May is Spring Into Fitness Month here at BCL! We are major proponents of the work/life balance and believe that a healthier you leads to being more focused and more productive in the workplace. We all know that coffee isn’t great for you, but every day around 2 PM we find ourselves reaching for that pot to get through our afternoon slump. All this month, we’ll be posting healthy alternatives to your 2 PM coffee pick-me-up. Why don’t you give this a try? 

by Jenni Walkowiak

Lemon Water

Lemon water is an excellent alternative to coffee. It’s hydrating, has loads of vitamin C, aids in digestion and so much more. So put the coffee pot down and go squeeze some lemons! 

Our bodies are like… mostly water. So drinking a whole lot of it every day is necessary for it to run properly. And according to the Food and Nutrition Board, we should be consuming 91 to 125 oz of water a day (from drinking and eating it). Squeezing some lemon into your water is one great way to make your water more interesting. 

Vitamin C is a pretty great bonus to drinking lemon water. Vitamin C can reduce blood pressure, lower your risk of stroke and battle the common cold. Some even believe Vitamin C to be a natural energy booster because it “aids dopamine in the nervous system and supports adrenal function for increased metabolic energy” (source). Or in simple terms, it makes you feel good and awake. It also stimulates a naturally occurring amino acid in your body responsible for turning fat into energy. So with all that fat burning, drinking lemon water will help you use the energy stores in your body more efficiently. 

Other Vitamin C Sources

strawberries*

grapefruit*

guava*

kiwi*

green peppers 

Oranges*

Red peppers

kale

brussels sprouts

broccoli

*try making fruit/water infusions with these ones too!