The 30 Day Yamabuki Nadeshiko Challenge

I don't know about everyone else, but for me at this time of year I start getting contemplative about what I've achieved for the past 12 months, and look towards setting some goals for the year ahead. 2017 was a great year for my family, albeit a busy one - and we had several big life changes including welcoming another family member and moving from Tokyo to Niigata (which definitely added some stress and sleepless nights to the equation).

One thing that probably did get put on the backburner this year was my health. Finding time to workout hasn't been the easiest, save for going on long walks, and I've probably plied myself with a little too much coffee and chocolate to get through some of those exhausted days than I should have. I'm only human, right?

I started thinking about how I could make some easy switches to benefit my overall health before the New Year kicks in (because who really wants to wait until January 1st to make a change) and one of the biggest things I wanted to revamp was what I'm putting into my body. More fruit, more veggies - and more tea! 

I learned about Yamabuki Nadeshiko on a trip in November to Shizuoka Prefecture (big thanks to City-Cost and the Shizuoka Prefecture Tea Council Chamber for the experience) and it was one of those cases in life where you're amazed that something so tasty can actually be good for you. You won't see me choking down mouthfuls of natto in the name of good health (even though it's meant to have so many benefits!) but delicious tea? That's definitely something I can manage. 

We got to sample Yamabuki Nadeshiko tea at Osadaen Honten - and I was hooked!

The health benefits of Yamabuki Nadeshiko are immense - it's touted to assist with everything from weight loss to cholesterol levels and more. Whilst I'm not looking to lose a bunch of weight, I'm ready to hopefully change my reliance on several cups of coffee a day with an easy and healthy switch that's so much better for me - so I'm setting myself a challenge. My goal is 30 days of Yamabuki Nadeshiko tea (and water) as the drinks I consume. No coffee. No sodas. Just tea and good ol' H20. 

Yamabuki Nadeshiko comes in several varieties, from the bottled kind that you can keep in the fridge (which will be perfect come summer!) to tea bags and a powdered variety. It can be ordered on the Osadaen Honten website directly (shipping is free if you spend over 5000 yen - and they also have some great ideas for gifts on there with Christmas coming up). There's also some of the Yamabuki Nadeshiko product range available on Amazon Japan - just pop 山吹撫子 in the search field. 

I've stocked up on Yamabuki Nadeshiko and I'm looking forward to reporting back in January with how it's made me feel health-wise. Keep your fingers crossed for me as I say sayonara to coffee and hello to Yamabuki Nadeshiko for the next 30 days.

This post is a special tea blog report, part of our Shizuoka Green Tea Guide, and a chance through City-Cost for bloggers in Japan to engage in new “Japan” experiences about which to create posts.