Today i have a special treat for all my fellow fitness junkies!

Today I have a guest post for you talking of possible health benefits to incorporating tea into your daily regimen!

So here it is- day 1 of your “Me Diet”, “Lifestyle Change” or whatever you’re deciding to call it this time. The question is whether this time it’s going to be a real lifestyle change or just another seasonal donation to diet fad authors, chain supermarkets and DVD set packages covered with photos of sweaty, chiseled bodies. Hey, someone has to keep those guys in business. Let’s assume this time that your lifestyle change is for real. Let’s do this.

Day 1 of Your Weight Loss Plan- Stock Up On Tea

Even on day 1, your intuition tells you some pretty clever things. One of them should be to stock up on natural loose tea. As a great low-calorie beverage, you choose unsweetened tea because it’s more exciting than water and it has less calories than soda or juice. As you lift open that brand new box of teabags and prepare your stove for a steam session, you start to wonder whether all the chatter about how tea helps with weight loss is true. You know you like the taste, the general calming effect and the whole activity of tea drinking, but can that stuff really do anything to shed pounds of fat? I’m going to be blunt here and answer that question with a resounding “Yes.” Yes, it can, if you drink it paired with a sensible diet and an active lifestyle.

Catechins Help Reduce Body Fat, Cholesterol, and Blood Pressure

Japanese researcher, Nagao Tomonori studied the effect of green tea extract, according to Life Extension Magazine, and has reached some pretty exciting findings. He learned that along with a myriad of other health benefits.

“Continuous ingestion of [green tea extract] reduces body fat, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure in females and males without changing their lifestyles,” he said.

Dr. Tomonori goes on to say that along with a healthy lifestyle and diet, ingestion of green tea high in catechins (powerful anti-oxidants) “might assist treatments for obesity and cardiovascular diseases.”

Green Tea Aids Your Body in the Weight Loss Journey

Because of green tea’s high level of catechins, it can be consumed in almost any format and will keep you healthy and vibrant. Whether you prefer it hot, iced or brewed, green tea is simply jam-packed with health benefits which will aid your “lifestyle change.” With green tea helping increase energy and fat oxidation, it should give your body that extra push when dropping pounds.

The Japanese Must be Doing Something Right!

Japan has the longest life expectancy in the world when looking at United Nations stats. Also, the Japanese age-adjusted rate of death is 30 percent lower than that of the U.S., according the Life Extension article. The Japanese are known for their heavy green tea consumption– which may very well be connected to their healthy traits.

You can be confident that your newly adopted tea habit is a move in the right direction, considering that tea is the most widely-consumed beverage in the world aside from water. Looks like it’s tea time. Drink up!

Now do not forget to try not to add too much sugar to your tea!! This can add extra calories to your daily intake!  You can try things like honey or trying to find a spiced tea that has a lot of flavor packed into the taste.  You can also try things like using a little honey to add sweetness or try lemon or lime juice to give the tea a little edge.  The key is to have the things you love and enjoy without it compromising your desired daily calorie intake!

Also, keep an eye on your local grocery stores weekly ads! I know my local store will sometimes have different teas on sale and this is when i like to try out new flavors!

I hope this article was informative and helpful to you!

Hope you guys are rocking out in the gym this week!