Many people have trouble drinking enough water. 8 glasses of water a day is obviously not enough for some of us given our size and activity level. we should actually be drinking a half an ounce of water per pound that we weigh, so, half your weight in ounces, and then more if you are a serious athlete, in hot yoga, or training hard. For some of us, water is boring or just hard to get down. Try adding fresh squeezed lemon to your water and start out ice cold if you need to but work toward room temperature water. We should drink liquids that are closer to our internal body temp, maybe not 98 degrees but at least not 34 degrees, you feel me? Did you know the simple act of drinking lemon water every day will also do the following:
1) Increase your metabolism & aid in weight loss
If you drink two 8 oz. glasses of lemon water within the first thirty minutes that you wake up and thirty minutes before eating, you will increase your metabolism by 20% without doing a thing! Power packed with C, B, Potassium, calcium, magnesium, & fiber, lemons are essential to metabolizing foods. Potassium actually helps break down foods and helps other minerals do their job. Also, lemons give you an energy boost that helps propel your workout & helps you recover post workout.
2) Boost your immunity
Lemons are packed with 112 mg of vitamin C, as well as magnesium and potassium which help your body absorb the vitamin C as well as other minerals and vitamins in your diet. Vitamin C is essential to a strong immune system to help you fight bacteria & viruses in the environment. It is a great treatment & a better prevention tactic. Drinking lemon with arm water is actually the most beneficial. When exposed to someone with sick coodies, or when trying to fight something, try warm water with half a squeezed lemon, local honey, and shaved ginger root twice a day. When I drink this I sometimes do not even get sick or it helps my immune system kick it even faster.
3) Alkalize your body's pH
pH is how we measure alkalinity and acidity on a scale of 0-14. We need to stay right around 7.4, slightly alkaline but still neutral in order to combat disease and remain healthy. If we fall below 6.8 or go above 7.8, our cells functioning may become impaired and death can occur. Due to our very acidic diet, it is necessary to find ways to bring alkalinity into our systems. Alkaline water can be pricey, but you can make your own by adding lemon. "How is it possible that lemons, which are an acidic fruit, can actually alkalize your body" you say? We know lemons are an citric acid fruit outside of the body, however, what they do to the tissues of the body once inside is alkalize it. This happens post digestion as the stomach is meant to remain acidic in order to break down food for digestion.
4) Cleanse your intestinal tract
Lemons are great for cleaning right? Well as a powerful astringent, lemon water actually helps to breakdown & loosen toxins attached to intestinal walls. Please and thank you. Enough said.
5) Detoxify the body
As I stated above lemon water aids in toxin removal and flushing of the entire system from the tissues to the blood stream. We are constantly taking in toxins sometimes intentionally, other times unknown to us. Lemons act as a diuretic as well increasing urination, while at the same time increasing the elimination of toxins. Detoxing is great & I support detoxes that do not require me to give up eating, the absolute worst thing you can do for your metabolism & your system. That is a topic for another day.
6) Aid digestion
The enzymes present in lemons actually help to metabolize and break down foods as they move through your digestive system. Lemons have a close acidic makeup to stomach acid, therefore, the liver kicks it up a notch and keeps everything moving through the system once it leaves the stomach. Lemons actually help your body absorb nutrients better by slowing down the absorption process so that your body does not just eliminate the good stuff.
7) Improve the condition & appearance of your skin
Every one wants great looking skin. What many of you may not know, or for those of you have gastrointestinal problems can attest to, a lot of acne and skin problems stem from gut problems. Not always, sometimes its hormones among other things but for many of us it is digestive & dietary reasons. Now because we've already discussed how well lemon water works to help with digestion and nutrient absorption, I think its easy to see how lemon water would benefit the skin from the inside. Not to mention, the ORAC value (a measurement for the antioxidant value of foods) of lemons is 1,225! Hello anti-oxidant friend! Adding antioxidants to your face and natural products containing vitamin C have a good impact on the skin, however, you are what you eat! Taking lemon water internally helps you from the inside out. Aging skin occurs when we start to lose collagen and from free radicals in the environment. Anti-oxidants & vitamin C actually helps eliminate free radicals and encourages the production of collagen. Lemon is also a skin brightener and can help make dark patches or blemishes disappear.
8) Increase heart health
Okay, so I'm not going to pretend to be a doctor but I will share this little tid-bit of info I learned. Lemons contain approximately 303 mg of potassium. Potassium is reported to help the tone and mobility of muscle tissue. The heart is a muscle, are you with me? ;) It is also reported that potassium is responsible for every single heart beat! It tells the heart to squeeze blood through your arteries & veins throughout your body. That's pretty important & how many bananas can we eat in a day right? But we can drink lemon water all day.
9) Increase brain & nerve function
Potassium also benefits brain and nerve function. B vitamins do as well, and lemons have both. First of all, our body needs a reported 3.5 grams of potassium a day for the brain to function properly. If you are not eating enough fruits and vegetables and if you do not drink lemon water, you may not be getting that much. Potassium helps the brain get the necessary oxygen it needs. Our nervous system depends on B vitamins and potassium to help the body tissues on a cellular level. When potassium levels are low, you will notice it more than when they are adequate. When our nervous system is happy, generally the rest of us is happy & content.
10) Decrease inflammation
We are very used to popping pills in this society, but if you look around the world, especially in countries where people are living the longest, they are not doing that. They actually are prescribed foods and herbs for healing. I say that to say that if there is another option besides a pill for me, I will choose that option because this is a big big world and there is lots to learn from everyone, and frankly we, this country, is a very tiny tiny spec in the grand scheme of it all. I want to learn from the people who are living past 100 and living independently on their own until their last days, not confined to a bed in a convalescent center. Inflammation is a double edged sword. Our bodies produce inflammation to protect and heal. however, too much inflammation is not good. in fact, much of disease, illness, and loss of mobility is caused from a build up of inflammation in the body. When it comes to inflammation, lemon water is cooling to the system, it decreases the "irritation" reaction that is inflammation. Lemons also help repair blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, & bone making it extremely healing for people with inflammatory disorders. There you go. Hope you enjoyed these fun facts. :)
~Eating raw lemons or drinking lemon juice can have an erosive effect on tooth enamel. To avoid this drink lemons with water. If tooth sensitivity occurs, try using a straw.
~A great way to have lemon water on-the-go is to carry a bottle of lemon essential oil. It takes 75 lemons to make one 5 ml bottle of lemon essential oil so one drop goes a long long way! I only endorse Young Living essential oil for internal use as they are the only company with a Seed to Seal guarantee.
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CYA Disclosure: Information in this blog is not meant to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure any disease, illness, or condition, and should not be used as a substitute for your own research and seeking professional medical care and advice.These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA or Young Living. My blog represents what I, a Certified Massage Therapist, Counselor, and Independent Distributor of Young Living essential oils, have researched and applied in my own life in order to work toward a toxin-free healthy lifestyle.
