Lemon Water… when and when not?

Do you see and copy? Or do you see, research, and then make an informed decision?

It is common to see people adding lemon to their water. But for some, are you adding it because it “looks” healthy or are you adding it because you know the benefits of why the lemon is added?

If you know the benefits (aiding the body to become alkaline), do you know WHEN you should be doing this and when might NOT be the best time? I ask this because I see people in the gym with lemon in their water WHILE working out. While it’s true that lemon is one of the foods that is great for alkalizing the body (a glass in the morning and throughout the day is advised). But if you are an athlete or going to the gym to build muscle… you might want to lay off the lemon water pre and intra training.

There are actually times that you don’t want to be extremely alkaline. Like I mentioned, this would be Pre-Training and Intra-Training. WHY? If you’re aiming for that lactic acid stimulus and the growth hormone factor; which is somewhat acid dependent. You are better off alkalinizing immediately Post-Training. This is much the same with antioxidants. True, antioxidants are great and you want to get them in, but pre-training not so much. While training we actually WANT that oxidative response to improve the training effect.

If alkalinizing properly, your athletic performance will go up and your ability to burn fat will be improved. If you become acidic throughout the day you’ll actually start to burn more protein than any other nutrients. This relates back to why that pre-workout meal is so important.

So to keep it simple, in the morning and post training would be perfect times to create that very alkalinized environment. If you’re eating a diet rich in greens, fruits, nuts, and healthy oils, you’re creating a great environment. While training I would suggest instead of mixing lemon with your water, mix some Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA's).

natalie gagnon