… make lemon water! Heheh. Whaaa? Not what you were expecting? Lemonade is great and all (no, really, I do love it), but nothing beats starting the day with lemon water!
I got into the habit of squeezing 1/4 of a fresh lemon into a glass of water every morning a few months ago & have never looked back 
. My main motivator behind this is to kick start the hydration process for the day, but it apparently has some serious health benefits too! I don’t know how evidence-based these studies or claims are, but supposedly, starting your day with lemon water…
- stimulates the digestive system, improving the body’s natural ability to absorb nutrients
- helps to gently flush your kidneys & your liver of wastes and toxins
- can help to cleanse the lymphatic system (another toxin-eliminator)
Lemons also contain vitamin C & the antioxidant eriocitrin, which may protect against oxidative stress in the liver.
So… try it out! Make a vow to yourself to start every morning with water + squeezed lemon. You may just fall in love with it!
Some eats from today:
Vanilla Greek yogurt with HolyCrap! + walnuts
Amazing salad that took me LITERALLY three minutes to toss together – organic mixed greens, strawberries, blueberries, sunflower seeds, aged white cheddar (mmm my favourite!) + maple balsamic dressing.
One of these is not like the other….
KID’S VITAMINS! Hahah! I struggle with swallowing large pills & have become deathly afraid of doing so, so I’ve started having kids chewable multi-vitamins! I figure it’s better than nothing
Today at work I had a phenomenal oatmeal-raisin cookie. GAH. You may be starting to notice a pattern here… – I can’t resist the office treats! I swear, they are evil & I cannot deny them. Something about free food just excites me Around the holidays, our office is just jamming with sweets of every imaginable variety and I am in heaven.
My workout today was from Women’s Health. I LOVE the magazine & am a proud monthly subscriber! The workout was called “The Best At-Home Ab Exercises.” I must say, though, that that title is a lie… in a good way. The workout had my heart pumping like a wild woman for 40-minutes & it worked everything – not just abs! It actually felt like my arms were burning the most. In fact, as I type this, my arms are still hating me! I started with a 5-minute brisk walk on the treadmill & then got right down to business. Try the workout @ Women’s Health online here.
Also, at the excellent suggestion of one of my friends, I’ve added descriptions on all the weight moves & workouts that I posted earlier. I’ll continue to do this going forward as well so that it’ll (hopefully) be easier for you guys to try them out! I know it can be kind of hard to follow written instructions for exercises, so if there are any specific ones you are unsure of, holler at me & I’ll send you a link to a picture (alternatively, you can Google any of the exercise names to see a short video or picture).
In other news, the weather in Toronto today was fantastic! After being chilly for the past few days, it was up to 24 & sunny! It had me itching for the summer!
Questions:
- Do you have any simple health tips or tricks that are part of your daily routine?
- Are you looking forward to the summer as much as I am?
Have a great night! xx
Love,
A
I am reading this post entirely in your voice in my head. I love it!
Any flavour in my water gets me to drink way more if it – chunks of ginger, cucumber, limes, berries, grapefruit, etc. And I love sparkling water too! It feels more special than chugging out of a bottle all day. xo
PS your salad looks delish!
Amandaaaa! Thanks for the lovin’
Hope you’re doing well! Do you have one of those really neato waterbottles that has the seperater/filter for add-ins? I’ve seen a few before & always thought “oh I should totally get that…” .. and then somehow never do. I bet mint would be good, too! Mm yes. Sparkling water is filling, too!
I can’t wait for summer! I’ll be spending most of it in Calgary instead of England – 30C and Stampede here I come! YAHOO!
I love putting mint leaves in a bottle of water and leaving it in the fridge. It’s so refreshing.
Oh, and I also wanted to add that I am a bit of a slave to office treats too. My desk is right behind reception and I walk past them all. day. long. Argh. So hard to resist. Usually I can’t!
That’s awesome! Are you from Calgary? Do you muddle the mint leaves or just drop them in the water? I feel so silly asking that question.. but really, I wanna know! Minty water will be the non-alcoholic drink of choice for summer 2012 – woohoo!
I’m sure the flavour is stronger if you muddle them but I just toss in the leaves (like 5 or 6 for a bottle that must be about a litre and a half) and let them sit for a while. It’s a nice subtle taste
I am from Calgary! I’ve been away for 6 years living abroad and I am so stoked to move home. I miss it so much (especially the sunshine!).