The Fall Drink that Helps You Keep Your Summer Body.

Tis the time of year when we start to notice a shift in the types of beverages we consume.  Instead of reaching ice cold water, our cravings are leaning towards warmer, more festive drinks.

Last fall, I really got into drinking a lot of tea.  I also developed a love for warm matcha lattes.  There's a slew of benefits associated with drinking matcha tea but I recently learned of another benefit that might convince me to become a daily matcha drinker.
Matcha is an ultra potent form of green tea.  Some say that consuming just one cup of matcha tea is like drinking 10 cups of green tea. I vividly recall drinking a cup of matcha every morning at the start of my day and feeling a rush of energy that would last most of the day.  Little did I know that I was enjoying the effects of the caffeine.  But the caffeine in matcha is slowly slow released in the body over time so it doesn't give you jitters nor does it come with a crash.  Matcha also contains compounds that activate alpha brain waves while helping to promote increased focus and concentration.

I noticed that whenever I consumed a cup of matcha, I seemed to be a better mood.

 If that wasn't enough, I recently discovered a new study that demonstrates how matcha could be a valuable ally in your weight management strategy.  Some of you may know that green tea has some positive effects on maintaining a healthy body weight.  What if I told you that matcha could help you take things to the next level?

According to a recent study, a matcha beverage might be the perfect pre-workout fat burning drink.  The study involved 13 women who were asked to take 30 minute brisks walks on the treadmill.  Some of the women were given a placebo drink prior to the session.  The other women were asked to drink several cups of matcha the day before.  They were then given an additional matcha drink just 2 hours before the workout.

Researchers found that no difference in the number of calories burned between the placebo group and the matcha drinkers.  What was interesting is the type of fuel the women used during the workout.  The matcha exercise group seemed to burn more fat than the control group.

To fully realize the magnitude of this outcome, we must understand how the body burns fuel.  Typically, when we workout, we're using glycogen as fuel.  Glycogen is stored in the muscle & liver and is released when the body is engaged in physical activity.  We don't usually start burning fat until ALL of our glycogen stores are depleted (about 90 minutes of endurance activity).  But, somehow, the ladies who consumed matcha were able to bypass the laws of nature and start the fat burning process a little earlier.

Why did this happen?

 Maybe because of matcha's high levels of catechins.

Catechins have the ability to actually boost the body's thermogenesis (the process of burning calories to produce heat) from 8-10% to over 35%.

Based on what we know of the study, regular matcha drinkers can benefit from this the most.  So if you're currently on a weight loss journey, perhaps matcha can give you a slight edge.  If you trade out your snacks for low-calorie matcha drinks, you could have a direct impact on your fat burning during workouts.

Typical matcha drinks served at Starbucks and other coffee shops taste amazing but contain lots of sugar.  I decided to get my taste buds accustomed to the unsweetened version and, so far, so good.  I picked up this nifty electric whisk to blend matcha powder with almond milk in seconds.  I'm definitely going to incorporate matcha into my routine as a pre-workout drink.