Colorado Heartcycle originally started in the 1970s with a group of cardiologists who were interested in what effects aggressive cycling at high altitude had on heart health. (Their findings were that it was not detrimental.) Over time, the group morphed into a nonprofit bicycling club that now offers supported tours around the country and even all over the world. Colorado Heartcycle guides over a dozen bike excursions each year, ranging from Fireworks of Fall on the Upper Hudson River to a Heart of Holland Bike & Barge tour and even a Mother, Daughter, Sister Tour with Love, Sweat & Gears, in the beautiful canyons and hot springs of Colorado.
Dr. Eugenia Miller, a cardiologist from Durango, Colorado, and a member of Heartcycle, offered her insights on the health benefits of exercise: “We know from lots of research over many years now that moderate regular exercise is very beneficial for heart health, hypertension and diabetes, both in terms of prevention and with respect to ameliorating pre-existing conditions. The American College of Sports Medicine and the American College of Cardiology have recognized that 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily, or more aggressive exercise for 75 minutes per week, is good for your health. It improves blood sugar and lipid levels, and has been found to reduce depression. Different exercise routines work best for different people. Some like to go to the gym, where they enjoy the social aspect and are inspired and encouraged by other people. There’s a benefit to working out with others—it can make it more enjoyable, and is especially helpful with maintaining consistency in your commitment to exercise.”
Heart disease outranks cancer as the number one killer of adults in the U.S. But you may be asking yourself, “What does cancer have to do with heart disease?” Hearts and tumors have a lot more in common than you might have ever guessed, and keeping your heart healthy can actually lower your risk of cancer. Cancer just hates that.
In a large-scale study of more than 6,000 men conducted at Duke University Medical Center, researchers found that those with heart disease had a 35 percent higher risk of prostate cancer. What’s more, the risk became higher over time. By four years into the study, this same group of men’s prostate cancer risk was 74 percent higher than for those with no evidence of coronary disease. Prostate cancer is the second-most deadly cancer for U.S. men behind lung cancer.
Another large scale study from the Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago determined that people who follow the American Heart Association’s (AHA) seven heart health guidelines have a 51 percent lower risk of developing cancer than people who don’t live by those guidelines. The study followed more than 13,000 healthy people’s habits over 13 years. The Simple 7 heart health metrics were tracked and participants were screened for any cancer that developed during that time. What they found was that the more of these seven habits people followed, the less likely they were to develop cancer. Follow one habit and cancer risk was down by 20 percent. Follow five habits and bring cancer risk down by 38 percent. People who followed six of the seven heart health guidelines had a 51 percent lower cancer risk than the participants who didn’t meet any of the steps. This research informs us that you can control your health.
Twenty years after the study began in 1987, researchers pulled hospital records and cancer registries and found that almost 22 percent of the participants had been diagnosed with lung, breast, prostate, colon or rectal cancer. And yes, those who had been diagnosed with cancer tended to follow fewer of the AHA’s Simple 7 behaviors than those who didn’t get the cancer diagnoses. Sure, we know that making smart lifestyle and diet choices are good for feeling better and living longer, but knowing that there’s a connection between heart and cancer risk factors is downright awesome. Making a few simple adjustments can go a long way. Get motivated, but don’t drive yourself crazy. Do a self-assessment (online at www.heart.org) and see which of the positive habits you already have down. For the habits you don’t, take steps to tackle them one at a time. Keeping your disdain for cancer going strong can help you get motivated to make some amazing changes!
The concept which I’ve adopted that makes me feel like I can keep a healthy routine going is the 80/20 rule, which allows me to not beat myself up for eating or drinking bad things from time to time. It’s totally changed my relationship with food. No more feelings of failure or despair, which are just plain toxic. The 80/20 lifestyle lets you take a break from being good 20 percent of the time. I just focus on the 80 percent, and the 20 percent takes care of itself. It’s for those times when you’re either traveling and eating out, or sharing food with friends or you just plain want an amazing dessert that might not be at the top of your healthy indulgences list. That’s cool, as long as you allow yourself those splurges to happen only 20 percent of the time. For me, this works to help make healthy totally doable.
Here are the seven ways you can show your heart you care. And just so you know … a healthy heart loves to flip cancer the bird.
1. Just get off your butt.
Do 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least five times a week. Or just be nice and take the dog for a walk when you get home from work. Sip on some tea 30 minutes before you head off to boost your burn.
