For as long as I can remember, I have been a lowkey-highkey caffeine addict. Don't let them fool you, caffeine is most definitely a drug. While some might argue that it is healthier to consume coffee versus beverages like energy drinks or sodas, there is a thin line between its pros and cons. Starting my day with coffee has become a bit of a ritual as much as it has become a necessity.
Without it, the caffeine withdrawal would lead to a splitting headache, a decrease in energy, and that infamous midday slump. It hardly seemed worth it to switch my habit to something healthier. However, after doing some research, I decided to make the switch (at least part-time) to drinking matcha.
The Benefits of Drinking Matcha
You've probably seen the aesthetically pleasing pics of the pale green beverage with ice cubes or cream art in your feed, but what exactly is matcha? In short, matcha is a fine powder ground from specialty green tea leaves. Because it is ground from the entire leaf, matcha has more caffeine and antioxidants than green tea. It's one of the reasons matcha has become so popular in recent years and can be found in everything from matcha tea to lattes to ice cream and more.
What's really beautiful about drinking matcha green tea versus coffee is the type of caffeine high it provides. When it comes to caffeine content, matcha has 50% less caffeine than coffee. But, due to the amazing nutrients that matcha contains, the body is able to absorb caffeine in matcha much more slowly. So instead of a buzz, it is a steady hum.
Keep reading to discover more of the benefits of drinking matcha:
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1. Matcha detoxifies the body.
If you are looking for a natural way to cleanse the body, drinking matcha might be where it is at. Drinking matcha can effectively and gently cleanse the body due to its being rich in chlorophyll compounds. Matcha has been shown to remove the body of toxins by supporting natural detoxification in the liver as well as the kidneys.
2. Drinking matcha has antioxidants galore.
Just like its less potent counterpart green tea, matcha is rich in antioxidants known as catechins. Catechins are a type of flavonoid that helps the body fight disease. Additionally, this results in reducing damage cells might incur from oxidation. The EGCG in matcha helps prevent brain disease and inflammation. It can also lower your cholesterol.
3. Matcha gives you more energy with less jitters.
As previously mentioned, one of the benefits of drinking matcha is it gives you more energy than other teas. The reason for this is, that a single cup of matcha has more caffiene than green tea. While you don't have the benefit of getting as much caffeine as you would from coffee, having a cup or two of matcha throughout your day is a great alternative to coffee if you are trying to cut back on how many cups of joe you drink in a day. The L-theanine matcha contains not only reduces stress, but it also makes you more alert. The "high" so to speak is cleaner than the one you experience from a cup of coffee.
4. Drinking matcha is a powerful source of nutrients and vitamins.
Another one of the benefits of drinking matcha is how nutrient-rich it is. In addition to the antioxidants, matcha is full of other nutrients as well. In addition to the previously mentioned chlorophyll, matcha is also rich in fiber, magnesium, vitamin C, zinc, and selenium.
5. Matcha helps with focus and concentration.
Drinking matcha also comes with the added benefit of helping you be more productive. Thanks to the caffeine, EGCG, and L-theanine matcha contains, it is believed that those three power players assist with focus. According to a 2017 study, participants noticed a marked difference in their ability to both process information and pay attention an hour after drinking matcha.
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Skylar sees things differently. At the time, she was shooting content on her iPhone. Temi came into the picture with a new perspective, an understanding of tech, and, eventually, a camera. “He doesn't give himself enough credit,” Skylar says. “He wasn't just my tripod. He wasn't just standing behind the camera and going ‘click.’ He was giving advice. He was giving me insight to how I could look at things from a different perspective. And I was like, 'Oh, he’s an artist.' I think it was maybe a heartbeat of that kind of energy of like, ‘Baby, can you take this picture?’ And it turned so quickly into, we're partners. We can work together in a way where we're advancing each other's creative thinking.”
