Drink Tea and Be Healthy

Photo courtesy of www.teavana.com

Though I still occasionally enjoy a cup of coffee, my heart belongs to tea. I love it's versatility and flavor. Recently having led a group cleanse I decided to research tea's affects to see if it was truly necessary to avoid any tea besides herbal tea. 

I have been drinking black tea since I can remember. I was never aware of the benefits except that it made be feel warm and good all over. Recently there have been numerous studies done on the benefits of drinking various forms of tea. I'm not going to discuss herbals today because they are in a class of there own.
Tea Facts
Tea has been consumed for nearly 5,000 years and certainly played a major role in America's history. American's drink 79 billion servings of tea per year, 84% of it is black tea and 85% of it is iced tea. Compared to our 100 million daily coffee drinkers, there are158 million daily tea drinkers.

Tea is naturally resistant to most insects, a sustainable and an environmentally-friendly product. Tea is natural and does not need much processing. Tea generally has no sodium, fat, calories, sugar or additives.

Does tea make us healthier?
Green and black tea have been shown to reduce stress and increase positive feelings. These teas have been helpful in decreasing cancer formation, increasing weight loss and maintenance, decreasing LDL cholesterol, and increasing bone density while decreasing osteoporosis. Green and black tea have also been shown to decrease Parkinson's and Alzheimer's symptoms and onset.

How? 
Green and Black Teas contain:

• Phytochemicals- naturally occurring plant compounds that are thought to play a role in decreasing the risk of cancer and heart disease and may boost the immune system.
• Polyphenols (antioxidants)- help prevent oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen and nitrogen
• Flavonoids (antioxidants) that help elevate metabolism, increase fat oxidation and improve insulin activity
• Theanine- (an amino acid) lowers the chances of age-related mental decline;
  may reduce mental stress, and produce feelings of relaxation by increasing levels of serotonin, dopamine, and alpha wave activity
• Catechins - (antioxidants) provide modest shifts in metabolism that may improve weight loss
• Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)- (the chief catechin, antioxidant) shown to reduce formation of lung, skin and esophageal tumors
• Caffeine - a stimulant, makes you more alert (8 oz. cup: 25 mg in green tea, 40 mg in black tea, 95 mg in coffee), a little is good, a lot is not

Many of the recent studies on the effects of tea on the brain are discussed in Dr. Jeremy Dean's PSYBlog post, Tea: 6 Brilliant Effects on the Brain.

After completing my research, I think it's good to look at any substance we use repeatedly and see what life is like without it. As far as negative affects go, I'm not concerned about drinking tea. Moderation in most every thing is good. So drink up! My favorites are home-brewed chai's, yet I still love a nice strong black tea and a gen mai cha for my green favorite.
How about you?

Happy Spring Things

Like many of us, I like to hibernate in the winter. I dress warmly, eat and drink warm things, and love to find places that have hot water or lots of warm blankets and fire. I have to make an extra effort to do other activities that will keeping my inside fire (agni) burning, which don't require me to be on my bottom.  

Now that Spring is here, even though it did snow this morning, it's time to cleanse the body and the house, get things, all things, moving again and check in with the immune system.   

• Cleanse the body, mind, and home--done
• Get things moving-I've upped my daily practice, lightened my diet, started to walk the dogs regularly, and have been getting my hands dirty in the garden
• Finally, check and build the immune system up

The secret to healthier immune function lies in a happy digestive system.

BY Carrie Demers 
According to ayurveda, good health originates in the gastrointestinal tract. Naturally we assume that means good nutrition and a smooth-working digestive system, but if that’s all we focus on, we’ll miss half of the equation: The alimentary canal—that inside-out tube that runs from the mouth to the anus—is also our first line of defense against the disease pathogens that surround us.  Read more:

For me some of the other things that help my immune system are to avoid cow milk and cheese (boo hoo), eat a colorful, balanced diet, exercise regularly, continue my daily routines and sleep well.
What is it that you do to build your immune system? Please let me know if I've missed something or if you have some wisdom that will help us.
Happy Spring!

Move Your Energy: A Practice

We've all had a time when our energy was low and we did something to change that-sleep, take a deep breathe, walk, shower, go outside, or have a coffee or other "energy" drink.

Those of us who've been around yoga, dance or other type of movement based practice know that moving your body also changes your energy. How much movement is good? What kind of movement will give me the energy I need? I've included a favorite asana practice that I use for helping my body remove toxins and renew energy. It has a lot of twists so pay close attention if you have issues in your spine. It is meant to be done in the morning or mid-day. It is definitely not an evening practice. I adapted this practice from one I found in Yoga Journal a while back. The Practice

What about me, I can't move? Is there a way for me to move my energy? Yes, you can move your energy with breath work (pranayama). Again, we look at what you need and then decide on the appropriate practice for you. When I find myself getting frustrated with my teenagers or driving, I take a few deep breathes in through my nose and out through your mouth making as much noise as the scene allows. It's usually all I need to help calm me down and stop me from saying or doing something I'll regret. 

My other favorite is consciously breathing in through the nose to the chest and then belly and out from the belly to chest and nose. Just focusing on your breathe will change your energy. There are other more detailed breathing processes you can do that I won't get into right now.

If  you live in Salt Lake City and are interested in learning more about practices that change and move energy, check out my Energy Workshop.