2. Blast your belly.
About two-thirds of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Excess fat, especially around the mid-section, is a health risk, so work on getting to and keeping a healthy weight. Hate crunches? Do some squats and planks. Re-hydrate with tea.
3. Eat smart.
A diet high in whole-grain fiber, lean proteins, colorful fruits and vegetables (and teas!) and low in saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, sodium and added sugars can greatly improve your health.
4. Ditch the soda pop and the sweet latte.
Keep safe blood sugar levels. Steep some tea instead and drink it straight.
5. Manage your cholesterol.
When you have too much low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, plaque can form in your arteries and veins. This is bad news for your heart. Make sure you know where you stand. Green tea can help.
6. Chill out.
Keep blood pressure down. High blood pressure is the most significant risk for heart disease. Hibiscus herbal tea can help.
7. Don’t smoke.
Period. Do whatever it takes. Make tea your habit.
Heart disease is mean. It claims one in every four adult deaths in the U.S. today. Cancer prevention aside, that fact alone makes it a very good idea to love and nurture your own heart to the max.
When you order tea in Paris, people assume that you’re either trying to prove something (snob factor), or else that you have a medical problem (can’t drink café). In my opinion, the French are quick to jump to assumptions, so you should view this reaction with some amusement. There are some pretty spectacular tea establishments in Paris that are snazzier than those romantic, cliché sidewalk cafés on every block. Anything the French set out to make chic, they make very, very chic. Just naturally. It’s their damn way. Tea and over-the-top pastries are pretty devilishly fantastic in the city of lights, where culinary endeavors are taken most seriously. It shows in the tea. It’s hard to get trash tea in Paris. This may be the only place in the world outside Asia where that’s the case. It’s ironic, in fact, that just across the English Channel the per capita consumption is so much higher, but the average quality is often mediocre. The French have made their tea their own. It’s a little like a perfume shop, but it’s quality teas. These will cater to your inner tea aficionado. If you’re not OK with scented teas, you can still find your way to some great stuff. But I love to indulge in what the hottest local tea trends are. And guess what? You can just go on and pretend that pastry can’t touch you when you’re eating it in Paris. This country has the lowest incidence of heart disease in the world. P.S. Don’t forget the red wine and dark chocolate with dinner, while you watch the Eiffel Tower twinkling …
One of the many badass tea benefits uncovered by modern medical research is that high tea consumption leads to a healthier heart. I repeat: The very same teas you’re drinking to tell cancer off make for a healthy heart.
The Seven Countries Study compared diet and lifestyle between seven contrasting countries and cultures for over half a century. The evidence showed that cardiovascular disease was preventable. After decades of follow-up, the study found that populations with higher than average flavonoid intake showed lower rates of heart disease. Elderly men who drank more than 4 cups (960 ml) of tea per day had a 60 percent lower risk of fatal coronary heart disease than those who drank less than 2 cups (480 ml) of per day. Middle-aged men who drank on average at least 5 cups (1.2 L) of tea per day had a 3 times lower stroke incidence than those who drank less than 2.5 cups (600 ml) per day. Now that’ll get you drinking! Side note: The Seven Countries Study wasn’t being sexist just for kicks—when they began their research in the 1950s, few women were dying of heart disease.
For some people, simply limiting cholesterol intake doesn’t always significantly lower their blood cholesterol level. Green tea has been shown to help decrease cholesterol levels. In addition, research has shown that the free radical busting antioxidants in green tea may help prevent atherosclerosis, and in particular coronary artery disease. Researchers found that green tea can rapidly improve blood vessel function. Subjects experienced significant widening of their arteries in just 30 minutes after drinking the tea. Start steeping early in the day and sip often. You want to maintain the level of antioxidants in your bloodstream. Timing is everything.
Drinking black tea daily could also help you keep heart disease away. Research has shown that black tea can improve vascular function in healthy individuals. Those improved effects are noticeable with just 1 cup (240 ml) per day and further improve by increasing the number of cups of tea consumed daily (the study tested up to 4 cups [960 ml] of black tea/day). The mix of polyphenol antioxidants and other compounds in black tea have their own unique heart-health benefits. One thing to keep in mind with black tea is that it has about two to three times the caffeine content of green tea. At about 40 to 60 mg of caffeine per serving, 5 cups (1.2 L) of black tea starts to add up. Remember that 300 mg/day is the caffeine threshold you want to watch out for. The side effects of consuming too much caffeine could actually end up doing your heart more harm than good.
