Drinking cold water will help you with cooling down your core temperature following good exercise. Experts suggest that cold water is absorbed faster from the gut, which will help restore hydration faster.
it is recommended to drink cold water after exercising to help cool down the body, especially when exercising in high temperatures or intense body heat. Cold water can help lower your body temperature and prevent heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Sparkling water works just as well as plain tap water. If you sweat a lot during your workout and are concerned about fluid loss -- but don't necessarily need a sports drink -- add a pinch of salt to it. And if you tend to feel a little low in blood sugar after your workouts, add a pinch of sugar.
For recovery after intense training, a cold bath can help reduce inflammation and speed up recovery, while a hot bath with oils can relax muscles, relieve stress, and moisturize skin. Choose the one that feels best for you!
Heat relaxes muscles.
“While icy temperatures help reduce inflammation, heat helps dilate blood vessels and promotes blood flow,” Kurtz says. If your muscle is spasming, heat is best.
You lose a lot of fluids in the process and need to drink water to replace them. Warm or room-temperature water makes you feel less thirsty, meaning you may not drink as much as you need to replace the fluids you lose through sweat. Drinking cold water may encourage you to drink more and avoid dehydration.
Ideally, you should wait until you've stopped sweating profusely to hit the shower; otherwise, you run the risk of still being hot and sweaty after you've washed. This will vary from person to person, but in most cases, this will take between five and 30 minutes, depending on the intensity of the exercise.
There is also evidence that passive heat exposure can increase muscle mass. In rodents, hypertrophy has been observed following immersion of the lower body in 39°C water for 30 min each day for 3 weeks (Kim et al., 2019) and following a single heat exposure in a heat chamber at 41°C for 60 min (Ohno et al., 2015).
Avoid cordial, soft drink or juice. These are usually high in carbohydrates and low in sodium. Avoid caffeine, which can be a diuretic (which means it makes you pass more urine, and therefore lose more fluid).
Whether before, during, or after exercise, it's important to avoid chugging large amounts of water in a short time. Quickly downing an entire bottle can lead to electrolyte imbalances, potentially causing dizziness or even nausea.
As well as flushing your muscles of toxins, making your post-workout shower a cold one also tricks your brain into making a speedier recovery. Cold water immersion effectively reduces muscle soreness and accelerates fatigue recovery, according to a meta analysis published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology.
If you are trying to lose weight simply drinking hot water will not have much impact but you can drink hot water 30 minutes prior to your meal to regulate your appetite. But please understand that the only way to lose weight is to be in a calorie deficit that is burn more calories than you consume.
Can you sit immediately after a workout? Sitting down immediately after working out is generally not recommended, especially when your heart rate is still elevated. Instead, incorporate a brief cooldown routine first.
Stress can cause your recovery time to be longer. Quality sleep, passive and active recovery, massage, foam rolling, compression garments, plus hot and cold therapies are all good for muscle recovery. Macro eating and good hydration will give you the necessary nutrients for a faster recovery.
Soreness is considered normal if it occurs between 24-72 hours after a workout, and if it does not prevent you from completing normal daily activities. If it lasts longer than this, or is so intense that it prevents you from functioning normally, it could be a sign of significant damage.
A balanced post-workout snack or meal should ideally be consumed within 30 to 45 minutes after exercise. If this is not possible, have your next meal within two hours post-workout to achieve the optimal metabolic response to support muscle rebuilding and repair.
According to Patil, from a digestive standpoint, showering before meals is usually recommended. “This allows for relaxation and preparation before eating—this promotes better digestion and absorption of nutrients.”
Post-exercise, your body undergoes repair and rejuvenation, and a nap can help in muscle recovery and fatigue reduction. It can also help replenish your energy levels. However, it's important to keep naps short—typically around 20-30 minutes—to avoid entering deep sleep cycles which might leave you feeling groggier.
So, if you do choose to drink something hot after your workout, make sure you keep drinking enough to replenish the fluids lost during your workout. If weight loss is one of your exercise goals, drinking hot drinks will speed up your metabolism slightly due to the increase in your body temperature.
Incorporating a mix of strength training and cardio workouts into your routine can work wonders for stamina. Strength days enhance your overall muscle capacity, while cardio days improve cardiovascular efficiency. The synergy between these two components optimizes your body's energy utilization.