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I've been practicing yoga on and off for a number of years, really having trouble sticking to a consistent routine. For the past week I've propelled myself into daily practice every morning to help heal some injuries I sustained to my back and to help clear my mind. Yoga does a lot of things for my mind and body that tea also does. I've been thinking about all of the parallels between yoga and tea:

- tea and yoga settle and stimulate my mind

- tea and yoga soothe my body

- tea and yoga help me refocus my senses

- tea and yoga have an primal and Earthly quality to them

- tea and yoga realign my concentration

- there are yoga positions and varieties of tea for any specific ailment or mental state

- tea and yoga are nonabrasive forms of healing

I like to end my yoga practice with a cup of tea. Today it's tangerine ginger mixed with a little bit of mother's wort and some buckwheat honey. This is part of ending my routine with relaxation and a way of gratifying my efforts. I think the two together are a potent combination well worth sticking to, and one that I don't doubt will help to reinvigorate my body and clear my mind.

Anyone who knows me would describe me as a gym rat. Other than a good cup of tea, there's nothing I love more at the end of a long day of work than hitting the weight room floor.

But all of my workouts leave me with one negative side effect: soreness.

I'm sure you are familiar with it: the day after hitting a new personal record in deadlifts or your first 10-mile run, you're sore. This soreness, known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) can persist for days and, in severe cases, can even interfere with day-to-day life.

Luckily for exercise enthusiasts everywhere, in 2008 a group of scientists decided to investigate the effect of black tea on DOMS. Their findings were good news tor tea drinkers everywhere: in the athletes tested, black tea enhanced muscle recovery and decreased DOMS.

So, tea enthusiasts, partake in your favorite blend of black tea whenever you work out. Not only is it enjoyable, but it is also good for your muscles!

“Picture two middle-aged mice, born at the same time. One suffers from gray hair, shriveled muscles, and creaky joints. He's a pint-size Wilford Brimley. The other mouse, meanwhile, looks healthy and young—Jack LaLanne in his fifties. Why the contrast? While the geriatric mouse lived a sedentary life in his cage, his younger-looking contemporary literally outran the effects of aging,” says Outside magazine.

How?

According to a new study from Canada’s McMaster University, genetics no longer determines the single, most important factor in gauging one’s life—long or short. Rather instead, lifestyle choices are making a much larger impact. A lifelong endurance regimen could help your body beat time and look younger than supposed. With just three workouts a week, a short dedication, a complete reversal of the aging symptoms occurred in the scientific study.

However, running is not the only agent to change your body’s hardwiring. Limiting calorie intake, boosting antioxidants and staying positive, according to Outside’s “age-old wisdom” are three simple and sure-fire ways to increase the number of candles on your birthday cake.

Research shows: animals that consumed fewer calories lived a longer life than those who did not. Words we all know and yes, have heard before.

Antioxidants absorb free radicals, which not only help prevent cancer, but also slow down age-advancing cellular damage. This is where you should drink up! Green tea is a proven source of a high antioxidant count, with the average cup of green tea containing 50-150 mg of polyphenols (antioxidants).

And the third, be happy, you’ll live longer. According to Applied Psychology, evidence over 160 studies connected to emotional health and longevity found that “people who maintain an optimistic perspective, have harmonious relationships, and minimize stress—outlive those who are anxious, pessimistic, depressed, manic, or stressed out.”

So drink up, as Justin Nyberg, author of the article in Outside says, “Even if you're 35, the lifestyle choices you make right now may determine not only how quickly you age but also how long you live."

Over a cup of green tea, give yourself a few years and read the article here.

http://outsideonline.com/fitness/travel-ga-201106-exercise-prevent-aging-sidwcmdev_156030.html?imw=Y

I recently turned 23, I know, I’m still very young (or at least I hope that’s what you’re thinking).  Yet still, no matter the age, birthdays always get me thinking about the past and what I want to happen in the future, before the next tick mark, 24.  And as so, I’ve created a system, perhaps stolen from another, 23 things to do before 24.

It’s a list I put heavy thought into, much differently than my usual daily to-do jots. Among this year’s list: learn more about tea, become proficient in Spanish (as I’m moving to Spain next fall), keep studying Chinese, maintain target weight, run a marathon.

Perhaps I’m a goal-oriented nut, I’ll admit it. But as I can see, whether New Year’s resolutions (or birthday), it never hurts to have that extra boost to accomplish them. As I was searching for motivational training programs, I found the perfect one, runner or not.

Hidden within Runner’s World’s online site, an article zinged my attention: Fall Marathon Guide: A Better Buzz. Its tease—a boost without a burn. I clicked without a pause.

The focus was tea and its energy boost, for the runner, a great motivational force. In fact, as they state, caffeine found in tea helps enhance performance—increasing endurance, improving alertness, and simply making running feel easier. Plus, tea, unlike coffee or energy drinks, lacks acid or carbonation, and therefore is easier on the stomach pre-race and always. This, in addition to the many other health benefits tea brings over other caffeine-stimulants; in my case, helping aid me in another bonus resolution, my campaign to maintain target weight.

What else?  As Runner’s World states, the way you prepare your tea also helps determines the ultimate benefit of your brew of tea. In terms of antioxidants, loose-leaf fares better than bagged, plain tea over that with milk has more benefits, surprisingly, and hot is better than cold for your health, though all are small and negligible.

However, as Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D. a nutrition professor of Tufts University said in the article and seems pertinent here, “The best tea in the world is the tea you like the best because then you’ll drink it often, and the more tea you drink, the better it is for your health.”

So, a toast to resolutions, kept or not—I raise my mug of green tea. And if you’re looking for more, Runner’s World included something beyond, a smoothie recipe with tea. Drink up!

Green Goddess smoothie

Though if you’re going to go that extra mile (perhaps literally), why not choose the best for you, loose-leaf!

2 heaping tsps green tea

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup cold, filtered water

1/2 teaspoon ginger, peeled and grated

Juice of 1/4 grapefruit

1/16 Serrano chili, diced

1/4 medium ripe avocado

1/2 cup simple syrup

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 cup ice

It is widely known that there are many health benefits to drinking tea which aids a wide variety of audience, even workout buffs.  Below are the top three reasons why gym enthusiasts should drink tea:

1. Tea leads to a healthy heart. Dieting and exercise are the main ways to combat heart disease. Research has suggested that tea drinking is associated with improved cardiovascular health. A Japanese population study found that tea drinking among both men and women, those who drank just over 2 cups of green tea per day reduced their risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 22-33 percent compared to those who drank less than half cup of green tea daily. Scientists associate tea drinking with reduced risk for hypertension, stroke and atherosclerosis, or hardening the arteries. Other studies suggest that tea may improve blood vessel and endothelial function and help to control blood clotting, supporting health blood flow and circulation.