Now that Winter is drawing nearer, that bikini bod which you spent all spring gyming and dieting for so you could rake in the like on an oh-so-sexy-in-that-Instagram-beach-photo is nothing more than a distant memory. The pressure is ever so slightly off to look you’re absolute best; I mean Christmas is the season to be jolly- jolly and cuddly right? However as much as we may enjoy the knowledge that no longer will bikini pics of us erupt on the internet nor will anybody else’s immaculate ones creep up to make us feel guilty for the time spent watching every episode of Game of Thrones (twice) instead of going to the gym. That’s 80 hours wasted, but I’m not counting. We do begin to realise that although we might not wanting to venture out into the rain to go the gym we would love something to help stave away that winter bloat.
For me I can think of nothing worse than sweating away at ASV, so imagine my delight when I discovered a tea that claims it will, “Assist with reducing weight, easing bloating, increasing digestion functionality, improving skin clarity, increasing energy levels and alleviate issues associated with food intolerances”. Sounds like the dream. The tea I’m talking about is called Tiny Tea, made by the brand Your Tea. And so I eagerly shelled out the £31.00 to get 84 teabags that would last me 1 month. Finally I would possess a year round beach body without lifting a finger – right?!
Two days after making this decision to start my ‘tea-tox’ a pretty little box arrived…
And I do have to say; the packaging looks super cute. Just holding it in your hands makes you feel like you’re making the right choice towards a sort of healthy/organic/spiritual lifestyle. It even has a little message on the box:
“Hello, how wonderful to meet you… By choosing to sip on my carefully concocted organic herbal blend, you’ve proved we have a common interest… your health. Now that we’ve bonded let me help you. I will cleanse and nourish your digestive system, allowing you to feel at your physical peak! Your body will thank you for introducing us as there would be nothing more fruitful than a lifelong partnership for you, your health and I. Let’s make these changes happen… start sipping!”
So without hesitation I did just that and started sipping away. And I really can’t lie about this; it tastes horrific! Now, I’m not a tea drinker – give me a hot chocolate instead any day – but this is ten times worse than any other tea I’ve ever tried. And that’s saying a lot because I genuinely hate tea. But still I persevered and half an hour after every meal I grimaced through gulping down another cup. Eventually another Her Campus writer, Laura Rennie, told me to try adding a slice of lemon to the concoction and finally it was drinkable – still revolting, but drinkable.
A couple weeks passed and I really was a changed woman. I even had a gym membership. With every sip I had a new sense of empowerment – I will go to the gym, I wont eat that chocolate bar, I will drink my disgusting tea after every meal. And the results? Well I guess I did feel slightly less bloated. Maybe. Perhaps. Although could I really put that down to the tea or was it just a placebo effect? Frankly I’m not sure.
What I am sure of however was that after two weeks had passed the effect had worn off. I soon realised that my £17 a month on a gym membership was a waste of money as I had stopped going. When I remembered to take the tea I really didn’t feel much better. I realised I could get exactly the same before and after results as other people doing the teatox by just sucking in my stomach a bit in photos.
Of all the things the tea claimed to do I honestly couldn’t tell you if it actually did any of them. But, at the beginning, it did make me feel like it was doing something. And because of that I wanted to enhance this health kick with gym and diet. I suppose if you have the determination to keep going, then this tea is an excellent kick-start to get moving in the right direction. Unfortunately for me though, I’m back to watching round 3 of Game of Thrones, and yes, I will be eating as many sweets as I can while I do it.