Why you should be drinking lemon water…

This newsletter is about the benefit to your health of drinking water with lemon juice first thing in the morning. At the end of the newsletter I’m going to challenge you to begin drinking water with lemons upon waking, making this a habit. This will provide so many benefits for you and the cool thing is that is easy. Why first thing in the morning? Your body needs hydration after a long time without water so might as well add lemon juice to it for reasons we are about to learn. One of the benefits is that the lemon juice helps to balance your pH levels which is needed for optimal health. What is body pH? The literal meaning of pH is the potential of hydrogen, which is really a measure of alkaline and acidic levels in your body. Our body uses bases to sop up acids and quell the damage they cause. These bases come from the alkaline minerals we take in with food or when necessary, pulled from the stores in our muscles, bones, teeth and organs. The pH of our blood lies between 7.35 and 7.45, which makes it a weak basic solution. Our body prefers alkalinity. Acids make us sick and tired. They cause damage and inflammation to our tissues and cells and precipitate the release of essential minerals from our bones. They provide a fertile environment for yeasts and promote disease in our body. A quick look at importance of proper pH levels. It has long been known that there is a correlation between pH balance and disease. Too low of a pH imbalance can be reflected in the SAD (Standard American Diet) which is high in refined carbohydrates and meat. Also sweets, soda, and alcohol will wreak havoc on the body. It doesn’t come of any surprise that most Americans are in a constant acidic state. It is problematic to be in a constant acidic state, as mentioned above most Americans are, because a body in this state perpetually tries to neutralize itself. That’s all well and good if you are eating a diet high in alkaline foods. If you are not, the body utilizes minerals from bones and other bodily storehouses to get to the neutralized state it desires. You can help balance your pH levels by eating alkaline foods (vegetables, nuts, some fruits), breathing deeply (power of breath…very key as discussed in newsletter Breathe deep…benefits of nasal breathing...) and drinking water…with lemon. Lemons can take the body from an acidic state to an alkalized state. Lemons actually burn into an alkalized ash which other acidic citrus fruits do not. This is good news for over-all health because the lemons become an alkalinized ash in our body. Too much acid in the body? Say hello to bloating, gas, reflux, and overall digestive discomfort. The reason? There are not enough alkalizing minerals in the intestinal tract and excess acid in the gastric region. This eventually leads to the pancreas becoming exhausted and inflammation spreading throughout the body. Not good. Other issues as a result of pH level imbalances include arthritis, both Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis. The pH level imbalances and accumulation of acid deposits in the joints and wrists is what damages the cartilage. Alkaline minerals and yoga can help with both of these types of arthritis. Simple solution to too much acid in the body? Lemons. Just squeeze a fresh lemon in your water. I’ve been enjoying this lemon solution first thing in the morning. It’s great for the digestive system, tastes refreshing, hydrates the body, and as we have been discussing, helps to balance important pH levels. If you are a regular reader of the GreenNote Fitness newsletters or have checked out the other articles I link to on the GreenNote Fitness Facebook page, you will have noticed the common theme of the importance of eating nutritiously and staying properly hydrated. This is true to stay in good health as well as to recover from illness or ailments. As I’ve stated before, there is no getting around not eating properly. If you don’t, one thing is for sure, it will catch up to you...eventually. One thing I hear often from people is that they don’t have enough time for exercise. Of course my first response to that is it has to be made a priority and become part of your life. If you are in transition to make that a reality, then look at other things you have control over i.e. your nutrition. If you haven’t yet made a movement practice a priority (and if you already have), then you absolutely at the very least need to make sure you are eating to fuel your body. As promised at the beginning of this newsletter, I challenge you to start your day with a glass of lemon water and get that pH level balanced. After all, it’s easy and refreshing…it’s lemons… To your journey, Lisa Schaffer GreenNote Fitness P.S. Checkout my Facebook page for inspiration. https://www.facebook.com/GreenNoteFitness **Do you have a friend that would benefit from this information? Please forward it to them!**