[Health and Wellness] Today is the beginning of winter, the Yang energy is restrained and the temperature is low, please remember these health rules!

Daily life in Beginning of Winter: Go to bed early and get up late

In winter, the days are short and the nights are long. After the beginning of winter, we should adjust our work and rest schedules according to the rising and setting of the sun. We should go to bed early to adapt to the early dark day when the yang energy is hidden, and get up late to cope with the late dawn when the yang energy rises. We should ensure 7 to 8 hours of sleep every day.

However, due to the needs of work, it is difficult for modern people to maintain a regular schedule, but it is necessary to go to bed early, get up late, and not stay up late.

Beginning of Winter Diet: More Warm and Less Cold

According to the principles of "nourishing yin in autumn and winter" and "nourishing the kidneys in winter", it is advisable to eat more salty foods in winter, such as kelp, seaweed, jellyfish, etc.

In addition, in winter, you should also take warming and yang-protecting foods as appropriate to resist the cold.

Common warm foods include beef, mutton, venison, sword beans, mustard greens, coriander, pumpkin, longan meat, chestnuts, dates, walnut meat, chicken, sea cucumber, eel, etc.

Tips: my country has a vast territory and different geographical environments, so people's tonic methods should also be differentiated:

✦Northern region: The weather is cold, so it is advisable to eat warming foods such as beef and mutton;

✦Southern region - The climate is mild, so you should eat sweet and warm foods, such as chicken and fish;

✦ Plateau area - less rainfall and dry climate, the diet should consist of sweet and moist foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and rock sugar.

In general, in the beginning of winter, we should pay attention to the combination of meat and vegetables in our diet to nourish the functions of internal organs.

Dress for the Beginning of Winter: Keep warm and keep away the cold

The temperature drops suddenly after the beginning of winter. Cold is a yin evil and often damages yang energy, so you need to add clothes in time to keep warm.

In addition to adjusting your daily clothing and indoor temperature according to weather changes, you should also pay attention to keeping warm at the following 5 moments:

✦Wake up and feel warm: When you wake up, do not leave the bed immediately, especially when the room temperature is low. You should move your body in the bed and get up slowly after your body has adapted.

✦Wash your face and brush your teeth with warm water.

✦Keep warm when going to the toilet: You should wear warm clothes when going to the toilet at night, and it is best to have a thicker pajamas.

✦Keep warm when going out: Don’t do morning exercises too early. Wear gloves, hats, scarves, coats, etc. when going out.

✦ Warm bath: You can use equipment such as a bathroom heater to fill the bathroom with hot air, and then take a bath after the temperature rises.

It should be noted that since infants, young children and adolescents have an active metabolism, wearing too many or too thick clothes can easily lead to excessive sweating, open pores and make it easy for cold pathogens to invade. Therefore, they need to adjust their clothing in time according to their physical sensations and not just add more clothes.

Beginning of winter exercise: gentle movements

After the beginning of winter, exercise should be done after the morning sun appears and before night falls, preferably after 9:30 a.m. and before 4 p.m.

It is advisable to choose light exercises, such as Ba Duan Jin, Tai Chi, walking, etc., until you sweat slightly to prevent excessive sweating from causing loss of energy and depletion of heart yang.

Some elderly people have the habit of winter swimming for fitness. This kind of exercise exposes too much skin, which can easily cause the dissipation of yang energy. In addition, winter swimming is intense, consumes a lot of oxygen, and has high requirements for cardiopulmonary function. Accidents may occur if you are not careful, so ordinary people are not encouraged to try it.

Tips: Massage the axillary region to promote blood circulation and activate collaterals

Yuanxie point, "Yuan" means "deep abyss" and "xie" means "armpit". This point is located deep in the armpit, hence the name. It belongs to the Gallbladder Meridian of Foot Shaoyang.

The Yuanxie point is located on the side of the chest. Raise your upper arm. It is on the midline of the armpit, 3 inches below the armpit, about 10 cm, in the middle of the fourth intercostal space.

