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Baby Steps To Balanced Living: warm lemon water in the morning
If we’re connected on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter you’ve already seen glimpses of an exciting program that’s in the works for the month of February. The program will be taking place here on the blog so stay tuned. You won’t want to miss it 🙂
But in the meantime, as we embark on a new year I’m returning to some of my favorite small, healthy habits that make me feel better day in and day out.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the big, lofty goals we set in the new year and and we forget that there are simple, little things we can do to improve our health and well being on a daily basis.
So for the next few weeks I’ll be doing a series called Baby Steps To Balanced Living.
And today we’ll start with baby step #1.
Warm Lemon Water
Drinking warm lemon water first thing in the morning is an easy way to cleanse and detoxify your body without having to go on some crazy diet.
This is because lemon is known to have strong antiviral, antibacterial, and immune-boosting properties.
Benefits of drinking lemon water include:
- relief from digestive issues, bloating and inflammation.
- a boost of vitamin C to support your immune system (also great for the skin!).
- improved liver function (increases bile production) which cleanses the body of toxins.
- citric acid aides in detoxification.
- balances the ph levels in the body due to it’s alkalizing effect.
- hydration of the body and improved lymphatic function which improves mood and energy levels.
- potential weight loss by reducing hunger and cravings.
For more on the benefits of lemon water click here.
How To:
Upon waking pour yourself a warm glass of water with the juice of a fresh squeezed lemon. Drink prior to breakfast or coffee to reap the full benefits of this healthy habit.
I used to practice this baby step regularly but have strayed from the it since having a baby. I’m looking forward to getting back into my morning routine.
Have you ever tried warm lemon water in the morning? Do you plan on taking this baby step in 2014?
xo,
PS- you may also like do what you can and how convenience leads to success.
Robin Long
Robin Long, founder and CEO of Lindywell, certified Pilates instructor, Nutrition Therapy Practitioner, and author of 'Well to the Core,' blends 15 years of expertise with a lifelong commitment to holistic health.
Learn more about Robin Long
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25 thoughts on “Baby Steps To Balanced Living: warm lemon water in the morning”
I’ve just gotten back in the habit of drinking warm lemon water in the mornings, so this post couldn’t be timelier! Thank you! What are your thoughts on drinking apple cider vinegar for detoxing/weight management/overall health?
Hi Lesley! I’ve been meaning to do more research on apple cider vinegar. I don’t currently use it in my routine for health benefits but I know many people do. I’ve been meaning to do my own research so thanks for the reminder 🙂 More soon…
Does it have to be fresh-squeezed?
For best results, yes 🙂
I was doing for the longest time and stopped. Time to get back to it.
what is a typical breakfast for you, if you don’t mind me asking.
Hi Jodie, glad to help remind you about this habit 🙂 I don’t mind you asking my breakfast at all! I am currently on a restricted diet for my daughter who I am breastfeeding so right now I eat whatever I can! I’t typically Kind Vanilla blueberry granola with rice milk and sometimes a few pieces of turkey sausages. When I’m not breastfeeding I typically have eggs, homemade turkey sausage or almond butter on sprouted bread/english muffin.
Thanks for responding, Ezekiel bread is what I buy is this the same for you?. Have a good night.
Hello Robin;
How much lemon to one cup of warm water?
Thank you-
Kathryn
Hi Kathryn! I don’t know if others recommend an exact ration but I do about 1 fresh-squeezed lemon in 1 large mug of water 🙂
I’ve been drinking warm lemon honey water for about a year now but I add a teaspoon of raw honey to it. I love it and it’s a great way to start your morning. My family has been sick two or three times with colds and I haven’t been sick at all and I believe this is part of the reason. 😉 Great post! I highly recommend it!
Ooh, adding raw honey sounds good. I’ll have to try that 🙂
My great grandmother has done this every day her whole life. She never drank coffee or tea in the morning, just hot lemon water. She’s 103 and lived by herself until age 99!
By the way, I just found your blog and have really enjoyed reading it! 🙂
I LOVE hearing that! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Robin, I tried drinking lemon water every morning for months and never saw this big benefit that people always talk about, the same with drinking 2 litres of water daily – what’s wrong with me?!
Nothing is wrong with you! Many of the effects of warm lemon water are not noticeable from the outside. Much like when you eat healthy fruits and vegetables – you can’t really FEEL all the good things they are doing for your system, but they are in fact helping to keep you healthy, ward off disease, etc. etc. The same is true for adding lemon water to your routine. You’re doing nourishing your body on the inside, even though you may not notice it on the outside 🙂
Is there any thing other then lemons that you know of that has similar benefits. I live in Thailand and lemons are crazy expensive, but I would love to incorporate a health promoting routine for my mornings. Thanks 🙂
Other citrus fruits work well too. Or apple cider vinegar. Do a google search on detox water and you’ll find lots of yummy recipes that incorporate other fruits and herbs.
Robin,
I really enjoyed this warm beverage this morning before my regular coffee consumption. It was very refreshing and actually made me feel a little full, which is a good thing.
Think I’ll try to incorporate this in my morning routine.
I’ve missed the 28 days of Pilates but am going to go back to the first video and try it.
Thank you for the great blog and Inspiration.
Betsy
Robin,
Does it need to be in the morning? To me, this sounds like a great way to end the day. Would the benefits be different at night?
Any time is good! Some sources say that first thing morning has the best effect since you’re system is relatively empty after a long night’s sleep. It’s a great time to hydrate and cleanse the system. But any time of day is better than none!
@Jeni
I have heard the best time to drink it is first thing in the morning, at least 30 minutes before you eat anything. It helps get your digestion system going before you start eating, it cleanses your empty stomach like Robin said. There are lots of other benefits too!: )
How warm does the water need to be? I enjoy this routine when I remember, but I get the water from the water filtration system at the sink so it is room temperature. Do I need to heat it?
I too stopped doing lemon water first thing in the morning due to first trimester nausea. I was recently reminded that this would help with pregnancy heartburn, and you know what…it does. 🙂
Howdy! This post couldn’t be written much better! Looking through this post reminds me of my previous roommate!
He always kept talking about this. I am going to forward this information to him.
Fairly certain he’ll have a good read. Thank you for sharing!
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