Number One Tip to keep yourself from wilting in the summer heat = Hydrate!
We all know how important water is but many still aren’t drinking enough. When I do the 30-Day Detox Groups, the very first habit we adopt is drinking a glass of lemon water each morning upon arising. It can be hot water, cold or anywhere in between, and you can add as much or as little lemon (or none) as you wish. This ONE STEP is usually the one people find the most transformative and is the one main habit people tend to keep long after the detox is over.
You see, when we sleep, we get dehydrated, through sweating and breathing and basically being 5-8 hours without a drink. Yet, when we wake up, what’s the first thing we generally drink? Coffee! And what’s coffee? Yup, a diuretic, which means that it pulls water out of your cells to be eliminated in your urine. In other words, it dehydrates you even more.
So, instead of that dehydrating coffee right off the bat, try the lemon water FIRST. You can have you coffee after you have given your body a lovely water rinse. Just remember that for every cup of coffee you drink throughout the day, drink 1-2 glasses of pure water to off-set the dehydrating effect of the coffee.
In addition to keeping you alive, drinking more water helps with weight loss and hunger levels, it gives you more energy, brighter, clearer skin and fresher breath and body smells.
What’s that you say? You hate water? Here are 5 tips I share with clients to make water drinking easier:
1. Hot water: with or without lemon (very detoxifying!)
2. Cool water: Put in a pitcher or environmentally friendly bottle and add orange, mint, cucumber, lemon or lime
3. Herbal Teas – so many varieties! Steep, then drink warm or pour over ice and add lemon. Do like the Israelis and brew a tea of garden herbs: Melissa, Louisa, Sage and Mint. Make a digestive tea of a piece of whole Ginger Root and Fennel Seeds.
4. Sparkling Mineral Water with 2 oz unsweetened cranberry or pomegranate juice – add a lime and you have a daytime cocktail!
5. Choose fun glasses or environmentally friendly bottles for your water cocktails. I use a big clear goblet that reminds me of a royal chalice – I feel like a queen when I drink out of it!
And although water is the best re-hydrator, you can also enjoy water-filled fruits and veggies like cucumbers and watermelon. Try this delicious watermelon smoothie:
Cooling Watermelon Refresher
2 cups watermelon
juice of 1/2 lemon
few drops of stevia if you wish
1/2 cup ice if your blender crushes ice, water if it doesn’t
Blend all, serve in a glass, and get your Juicy on!
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ALright already…sheesh!
I’ll go drink some lemon water RIGHT NOW!
Actually, after we talked the other day I cut up half an orange and put it in my big, cool looking glass “beer” pitcher and drank about 80% of it that day. Not as good as lemon water, but at least I did it. I currently have 3/4 of a lemon in my fridge so I will now proceed to slice that up and put it in my cool pitcher.
Have an awesome day! I love it when you blog!
Corrie
Sounds delish. I’m definitely going to try this!
For a slight upgrade – instead of water, use vodka!!!!!
THANK YOU, I’ve been doing the lemon water thing….but mama wants her COFFEE too!
(All the other dang lemon water people are talking about how they don’t drink coffee anymore, how you can do lemon water instead, blah, blah – -but I’m not perfect, I’m a coffee LOVER. — Now I do lemon water, wait 30, coffee.
)
Yup. I think it’s much healthier to not stress about getting it all “perfect”.