when life throws you lemons, make lemon water!

seriously though, feeling a little down? throw a lemon in either cold or warm water and reap an abundance of benefits.  this list may seem a little long winded, but i will try to make it as reader friendly as possible!

o   DETOX>> it assists in “cleansing the system of impurities”. please realize, i just graduated from college, so i'm not sure if i'm still detoxifying from the past 4 years or if i need to detox from my everyday living, either way we ALL need to detox.

• it is effective at dissolving uric acid (often the cause of pain and inflammation in joints) and other poisons in the body. it also battles inflammation by flushing bad bacteria and toxins out of your system and cooling inflammation. have you read my prior post about having 5 knee surgeries? pain and inflammation in my joints is a constant battle and i'm sure i am not alone on this!

o   a good source of citric acid, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, vitamin C and antioxidants. lemons also contain vitamins (such as vitamin B, riboflavin), minerals, proteins and carbohydrates. have you heard of any of these being bad for you?!? didn't think so.

o   lemon juice is similar in atomic structure to saliva and other digestive juices, so it is very helpful in the process of digestion and eliminaton. the qualities of lemon juice help to relieve symptoms of indigestion, such as heartburn and bloating. lemon water will also help to eliminate waste more efficiently, i won't go into details there....

o   for all your blondies out there (me)>> due to it's potassium content, it nourishes brain and nerve cells 

• promotes liver functioning by providing natural strengthening agent liver enzymes. also, helps fix oxygen and calcium levels in liver which affects blood oxygen levels. what the heck are blood oxygen levels? it is the amount of oxygen that travels throughout your blood and arteries. in order to function properly, your body needs a constant level of oxygen circulating in the blood to cells and tissues. your blood oxygen levels need to be high in order to maintain levels of energy throughout your day and especially while working out. the higher your blood oxygen levels are, the more efficient oxygen will be transported to your muscles and the better workout you will be able to have! drink up!

• lemons are highly acidic, but they contain the good acids that your body needs, your body needs to be maintained around a certain PH balance in order to thrive and run smooth.  if your body is not alkaline, as it should be, then you could have a series of health problems. increasing body alkalinity is one of the key benefits of drinking lemon water. in addition, because of its antibacterial properties, lemon water will help control unhealthy bacteria.
• helps purify the blood and will also control a tendency to bleed

o   assists in lowering high blood pressure
 

o   relieves symptoms of asthma, allergies and other respiratory problems. also, reduces the amount of phlegm in the body, GROSS!

o   it's diuretic effect helps dissolves gallstones, calcium deposits, kidney stones, and pancreatic stones along with avoid urinary tract infections.

o   in pregnancy, it will help build strong bones in the child.

o   lemon's anti bacterial component reduces fever and relieves sore throats.

o   improves skin and dental health! helps ward off acne, eczema  and toothaches.

o   on a diet? lemon water helps maintain natural energy while you are on a diet and also reduces your body weight.

need any other reasons to drink lemon water? didn't think so!

although lemon + water seems like an easy equation, here are few tips that i've found when it comes to maximizing the benefits:.

>buy small, heavy fruit
>store lemons at room temperature
>prior to cutting, roll the lemon on the counter with the palm of your hand. also, WASH the lemon before cutting it, you don't want all those nasty germs in your water
>it is best to drink lemon water at room temperature or warmer. cold lemon water can shock your stomach
>best time to drink is 1st thing in the morning or at least 30 minutes before a meal.
>reuse! keep your lemon in your cup and add more water throughout the day, it's not as strong, but still tastes good and has the benefits!
>CONVENIENCE TIP:. don't want to spend time slicing lemons into wedges? feel free to buy the bottled lemon juice, but make sure the ingredients says 100% lemon juice, if not, well please use common sense here...
>if lemon water is not your thing (yet!), try putting orange slices or cucumbers slices in with the lemon. also, you can try making it more "lemonade-like" by adding a sweetener such as Steevia or Truvia.

enjoy!

always striving for more,
dee b.

