Why not try...?
I talk a lot about hydration and the benefits of ensuring we get enough water every day. Today I'm going to suggest that you try drinking warm or hot water instead of cold. At first this may seem an odd idea, or even unpleasant. I feel similar, the thought of reaching for the hot tap and filling my drinking glass doesn't fill me with joy. I have some suggestions on how to make drinking hot water more palatable and we'll come to these later on. First I want to talk about what benefits hot warm water has for us.
~ Drinking hot water helps to break down food faster than drinking cold water. This benefits our digestive process.
~ Hot water is a vasodilator, meaning it expands the blood vessels, improving circulation.
~ Similar to using heat in a hot stone massage, heat in water can be a pain relief.
~ A cup of hot water may help people manage stress and anxiety.
Now imagine that your cup of hot water has been sitting in a tea pot with tea leaves in for a few minutes before you drink it.
The above benefits can all be said for drinking tea, or even coffee. Just make sure you are aware of how much caffeine you're drinking and look out for caffeine free alternatives, especially when drinking after noon.
If you aren't keen on tea or coffee you could try adding a small spoonful of fennel seeds to your hot water - this will flavour the water and can bring added benefits to your digestive system!
Another alternative is adding lemon to your hot water. Drinking warm, lemon water is often heralded as a simple but highly effective healthy change that people can make to their lives. Warm lemon water is considered best taken first thing in the morning (instead or before coffee). The lemon provides you with phytonutrients, vitamin C, potassium. The acid in lemons may be especially helpful in supplementing stomach acid levels, which tend to decline as we age. This will help to break up our food which again leads to a happier digestive system.