To take the Yuanxie point, you can sit sideways or lie on your side, raise your upper arm, and the point is on the mid-axillary line, 4 horizontal fingers measured down from the armpit, about 10 cm. If you feel a sore and swollen feeling when pressing this point, that is the Yuanxie point.

Massage method: Use the tip of your thumb to massage the Yuanxi point in a circular motion. Continue for about 1 minute, then release and massage again. Repeat this several times.

By stimulating the Yuanxi point through pressing, you can achieve the effects of dredging meridians, activating collaterals, opening the chest and promoting the flow of qi.

Beginning of Winter Emotions: Peaceful and Smooth

In winter, "hiding" means hiding the spirit inside, striving for mental tranquility, keeping it to oneself, having few selfish desires, avoiding disturbances and rash movements, so that the Yang energy can be hidden.

Keep your anger under control when things happen, and remain calm in the face of praise or criticism.

Choose activities that can improve your body and mind according to your own situation, such as listening to music, growing flowers, going on picnics, etc. to please your body and mind.

Tips: In winter, everything withers and the daylight hours are short, which increases the secretion of melatonin, making people prone to low spirits or depression. It is recommended that you go out and bask in the sun between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

People with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases should also pay attention to keeping their emotions calm.

Health care for the beginning of winter: strengthening the spleen and nourishing the kidneys

01 Temperature control to nourish the kidneys Reasonable temperature regulation can help the human body better exert the physiological functions of the kidneys.

During the Beginning of Winter, the three simplest ways to nourish the kidneys are to eat cold noodles, warm teeth, and warm feet.

✦Cold noodles, that is, washing your face with cold water at about 20℃, can refresh the mind, excite the brain, promote blood circulation in the face, and enhance the body's disease resistance.

✦ Warm teeth, that is, brush your teeth and rinse your mouth with warm water at about 35℃. Chinese medicine believes that "teeth are the remnant of kidneys", and protecting teeth is protecting kidneys.

✦Hot feet, that is, washing and soaking feet in 45℃~50℃ hot water every night, can promote blood circulation throughout the body and enhance disease prevention ability.

02 Moxibustion warms the kidneys. The kidneys are the innate foundation, and the spleen and stomach are the acquired foundation. If the spleen and kidneys are deficient, the positive energy will be deficient and the evil energy will be strong. Therefore, the key to nourishing the positive energy is to warm and nourish the spleen and kidneys.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the best warming tonic is moxibustion, which has the effects of dredging meridians, promoting qi and blood circulation, removing dampness and cold, preventing diseases and maintaining health.

The most important acupoints for replenishing kidney yang with moxibustion are Guanyuan, Yongquan and Shenshu. Moxibustion for 30 to 60 minutes every day can improve kidney function and achieve the purpose of eliminating disease and maintaining health.

03 Massage the ears to nourish the kidneys. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the kidneys store essence and open up to the ears. Kidney qi flows through the ears. Regular ear massage can achieve the purpose of strengthening and nourishing the kidneys.

Use the thumbs and index fingers of both hands to press on both sides of the ears from top to bottom. If there is pain, increase the pressing time. Then, straighten both index fingers, apply moderate force, insert them into the two ear holes respectively, rotate 180°, repeat 3 times and then pull out, repeat 6 times in a row, which can achieve the effects of tonifying the kidney, improving hearing, and strengthening the brain.

04 Black beans strengthen the kidneys. Ingredients: 20 grams of black beans, 20 grams of purple rice, and 3 to 4 dates.

Method: Wash black beans and purple rice and soak them for 4 hours; add appropriate amount of water to the pot, bring to a boil, then add purple rice and black beans and bring to a boil again, then turn to low heat and cook until cooked.

Efficacy: Nourishes the kidneys and strengthens bones, controls blood sugar and lowers blood lipids, darkens hair and improves eyesight, and resists aging.

Content source: Health China WeChat