The beginning of spring is here! Remember these 6 tips for keeping fit during the beginning of spring to stay healthy and safe for the whole year!

February 4th marks the beginning of spring, the first of the 24 solar terms. As the saying goes, "A year's plan begins with spring," and the beginning of spring marks the arrival of spring and the revival of all things. After the beginning of spring, the weather will turn from cold to warm, and the human body needs to adapt to this climate change and take good care of its health to lay a good foundation for health in the coming year!

Health Times

To maintain your health at the beginning of spring, remember these 6 “secrets”. Li Qiangou, a nationally renowned traditional Chinese medicine doctor and chief physician of the Department of Gastroenterology at Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, once gave tips on maintaining your health at the beginning of spring in an article published on the hospital’s official account: To maintain your health at the beginning of spring, you must keep these six things in mind on a regular basis, and the key to “maintaining” good health is persistence!

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1. Wear thicker clothes on the bottom and thinner clothes on the top

"Keep warm in spring and cool in autumn to avoid diseases." In spring, Yang energy grows, the pores on the human body surface begin to open, and the ability to resist cold air weakens. The weather in early spring changes greatly, and it is warm and cold at the same time. Therefore, when the weather starts to warm up at the beginning of spring, do not take off your cotton clothes immediately, especially the elderly and the weak should be more cautious. Young people should also wear thick clothes on the bottom and thin clothes on the top, and pay attention to keeping the neck, knees, feet and other parts warm.

2. Go to bed early and get up early

In spring, the human body needs to stretch and flow smoothly. The first thing to do is to go to bed early and get up early, have a regular routine, and go to bed before 11 p.m. Take a walk outdoors in the morning to relax your body and mind, get rid of the psychological fatigue and sleepiness, actively adjust your mind and spirit to adapt to nature, and achieve a state of vigor and energy.

3. Eat less sour and more spicy food

After the beginning of spring, Yang energy begins to emerge. The diet should appropriately increase the intake of spicy, sweet and warm foods, which can help disperse Yang energy. Warm foods are beneficial to maintaining Yang energy, such as yam, spring bamboo shoots, leeks, etc.; it is not suitable to eat very hot or spicy foods, such as mutton, ginseng, aconite, etc., so as not to get angry; at the same time, the intake of acidic foods should be reduced, such as marine fish, shrimps, crabs, etc.

4. Stretch appropriately during exercise

To adapt to the vitality of the beginning of spring, you need to do more stretching exercises after the beginning of spring. The simplest one is to stretch. Frequent stretching can promote the circulation of qi and blood in the body, get rid of the old and bring in the new, thus promoting the growth of yang energy in the human body.

5. Aim to always avoid anger

During the Spring Festival, we should remind ourselves to avoid being impatient and irritable, and avoid being depressed. We should keep our mind calm, peaceful, and optimistic. Taking advantage of the rising Yang Qi during the Spring Festival, we should properly regulate our emotions so that the Yang Qi in the body can be actively released from the chest.

6. Soak your feet frequently to dispel the cold

Soaking your feet in the evening after the beginning of spring can remove the coldness accumulated in the body during the winter, thereby helping to nourish the body's yang energy. Things to note when soaking your feet: Heat the water slowly with warm water, and never use very hot water at once, as this will force the coldness back into the body. Soak for about 30 minutes until the body feels warm, but don't sweat profusely.

Eat these seasonal foods in the beginning of spring

Sun Boqing, chief physician of the Department of Cardiology at Kunshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Jiangsu Province, said in an article published in the Chinese Traditional Medicine News in 2021 that seasonal fruits and vegetables refer to fruits and vegetables that grow naturally in accordance with the climate and environment. Eating seasonal, in-season, and locally produced fruits and vegetables can better replenish essence and qi, nourish people's health, and protect them from harm.

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Health Times

Seasonal fruit: Strawberries

Strawberries can moisten the lungs, strengthen the spleen, replenish qi, and nourish the blood. They are rich in various nutrients, and the nutrients are easily digested and absorbed by the human body. They are especially suitable for health preservation in spring. Nutritionists call them "the first fruit of spring."

Seasonal vegetables: leeks

Leek was called "yang-strengthening grass" and "yang-raising grass" in ancient times. Leek is warm in nature and has good effects of nourishing the kidney and yang, benefiting the liver and stomach, consolidating essence and refreshing the mind, stopping sweat and consolidating astringency, and promoting qi and blood circulation. It is the best ingredient to replenish the body's yang. When eating, it is better to choose fresh and tender leeks. Old leeks contain a lot of crude fiber and are not easy to digest. You should not eat too much at one time.

Seasonal wild vegetables: Shepherd's purse

Shepherd's purse was called "life-protecting grass" in ancient times. As a wild vegetable, shepherd's purse can be used as dumpling filling, porridge, and soup. It is delicious and nutritious. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that shepherd's purse has the effects of clearing the liver and regulating the spleen, harmonizing blood and promoting diuresis, lowering blood pressure and improving eyesight.

Seasonal delicacy: Spring bamboo shoots

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that bamboo shoots have the effects of clearing heat and resolving phlegm, invigorating qi and harmonizing the stomach, curing thirst, promoting urination, and refreshing the stomach. The content of multiple vitamins and carotene in spring bamboo shoots is more than double that of cabbage, and it also contains a variety of essential amino acids for the human body. Bamboo shoots are high in fiber, which can not only promote intestinal peristalsis, help digestion, remove food accumulation, prevent constipation, but also prevent colorectal cancer. Bamboo shoots contain very little fat and starch, making them a good choice for weight loss.

Seasonal snack: Spring rolls

Eating spring rolls at the beginning of spring is a traditional custom, which means good luck and avoiding disasters. Spring rolls usually contain fresh spring vegetables, which are not only very nutritious, but also have the meaning of welcoming the new year.

3 spring health food recipes

After the beginning of spring, in addition to eating seasonal food, you can also try 3 health-care food recipes suitable for spring drinking, which are very beneficial to your health.

1. Three Bean Drink

Method: 9 grams each of soybeans, black beans, and mung beans, boil together and drink as tea. For those with heavy dampness, add 9 grams of white kidney beans. Use raw beans to make juice, no need to stir-fry the beans. The bean juice needs to be taken immediately after boiling, do not leave it overnight.

Efficacy: Soybeans moisturize body fluids and benefit the spleen and stomach; black beans nourish kidney water to contain wood and prevent excessive wood rising; mung beans clear lung heat; white lentils can eliminate dampness.

Suitable for people: children and the elderly with weak constitutions.

2. Black plum and sugar soup

Preparation: Boil 5 black plums and appropriate amount of sugar in water and drink as tea.

Efficacy: Plum can produce body fluid; white sugar nourishes the spleen without being greasy. Diabetic patients can skip the white sugar and just drink the mashed plums boiled in water.

Suitable for people: children and the elderly with weak constitutions.

3. Gold and Jade Drink

Preparation: 9 grams each of honeysuckle, polygonatum, radix trichosanthis and ophiopogon, boil together and drink as tea.

Efficacy: Honeysuckle clears heat and detoxifies; Polygonatum odoratum nourishes yin and moistens dryness, promotes fluid production and quenches thirst; Radix Trichosanthis clears heat, promotes fluid production and relieves cough; Ophiopogon japonicus moistens the lungs, promotes fluid production, clears the heart and relieves restlessness.

Suitable for people: those with strong body and hot constitution. ③