Why Runners and Athletes Should Drink Tea

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When I talk about tea, you probably think about the desi milk-chai, with generous amount of milk and sugar. You don’t necessarily think about, say, runners and athletes. But that’s a misconception. You’ve definitely heard someone tell you that tea is good for you. But beyond that general statement, you perhaps don’t know that tea has number of performance enhancing benefits that make it especially ‘a must drink’ for all runners and athletes.

Science and real-time global case studies prove that drinking tea supports physical activity through its preventive functions. It aids in providing more energy for training, quicker recovery, and is an unmatched nutritional tool for better performance. Tea helps athletes with improved alertness, more strength and an extra surge of energy during long workouts. The very high dose of antioxidants help the body metabolise fats for fuel late in the workouts, for needed strength endurance.

A 2004 study found that tea improved endurance capacity. ”Tea markedly improved endurance capacity and stimulated lipid use.” And a 2006 study concluded that “the endurance-improving effects of tea were mediated, at least partly, by increased metabolic capacity and utilisation of fatty acid as a source of energy.” In simple language it basically means that tea was found to improve strength and endurance during aerobic activity, and that increased endurance was in part due to an increase in fat being burnt for energy.

Tea is fantastic and also a smarter choice than coffee, soda or energy drinks. It’s true that caffeine is a proven performance enhancer that increases endurance, improves alertness and makes running feel easier. Although tea provides only half as much caffeine as coffee or energy drinks, it makes you feel good at the right places without any side effects, such as acidity and bloating. The acid in coffee and energy drinks can be hard, leading to heartburn and upset stomach. So, if you look at it, tea is your all natural ‘power drink’ that offers a boost and can even make you healthier.

I believe tea is very personal. In my opinion, I would recommend that fitness enthusiasts should collect an assortment of teas – black, oolong, green, white and herbal blends, and see what they enjoy the most. Maybe it’s delicate green tea in the morning, oolong after a run, or a herbal blend without any caffeine to wind down after an evening run. And remember, quality counts in tea. So, make sure that you choose whole leaf, high quality, all natural, fresh and premium tea. For added flavour and health boost, try infusing your tea with fresh fruits, herbs and spices.

Get to know your tea, experiment and explore, develop your relationship and enjoy your fitness journey with tea. It is your all round performance drink. So, drink up and see how tea can step up your game!

Green Tea Blends – The Latest Fitness Power Drink

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Green tea has gained immense popularity because of it’s healthy properties in the recent years and is one of the most popular drinks of the new millennium. But sadly, just few of us actually drink it. So, I thought how about I reach out to my fitness driven readers and convince them about this green power drink aka ‘supersip’, that is taking the fitness industry by a storm.

There are many reasons why green tea has increasingly been given the green light and is the most recommended beverage by fitness and nutrition experts. Well, to start with, green tea provides you with a powerful boost of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids. It boosts metabolism, increases fat oxidation, endurance during exercises and improves overall health.

Brandon Carter, the best selling author and fitness expert refers to green tea as the ‘magic green drink’ and advices all his clients to drink it before and during their workouts. He also gives credit to green tea for that extra boost of energy and endurance, which contributes towards more efficient workouts. Keith Cormican, internationally recognized fitness and wellbeing expert says that gym recoveries can be improved by clearance of the by-products from training and green tea can really help with the process. He has been encouraging everyone to consider adding green tea as a weapon to their arsenal of fitness techniques and healthy living choices.

Research from Colorado State University found that tea’s main antioxidant, EGCG, can improve your VO2 max – a measure of how efficiently your body uses oxygen. EGCG is also known to stimulate brown fat, which is even extracted and used as a weight loss supplement.

Green tea is a great fitness supplement that is all-natural and will give you a great energy boost. And if you pick a good tea blend, you can avail some more healthy benefits from your power drink. Hence, if you don’t like lot of chemicals and junk in your body and are looking out for a great pre-workout supplement – it’s definitely green tea.

So, is it as simple as brewing some tea bags to reap the above mentioned benefits? NOT REALLY. To get maximum health benefits, it’s most important to drink the right kind of tea. I would suggest a whole leaf, all-natural, high quality fresh tea. It’s also very crucial to choose a higher quality brand of green tea, because the lower quality tea can contain excessive levels of fluoride, which leads to many health problems.

Green tea is your all-natural miracle drink. Just pop some green tea/green tea blend and ice in your shaker bottle and drink it before, during and after your workout or have it hot – whichever way you prefer. Whether you drink it as a pre-workout or post-workout drink or simply as an energy drink substitute during your workouts, the pros have declared green tea as significant news for anyone who is fitness driven.

You’ve nothing to lose and yet everything to gain by making this powerful herb a part of your daily routine!

Make Oolong Tea Your Fitness Companion

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Oolong Tea Fitness

If you are working out and your trainer has asked you to drink coffee before you hit the gym, oolong tea is a worthy substitute to consider. There are many reasons why the athletes, fitness trainers, bodybuilders and health enthusiasts around the world, including the media cannonade, are promoting oolong tea as the new pre-workout jolt.

We all agree that our best gym workouts and fitness plans are sabotaged by our daily humdrum, which drains us out. Oolong tea reduces physical and mental fatigue, which makes it easier to sail through an intensive workout session and can be a great addition to the fitness enthusiast’s arsenal. This tea is incredibly healing and energizing, plus it contains the EGCG phytonutrient just like green tea, which helps your body turn fat into energy and remove toxins.

Oolong tea benefits pack more of a punch than any other tea. It is an excellent fitness drink – light and energizing, with just enough caffeine to kick-start your exercise routine. A cup of oolong tea before a workout does wonders to boost your energy. It enhances performance by improving endurance and alertness.

Many workout and health supplements have tea extracts in them, but what can be better than consuming 3-4 cups of pure organic oolong tea. Just steep your tea for 5 mins and drink it 15 minutes before your workout, or chill and enjoy it as ice-tea during your workout. It will leave you with a peaceful feeling without compromising on motivation and mental activity.

If you want to achieve results in a healthy and natural way, make sure you consume some tea before your workouts, to really take advantage of what this wellness tonic is capable of. Besides the above facts, Oolong tea has plethora of health benefits which include reduction of chronic health conditions such as heart disease, inflammatory disorders and high cholesterol levels. Though you might think that this is just a cup of oolong tea, it’s benefits will actually go a long way towards living a healthier life. After all, it’s not just tea, it’s the lifestyle we believe in and strive for!

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