Five things to do in the spring to avoid getting sick for the whole year

When the words "beginning of spring" and "New Year" come together, it means that a new year of life is about to begin. The Spring Festival has just passed. How can we repair our bodies that have been overburdened during the holidays and lay a good foundation for our health in the whole next year? Jiang Liangduo, professor of internal medicine at Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Yang Li, professor at Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, and Ren Zenghui of the Mental Health Education and Counseling Center of Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University gave us some tips.

The first step: drink scented tea to detoxify.

It’s cold in winter, so people prefer to eat hot food. Especially during the Spring Festival holiday, eating big fish and meat, spicy food, and a glass or two of wine can warm your whole body. But because we eat too much hot food in winter, in spring, we must reduce the burden on our stomach and intestines and cleanse the intestines and detoxify.

Drinking a glass of light salt water in the morning can facilitate urination and aid detoxification. People with high blood pressure can switch to warm water; people with normal blood sugar can drink a glass of honey water, which is equally effective. In spring, it is important to drink spring tea. Whether it is green tea or scented tea, it can help detoxify, refresh the mind and nourish the qi. Especially jasmine tea, which has a fragrant smell and a better refreshing effect.

In order to detoxify the body, you must ensure that your bowel movements are smooth. It is recommended that people with poor bowel movements eat more radishes, cabbage, potatoes, and sweet potatoes to help with defecation. They can also perform self-massage, rubbing around the navel clockwise at least 36 times a day, and pressing the Tianshu point three fingers wide to the left and right of the navel until there is a sore and swollen feeling, both of which have a laxative effect.

The second trick: do stretching exercises in the morning.

The ancients advocated morning exercises in spring. They believed that this was the best time of the year for exercise and it could completely relax the body that had been confined for the winter. For older people, walking is the most suitable activity. They can also take deep breaths, stretch their legs, and stretch their muscles in a park with good air. There is a saying that goes, "If your tendons grow an inch longer, your life will be extended by ten years." Although this statement is a bit exaggerated, stretching the ligaments appropriately can indeed help the body's qi and blood flow smoothly, and can even relieve pain and detoxify. In spring, we need to nourish the liver and gallbladder, so when exercising, you may want to pat the outside of your ribs. This is the liver and gallbladder area referred to in traditional Chinese medicine. Patting it moderately with the palms can unblock the qi and blood meridians and achieve the effect of nourishing the liver and gallbladder.

A good start to the year begins in spring. In addition to outdoor exercise, you should also go out for more outings and travel. You can make a travel plan at the beginning of the year, plan four-season travel according to the length of holidays, seasonal characteristics, etc., and put it into practice in the following year.

The third tip: eat sweet and sour food in spring.

According to the "Qian Jin Fang" written by Sun Simiao in the Tang Dynasty, the diet in spring should be "less sour and more sweet", because eating too much acidic food in spring will cause excessive liver fire, thus damaging the spleen and stomach. You should eat more warm and sweet foods to aid digestion, such as glutinous rice, pumpkin, jujube, yam, white fungus, etc. From another perspective, in the relationship between the five internal organs and the five flavors, sourness has an astringent effect, which is not conducive to the growth of yang energy and the release of liver qi. Eating too much sour food will damage yang energy. But the so-called less sour and more sweet is only a relative concept and we should not go to extremes. A better way is to eat more sour and sweet foods, such as fruits and drinks, which will help balance our body.

Spring is the season of growth. According to the principle of "harmony between man and nature", sprout vegetables, which also have the energy of growth, are very suitable for consumption in spring. For example, bean sprouts, pea sprouts, spring bamboo shoots, garlic sprouts, and sprouts can be stir-fried, cooked into soup, or used as stuffing. They should be light and warm. Chives, ginger, and chicken soup help nourish yang, so you can eat more of them; you can also eat more strawberries, oranges, and kiwis appropriately; I especially recommend soaking wolfberries and chrysanthemums in water, which can nourish the liver and improve eyesight. In addition, honey is a great tonic in spring. In addition to drinking honey water, you can also add a spoonful of oatmeal and honey to hot milk respectively, which tastes better.

Tip 4: Comb your hair in the sun.

The ancients paid attention to health preservation by "sleeping late and getting up early, walking in the courtyard, letting hair down and relaxing the body". In other words, ancient people went to bed late and got up early in spring; went to wide places for walking and exercise; let their hair down and loosened their clothes to not let their bodies be restrained. This principle still applies today.

In spring, we need to nourish yang, so we should get more sun exposure, especially when we get up early, comb our hair while basking in the sun, or massage the Baihui point on the top of the head, which can help increase yang energy and nourish the five internal organs. In spring, we also need to nourish the liver, and “the liver opens up to the eyes”, so taking good care of the eyes can also protect the liver. It is recommended that people relax their whole body, face the sun, close their eyes, let the glass windows and eyelids filter out the overly strong sunlight rays, and at the same time rotate their eyeballs, first clockwise and then counterclockwise, for more than ten minutes a day. People can also wash the area around their eyes and eyelids with clean water and massage the area around their eyes when they return home every day to promote blood circulation.

It is windy and dry in spring, so you need to pay special attention to hydrating, preventing dryness and detoxifying. Due to the drastic climate changes, you need to add or remove clothes according to the weather. The elderly with chronic diseases should especially keep warm, especially the back, waist and legs. The principle of covering up in spring is: if the average daily temperature is below 15℃, or the temperature difference between day and night is greater than 8℃, it is best not to take off your cotton clothes.

Tip 5: Psychological jet lag

The most important thing to nourish the liver in spring is to keep a good mood, but just after the Spring Festival, most people will experience discomfort during the sudden change in lifestyle, which will affect their mood. Therefore, it is recommended that people overcome jet lag as quickly as possible.

If office workers spend a little time reviewing their work before the holiday and making New Year plans, they will be able to tackle work with a more proactive and prepared attitude and will not appear to be in a rush. After the holiday, you should quickly resume your daily routine, eat a light diet, try to focus on work during the day, improve work efficiency, and help you quickly recover from the "jet lag".

Young people who return to big cities from their hometowns full of family love may feel lonely and isolated again. Such people may wish to keep in touch with family and friends as frequently as possible to help themselves through the "transition period". They may also wish to distribute local specialties from their hometown to colleagues and neighbors, and perhaps they will be able to develop new friendships around them.

The elderly will inevitably feel empty when they see their children leave home again after a short period of companionship. At this time, they may try to divert their attention, such as making an appointment with their spouse or friends to go for an outing, or immersing themselves in their own hobbies. Another way is to embrace change with the mentality of "live and learn", such as trying to learn to use new communication methods such as WeChat and Fetion to communicate with children, or making new year life plans, such as visiting the city where the children are and realizing some dreams that have never been realized.