Do you hit your daily water intake? No, of course you don't — none of us do. With that in mind, might I introduce you to hot water and lemon? It sounds super simple, but the combo has helped turn my life around and is now a daily habit that I won't be giving up in a hurry.
I first came across the idea on — yes, you guessed it — TikTok. The viral Chinese Traditional Medicine trend started gracing my feed, with ideas on ‘water-based cooking'. Traditional diet and nutrition ideas like this are prevalent all over Asia, and are part of what makes Japan, a country that has a similar diet to China, one of the world's Blue Zones — an area where a significant number of people live healthily to 100 and more.
"Chinese medicine is a traditional medical system developed in China over several thousand years," explains Katie Brindle, leading TCM practitioner and author of the bestselling book Yang Sheng: The Art of Chinese Self-Healing. "It focuses on maintaining balance within the body to promote health and prevent illness. Traditional Chinese medicine is based on the idea that the body’s vital energy, known as qi, must flow smoothly for a person to stay healthy. When this balance is disrupted, illness can occur.
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“The philosophy is that disease begins when the body’s energy flow is disrupted, often before any noticeable symptoms appear. Another key principle is the balance of yin and yang, these are opposite but complementary forces that must remain in harmony for the body to function properly. Think of them as balancing scales,” she continues.
Of all the ideas involved in CTM — water-based cooking, eating stewed fruits and eating with the seasons — drinking hot water with lemon appealed to me the most. Historically, I've had sensitive teeth, which makes ice-cold matcha and lattes more of a pain than a pleasure, and there's something that's always just felt a bit unnatural about downing freezing-cold drinks on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. It isn't just me that feels that way — according to Chinese medicine, cold drinks are a bad idea in our cool climate: “In Chinese medicine, anything below room temperature slows the metabolism and puts strain on the stomach, creating internal heat instead of cooling you down,” explains Brindle.
The mindful movement practise is a modern take on the traditional Chinese martial art.
On top of that, I, like lots of us, don't manage to hit my water intake goal for the day. As an undercover gym rat, I really should be taking in about two and a half litres a day to hit my fitness goals. Most days, I'm lucky to get two and a half glasses.
So, armed with a few TikTok videos under my belt for inspiration, I decided to take on my challenge: one two-litre bottle every day, filled to the brim with hot water and lemon — plus a pinch of sea salt for electrolytes. Here's what happened:
My skin got brighter
It's one of those annoying mantras that's so often touted by beauty experts: “Drink your water!”. But in some unfortunate news, hydration really does work from the inside out. Within days, I noticed I looked brighter, my skin held moisturiser better rather than immediately soaking it all up and I started getting less breakouts. I'm not saying it's revolutionary — you really need to keep on top of your skincare habits, sleep hygiene and nutrition, too — but it definitely made a small improvement that's given me a bit more confidence recently.
I felt less tired
This one has definitely helped as a sleep-deprived new parent. It hasn't given me bags of energy, but I definitely feel a bit more motivated instead of experiencing those dreaded afternoon slumps. It's also helped me feel less sluggish in the morning. And talking about feeling sluggish…
My digestion got better
Yup, my digestion (code for poo) has gotten a lot more regular and healthier. According to the Mayo Clinic, we should all be trying to drink more water to help keep things moving. “Water helps break down food so your body can use the nutrients,” the site suggest. “It helps your body make spit, also called saliva. Water is part of the stomach acid that helps digestion and is part of other fluids in the body, such as blood and urine. Drinking enough water also can soften stool, which helps prevent constipation”. Enough said. Consider me converted.
It helped me hit my fitness goals
As someone trying to build more muscle at the moment, fuelling my body with more water has definitely helped me kill it at the gym. According to a study, hydration enhances fitness by maintaining blood volume for oxygen delivery to muscles, regulating body temperature via sweat, and lubricating joints, which increases strength, power, and endurance — all things that help with lifting weights.
And besides the health and wellness benefits, it's also given me a fun little ritual to look forward to in the morning. I might be underslept, but I have my cute water bottle and a hydrating hot water and lemon drink to kickstart the day. Knowing it's helping my health just adds extra a-peel. I'll see myself out.
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