The pair often says they’re two sides of the same coin. Skylar is an Aquarius. She attended art school, paints, and loves poetry. She’s more than happy to let the couple’s management firm and agency, Kensington Grey, handle their admin work. And, she loves to sleep in. Temi, on the other hand, wakes up early. He’s a Virgo. He loves a to-do list and regularly checks in on the couple’s brand partnerships spreadsheet to make sure everything is on track.
Because his storytelling was steeped in his love of technology, he didn’t always think of himself as a creative person. “Where I [am] the dreamer who wants to pluck things out of the sky and spend all day with my head in the clouds, Temi [is] so good at grounding me and helping me figure out how to make things make sense on paper. We just work together in such a complimentary way,” Skylar says.
It’s been more than six years since Brooklyn-based couple Temi and Skylar started dating, and nearly four since they cemented their working relationship. On TikTok and Instagram, the couple’s travel, fashion, and home content regularly rack up hundreds of thousands of views. They’ve worked with brands such as Coach, Aesop, Away, and Liquid IV, bringing their vibrant perspectives to every campaign they execute. Still, nearly two years since both Temi and Skylar committed to full-time content creation and creative directing, the couple says their romantic connection remains their priority.
“We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting,” Skylar says.
Working from home can make it hard to separate work from personal life for any entrepreneur. It can be even more challenging when your business partner is also your lover. Temi and Skylar had already used couples therapy as a tool to help them effectively communicate with one another. When they ran into challenges while working together, their therapist helped them set physical boundaries to help combat the issues.
"We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting."
“It actually took us doing very specific physical things to create boundaries between work and play in our relationship,” Skylar says. “So, for instance, we will only have conversations about work when we're out of bed or we're at the table or in the office. Initially, when we started, we had to light a candle to say that, 'Okay, this is a space where we're connecting, we’re not talking about work.' We needed really hard boundaries at the top. And then it became a little bit more organic.”
The boundaries have been crucial to implement, especially because the couple began working together so naturally. When the pair first met, Skylar was NY-based a social strategist for BuzzFeed and was using content creation to drive business to her lingerie company. She was shooting her own content. Temi was working for Microsoft in D.C. He’d recently traded in his DJing equipment for a camera. “I've always loved taking pictures,” he says. “Even when I was a kid, my African mother would wake me up at 3:00 a.m. [during a] party, and be like, 'Come take the family picture.'”
Growing up, Temi says he watched his parents support each other and be the true definition of partners. He knew he wanted the same for his own relationship. But, the couple also wanted to make sure they were being financially responsible. The pair didn’t quit their traditional jobs until they’d saved up two years' worth of their cost of living. And, Temi received his Master of Business Administration from New York University with the knowledge that it could either help him advance in his corporate career or be applicable to his business with Skylar.
Temi and SkylarCj Hart @hartbreakToday, they say their working relationship is more of a “quiet dance.” They still implement some of the boundaries they learned in therapy, but they also lean into their natural strengths and deep love for one another. When we speak, Temi has planned a date for the couple to see Princess Mononoke in 4K IMAX and added it to their Notion so they can factor it into their busy schedules. “I fully plan to date for the rest of my life,” he says.
Skylar says the couple doesn’t just wait for date nights to check in with one another, though. This often happens in the mornings, after Temi has made her peppermint tea and poured himself a cup of coffee. When they ask each other how they slept, she says, it’s not just a “nicety.” It’s a genuine question meant to foster connection.
“A lot of it happens during the day in the midst of work. We'll stop and we'll hug. Or we’ll slow dance in the kitchen,” she says. “Sometimes it's hard to set a whole date night when you have 7,000 things going on. So, we must grasp these moments and check in when we can. And I think it's become so organic to us that I actually didn't even realize how often we do it. But all day long, we're like, 'Are you good? I felt like your energy shifted,' because we're best friends, we just know. We just feel it happen.”
What’s better than being in love? Building wealth while doing it. Watch Making Cents here for real stories of couples who make money moves together.
Featured image by Cj Hart @hartbreak