Black tea is what most of the world (outside of China and Japan) drinks. It’s what’s in the fancy teacups of English royalty and Downton Abbey folk, as well as what you get in a glass of Southern sweet tea. One of the most recognizable teas to North American consumers is the spicy chai blend, prepared with milk. There are hundreds of varieties of black teas grown in more than 30 countries around the world. All tea types are available in a range of qualities from dusty machine-made bits to hand-picked whole leaf grade. Most black teas are harvested several times throughout the year. The Chinese refer to our black tea as red tea (Hong Cha) for the burgundy-red color of the infusion.
Green tea is the preferred tea in China while most black teas produced in China are geared for export. It’s the Western world that actually got this tea on the map. In the early days of tea trade via caravan and ocean transport from China to Europe, green teas lost much of their quality of flavor and appearance along the way. So Chinese tea growers intentionally withered the tea leaves during processing, so they would be less likely to fade during the voyage west. The picked leaves were first let to wither naturally, before they were hand-twisted, rolled and broken, then exposed to air some more and finally completely dried out in heated woks. The end product was a darker twist on the classic Chinese green teas. Allowing the tea leaves to oxidize and turn black made freshness less of a factor and gave it a longer shelf life.
Chinese black tea leaves have been flavored since around the time the Ming Dynasty was founded in 1368, and have become wildly popular in America and Europe in recent decades. The addition of natural essences and flavors creates an exciting sensual and gastronomic experience, as both the tea and the scent are often enhanced in the mingling of the two. Tea can be flavored by adding fruits, floral essences and flavorings to the finished tea leaves. All tea leaves are very absorbent of fragrances. Popular scented black teas include Earl Grey, which is blended with bergamot; lapsang souchong, which is fragranced with pine wood smoke; rose tea, caramel tea and various fruit-flavored black teas.
India is the second largest tea exporter in the world. Like China, most of its tea production is consumed domestically. Although the same varietal of tea plant that makes the bold black teas in Southwestern China is indigenous to Northwestern India, tea was not a big part of the Indian diet until the British began producing tea there in the mid 19th century. The Indian palate was not satisfied by the British thin, sugared beverage, however. But by drawing from their own cultural pantry they created the tea drink that we know as chai. Every housewife and chaiwallah has his or her own recipe for what they call masala chai, or spice tea. Traditional Indian chai is a spicy, strong fragrant tea made on a strong black tea base simmered with ginger root, cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, peppercorns and cloves.
Hibiscus
As a naturally caffeine-free herbal, hibiscus is a great way to stay healthfully hydrated any time of day. It offers a natural source of vitamin C and its own heap of antioxidants to give your immune system a boost, and it may be a heart-healthy dietary addition. Medical research shows that it’s promising in treating high blood pressure and possibly, high cholesterol. Researchers found that six weeks of drinking hibiscus herbal tea each day could lower blood pressure in mildly hypertensive adults.
Hibiscus is the most common ingredient in herbal tea blends sold in the U.S. Grown throughout the tropics and subtropics of the world, hibiscus is a cooling and soothing floral which turns into a vibrant red infusion when brewed. Hibiscus tea tastes great cold-brewed. Mouthwatering, smooth and refreshing, it is ready to drink in less than ten minutes. Brewed hot, the taste of hibiscus flower petals is tart and exotic and reminiscent of fresh cranberries. This is a beautiful and refreshing herbal, and is a great choice for healthy hydration year-round.
My affair with pu-erh began with my very first sip at the Rocky Mountain Tea Festival here in Boulder, Colorado, about 15 years ago. It was love at first sip! To me, this was the most luxurious hot beverage I’d ever tasted: earthy, bold, robust and smooth, like curling up under an exotic and comfortable blanket. But most of the other seminar participants, including my then-teenage girls, were not in agreement. One of my daughters spat it out into Boulder Creek and said, “I could find everything you need to make this tea right in my own backyard compost pile.” It was surprising to me that not everyone was falling for these infusions at the corner of drinkable and thinkable, made from tea cakes with names such as Camel’s Breath.
