while i know that hot drinks are better for you than chilled ones in hot weather, i cannot seem to convince my non-intellectual sweltering self of this practical truth....
I've never seen any substantial medical evidence to back that rumor, so give your non-intellectual sweltering self a pat on the back.
We were warned against it in the athletic training courses I took in college. While the following may not be from the perfect medical source, it sums up what I was taught in school and have heard from most medical professionals:
"Some doctors suggest that room temperature or body temperature water is better than cold water, because the body has to expend energy to heat cold water to body temperature, resulting in some water loss. On the other hand, some doctors say that after physical exertion, you should drink cold water since it will help cool the body more effectively than room temperature water.What is clear is most people who drink cold water are likely to consume more of it, since it tends to taste better and is more satisfying. Even if drinking cold water results in marginal water loss, the extra water you will probably drink will help make up for this."
As this suggests, the jury seems to be out on room or body temp vs. cold water, but the only arguments I've seen for actual warm/hot drinks is that they are more relaxing and that they make you sweat more. Personally, if I'm already overheated, a hot drink is not going to help me relax. As for the latter, if you can feel the sweat on your skin, you're sweating plenty already. Once you start to feel wet from sweat, (you need to wipe it away to keep from dripping, etc) it means you're sweating faster than it can evaporate (which is how sweating helps your body cool itself), so any more sweat is superfluous and wasteful.Then you just have to drink more water! It's true that warm and hot beverages can aid in digestion of fatty foods, but that has nothing to do with the temperature outside. Sorry, I don't mean to be a know-it-all, it's just one of the things they pounded into our heads in school. I'll step down off my soapbox now.
As for you question, I'm 7 1/2 months pregnant. When I asked my doctor how pregnant women survive during the summer here with the heat. He said "Stay out of it." I was pretty active throughout my first pregnancy, back in WA state, even hiking and such but it's just too hot here! I get my exercise walking around at work, and that's about it. I'm staying indoors, cooking in large batches every couple days so I can turn the stove on as infrequently as possible, and eating far too much ice cream! Like Timothy, I'm allowing my wallet to sob and recently turned up the AC. I ended up having to get IV fluids at the hospital last week, despite my 80+ ounces of water (mostly room temp
) a day, because we were trying to tough it out to save on electricity. Now we'll just deal with the higher bill. It's not worth the risk!
My A/C is set on 78F, but it runs, and runs, and runs. I just had it break down and the dual capacitors were replaced and the freon topped off ($218). I now have 57F air at the vents.
