9 health tips for late summer and early autumn: nourish your lungs, replenish water, and pay attention to sun protection

After the beginning of autumn, nature enters a transitional stage of "yang declines and yin grows". The heat of midsummer has not yet dissipated and the temperature is still very high. In order to avoid illness, you must pay attention to health care at this time. So how to keep healthy in late summer and early autumn? Diet, daily life, exercise and other aspects cannot be ignored. Here are nine tips for keeping healthy in late summer and early autumn. Be sure to read more!

1. Nourish your lungs and replenish water from the inside out

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "the lungs control the skin and hair." In autumn, dryness prevails and can easily damage the lungs. The most important way to treat dryness is to moisturize it. Therefore, to solve the problem of dry and itchy skin, you should start with nourishing the lungs and eat more foods that have the functions of strengthening the spleen and lungs, nourishing blood and moisturizing the skin, such as white fungus, almonds, ginkgo, lily, sesame, etc. Eat more fruits that nourish yin and lungs, such as pears, star fruit, cantaloupe, etc., and eat more foods rich in vitamin A, such as carrots, rapeseed, eggs, etc., to moisturize the skin.

For autumn skin, hydration is the top priority. Drinking more water can relieve dry skin from the inside out. It should not be less than 1000 ml a day, but not more than 3000 ml. In addition to boiled water, fresh and abundant fruits in autumn are also good for resisting autumn dryness. Seasonal fruits such as pear, papaya, apple, star fruit, red dates, grapes, etc. are not only delicious, but also can nourish yin and moisten dryness, and enhance skin elasticity.

2. Don’t forget to protect yourself from the sun in early autumn

Experts point out that sun protection is not just a matter for summer, it is even more important in autumn. Because there are more clouds in the atmosphere in the summer, they have a certain blocking effect on ultraviolet rays; in the autumn, although the air becomes exceptionally clear due to the influence of climate, the transmittance of ultraviolet rays also increases greatly. In addition, since the metabolism of human skin is slower in autumn than in summer, the process of recovering whitening skin will take longer than in summer under the same sun exposure. It is not easy to maintain fair skin, so how can you let all your efforts go to waste in autumn due to negligence?

Choose a sunscreen product with SPF 15 or above, and reapply when needed to ensure comprehensive sun protection. Eyes and lips are areas where you need to pay special attention when it comes to sun protection, as the skin around the eyes is very thin. Therefore, when purchasing, you should choose eye sunscreens that have moisturizing and repairing properties. In addition, wearing sunglasses is also a good way to protect your eyes from the sun. The skin on the lips is relatively delicate and it is easy to lose its luster and produce dead skin under strong ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, try to use a lip balm with sunscreen effect to protect it.

3. Freeze in early autumn

As the saying goes, "cover in summer and keep warm in autumn." In the eyes of traditional Chinese medicine, a drop in body temperature is beneficial to the storage of yang energy in the body (winter storage). The maintenance and adjustment of the six solar terms in autumn focus on clothing and keeping warm. You must not catch a cold due to thin clothing, which may lead to the occurrence of some diseases. In early autumn, when the summer heat has not yet ended and cool breezes are coming, you should gradually add more clothes and quilts, but not too much at once or cover yourself too tightly.

Autumn clothes should be moderately tight and of appropriate length and size, and should be comfortable to wear. They should not expose arms, chest or legs. Wearing outerwear made of pure silk or pure cotton or mixed fabrics can protect you from the autumn chill and dryness and heat. The texture is soft yet firm, soft yet hard. Do not rush to add clothes when the autumn gets cold. The elderly can wear thicker clothes as appropriate. It is cool in the mornings and evenings in autumn, so be careful not to let your back and heart get cold. If necessary, put on a padded vest or a wool vest.

Autumn freezing cultivates cold tolerance, which is a resistance to disease and is especially important in winter. Cold resistance training should start in early autumn and can be carried out step by step, from washing your face and body with cold water, to cold baths, and finally to winter swimming.

4. Comb your hair frequently in autumn

The first Chinese medical masterpiece, "The Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic", believes that: "The meridians are the reason why people are born, the reason why diseases occur, the reason why people are cured, and the reason why diseases arise." This is what Chinese medicine has always emphasized: "If there is pain, there is blockage, and if there is blockage, there is no pain." If the meridians are blocked and Qi and blood are not flowing smoothly, the body will become pathological. Combing your hair is an effective way to open up the meridians. Therefore, many health and wellness experts believe that it is important to open up the meridians and comb your hair frequently.

Using hair combing to maintain health, prevent diseases and treat illnesses is a unique way of maintaining health in Traditional Chinese Medicine. For urban white-collar workers who are under a lot of pressure on a daily basis, combing their hair frequently can relieve stress, unblock the meridians, improve blood circulation, nourish hair, prevent hair loss, and relieve headaches and reduce fatigue.

5. Eat less melon and more fruit

People have a special liking for watermelon in summer, especially the cool and delicious iced watermelon, which has almost become a must-have for people to relieve the summer heat. But maybe you don’t know that watermelon actually has another nickname, called “cold melon”. Watermelon is cold in nature and can relieve heat, and it tastes cool when eaten, so it got this name. Watermelon is cold in nature. If this "cold melon" is kept in the refrigerator, it would be like "adding insult to injury". Although it has a good effect of clearing away heat and relieving summer heat, and it tastes very delicious, eating too much of it can cause great damage to the spleen and stomach. Some people will suffer from diarrhea, or even experience dizziness, fatigue, and heaviness after eating too much watermelon. This is because dampness traps the spleen.

