INPUT ARTICLE: Article: The paring knife is probably the most difficult tool for this job, but it has its benefits. You don't have to clog your kitchen with a one-use tool, and a sharp knife makes clean, dry cuts compared to the wet, sticky clumps other methods can produce. Keep reading to learn the technique. After washing the lemon, cut off both ends where they begin to taper. Rest a cut surface flat on the cutting board. Cut off a strip of rind from the side of the lemon, right where it meets the white pith. It may be easiest to start near the center of the lemon, where it bulges outward. Hold the strip flat against the board with one hand, yellow side down. Press the knife blade flat on top of the strip, with the blade pointing away from your hand. Scrape the top of the strip at a slight angle, removing most of the white pith. All this means is "cut it into thin strips." To avoid poking your fingers, hold the lemon peel in place with your fingers curled down into a "claw" shape. In this position, your knuckles are closer to the blade than your fingertips. As long as you keep the sharp edge of the knife below the level of your knuckles, you are unlikely to hurt yourself even if the knife slips. Gather the thin strips in a tight row, than rotate them 90º. Cut the other way using the same technique as above. Try to make the zest pieces as small as possible.

SUMMARY: Choose a sharp, small paring knife. Cut off both ends of a clean lemon. Slice off a thin strip of zest. Remove the white pith. Julienne the strip. Dice the peel.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: For 3-7 days, track when, what, and how much you drink, and when and how much you urinate. After several days, you’ll likely start to notice clear patterns to your urination habits. Ideally, you should use a collection cup to record how much you urinate each time. Alternatively, you can just estimate the amount as “a lot,” “average,” and “a little.” After you’ve kept track of when you usually urinate, build a schedule around this data. To start out, try to set up the schedule so that you urinate every 2 to 2.5 hours during the daytime.  For example, schedule a “pee break” when you wake up (6:30 am), then when you arrive at work (9:00 am), then right before your lunch break (11:30 am), and so on. Do your best to stick to your schedule. Waiting 5-15 minutes can help stretch your bladder so that, over time, it can hold more urine. If you really need to go, however, just go. If you start your schedule by urinating every 2 hours, move to 2.25 hours between restroom visits the next week, then 2.5 hours the week after that. Your end goal should be to urinate every 3-4 hours. While the average adult urinates every 3-4 hours, this may not be manageable for you. Stretch out your pee breaks slowly, and stop when you seem to have reached your limit. To practice, start urinating, then make yourself stop the stream of urine by contracting your muscles. These are the muscles of your pelvic floor. Once you know what it feels like to contract the pelvic floor muscles, you can do Kegel exercises at other times throughout your day.  Try doing Kegel exercises during commercials while watching your favorite show, sitting at your desk, lying down, or filling up your car with gasoline—you can do them at almost any time, really. Try to do these exercises at least 3 times a day and at least 3-4 days a week. If you continue to need to urinate frequently despite your efforts to retrain your bladder, visit your doctor for a checkup. If you have to pee frequently and urgently, you may have an over-active bladder (OAB), which is a rather vaguely-defined medical condition that should be diagnosed by your doctor.  OAB can often be treated by making healthy lifestyle changes—like improving your diet, exercising regularly, losing excess weight, and quitting smoking—and possibly by taking medication.  Also speak to your doctor if you have any type of issues with incontinence—that is, releasing urine when you don’t intend to.

SUMMARY:
Keep a “pee diary” for about 1 week to chart your habits. Set a comfortable urination schedule. Slowly extend the amount of time between pee breaks. Do Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. Talk to your doctor about any bladder control issues.