Nearly every article or book I read on a healthier lifestyle extolls the virtues of starting the day with hot water and lemon. So, periodically, I give it a go. But not before too long I slip back to my standard cup of tea. In the spirit of New Year though, I have been giving it another go. And this time I intend to stick with it!
The plan is to try and make it a morning habit. That way it will become as natural to me as my usual morning cuppa. One of the key things of making something a habit is to understand the “why” behind it. Why should I be drinking hot water and lemon every day? And just saying “because it is good for you” is not enough. I need to get into the nitty gritty of the actual benefits of it, to truly appreciate why it is habit worth forming.
The benefits of hot water and lemon
Having spent some time researching this, below are some of the apparent benefits of this daily ritual (in no particular order).
1. Vitamin C
Lemons, like most citrus fruits, are a good source of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and so helps protect the cells in our bodies from free radicals. Free radicals can cause harm to our cells and so protecting them from free radicals can help prevent various diseases. This sounds like a definite positive to me!
2. Hydration
If you are anything like me then trying to hit that magic eight glasses of water a day is a challenge. So anything that helps reach that goal is a good thing in my book! And drinking it in the morning gets you off to a great start for the day.
3. Digestion
Lemon juice is said to help with digestion and can give your bowels a bit of a kick start in the morning. This may just be due to the extra fluids, in particular the fact that it is warm water, as that is said to help flush out your system in the morning. However, lemon does contain certain vitamins and minerals that can help with digestion – the question mark is whether the amount you put in your morning drink is enough to have an impact. I reckon it can’t hurt though!
4. Healthy skin
Again, perhaps one that is due to the increase in water consumption but the antioxidants found in lemons can help rejuvenate the skin. They can also help eliminate toxins, which can help support healthy skin.
5. Weight loss
Some sources claim that lemon water can help with weight loss. One reason cited is the pectin content of lemon, which is an apptentie suppressant. However, the levels of pectin to be found in my morning cup of hot water and lemon are so small that it is unlikely to have any effect.
What is more likely to help with weight loss is where that cup of hot water and lemon replaces a more calorific cup of sugary tea.
6. Kidney stones
No, lemon water does not give you kidney stones! Quite the opposite. It is claimed that lemon can help prevent, and treat, kidney stones.
I must point out that not all these are scientifically proven. Even so, just the chance that some of the above are real benefits of drinking hot water and lemon then that’s good enough for me!
I should also point out that a lot of the above benefits, if not all, are said to be obtained if you drink cold water and lemon. So it doesn’t necessarily have to be hot. And it doesn’t have to be in the morning. I think I just prefer it warm. And drinking it first thing every morning helps it become a habit.
Making hot water and lemon a habit
There’s lots of research about how to make habits stick. And I will do a blog post covering this in more detail. But I think the top tip that works for me is to link it to another activity. Or a “trigger”.
Link to a trigger
In the context of hot water and lemon, I am linking it to making my cup of tea in the morning. This is something I have done since forever (apart from the rare occasion I get brought one in bed!!) So when making my first cup of tea I am also making my hot water and lemon, which I make myself drink before my cup of tea. This won’t work for everyone – I like drinking my tea at a tepid temperature! But, for example, you could instead try linking it to putting the kettle on.
Build in a reward
Another tip is to build in a reward. Mine is my cup of tea. But you could link it to anything, for example, not being allowed to check your phone before you’ve had your hot water and lemon.
Make it interesting
Also, try and mix it up a bit. Add some fresh ginger on occasion for an extra kick. Or try some fresh mint. It can get a bit boring having just plain old lemon juice each day so experiment with different flavours.
Make it easy
A final tip is to make it easy. Pre-squeeze your lemon juice the night before so you just have to add it to your cup. Put the cup out on the counter by the kettle. Not only does this make it easy but it acts as a visual reminder. I tend to use a particular cup for mine, which reinforces the reminder. I also add some cold water so I can drink it straight away – if not I get side-tracked while waiting for it to cool down and then forget about it.
Eventually, you won’t need to think about the above tips and it will just become a daily habit. Research varies in terms of how long this will take – some say 21 days, others say 30 days. But one day you will realise that you have done it without thinking.
How to avoid falling off the hot water and lemon wagon
Looking back, there are a few reasons I don’t manage to make it a habit. I am not so good at doing it at the weekends – my morning routine tends to be a bit more fluid at weekends. And then I forget on the Monday and never quite get round to remembering to do it again. This time round I am going to try and manage it at weekends too by not allowing myself to go back to bed with my cup of tea without a hot water and lemon in hand too!
Another reason is I find one morning I don’t have any lemons and so have to skip that day. I then don’t get to the shop for a couple of days, by which point any semblance of habit-formation has gone down the drain. I could say that this time I will be more organised and make sure I always have lemons in. This just isn’t realistic though. Instead, I have a bottle of lemon juice as a back-up. And if that runs out I will just drink the hot water without the lemon each morning until I get my arse back into gear!
So, how am I doing with turning it into a daily habit? Well, we are on day 16 and so far I have managed to stick to it – apart from today! So, as today is Saturday, I completely failed on not allowing myself to go back to bed without a cup of hot water and lemon! But that is just one day and I am not going to beat myself up about it. I will just make much more of a concerted effort tomorrow to get me back on track.
I'd love to hear your thoughts