In fact, it’s not just watermelon. Melon, cucumber, winter melon, bitter melon and other foods with the word “melon” in their names are all cold foods. The spleen and stomach are already weak at this time. Eating too much cold food will only "add fuel to the fire", and diarrhea is inevitable. So after the summer, watermelon will basically be out of the "historical stage".

It is not advisable to eat too much autumn melon, but you can eat some autumn fruits. Autumn pear is the most recommended fruit to eat in autumn. Autumn pear is also known as the "king of fruits" and "jade milk" and has the reputation of being the "king of all fruits". Traditional Chinese medicine believes that pears are cool in nature and sweet in taste, and can produce fluid and moisten dryness, clear away heat and resolve phlegm. They are the best choice for removing dryness in the autumn when dryness is rampant.

6. Eat salt in the morning and honey in the evening to deal with autumn dryness

Many people believe that drinking more water can relieve dryness, but drinking boiled water alone cannot completely resist autumn dryness. He said that to deal with autumn dryness, there is a proverb that goes: "Salt water in the morning, honey water at night." This means that people should drink some light salt water in the morning and some honey water at night. This is not only a good way to replenish the body's water loss, but also a good dietary recipe for autumn health and anti-aging. It can also prevent constipation, which can be said to kill three birds with one stone.

In addition, you can place a basin of water in the room to maintain the humidity. To prevent autumn dryness, you can also eat more refreshing foods, such as lily, lotus seeds, lotus root, white fungus, pear, etc., and they are good choices for making soup or porridge.

7. People with the character "豆" in their names should eat more

In fact, there are some foods in life that can both relieve heat and eliminate dampness. The most well-known one is mung bean soup. The green mung bean soup can not only relieve the heat of summer, but also eliminate dampness, helping your spleen and stomach.

In fact, it’s not just mung bean soup. Mung bean’s brother “red bean” (also known as adzuki bean and red adzuki bean) also has this effect. Li Shizhen once called red beans "the valley of the heart". Chinese medicine believes that it has the effects of strengthening the spleen and promoting diuresis, clearing away heat and dampness, reducing swelling and detoxifying. Since red beans are good at descending and clearing the water channels, regular consumption can also help with weight loss. For ladies who love beauty, if you are worried about your body shape changing due to "putting on weight in autumn", you can drink more red bean soup, which can not only cool down and eliminate dampness, but also maintain your graceful figure. Why not do it?

8. Take deep breaths to nourish your lungs

The first step to nourish your lungs in autumn is to take more deep breaths. When you wake up every morning, stand in front of the window first, inhale fresh air and exhale foul air. When inhaling, expand your abdomen as much as possible and keep your chest still; when exhaling, contract your abdomen as much as possible and keep your chest still. Breathe deeply and slowly through your nose. Take a deep breath for 3-5 seconds each time, hold your breath for 1 second, then exhale slowly for 3-5 seconds, and hold your breath for 1 second. Practice once or twice a day for 5-15 minutes each time.

9. Duck meat is the best tonic in early autumn

For people with weak bodies, they should still eat some meat to supplement their health in autumn. But it is best to regulate your spleen and stomach before taking supplements. You can drink more mung bean soup or barley porridge in your daily life, because the dampness and heat are heavier in summer and autumn, which can promote the excretion of dampness and heat and help the recovery of spleen and stomach function.

When choosing meat, duck meat is the best. Because ducks in autumn are the fattest and most tender, and they also have certain medicinal effects. In autumn, the dryness is serious. Eating some cool duck meat can help remove heat and dryness for people who have heat in their bodies and are prone to getting angry.

Autumn is a good time for exercise as the weather is clear and the temperature is suitable. Regularly participating in fitness activities in autumn can not only regulate the mind and nourish the lungs and improve the functions of internal organs, but also help enhance the immune function of various tissues and organs.

From being inactive in summer to being active in autumn, you need to find the right balance. The more exercise is not necessarily better. According to TCM theory, autumn is the period when the body's vital energy is being restrained and nourished, so the amount of exercise should not be too much, and you should avoid sweating profusely, in order to prevent the loss of yang energy due to excessive sweating. It is advisable to choose easy and gentle sports that do not require much activity, such as jogging, walking, mountain climbing, Tai Chi, table tennis, badminton, etc., and do them at the right time and in moderation. This way, you will not lose your energy due to excessive sweating, but will also stretch your muscles and bones and improve your physical fitness.

Experts remind that before each exercise, you must do sufficient warm-up exercises. The length and content of the warm-up may vary from person to person. Generally, it is better to make the body slightly warm. The amplitude and intensity of exercise should be appropriate. Don't force yourself to do more difficult movements.

The beginning of autumn has passed, but the high temperature and heat brought by the "autumn tiger" will continue for more than a month. In addition, the sky is high and the clouds are light in autumn, and the ultraviolet radiation intensity is strong, so the residual power of "heatstroke" still threatens people's health. Take sun protection measures when engaging in outdoor activities; drink water in time, don't wait until you feel dry mouth to drink water, drink some light salt water after exercise to replenish the salt lost during exercise; do not exercise on an empty stomach, because it is easy to get heatstroke on an empty stomach; if you feel uncomfortable during outdoor activities, stop immediately and rest in a cool place.