Quick Guide: Tea for Heart Health

February— the month of hearts!

For us, that means getting a little cardiovascular.

I’ve written about heart health and tea before, but there’s a lot of information out there, and in order to save you from getting lost in the endless abyss of Google searching, I hope to condense all my previous writings here for your easy perusal. (Don’t worry, you’ll still get links to the full articles if you’re extra interested in learning the nuts and bolts of how your body works!)

What's So Important?

But first: why write about tea in the context of heart health, at all?

Well, as a trainer, one of the first things I’m usually asked by a client is how to a) start doing cardiovascular exercise, b) get in more of said cardiovascular exercise, or c) how to take care of their heart so that they can benefit even more from doing a) or b).*

That’s why I started off a couple of years ago on TeaMuse by writing a series on ways to fit tea into a healthy lifestyle, using different forms of exercise and nutrition to support it— and you can bet that cardio was one of the first articles that hit the feed!

The Tea For Cardio article covers how to comfortably and safely get into the habit of incorporating cardiovascular practice into your daily life, and offers some handy anti-inflammatory teas as incentive and sweet support for your cells and nervous system.

But in the spirit of the new year— and not to mention a whole bunch of exciting blends from Adagio— I’d like to add a few more stellar cardio-worthy sips to add to your pre- or post-workout collection!

The Recommendations

Try out https://www.adagio.com/herbal/berry_blast.html">Berry Blast, so that the sweet tooth can finally enjoy a guilt-free almost-Gatorade; Samurai Mate, seeing as yerba mate’s protective effect on the cardiovascular system is heavily supported by science; and dive into Arabica Lemon Turmeric for a unique twist on the popular turmeric latte flavor profile!

That being said, I know that once you start looking at all the different options to help out your exercise process, it can get overwhelming. That’s why I put together How To “Heart” Tea, to hopefully streamline the process and help you narrow down what really makes your heart sing.

Once you have an idea and a trajectory, then definitely take all that self-knowledge gold and apply it to other past writings on tea and fitness. Because if you have a solid cardio base, then you’ll soon find that it goes hand in hand with https://www.teamuse.com/article_200101.html resistance training and the all-important rest and recovery process!

(Speaking of rest and recovery, have you tried Buddha’s Dream? It’s one of my favorites, especially since white tea is continuously studied and proven to have ever-increasing health benefits! But if you’d rather avoid caffeine, then go for the Honeybush Wild Berry or February's limited edition Cupid's Cup instead. Still full of antioxidants!)

Don't Forget Electrolytes

Lastly, I have to drop a link back to my article on electrolytes in tea— you have no idea how important these are, even when you’re not thinking about sweating! The cold February weather is sure to dry out even the most hydration-conscious individual, so you have to be aware of replenishing the valuable vitamins and minerals that might get lost in the process. That’s not just taking care of your heart; you’ll be taking care of your organs and nervous system, too.

Additional electrolyte recommendations from Adagio are Watermelon Cooler, Blood Orange (I will never not recommend this one), and Elderberry Wine— even if the Monty Python reference goes over your head.

There you go! Hope that your healthy new year takes heart in the new knowledge.

Cheers!

Natasha Nesic NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach, Founder of Work Life Fitness

*I’m also asked most often: what’s the best form of cardio? The answer here isn’t found on Google: it’s the one you’ll do longest, happiest, and with the most conviction to continue improving at it. For some folks that means walking, for some it’s swimming, for some it’s sweating it out on an indoor bike. As long as it makes you feel joyful and grateful to be alive, then that’s what matters! Now that you know how to take care of you heart through tea, you can feel totally safe getting your heart rate up through whatever form of movement or breathing you feel fits you best. That’s right: it’s not about fitting yourself into fitness, it’s about finding the fitness that fits into who you are, and who you want to become moving forward.