After you’ve poured out all the gratitude you can stand, pour yourself a tall glass of water. If you haven’t read or applied step 1, here is the link: https://fitnessfirst.health.blog/?p=22. Starting the day with water enables your body to flush out last night’s leftovers. Personally, I like to upgrade my morning h2o, BUT before I divulge the recipe to my secret sauce, here is a key tip: Prepare it the night before. Place it on your nightstand so it’s ready when you wake. Having it there reduces the likelihood of forgetting it in the mayhem that may characterize your morning.

Next let’s understand the question, why water? Water is the critical component to all the reactions that occur in the body and brain. Your kidneys need sufficient water to filter properly. Your heart requires it to dial in blood pressure. Your performance requires it. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), as little as 2% dehydration will impair power, strength, and endurance outputs. For those vying to win at the weight loss game, it is necessary for satiety aka, a feeling of fullness. And this doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of multitude of answers the question “why water.”

The Secret Sauce

Without further ado, I give to you the recipe for the secret sauce. This is my morning hydration tonic that prepares my body and will do the same for yours barring any allergies to the items listed.

1. 32oz of filtered water – Reverse osmosis filters and hydrogen-rich water appear to be industry leaders in what the Waterboy calls “high quality h2o.” You must filter your water. City water, while treated and generally regarded as safe for human consumption, does not eliminate many contaminates. Traces of pharmaceuticals are becoming more and more common in our water supply. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to take someone else’s prescription drugs. Regrettably, I haven’t made the switch to reverse osmosis or hydrogen water, and at the moment, we just have a filter on our sink faucet. Also, avoid bottled water for the plastic constitutes that will seep into your water. Plastic particles are powerful endocrine disrupters (causes hormone dysregulation) so go with glass containers or stainless steel as much as possible. I use a mason jar most often.

2. Splash of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) – ACV has the ability to balance and reduce blood sugar levels. This has implications in lowering insulin levels which is our storage hormone that prefers to tuck fat away for a famine kind of day.

3. Juice of 1 Lemon – This will help to optimize your ph level which determines how well you will digest and absorb food all the day long. It also provides some useful electrolytes that water alone struggles to replace.

4. Tsp of Quality Salt – A high quality unrefined sea salt is a way to get a spectrum of minerals into the body. Don’t fear all salt. In college, my physiology professor said, “Eating salt for us is like dropping a salt tab in the ocean.” Especially if you are a low carb / ketogenic enthusiast, you must get lots of good salts. If you are an athlete, training multiple days per week and in warmer climates this multiplies the need for salt. I use Celtic Sea Salt because it is reported to have the highest mineral content of all the salts available including Mediterranean pink salt.

And there you have it! Now chug. Drink copious amounts of this to start your day off optimally. Gratitude was the first step in part one of winning the AM. Step two is all about the right morning hydration tonic to set you up for success the rest of the day. You can use some or all of my ingredients, but the single most important ingredient is the water. Quality water will help transform your body and mind.