What makes pu-erh so peculiar and unique is that it’s processed in such a way that the oxidation doesn’t completely stop after the leaves are dried. With this continued microbial fermentation going on, pu-erh tea ages more dynamically than any other tea type. The resulting aged tea is mellow and has a sweet taste and silky mouth-coat. Pu-erh teas are often classified by their year and region of production, much like wine vintages. The rarest pu-erh teas are made with tea leaves that are hand-harvested from wild and semi-wild antique tea trees (100 years and older). They continue to gain value with aging, and have been touted in the press as an investment tea. On an early tea-buying trip to China, I saw Japanese businessmen picking up pu-erh tea cakes from their personal tea lockers at a high-end purveyor’s shop, like they were retrieving jewels from a safe deposit box. Compared with other teas, pu-erh has an almost cult-like following among tea lovers, and some people consider it a sacred relic of ancient tea cultures and traditions.
Only in recent years has good-quality pu-erh made its way into U.S. teahouses and retail shops. I drink organic loose leaf pu-erh, and the mini-bricks (tuochas) that are my travel teas of choice. There are also some excellent breakfast tea blends based on pu-erh. For special occasions, I’ll bust out one of my well-hidden larger pu-erh bricks and chip away at it for guests. It always becomes the talk of the party.
By the way, the daughter who spat out her first sip of pu-erh into Boulder Creek at that seminar at the Dushanbe Teahouse now can’t go a day without it. So if you haven’t yet, next time you’re in an adventurous mood, give pu-erh tea a try. Even if you don’t fall for it at first sip, it just might develop into a healthy habit over time.
Pu-erh Tea
All pu-erh (POO-air) tea is made with sun-dried broad tea leaves from the Southern province of Yunnan, China, where the tea-growing season can last as long as eight or nine months each year. Pu-erh tea can be aged for many years. Because it continues to oxidize as it ages, Pu-erh can evolve and improve with age like a fine wine. It’s often presented as a black tea, perhaps because of its dark red liquor, but it is in fact its own unique tea type. Pu-erh is higher in caffeine than black tea, yielding about 60 mg per 8-ounce (240-ml) serving. In both its fully oxidized and aged forms, it undergoes secondary oxidization caused by organisms that continue to develop in the tea, giving it strong antibacterial qualities (like blue cheese). The older the pu-erh, the more pricey it can be. Pu-erh tea comes in many different forms—from loose smaller-leaf tea, to large-leaf tea, larger tea bricks and tiny (coin-size) tea cakes.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, pu-erh tea has body-warming and potent digestive properties. Pu-erh is often consumed as a tea that dispels or cleanses the body of fat and toxins from meat and oily foods. Many people in Asia, where it is consumed as a detox tea, feel that pu-erh is the best cure for a hangover. In France, pu-erh is also widely popular and consumed by many women as a beauty and dieting tea. People go crazy for pu-erh tea as a weight loss solution in the U.S. because it’s been shown to help enhance fat metabolism. It’s this fat metabolizing mechanism that makes it a heart-healthy tea. Pu-erh tea bonds to cholesterol, retarding its absorption as it goes through the digestive tract, so the body doesn’t absorb the fat and the arteries and veins are kept clean.
Bulletproof Coffee and Bulletproof Tea are touted by fitness gurus and followers of Paleo diets to both satisfy and energize. These power drinks are rooted in traditional Tibetan butter tea, or po cha, a rich, brothy brew made from pu-erh, salt and yak butter. Butter tea has been a staple throughout many regions of the Himalayas for over a thousand years, where it’s drunk throughout the day for its warming and energy-rich character. It helps provide sustenance for everyday living in the harsh, cold and arid conditions at high altitude. Many Westerners have been exposed to this tradition while traveling to Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and India.
If you want to try this intriguing concoction without the expense of traveling halfway around the globe, you can simply use a few substitutions to make it yourself. Since it’s likely impossible to find freshly churned yak butter at your local market, you can substitute organic butter from grassfed cows and virgin coconut oil, to give it the right consistency (and a lovely coconut aroma). Instead of using a traditional tall wooden churn, called a cha dong, to mix up your brew, a basic blender does a great job in a fraction of the time and is often what’s used to make the drink today in Tibet. This is a modern rendition of butter tea you can make at home.
Modern Butter Tea
Yields one serving
1 cup (240 ml) strongly brewed pu-erh tea, or pu-erh tea blend (5 minute steep)
1 tsp (5 g) organic unsalted butter
1 tbsp (15 g) organic virgin coconut oil
A touch of honey (optional)
Put all the ingredients in a blender. Mix on high for one minute until frothy. (Use caution when opening the hot blender.)
