How Tea Can Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolution

Like most people, you probably have made a New Year’s resolution or two. Promising to go on a diet is one of the most popular resolutions of all; especially after all of the snacking, feasting and festive treats that helped us put on a few extra pounds.

Now that the New Year is well underway, you may be feeling a little less enthusiastic about the promises that you made to yourself. Whether you are looking to lose a few pounds, eat more healthily, or live a more natural lifestyle, here are some ways that tea can help you in your quest to keep some of those New Year’s resolutions.

Begin the Day with a Cup of Tea

Instead of reaching for a cup of coffee, why not begin your day with a hot cup of green tea?  Green tea is loaded with caffeine, but many find that it gives a different kind of boost when they have it in place of their usual morning cup of Joe. By making tea a daily morning ritual, you may also come to appreciate a kind of gentle wakefulness that gives you a less jittery, natural energy boost so many of us need in the morning. 

Drink Tea to Stave Off Cravings

The University of Illinois recently conducted a study that found moderate consumption of caffeine, such as that found in coffee and tea, can help normalize cholesterol levels within the body.  This normalization of cholesterol can also help you to shed the extra weight that might have been gained over the holiday season.  The study also indicated that tea may help in decreasing the fat absorbing capacity within the body by as much as 22% and helps to reduce potential weight gain by an estimated 16%.

If you begin to crave something sugary after lunch or dinner, why not have a cup of hot flavored tea such as Sir Jason Winters Peach or Sir Jason Winters Raspberry tea? We offer these blends with or without the natural sweetener, Stevia. The taste can help you satisfy the sweet cravings without adding additional calories.

Tea to Help You Stay Well

Tea will not only help you fight off the cravings that naturally occur when you’re on a diet, some beverages, such as green tea, are excellent in helping you to stay healthy, too.  The National Academy of Sciences indicated in a recent report that research subjects that consumed three or more cups of tea each day produced five times the number of cells in your body that help ward off illness and disease. This can be especially important in the colder winter months when exposure to illness reaches its peak.

Camellia sinensis, which is the plant that green or black tea comes from, is packed with powerful antioxidants which may potentially help reduce your chance of catching a seasonal cold or flu. So, a cup of hot tea will warm you up from the inside on a cold winter’s day and can be a positive step to take toward staying healthy during the winter.

Fight Off Fatigue with the Power of Tea

If you’re feeling as if you’re out of energy, tea can provide an excellent pick-me-up at any time of the day.  Not only will a cup of tea help you to feel refreshed and revitalized, that energy boost can also additionally give a boost to your diet.  Researchers at Tufts University recently released a study that indicated that drinking tea may increase the amount of energy that is expended in the body, even while dieting. 

A recent report which appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition put out by Oxford University asserts that caffeine-rich beverages like green and black tea release catechins in the body which can increase energy expenditure and increase the oxidation or burning of fat. Both effects have the potential of giving you added stamina and can make you feel great and look great, too. Studies have shown that when you look and feel good, you are more inclined to be inspired and reach more goals that you set out for yourself.

If you’ve had a long day at work, drinking a cup of tea on your evening commute, before or before dinner, can make you feel less fatigued.. 

Tea Rituals to Boost Mindfulness and Creativity

Since its discovery and adoption in ancient China, tea has found its way into religious and social rituals around the world.  In the cultures of China, Japan, Korea, and India, for example, even the brewing and preparation of tea is practiced as a form of meditation.  In Japan, Samurai warriors would partake of tea before they went into battle, and before any contract between people, such as a marriage or a treaty, a tea ceremony was almost always included.

Tea has demonstrated its value as not only a refreshing drink but one that can encourage practices of mindfulness such as meditation. So if one of your New Year’s resolutions this year is to live more mindfully by taking up the practice of meditation; for example, tea can provide an excellent way to calm you and help your mind to focus.

Of course, you probably won’t need or want to have an elaborate ceremony in order to make tea a daily habit in your life.  You can practice other types of small, simple rituals like using a unique teapot to brew your tea, pouring it into your favorite cup at the beginning of the day, or relaxing and enjoying a good book. All of these activities can become a perfect ritual to help you be in the moment and reduce stress.

If this is the year that you’ve decided to set some goals like finishing writing your book or another creative endeavor, tea has the incredible power to help you stay healthy and the mindset you need to focus and get it done.  Use the power of tea every day to make this year your best ever!

Resources

“The Everything Healthy Tea Book: Discover the Healing Benefits of Tea.” by Babette Donaldson.  N.p.: Adams Media, 2014. Print.

“Catechin- and Caffeine-rich Teas for Control of Body Weight in Humans.“ by Hursel, Rick, and Margriet. OUP Academic. Oxford University Press, 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Jan. 2020.

“The Book of Green Tea” by Diana Rosen, 1994, Storey Books, Pownal, VT