.:CHECKING IN:.

hello friends!

just thought i'd check in to see how all of your resolutions are going and to let you know how mine are doing......

this has got to be one of the simplest, yet greatest creations ever. this was a christmas present from my mom (think it's a suddle enough hint to get organized?). as you can see i have LOTS of jewelry and this thing has a ton of compartments (the backside is all pockets as well) to keep it all separate, untangled and best of all, easy to find! you should have seen my jewelry box before this--my MOH and i spent a good chunk of an evening talking while untangling necklaces, bracelets and earrings. i'll be honest and say that we weren't able to salvage all of them and there is still a small ball that needs to untangled! nonetheless, here is a simple, yet effective way to de-clutter!

as far as my other ones, there are going mediocre.....

i am going to begin training for my triathon tomorrow (i know, i know, yesterday i said tomorrow). i already have bag packed ready to head to the pool at 6:45 AM to begin learning how to swim again.....

my room is FAIRLY organized which i am going to consider a win. between going from work to coaching or running or yoga or having a social life, i can go thru MANY outfits in one day and if most of my clothes make it to where they belong, i'll call it good :) (what do you think mom?)

in the past few days, i did decide on a few more resolutions:.

>sleep more! i can always find time to run, yoga, clean, have a social life, but the one thing that i can't seem to fit into my schedule is more sleep! i thought after college i would be well-rested and on a consistent 8-hour/night sleep schedule. well, it hasn't exactly happened that way, especially when the mf and i decide to watch just ONE more episode of Criminal Minds....

>blog more:. i don't believe this requires further explanation....

>drink more lemon water! does anyone else know all the health benefits of spicing up regular H20 with lemon slices??? it's crazy, i've now decided to dedicate an entire post on this, stay tuned!

how are your resolutions going? have you found effective (yet efficient) ways to make them stick?

always striving for more,

dee b.

.:act great, feel great, be your best:.

what's the best way you get your body back in equilibrium after thanksgiving?

before, it was the typical 'watch what i eat for a fews day' and exercise a little more to get back to pre-thanksgiving health, but this year i am trying something different.....a DETOX diet.

trying a detox has always been something i wanted to try, but never knew where to start! to be honest, i still don't know what i am doing, so i decided to make my own rules for it.

i am at day 2 of a 3-day detox and let me tell you, it's not easy, but it's not too hard either. maybe my rules are a little too lax?

here are my rules:.

>eating only fruits and veggies--cucumbers, avocados, tomatoes, spinach, snow peas, broccoli, cauliflower, aparagus, carrots, bananas, blackberries, strawberries, apples....
>drink lots of lemon water and water in general--i've read that by adding lemon to water is great for creating an acidic pH balance within your body. the lower your body's pH level (read more acidic), the less likely you are to manifest illness, disease and cancers. now, this is what i've read from a few sources, i would like to research this theory a little more...
>no coffee, dairy, carbs, gluten, sugar (besides what is in the fruit)--i have adjusted to this by drinking lots of herbal and green tea which still does not suffice my caffeine headache, but it makes me feel like it's doing something.

i started out this detox diet by getting all of my produce from whole foods, if i'm detoxing, i better use organic, right? i am sure there are better "detoxing fruits and veggies" then the ones that i purchased, but like i said, this first time around, i'll create my own rules.

here's a recap of day 1:.

i did weigh myself before this adventure began....my starting weight was 141 lbs. i know as a female i am not suppose to be comfortable sharing this with the world, but whatever, i'm not a normal female and as long as i am healthy, the number on the scale doesn't matter to me.

breakfast:.
banana and a cup of strawberries and blackberries

lunch:.

this was a mixture of cut up cucumbers, avocados and tomatoes. SUPER good! i actually put it over spinach as the 'dressing', but i ate that before thinking about taking a picture of it. since i'm being honest here, i didn't get around to eating the carrots and snowpeas....

snack:.

an apple and banana

dinner:.

ok, i may have cheated here a little bit by steaming the veggies before i ate them, but to my defense i was very cold after watching my mf's soccer game and the thought of eating more cold veggies made me shiver.

anyway, my dinner consisted of a big basket of steamed veggies:. asparagus (yum!), snowpeas, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers (green and red) and maaaaybe a little bit of salt for taste. although i was drooling over my mf's streak and sweet potatoes, it was actually surprisingly filling and satisfying (and i may have stolen a few sweet potatoes slices).



anyway, reflecting on day 1, i can say that it was pretty easy, there were a few times when i really wanted to eat just 1 starburst, drink 1 cup of coffee to get rid of my headache or get pizza for dinner because i had ate so well all day. NO! it is 3 days, i can suck it up for 3 days...

this is currently my main goal and focus, i don't think i'd be able to accomplish it if it didn't have my full attention, so my list of goals will have to put on hold except for 2:. get an oil change and make spare keys for our house (both getting done before practice this evening).

always striving for more,

dee b.