Good Morning Sunshine! How are you feeling this brand new January day? Are you feeling bright and vibrant and ready for the day and year ahead? Or a little cold and tired and sluggish from holiday indulgences and winter weather?
Well, I’ll tell you the truth. I seem to feel a little of both. I survived the holiday season a little better than usual this year, thanks to an intense dose of pre-holiday yoga, and some steady if not-so-intense practice during the “big two weeks.” But, there’s been stress, there’s been overindulgence this week in particular, and the upshot is I don’t feel quite perfectly on my game.
Still, compared to some years, I feel pretty fabulous. And as I sit here marveling over that, I have a little more distance from the whole “new year new you” mentality to step back and take a look at it. How many people in the world right now are atoning for their supposed holiday “sins?” Seems like a lot! And, while I think cleansing can be a great tool, I hate the idea that we HAVE to do it. That something is wrong with us that can only be fixed by drastic measures.
So, this quickie post goes out to everyone feeling the need to “fix” themselves this month, via diet, exercise, cleanse or what have you. The theme is cheesy, I admit. I am so a “nuts and bolts” rather than “hearts and flowers” yoga chick, but in this case I must say it, BE KIND TO YOURSELF. Take this month to make small changes that are destined to make you feel good, all the while NOT atoning for your sins or berating yourself in any way.
And here’s one easy thing you can do for yourself every day: Drink lots of lemon water. Start your day with a warm cup of water and a squeeze of lemon and watch how great it makes you feel.
Lemon, despite it’s acidic flavor, is alkalizing to the body. And that’s where you want your body to be. Too much acidity in your system causes all kinds of health problems, and icky feelings. Alkalizing things like lemons and leafy greens just might cause radical health. Plus, lemons are cleansing, helping move along toxins that have accumulated in your system overnight.
And the water, well, you know you gotta hydrate to feel good right? I mean, I know water is rusting the bottom of my Dad’s boat, but that doesn’t mean it’s rusting your insides (hear me on this finally, Dad!). Plus, drinking a cup of warm (not hot) water first thing in the morning flushes your system and gets it going. It stimulates peristalsis (the waves of muscle contractions) to get your digestive tract going.
And, this has to be the easiest health activity of all time. Pour water. Squeeze lemon. Drink. You might feel so good you’ll eat a little healthier breakfast. Healthy activities lead to other healthy activities. Try it and see.
And, if a cleanse is still the right thing for you right now, I’ll help you embark on the process with kindness and delectability. Contact me to talk about it. We’ll have a “cleanse” talk here on the blog soon too, so you can weigh the pros and cons.
In the meantime. Happy New Year! Now, go suck a lemon!
