Why Tea is the Best All Natural Pre Workout Drink

"A true warrior, like tea, shows his strength in hot water." - Chinese Proverb

If we're working out, more than likely we care about our health in some regard, so why aren't we drinking healthy to reach our performance goals?

Everyone has those days where we finish up our day at work and all the errands that a weekday entails and end up feeling exhausted when it comes to our after-work workout. Whether it’s going for a run or dragging ourselves to the gym to lift weights or hit the cycle machine, after a long day we can feel so exhausted that any form of exercise feels like climbing Everest.

Fortunately, many of us can turn to pre workout supplements and energy drinks to give us that kick we need to push harder when we feel like we have nothing left to give.

Do you regularly swallow a couple of pre workout supplements? Or chug down a chemically formulated pre workout powder before heading to the gym?

Most pre-workout supplements and energy drinks promise us not the motivation and energy to get out workout done but the ability to enhance our physical activity by running faster, increasing cycling speed, lifting heavier weights, and just working out more efficiently in general.

We are told that store-bought pre-workout drinks are essential for increased strength, stamina, and energy levels while we exercise. Commercial pre workout supplements and drinks might be trendy and give you a quick high, nevertheless, they might be being doing you more harm than good.

Many commercial workout drinks are loaded with excessively high amounts of sweeteners and caffeine and contain harmful ingredients that can be addictive, and up your blood pressure and heart rate in a way that can cause a terrible crash, causing stomach pain, headaches, and even worse— diarrhea, dehydration, and insomnia.

You may already drink Red Bull or the latest sugar-loaded, chemically formulated, pre-workout powders to push yourself harder in the gym. But – spiking your caffeine and sugar intake might actually hinder your performance, both in the gym and after. Caffeine itself can actually be a great fat burner and energizer for your workouts, but how much is too much?

Dang it! That sounds awful, right?!

So, how does one find the energy to work out after a tiring day or give themselves a boost of workout efficiency without relying on these pre-workout drinks that are packed with harmful substances? Well, the answer is simple - rely on nature. 

Turns out nature has a much healthier option: tea!

WHY TEA IS THE BEST ALL NATURAL PRE WORKOUT DRINK

When you brew yourself a cup of tea, you feel a lot calmer as the world seems to slow down. However, tea doesn’t just help you chill, there is more to tea than relaxing to the sound of the kettle whistle.

Not only is tea and clean beverage choice - full of antioxidants, containing no calories, with a balanced caffeine content, and super hydrating - but green tea could also be the closest thing we have to a weight-loss elixir and may be able to increase exercise enhancement. Making tea and incredible natural pre workout solution.

While drinking a cup of tea every day is probably not going to single-handedly get you to drop a pant size, research suggests tea especially green tea may boost your weight loss (when paired with a sensible diet and physical activity, of course) and gym results.

Green tea has been shown to rev up your metabolism, regulate blood sugar, and increase fat loss. 

“Drinking tea can also fuel your workouts and act as an all-natural alternative to pre-workout, that’ll boost your hydration and prevent your muscles from tiring, as well as being tons healthier for your heart and nervous system.

Individuals who drink tea before their workouts have reported increased endurance, elevated mental focus, and had reduced aches and pains after exercise. To get the most out of your pre-workout tea, try drinking 1 - 2 cups 30 - 45 minutes before you hit the gym.” (1)

Drinking tea can fuel your workouts as an all natural alternative that’ll boost your hydration and prevent your muscles from tiring, as well as being tons healthier for your heart and nervous system. Individuals who drink tea prior to their workouts report increased endurance, elevated mental focus, and had reduced aches and pains after exercise.

To get the most out of your pre workout tea, try drinking 1 - 2 cups 30 - 45 minutes before you hit the gym.

Let’s take a deeper look at why tea makes an awesome natural pre workout drink:

WORKOUT LONGER AND HARDER

Drinking tea as a pre workout drink can help you see results faster by boosting your muscular contractions. The balanced caffeine levels in tea effectively increase the amount of fat used to power your workout and increase the time it takes your body to reach fatigue so you can exercise for longer.  One study in the American Journal of Physiology found tea to increase endurance by 8 to 24 percent!

HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE

As our muscle tissue contains over 75% water, making sure we’re hydrated is crucial for an intense workout session. Choosing to dehydrate ourselves by taking high dose caffeine tablets or energy drinks or not replenishing fluids throughout a workout can seriously affect our output.

Get optimum results by ensuring you drink tea before a workout to prolong our endurance and ensure our cells are hydrated in preparation for losing water as we sweat.

FEEL LESS ACHE

We can all relate to the pain we feel after lifting heavier weights in the gym. We’re stiff, achy, and less likely to workout for a few days after. Green tea is high in catechins which can help reduce muscle damage. To relieve the soreness and knots we feel in our muscles after a hard session, drink a cup of green tea pre and/or post-workout so you can get back to beasting it sooner than later.

INCREASE YOUR FAT BURN

Thanks to antioxidants called catechins, tea can help you shed more fat during exercise. Research published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2009 found individuals who drank green tea over 12 weeks, recorded more fat loss from around the abs and lost 2.4lbs more than those who didn’t consume tea.

TEA IS THE NATURAL PRE WORKOUT DRINK YOU'VE ALWAYS NEEDED

It's such a small step with huge nutritional value. Next time you're reaching for a pre-workout pick you up, avoid sugary drinks and over caffeination. Try brewing up some of your favorite tea, throw it in your water bottle with some ice and go crush your fitness goals.