Building a healthy lifestyle and increasing your overall wellness can start with just a few small, simple changes. You don’t need to drastically overhaul your entire diet, or start working out two hours per day to get healthier. Doing that would take the fun out of your life!
The best changes that can take effect for the long-term are simple changes that are easier to make routine. But how long does it take to form a new habit, in diet or exercise for example? The long-standing adage was it takes only 21 days to form a new habit. But this was based on a 1960 book by a plastic surgeon, Maxwell Maltz, based solely on the time it took his patients to adjust to their new faces. The more accurate amount of time appears to be closer to two months, or 66 days on average, according to a more recent study done in 2012 on habits by Dr. Philippa Lally with the University College London. The more nuanced answer is that it all depends on how big of a change you are making to have the new habit stick. Obviously, for a plastic surgery patient to get used to their new face stuck to them 24 hours per day takes a lot less time than completely overhauling your diet or exercise routine!
Additionally, making any habit easier to stick takes frequency and consistency. According to Clearvuehealth.com, a data-driven health information website, the habit becomes easier to form over time, and doing something daily helps in forming a habit!
Source: Clearvuehealth.com
Two months or longer to form a new healthy habit may seem like a long time, but remember two things: first, time flies by fast; and second, you’ve got to start somewhere!
This is why I propose a simple challenge for you…a 30-day matcha challenge: thirty days of adding one serving of matcha green tea powder to your daily routine. Ideally, replace one of your daily caffeine beverages, such as coffee or soda, with an iced or hot matcha tea or hot matcha latte.
What is Matcha? Matcha is a type of green tea made from finely ground, high-quality tea leaves. It is known for its vibrant green color and is popular in Japanese culture. Matcha is rich in antioxidants, provides a sustained energy boost, and is often used in traditional tea ceremonies or as an ingredient in various culinary dishes, including desserts and beverages.
There are countless potential health benefits of consuming matcha regularly, but of course your individual results may vary. Generally, matcha provides these top three health benefits:
- High in Antioxidants: Matcha is rich in catechins, a type of antioxidant, which can help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals and support overall health.
- Enhanced Brain Function: Matcha contains L-theanine, an amino acid that can promote alertness and improve cognitive function while also inducing a sense of relaxation and calm.
- Metabolic Boost and Weight Management: Matcha may increase metabolism and help with weight management by promoting fat oxidation and calorie burning.
So you can see how adding some matcha into your daily routine can help improve your overall health and wellness.
Also, this is not to say lose your daily coffee that you love so dearly! I also love my coffee like most Americans. I have my morning coffee when I wake up, and then usually an afternoon iced coffee to get me through the remainder of the workday. Lately, I have been supplementing my afternoon iced coffee for an iced matcha latte. My flavor of choice is Ancient Roots Mango Matcha to give it a nice little fruit flavor. Give it a try, it’s delicious!
By adding one simple serving of matcha everyday for 30 days, you can experience how easy it is to make this a healthy habit, and begin contributing to your #healthylifestyle. Drop a comment and let me know how it works for you, and any recipe twist that makes your matcha routine that much easier to turn into a habit.