One of the reasons was the new Senseo coffee pads machine we’ve got as a gift which is so practical and easy to use. With a click of a button it makes superb coffee in less than a minute! It was so good and easy that I became lazy to make my daily tea and drank 3-4 cups of Espresso a day instead. Thanks to Heavens I saw this wonderful documentary about the green tea the other day, which made me switch back to tea almost overnight. Why?

Cancer risk reduction

While the results of studies on whether green tea has an effect on cancer prevention are conflicting, it is proven that (1) antioxidants lower the body’s inflammations, which are considered to be one of the reasons for some cancer types, and (2) green tea has a micro-element which is proven to kill indirectly the cancer cell (by inhibiting the protein that makes the cancer cells live longer).

If you smoke or have an irregular diet…

Then green tea should be your best friend! Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the “French Paradox.” For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG (contained in Green Tea) is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.

Good for teeth?

In a recent study it is said that  Green Tea may make your teeth healthier through it’s bacteria-destroying abilities: by killing the bacteria responsible for dental plaque.

If you don’t like how it tastes, just add some drops of natural sweetener (Stevia, for example. Do NOT use sugar – the white death of the modern world!). Put a bottle of sweetened green tea into the fridge and take it with you to the next workout. Add mint to make it ever more refreshing! Preparation varieties are limitless. Sky’s the limit. And once you learn to love and value green tea, you will not get enough of it!

The interesting fact is that the antibiotic was administered to adult/old mice, so that you do not have to take the antibiotic from a small age!!

Until the tests are confirmed and the new medicament elaborated into a longevity-pill several years will pass, for sure. Until then, the four keys to longevity stay the same:

1. no smoking
2. daily vaggies and fruits intake
3. healthy weight/height ratio and
4. at least 3 hours of sports weekly

Live long!

From my point of view that’s exactly the problem with big meals. After eating hundreds of fat, carb and protein calories, your body’s “warehouses” (your fat) will be filled even more because these calories have not been used for anything productive while you are resting after the big meal. That’s why it is far better to eat 5, 6, 7 tiny meals a day because (1) you will burn those calories straight off and (2) you will be more energized and productive throughout the day without those huge energy drops.

By eating 7 small meals you could even eat 20-30% more calories a day without getting fatter. A rule of thumb to calculate a small meal is that after eating a small meal you still feel just a bit hungry. This tiny hunger is like a primate trigger (to search for food) that will keep you going throughout the day.

Less is sometimes more. Think about it and don’t fall asleep!

Now, you don’t need to get locked up to do this workout. It works just fine when you don’t have any cash to spend on expensive (and worthless) equipment and gym memberships or you are on a business trip in an hotel room and need your dose of hardcore workout to get the day started.

This is a wonderful addition to our non-equipment workout routine and get fit at home posts.

View this workout

1. Acknowledge the rule of least resistance.
By default, your subconscious-mind, the ruler of your body, is a lazy entity. It follows a simple universal rule that is found in chemistry, physics and other natural phenomena: the path of least resistance. That is, your sub-mind will seek the path of least energy. If it can avoid doing something, you bet it will. It won’t get off its ass in the morning to go jogging. No. It has to be trained over a very long period of time (to build an habit), but until then you must make it do what you will.

2. Ignore your inner dialogue.
Now this one is very important. We all had those inner dialogues when you know you have to do something like to go running in the morning and start looking for excuses: “It’s cold outside you’ll get sick”, “You look awful when running, what will the people say”, “I am too tired today, I went to sleep very late last night. If I go now, I’ll be very tired all day.”, etc., etc., etc. In most cases (like 99%) these statements are false excuses. Even if your inner self was right 1% and you DO get cold after running: the positive build-up of your will is far more valauble than having cold for a day or two.

I have found a solution that works for me like a charm: I just ignore these dialogues. You cannot stop them: at least, in the beginning (when you build an habit they will disappear gradually. But YOU CAN ignore them). Just listen to your inner whining while starting what you have set to do. Mostly, the dialogue will disappear within the first 5 minutes as your sub-conscious realizes that you are un-bribable and cannot be talked out of your goal. This is really amazing. Who would have thought that you are NOT in control of your own body, by default. You have to take the control by power. Power of will by ignoring excuses.

3. Set goals and make them public.
The Runner’s Magazine suggests signing up for a competition regularly and making it public (among your family and friends). It doesn’t matter whether it’s a small or big one. This will kill two rabbits with one stone: First, you will be more motivated to go out and train since you have a definite goal and date to train for. Secondly, your submind will be more cooperative because it does care whothers will say should you flunk the competition after promising (publicly) to participate.

Don’t let anyone, incluiding your inner self, to talk you out of your goals!