A Tea for Change

a press-pot full of tea is good motivation!

Ok, you guys. I’ve been eating WAY too much sugar lately, and it’s time to reign that in. So this morning I woke up, made a good breakfast heavy on the protein and good fats, plus an apple – cause you know what they say about an apple a day…

And I made myself a press-pot of tea! I’m feeling so motivated to take care of myself AND get some good work done today, and this tea is going to help me stay focused on those goals!

First off, if you want to incorporate herbal tea into your life, there’s no easier way than getting a press-pot. With the same amount of effort it takes to make one cup of tea, you make yourself an entire almost two liters of tea. Now *that’s* drinking tea! Even better – it’ll still be hot tomorrow morning, if you don’t drink it all today!

The base for today’s tea is re-made Rishi Ginger Turmeric tea – I’d bought the tin quite some time ago and I just keep refilling it with things vaguely similar to what was originally in the tin. The current incarnation is:

my version of the Ginger Turmeric tea

Turmeric
Ginger
Rose Hips
Goji Berries
Lemon Balm
Lemongrass
St. John’s Wort
Schizandra
Orange Peel

It’s delicious and citrusy, and I usually toss a half a lemon or if I’m lucky, a teeny-tiny sour orange from our teeny-tiny indoor orange tree that was a gift to Amber from her grandmother when she was one. It bears large gumball sized oranges fairly regularly, and they’re delicious in tea!

This blend is anti-inflammatory, has lots of vitamin C, and is beneficial to the liver – all things I definitely need after a few days of carb and sugar feasting.

But in order to really fuel my resistance, today I also added Gymnema, which helps improve insulin sensitivity and curb sugar cravings, as well as some Gynostemma – an adaptogen whose flavor I generally don’t appreciate but the strong flavors of Ginger and Turmeric cover it nicely. Gynostemma is one of Ryn’s favorite herbs when he’s very physically active, and since I’ve resolved to renew my exercising commitment today, I added it in to support that goal!

On my movement menu for today is some of the GMB Elements program, as well as some very active house cleaning and, if I work quickly, also taking the dog out for a round of frisbee! If I intersperse those things through my day of lots of laptop work, I’ll be able to avoid having a big block of sedentary mental activity: bonus!

my improvised standing desk while i wrote this blog post in the kitchen – while listening to Ani DiFranco and dancing the parts of me that weren’t required for typing!

How can a cup of tea keep you focused on your goals?

Well first off, I chose a tea that will help my body repair some of the damage my recent sugar binge did – goal one, check! But secondly, every time I pour myself a cup, I am remembering the intention that I set for myself today. When I start to feel stuck or slumpy, I can get up, get a cup of tea, and re-invigorate my comittment to my goals! And finally, this tea has a very vibrant flavor, which can help me feel less like I need to snack on something – the tea is supplying deliciousness already!

You can order all of these herbs at Mountain Rose Herbs or Starwest Botanicals, or if you’re in a hurry, just go get a tin of the Rishi version from the grocery store. Then commit to the goals that YOU want to get done today and let the tea help you get there!