I was always a coffee and toast or coffee and cereal for breakfast kinda girl and nothing was ever going to change. I'd get so excited waking up in the morning just thinking about that first sip of coffee and biting into that beautiful toast with lashings or marmalade. I loved my breakfasts. So why did I change?
I had always been good at drinking water. I would take it to bed with me in a flask. I am lucky enough to love water as I was not one of those children that drunk coke or any fizzy drinks. I just didn't like the taste, so water and I have always been great friends. I would always drink a lot of water before savouring my first sip of coffee in the morning because I understand that we all get dehydrated over night and hydrating our bodies is critical to keep it balanced. Plus I suffered from dehydrated skin ( like a lot of us ) so anything I could do to keep my skin looking fresh and healthy, I would.
I was on a course not that long a go and they had a section about cleansing and healing your body when they started talking about the benefits of drinking freshly squeezed lemon and warm water first thing in the morning. What got me hooked was when they said that drinking this lifted the morning brain fog, gave clarity and focus to get you to start your day full of boosts of energy and positive emotions. So, I decided to test it out and had a lemon and warm water through a straw for three mornings. I use a straw to protect my teeth - a little tip I like to share. The fourth morning I started my day with coffee and I am not kidding you, I felt dreadful. There was no lifting of the morning brain fog, no boost of energy and happy emotions. So I literally ran back to my lemon and warm water and I have not looked back. So for me this is "step 1" of my transformed morning ritual.
7 key benefits of starting your day with warm water and lemon:
1, Promotes hydration to prevent fatigue and increase boosts of energy.
2, Supports weight loss
3, Supports digestion by stimulating waves of muscle contractions to keep things moving
4, Improved glowing skin from the vitamin C
5, Prevents ageing by providing collagen production to keep the skin looking smooth
6, Boosts metabolism
7, Reduces stress and increases better feeling emotions.
After drinking this amazing wake up the mind juice, I like to call it, I give it 30 minutes and then I drink (2 cups) celery juice. Now, I haven't always stuck to this because I have a blender and not a juicer and time got in the way, however I am choosing to make more time due to the amazing benefits this gives you. Again, I introduced this because I heard about the amazing benefits to the body and I have to admit I feel so much better since I started drinking it daily. Step 2:
5 key benefits of daily intake of celery juice:
1, It heals the stomach by acting as a natural laxative and relaxing the damaged nerves from an unhealthy lifestyle.
2, Enables food to be digested more easily.
3, Assists in blood flow
4, Highly detoxifying and protects the healthy cells.
5, Anti-inflammatory
Do I still drink coffee? Yes I do and my first cup of the day is around 11am. I only have about two small cups a day now and prefer to drink water throughout the day, which wasn't always the case. I also think it is important when we do have rituals to live a little too. I do think that having things we really enjoy are important for our happiness, just in moderation. Sticking to these new rituals, I have to admit, my skin has never looked better and I have lost weight too.
My final step, step 3, wasn't a massive change for me as I love berries of all kind, but understanding that blueberries are described as the "King of the antioxidants" I knew having them daily (which I nearly always did) was going to give me that extra level of protection when my body needs to fight those free radicals, as blueberries have been shown to increase the levels of antioxidants in the body. I love having these with a bowl of oats that I soak overnight in the fridge with skimmed milk.
Milk has a lot of controversy in the UK, and there is a lot of scrutiny to do things everyone else's way. Personally, I think the best way is to do what you like and adapt it to how you want it to be. It doesn't have to be perfect. I do find as soon as you talk about nutrition people are ready to tell you to do this or that. I say if it makes you feel better then do it your way. I'm just sharing my honest opinion on how these have helped improve me therefore they can also help you too.
So the mix of blueberries and oats for me is heaven in a bowl and the key benefits are amazing:
1, Help against ageing
2, May lower blood pressure
3, Help to maintain brain function and improve memory
4, Weight loss
5, Reduce risk of heart disease
6, Rich in antioxidants
7, Oats found in skincare products help to fight against skin irritations