There has been a debate on whether we should drink tea after workouts. Many people believe that drinking tea helps supply water and enhance fat burning. However, scientists has pointed out that improper dinking habits may lead to problems.
One of the essential chemicals in tea is caffeine. Caffeine sharpens the brain, improves blood flow and stimulates heart motions. However, after workouts the human body loses a lot of water, and drinking liquids containing caffeine might result in dehydration, causing people to feel dizzy and more tired. During workouts, the heart has born a lot of pressure and it takes 20 to 30 minutes to cool down the then entire body. Having caffeine right afterwards may increase the heartbeat and blood circulation too intensely so it is recommended to avoid taking caffeine-contained drinks including tea right after workouts.
It’s not clear through what way caffeine found in tea helps boost the energy. Some scientists assumed that some substances in the healthy brew make fat more available as fuel, so you oxidize more of it when you exercise. Researchers have conducted a lab test, and concluded that the combination of green tea and regular exercise boosts fat-burning in mice, but it doesn’t seem to matter when the tea is consumed. Drinking any type of caffeine before a workout, however, may give you the energy to go longer, thus increasing the burn.
Whether you work out or not, drinking green tea may provide a slight boost to your metabolism, the processes by which your body turns food into energy. A slower metabolism can cause you to put on excess weight. Both the catechins and the caffeine in green tea have metabolism-boosting effects — caffeine promotes fat-burning by increasing thermogenesis, or heat production, and catechins seem to boost fat oxidation. However, due to the above-mentioned reasons related to heart rates, people should avoid drinking tea after workouts and instead do so beforehand.
If you really want to have a cup of tea after workouts, drinking a cup of milk tea 30 minutes after meals is ok, as milk can provide protein for muscle building and tea helps release body aches. Note, to supply water and vitamins, grean tea is a better idea, and to relieve heat in the body and cool down easily, black tea works better.