The Honey Lemon H20 Challenge do you have what it takes?

What it is:

I recently read a book claiming that we are all chronically dehydrated. Environmental stressors, lack of time, stressful schedules, busy lives- all create the perfect storm for us to not hydrate enough. When we are chronically dehydrated, our busy schedules, in turn, can cause even more harm. Think of hydration as a shield, the more of it you have, the better your defenses for infection or sickness are. This challenge addresses dehydration by instructing people to do the following for 30 Days: drink one liter of WARM (not hot) water mixed with honey and lemon first thing after waking up. No coffee, tea, breakfast before. First thing- warm honey lemon water.

Advertised benefits

Increased hydration, more energy, less dependence on caffeine, better skin, reduced acne, fewer allergies, decreased appetite, improved mood, increased metabolism, improved digestion, immunity-boosting, general detox, anti-inflammatory, dental health, reduced joint and muscle pain, finding free money in random places and increased sexiness by 10%. Maybe not the free money or 10% part- but an impressive list of benefits none the less. So I decided to give it a whirl. I did this every day for a month.

 

What it made me feel like: I decided to journal my experience each time I noticed a change.

 

Week 1:

Reduced symptoms of allergies. I live in Tampa, this week is apparently pollen-palooza. My 32- year-old self has recently developed a mild allergic reaction to pollen. I get a headache when I wake up, it hurts behind my eyes and underneath my little bushy eyebrows if that makes sense. By day three- no headache. This is after a week of pain and headaches. It didn’t just improve- it disappeared. It is important to note that I was very selective with the honey I purchased. I used Florida Raw Unfiltered Honey (pictured below). There is some science saying that regional allergies improve your immune response, so I picked FL honey hoping to keep its immune-boosting benefits. Looks like it worked!

 

Week 2: I started noticing I was less hungry. I haven’t seen ANY fat loss as a result because in my world weight loss occurs at a rate 1000 times slower than weight gain.

I noticed increased energy despite eating less. I got less tired during the day and didn’t require extra snacks or a nap (I know I sound like a little fat toddler)

Not to be gross- but improved bowel movements, I guess this is what they mean by improved digestion?

End of Week 4:

My skin is GLOWING. I literally look so pretty, I can’t even. Maybe 10% of sexier is true. As a disclaimer: I am fortunate to have even and healthy skin. I struggled a LOT with acne in my teens and even into my early twenties. Through changing my diet and finding a good skincare routine, I no longer have acne. Due to not having acne when I started this challenge, I cannot confirm that this improves acne. However, I do feel like this water took my already healthy skin to the next level. I don’t even need little bits of concealer around my nose or under my eyes. My skin is bright, beaming and has a general glow. I absolutely love it.

I know first hand how acne can suck. I still do think that those suffering should give it a try. Be sure to leave your comments below.

Notes:

• I used locally sourced raw, unfiltered honey
• I didn’t eat for a whole hour after drinking honey lemon water
• The recipe was an additional tablespoon of honey to warm water and squeeze one whole lemon in water

 

I can’t believe that I got such positive results. I’m now going to do a super challenge and double my dosage of this drink. It tastes good, makes me feel and look better, it’s a rare win-win. I’ll check back in my progress in a month.