Can tea help you be healthy? Yes!

So pour yourself a cup and read on to learn the possible benefits of drinking tea...

Whenever you are in desperate need of energy and looking to stay awake, what do you reach for: coffee or tea? For me, it's both. I love coffee but I've never been one to brew an excellent cup of coffee; so unless I'm willing to spend three dollars on a latte or have the time to sip an espresso, I reach for tea.

Did you know that tea can do more than just warm us up on a chilly day? Tea, especially green tea is full of antioxidant polyphenols called catechins. These catechins are what scientists and researchers have linked to anti-cancer activity. I'm not saying tea can cure but if the antioxidants in tea can help fight free radicals then why not give it a swig?!

Many people also say that tea can help with weightloss. Whether that is true or not I think the simple act of replacing fatty snacks with tea can definitely help that particular statement to be true!

Want to know more about how tea can help us on the road to lasting health? Check out Huffington Post's, Tea Health Benefits: 8 Ways It Could Benefit Our Bodies and Time's 13 Reasons Tea is Good for You.

I'm off to give my tea bag his great moment of glory and brew a mug of chai (made from black tea, which is supposedly good for the lungs and reduce the risk of stroke).

Image source: Twinings Tea UK, Facebook Timeline

There are more ways than one to enjoy green tea!

PGX checks out new ways to enjoy green tea...

I'm sure by now you've heard about the health benefits of green tea: antioxidant power, cancer cell inhibitor, headache aid, weight loss benefits, harmful bacteria-killing properties... To sum it all up, green tea is good for you. But what if you don't like the flavour? What if you aren't really a tea drinker?

Here is a useful slideshow for those of us who aren't fans of steeping leaves in our water. Shape Magazine shares 20 New Ways to Enjoy Green Tea.

Reap the benefits of green tea and cook with this super antioxidant power! And don't forget to get your daily fiber!

Image source: Green Tea Benefits

It's PGX Quiz Time!

How well do you know your fiber?

There's a lot to know about dietary fibre and it comes in more forms than just bran! Do you know what foods are good sources of dietary fibre? Do you know how much you should eat each day?

Test your fibre knowledge with the Vancouver Sun's Nutrition Quiz: Fibre!

Image source: diabetescenter.blogspot.com

PGX is a big fan of Gwyneth Paltrow's healthy lifestyle and newsletter, GOOP!

Check out Gwyneth's healthy recipes for a vegan lunch!

The other day I went to a vegan/vegetarian restaurant with a friend and enjoyed one of the most delicious and surprisingly hearty meals! I had just done three hours of exercise (not the norm for me, I admit) and I felt like continueing the health streak. Now don't get me wrong, I love meat and probably can't live without it for very long. If you are like me, you may be surprised at how fabulous some vegetarian dishes can be.

Gwyneth Paltrow has shared a delicious vegan lunch on her newsletter, GOOP, and it really does look refreshing! Featured are a sandwich, which she says, "impresses even the most dedicated carnivores"; a crunchy "un-caesar" salad; a recipe for home-made rosemary and thyme croutons; and an agave-sweetened lemonade to wash it all down!

Sounds healthy and tempting, right? Visit Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP newsletter, Vegan Lunch, for the all these recipes!

Enjoy!

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Image source: GOOP

Time to get on the exercise train! But how and where do you start?

We've got some ideas to help you get into your personal health groove...

Elephants are cute, but they tend to become less endearing if you feel a little bit like one! A few days ago, my aunt sent me a photo from last summer. As I looked at it I thought, "Do my eyes deceive me, or was my face thinner then?!" True my vanity kicked in a little but it at least got me contemplating exercise. Then another old photo popped up among my papers and it has pushed me into the "take action now" mode!

The biggest challenge we have to wrap our heads around is beginning. The secret to maintaining a healthier lifestyle is just getting started! So what can we do to make this seemingly gigantic leap into the little step it is?

Make exercise and your health a priority. In such a fast paced society, making that mental shift in favour of health is a little step that can work wonders!

Visualize success. Here's another mental exercise that will work wonders to motivate you.

Get support. Who says you have to make this change on your own?! Whip out your smart phone apps, talk to a professional (trainers, instructors, nutritionists, etc). Need a personal cheer squad? Get your friends in the loop!

Pick activities that you enjoy. Chances are that if you like what you are doing, you will do it. Make exercising and movement enjoyable and it won't seem as impossible to continue. Working out doesn't always mean chugging along on a treadmill. Dance, hula hoop, swim, play ultimate frisbee, swing from the monkey bars... the possibilities are endless.

These are just few tips to making that first step back into an exercise routine easier. But my biggest tip of them all? Don't procrastinate! In the end, procrastination seems to be what really delays the exercise train (and I know this from personal experience!).

Good health to you all!

Image source and more tips at: "With exercise, the trick is just getting started," Julie Deardorff, The Chicago Tribune