The way you start each day is incredibly
important and the choices that you make regarding your daily
routine either build up resistance to disease or tear it down.
But if you can only make time for
one morning ritual that will improve your health this winter, let it be this: start the day out with
a mug of warm water and the juice of half a lemon. It’s so simple and the
benefits are just too good to ignore:
1. Boosts your immune system: Lemons are high in Vitamin C
and potassium. Vitamin C is great for fighting colds and potassium stimulates
brain and nerve function and helps control blood pressure.
2. Balances pH: Lemons are an incredibly alkaline food,
believe it or not. Yes, they are acidic on their own, but inside our bodies
they’re alkaline (the citric acid does not create acidity in the body once
metabolized). As you wellness warriors know, an alkaline body is really the key
to good health.
3. Helps with weight loss: Lemons are high in pectin fiber,
which helps fight hunger cravings. It also has been shown that people who
maintain a more alkaline diet lose weight faster.
4. Helps digestion & relieves bloating: The warm water serves to stimulate the
gastrointestinal tract and peristalsis – the waves of muscle contractions within
the intestinal walls that keep things moving. Lemons and limes are also high in
minerals and vitamins and help loosen ama, or toxins, in the digestive
tract.
5. Acts as a gentle, natural diuretic: Lemon juice helps
flush out unwanted materials because lemons increase the rate of urination in
the body. Toxins are, therefore, released at a faster rate which helps keep your
urinary tract healthy.
6. Clears skin: The vitamin C helps decrease wrinkles and
blemishes. Lemon water purges toxins from the blood which helps keep skin clear
as well.
7. Hyrdates the lymph system: This cup of goodness helps
start the day on a hydrated note, which helps prevent dehydration (obviously)
and adrenal fatigue. When your body is dehydrated, or deeply dehydrated (adrenal
fatigue), it can’t perform all of it’s proper functions, which leads to toxic
buildup, stress, constipation and the list goes on. Your adrenals happen to be
two small glands that sit on top of your kidneys and along with your thyroid,
they create energy. They also secrete important hormones, including aldosterone.
Aldosterone is a hormone secreted by your adrenals that regulates water levels
and the concentration of minerals, like sodium, in your body, helping you stay
hydrated. Your adrenals are also responsible for regulating your stress
response. So, the bottom line is that you really don’t want to mess with a deep
state of dehydration!
Adopting just this one practice of drinking a cup of warm water with lemon in
the morning for a month can radically alter your experience of the day. Don’t be
surprised if you begin to view mornings in a new light.
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Labels: Health Tips, Lemon Juice Water Health Benefits, Nutrition