In this solo episode of the No Days Off podcast, host Brian Gubernick shares his long‑standing morning ritual: a drink made of 12 ounces of water, fresh lemon juice, and a quarter teaspoon of Himalayan salt, consumed while still fasted. He explains why he believes the combination delivers three primary benefits—enhanced hydration, improved digestive function through increased stomach acidity, and activation of muscles and the adrenal system via electrolytes. Brian outlines the role of each ingredient, emphasizing the superior mineral profile of Himalayan salt over regular table salt, and cites personal experience of feeling a noticeable physical difference after years of practice. He concludes by challenging listeners to try the concoction themselves and report their results, framing the habit as a simple, holistic “hack” to jump‑start the day.
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Thank you for joining me today. It's Brian Gubernick and welcome to the No Days Off podcast where we believe that every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. Let's get into it. Today I want to talk about getting better at health. This is going to be a fun one. And it should be a quick hitter today. I think about getting better at health and I, you know, I'm kind of a, dare I say, health nut in that I don't know everything there is to know about health, even close to it. But I do love trying different things, testing different things, seeing how my body reacts, seeing how I feel, and based on that, continue or discontinue the practice. Today I want to talk about how I start my morning, and this is part of my morning routine. And I've mentioned it in the past, but I want to dive a little deeper because I think everybody listening should try this out. Maybe it works for you. I doubt that it doesn't work for you. Like, I think it's going to no matter what, but, uh, I think you ought to give it a shot. That is starting your day off with a drink, a drink that's made up of 12 ounces of water, some lemon, and some Himalayan salt. So here's the scoop. You get up in the morning, you are likely dehydrated because you haven't had anything to drink for quite some time. So you already need to do something about your hydration issue. At a minimum, if you don't want to add salt and lemon, you should still be drinking some water immediately upon waking because you're dehydrated. At a minimum. Now that's not going to fully hydrate you, but it's going to make you better than you were just seconds before. However, I want you to take your water to the next level, and I want you to do that by adding, uh, some organic lemon, and I want you to add a quarter teaspoon at a minimum of Himalayan salt. These 3 ingredients are pretty simple to combine, and even though they're super simple, they actually yield what I do— I believe to be some pretty powerful results when they're combined together and ingested first thing in the morning while you are still in a fasted state. I have been doing this every single morning for probably 4 or 5 years. I've been using Himalayan salt, and then about a year and a half ago, I added the lemon into the mix when I read something put out by a doc that I follow, a doctor that I follow, and it kind of took that water to the next level, not just in terms of flavor, but I think in terms of performance. What are, what are the benefits of lemon and saltwater? I think there's really 3 main benefits to this morning drink. We already talked about number 1, which is hydration. Number 2 though, the combination of lemon and saltwater gives your gut and your stomach the acidity that's needed for digestive functions throughout the day. I can't talk to you about the technical aspects as to how that works, but I know if you research it, what you're going to find is that the lemon and the salt, specifically the lemon, is going to change the acidity of the stomach. You've heard about pH levels of water, alkalinity, things of that nature. This is where it comes to play. At the end of the day, it improves your digestive functions. I could tell you personally speaking, without getting into too much detail, I know that my digestive system functions differently or better when I drink this combination than when I don't. So number 1, hydration. Number 2, aids in digestive function. And then number 3, the combination of lemon and salt water activates muscles and aids in managing the adrenal system. So let's break down each ingredient. The 12 ounces of water are pretty obvious for, for people who don't hydrate well. This is a great place to start because at a minimum, it's going to force you to drink 12 ounces of water at the start of your day. So if you're not already doing that, this concoction starts you with that 12 hours. That's going to make a difference out the gate. It's no secret that water is essential to life and essential to your body's internal functions. So drinking those 12 ounces first thing in the morning starts you off right. Now the lemon, the lemon is what provides the gut and the stomach the acidity that I met— that I mentioned that aids in digestive function. Lemon juice is great for your GI, for your gastrointestinal function. It's great for vitamin C. It aids in reducing inflammation, and it's good for immune function. The acidity— we've already kind of talked around— for your stomach and your gut, and that acidity aids in breaking down the food that's consumed throughout the day. There's more to it than that, and I want you to learn more after this episode, but that's the benefit of the lemon. And then the salt. The salt, in my opinion, dare I say, is the most important. I don't know if any of these are most important, but the salt was the game changer for me because sodium is vital to proper muscle activation and proper muscle contraction. It also helps in managing your adrenal system. So salts, as many of you know, are the main electrolytes and minerals critical for, for normal function. However, you just can't consume any random table salt. Himalayan salt is far less processed. It's far less toxic. Than your traditional table salt. And it gives you more electrolytes and minerals than average salt. So you want to incorporate this salt into your morning concoction, into your morning drink, and make it part of the ritual. This morning ritual is, is part of what I would call a more holistic nourishment plan. And one that, you know, again, I think we all are looking for. Ways to jumpstart our day. Maybe even, dare I say, hacks. Like we're looking for ways to improve our health. This is a simple one. And I'll tell you what, you may not be used to drinking water with salt in it. And so that taste is going to catch you off guard for a moment, but as you get used to it, and then you layer in that lemon, I look forward to this drink every single morning. And I promise you, it absolutely without question makes me physically feel different. And I actually think I have pretty bad body awareness. So for some of you that, that actually are better at reading your body, knowing how your body reacts, I bet you feel a difference quite quick, you know, quite immediately. So I want to challenge everybody today. If you're laughing at me right now, that's great. I want to challenge you to go and try this out first thing tomorrow morning, or maybe this morning if you're listening to this podcast rather early. You want to do it first thing in the morning, ideally in a fasted state. 12 ounces of water, some lemon, some lemon juice, like squeeze a lemon in there. Maybe it's like a, like a, like a small, you know, cut up lemon. And then a quarter teaspoon of salt, specifically of Himalayan salt. Try it out. Let me know how you feel. That's all I have for you today. The No Days Off podcast. Thank you so much for listening. And remember, every single day, brings a new opportunity to get better. So let's get after it.
