I never used to be much of a Royal-watcher, that is until the Duchess of Sussex, formerly known as Meghan Markle, came on the scene.

Meghan is everything, and that’s not just my enthusiasm talking. She’s a feminist, a woman of color, a humanitarian, an animal lover, and a former actress. She’s an excellent role model and little girls everywhere should want to be her when they grow up. Hell—I want to be her when I grow-up, but as I’m already a grown-ass adult, it’s too late for me. Still, that doesn’t mean that I can’t strive to be like Meghan in small ways. I can be more charitable, speak up more on the issues that I think are important, and generally try to live a healthier life.

Meghan said in a Delish article that she starts her day with a little warm water and lemon, so I’ve decided to copy her and do that too. It’s a simple and easy habit that even the laziest (me) people can do. Plus, it’s always incredibly valuable to add something to your day where you’re taking a moment to practice self-care.

The drinking of warm water and lemon has been around forever. Meghan certainly didn’t invent it; she didn’t even make it cool-- models, flight-attendants, and actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow have been doing it for decades.

While water and lemon are the main ingredients, there are some people who add in cayenne pepper (to give it a little kick) or honey for sweetness, while others skip the lemon and add in apple-cider vinegar. In all honesty, you’d still get many of the same health benefits if you just drank the water without any additions because the most important thing you’re doing is hydrating yourself.

The water shouldn’t be boiling hot and should be as close to your body temperature as possible, so it will absorb better. Since lemon juice is extremely acidic, I recommend using a metal straw—that way you don’t hurt the environment while you’re helping yourself, and you shield your teeth from the acidity of the lemon. Also, rinsing your mouth out afterward is another way to protect the enamel on your teeth.

There are several health benefits to drinking lemon water. You get some vitamin C which is an essential nutrient that helps protect the body against immune system deficiencies, in other words, fewer colds! Vitamin C has been found to not only lessen the effects of stress on people, it actually helps to reduce the time needed to recover from stressful events.

This first-thing-in-the-morning cocktail is a great source of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium which helps your muscles work more efficiently and prevents foot and leg cramps. Potassium also is known to help keep nerve and brain cells healthy and nourished. Plus, warm lemon water assists in eye-health and helps to prevent future eye-problems.

I started my own warm water and lemon practice two months ago, and here’s what’s happened.

The Benefits of Lemon Water

My digestion is much better. Okay, not to be too gross here, so let’s just say that my whole digestion process is working like a well-oiled machine (okay, still slightly disgusting, but what are you doing to do? It’s poop we’re talking about.) Lemons have pectin fiber that’s good for colon health. The water/lemon juice combo helps digestion and encourages the production of bile which aids digestive health. Also, I’ve had less indigestion too.

My skin is clearer. Having lemon juice first thing in the morning helps to flush out toxins which give your skin a healthy glow. It’s been said that lemon water helps prevent the formation of wrinkles and acne, so I’m going to go ahead and take that on faith.

I’ve been very hard on my knees since I was a teenager and I cracked my knee open from jogging, and I’ve been finding that I have less pain and inflammation in my knees which is amazing for me.

I made the decision to incorporate lemon-water into my daily routine and it’s turned out to be one of the best decisions that I’ve made in a long time. In order to make drinking warm water and lemon a habit, you only need to do it for 66 days for it to stick. It’s so easy and the health, cleansing, and healing benefits are huge.

I like to have my warm water and lemon in a pretty teacup, looking out my window at the birds in the trees. It’s not Buckingham Palace, but it still makes me feel like a princess.