I was having a twitter chat with socialbuzzAUS and mddtactics about New Year’s Resolutions which reminded me of an article I wrote last year.  This year however I decided that rather than make resolutions, I was going to set some goals instead.  I remember taking out the fitness DVDs in London last year, placing them in view just below the television, had a couple of attempts at following the routines and then gradually the excuses increased whilst the fitness sessions simultaneously decreased.

This year, I took the DVD’s out early rather than wait for New Year. I decided I was going to get up early (as I believe most Aussies do), pop my gym kit on, insert the DVD and start on the fitness routine straight away (starting with a warm up session of course!) What was different this year was that I was determined to incorporate even more tea into my routine.  Tea? Yes: tea and this is how I do it:

1. Before inserting the DVD, I made my tea at a much lower temperature than normal. Oolong teas can normally stand temperatures of 90oC (194oF), but I brewed it at 50oC (122oF) so that I could drink it without burning my tongue.  It takes a little longer for the flavours to be drawn out of the tea which gave me enough time to work on the first routine. Any excess water from the kettle, I would pour into a flask (a familiar sight in Chinese households).

2. After the first session, I’d dash over to my teapot, pour the tea, take a few sips, add more water from the flask into my teapot and then it’s back to my TV ready for the second part of the workout.

3. A few huffs and puffs following the second fitness session (as I’m really not as fit as I used to be) and then it’s back to the teapot to pour out the second infusion and then taking a few sips from my second cup of tea.  I fill the teapot for a third infusion and then it’s back to the fitness workout.

What is great about loose leaf tea is that one can make several infusions (several cups of tea) out of the same teaspoon of leaves which I hope I have demonstrated here.

I have stuck with the fitness routine a little over a week now and endeavour to vary it a little so that I don’t grow used to one routine.  Having a new toy like the Kinect really helps so I have been able to vary my routines between several DVDs and various games such as Dance Central and Your Shape.

As I raise a cup of tea as a toast for 2011, I remember the words of a great tea friend and would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Healthy and Happy New Year.