Green Tea and Brain Games

I do not care for tea. I don’t even care for hot beverages (except the extremely sporadic hot chocolate with extra whipped cream) and rarely eat soup. I have only ever tasted a few kinds of tea, but thus far I have not been impressed. Give me Diet Coke any day.

However, apparently Green Tea has a multitude of health benefits, so I bought a packet in the attempt to form a new healthy habit. Tea must be an acquired taste. When I told my daughter, Zoe, my new plan, she has made it her job to make me a cup of tea every day. The first day, I noticed it tasted…like bitterly seasoned hot water. In my attempt to make it more palatable, I suggested Zoe add some cinnamon. When that didn’t work, I asked her to add honey, too. And then maybe some more cinnamon. It is a far cry from hot chocolate, but at least I’m able to chug it down. I am proud to say I have drunk my green tea concoction for two weeks straight and am waiting for the health benefits to kick in any day now…yup, any day now…

My memory is a little (okay, a lot) off, so I thought I’d also try to exercise my brain in an attempt to improve my memory, focus better, and just be a little sharper so I don’t burn desserts in my oven anymore…or put the salami in the pantry instead of the fridge again. After all, my grandparents were solving crossword puzzles on a daily basis well into their 80s, so the potential to keep my wits about me while my hair turns white could still be there. I decided to test out an app called “Luminosity.” It gives you a few free games per day to exercise your mind in different areas (such as language, memory, math, speed, attention, flexibility, problem-solving — things like that) or you can pay for the Premium version. I downloaded the app on my phone and have only played it twice so far…apparently, I need to remember to play the darn thing before it can actually help my memory…but other than that, it’s actually pretty fun.

Now that I’m thinking about it, I’m off to get in a round of Luminosity before I forget. Maybe while I’m at it I’ll have a little tea in my honey.