The first thing you should do in the morning is…Drink Water!

When you wake up you are dehydrated as you haven’t drunk any liquids for around 8h on average. Even the tiny water loss can impair physical performance and mental functions. Moreover, the cell membrane needs plenty of water to maintain its function like i.e. energy production and protection from infections. If the cell is well hydrated it will fight infections and pathogens more effectively. Each day we lose around 3L of water. Half of it is excreted with urine, another half through the skin and breathing (more if we exercise). Staying well hydrated throughout the day is one of the simplest and basic things in terms of overall health and wellbeing that everyone should take care of.

Benefits of drinking a glass of warm water in the morning.

Before you reach out for cup of coffee or tea (which will further dehydrate you), get a glass of warm filtered water. To get the most out of it you can add a bit of freshly squeezed lemon, pinch of Himalayan salt and a bit of raw apple cider vinegar. Here it’s why:

• Lemon has alkalising effect on your body. Your blood pH will always remain in narrow range, however overconsumption of processed foods, coffee, certain grains, stress, pollution or even excessive exercise can create acidic environment on the cellular level. If we consume too much of acidic foods and not enough alkalising food like fruits and vegetables, your body will use calcium. i.e to bring the blood ph back in the optimal range. Other alkalising minerals are magnesium, zinc and potassium.
• Himalayan salt is rich in minerals and will help you get the water into the cell. It will hydrate you better comparing to drinking tap water i.e.
• Apple cider vinegar prevents from blood sugar spikes and improve insulin sensitivity. As results, it will help you to maintain healthy weight.

Warm water helps to boost your metabolism and digestion. It also improves blood circulation and support detox. During the day, most of the energy is spent on digestion. The night is the time when the body repairs and detoxifies most effectively. When you wake up, a glass of water will help you to get rid of all the waste and flush out toxins that have been processed overnight.

Does it matter what type of water we choose?

Bottled, mineral, tap water? It may surprise you but clean, filtered water is one of the best choices.

Mineral water may seem to be healthier choice because of mineral content, however it’s not really. You can absorb some of minerals from the water but they are in inorganic form which is not easily utilized in the body. If you really want to boost your mineral intake, the better choice would be fruits and vegetables. Plants have amazing ability to transform inorganic minerals into organic form which can be absorbed and utilised much easier by human body. Another good thing about minerals is that they are pretty resistant to high temperatures as opposed to vitamins. So even cooked or roasted veggies will provide you decent amount of minerals. Another pretty important thing to keep in mind is that excess of inorganic minerals, especially calcium can be deposited in your body like joints and arteries. Calcium deposition in arteries is one of the risk factors of various heart diseases. On the other hand, calcium deposition in joints can cause pain and swelling.

Bottled water is not my preferred choice either because of plastic. If I go for bottled water I usually look for pH at least 7.5 or higher so the water has slightly alkalising effect. Also, the higher pH, the less potential for leakage of plastic to the water.

Bottom line, instead of getting coffee or tea after waking up, why not to have a glass of water first to kick start your day properly 🙂