For years, I have started my days with a lemon water ritual. Every morning, without looking at my phone or turning on any music or news, I make a cup of warm or room temperature lemon water, depending on the season. Warm for winter; room temp for the warmer months.

It’s a simple, yet powerful routine, and one of the first habits I recommend my coaching clients adopt.

For me, my cup of lemon water acts as one of my Morning Pillars, giving me a definitive start to my day. It may provide health benefits as well. Lemon juice has an acidic pH, but when digested by our bodies it produces an alkaline result, which is a good thing. So much of what we ingest in our standard American diet is acidic: coffee, alcohol, sugar, meat and processed foods, just to name a few, and our system can easily get out of balance.

Lemon water first thing restore nature’s balance, provides a shot of vitamin C and is said to help keep you regular. Think of it as a mini-cleanse for your body. Simply add a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice to warm or room temp water, and drink before your morning coffee.