The Art of Getting Healthy

I did something I told myself I wouldn’t do again.

I made myself a cup of green tea.

Every now and then, I get really motivated to better my health. I think, yes, let’s get healthy and stop doing things that are slowing your body down. Most of the time, my response to this is to start running and eating an apple once in a blue moon to make me feel better about myself (before having extra ice cream because hey, treat-yo-self).

But sometimes (about twice a year) my response to this is to drink green tea on top of the new-running-plan-and-eat-one-bloomin’-apple-thing.

So you know, the green tea never tastes good.

I think, yes, today will be the day my tastebuds approve of this bitter liquid. But they never do. They complain and I can never down more than three mouthfuls. It’s a real struggle, and I end up wasting fifty million green tea bags.

Let’s fast forward to today.

Today, I went for a run for the first time in…well, let’s not get into that. The length of time doesn’t matter (cue: nervous laughter).

What does matter here is the fact that I’ve started running again. (Who knows how long it’ll last though, what with stabbing-magpies-with-crazy-eyes and the sun-burning-my-pale-as-flesh season being here and all.) And after my run (in which I wasn’t attacked by sun nor magpies. The magpies must be in hiding, readying themselves for a big ambush, and the sun was setting. Take that! My skin will remain pale for another night.) I made myself a cup of green tea.

I know. I know. I had expectations of spitting it out and crying because of this bitter liquid that’s always way too hot because I can’t add milk.

But something was different.

I added some cold water. I let it steep for more than two seconds (which is my usual hurry-up-and-make-this-bloomin’-tea attitude.) before tasting it.

And I mean, I’m not going to say it was delicious or lifechanging or addictive, but I actually…tolerated it. It was almost, dare I say it, nice. I made my way through the whole mug without spitting it out or crying, and it was kind of, well, enjoyable. Enjoyable. Green tea. Enjoyable. I’m still in shock, really.

But I’m hoping this green tea inspiration isn’t merely a phase but a lifestyle choice that I’ll continue way into my fifties, when I have children who’ll be asking me all my health secrets. And I’ll tell them in a sneaky manner that they just have to make green tea the right way after having disliked it for years. Then they’ll understand. And I’ll happily be passing along the tea drinking genes.

Well. That’s all I really have to say on the matter. Have a good one, campers, and try some green tea. Who knows, it could change your life.

Sarah xx