is more important than cold or warm water.