Healthy

Tips For Spring Wellness

Spring exercise: not too early, not too empty, not too exposed, not too aggressive, not too hasty! The "five no's" for spring health: no humidity, no acidity, no freezing, no static, no anger!


As the saying goes, "the plan of the year lies in spring", Chinese medicine believes that after the beginning of spring, human yang energy starts to rise and develop. In the spring, middle-aged and elderly people should take advantage of the rising Yang energy and the body's metabolism.

In spring, middle-aged and elderly people should pay more attention to spring health care and prevent various diseases such as respiratory infections caused by the change of seasons. Spring is the best time of the year for middle-aged and elderly people to take care of their health. In addition to daily living and outdoor exercise, you can also strengthen your immunity and resistance through diet and health care.


Living.
Be regular in your daily life. In spring, the body's yang energy tends to be on the surface, the skin stretches, the peripheral blood supply increases, sweat gland secretion also increases, the body's organs increase the load, while the central nervous system produces a sedative, hypnotic effect, the limbs feel sleepy. This is not the time to be tempted to sleep, it is not conducive to the rise of Yang energy. In order to adapt to this climate change, you should go to bed early and get up early, often going for walks outdoors, on shaded paths and in the woods to become one with nature. Spring is a time of change, when it is cold and warm, and the human skin is loose and less resistant to external evil, so don't take off your thick clothes all at once when spring arrives, especially for the elderly and the weak.

Exercise.
As the weather gets warmer in spring, the grass grows and flowers bloom, and the air is fresh, it is a good time for the elderly to exercise. People should get out of their homes and take part in spring exercises, such as walking, jogging, qigong and taijiquan, etc. Gradually and consistently, it will be beneficial. It is not advisable to sweat profusely when exercising, it is better to see a slight sweat. Practice has shown that improper exercise in spring can be counterproductive.


Spring exercise should pay attention to the "five should not".
One, should not be early: early spring, the morning temperature is low, heavy fog. Too early out of the house, the body suddenly cold easy to suffer from colds and flu or induce asthma, old slow branch, but also lung heart disease and other conditions aggravated, it should be appropriate to go out to exercise after the sun rises.

Second, should not be empty: the elderly metabolism is slow, the blood flow is relatively slow in the morning, the body temperature is low. Therefore, you should drink some hot beverages, such as milk, egg soup, coffee and cereal, to replenish water, increase heat and speed up blood circulation before exercising in the morning.

Third, should not be exposed: morning outdoor activities, to choose the wind and the sun, warm and quiet, fresh air in the wilderness, parks or lawns, etc., do not run against the wind, and should not undress exposed body exercise.

Fourth, should not be aggressive: the elderly are physically weak, poor adaptability, so the amount of exercise must be measured, gradual, intense exercise is likely to induce heart and lung disease.


Fifth, should not be anxious: because of the morning after the elderly muscle relaxation, joint ligament stiffness, limb coordination function is poor, so before exercise should be gently move the body, twist the waist, move the joints, to prevent the sudden exercise and induce accidents.


Diet.
Spring is getting warmer and windy, especially in early spring, the temperature is still cold, the human body has to consume certain energy to maintain the basic body temperature in order to protect itself from the cold, and should take in enough nutrients to improve the immunity of the body.

The nutritional composition during early spring should be mainly high in calories in order to replenish energy in time. The cold stimulus can accelerate the breakdown of proteins in the body, resulting in lower resistance to disease, so it is also necessary to supplement high-quality protein foods.

In addition, as the temperature changes in spring, microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses start to multiply and can easily cause illness. Therefore, it is important to take enough vitamins and inorganic salts in the diet and to eat more fresh vegetables and fruits to avoid nutritional disorders and reduced resistance.


Spring is also a time when old illnesses can easily recur. Patients with hypertension, for example, are prone to higher blood pressure, dizziness, headaches and insomnia in spring. As pointed out in Chinese medicine, spring is a time when all illnesses are in the head, so you should eat oranges, bananas, lemons, pears, green beans, celery and other foods.

Disease prevention
Spring is a sunny and intoxicating time, but it is also a time of high incidence of chronic diseases (such as bronchitis, pharyngitis, pneumonia, asthma, cardiovascular diseases), skin diseases, gastrointestinal diseases and many other diseases, especially influenza and colds. It is therefore particularly important for people, especially the elderly, to take care of their health in spring. In particular, it is important to prevent "spring fever".

The "five no's" can be followed in the spring.
Do not get wet: open the windows every day at noon to ventilate the room, keep bedding and clothes dry and breathable, and wear more cotton loose clothes in spring to avoid eczema. In addition, do not choose wet places for exercise, and dry up after sweating.

No acid: Spring diet should be "sour and sweet", because spring is hyperactive liver, if you eat acidic food, it is easy to lead to too much liver energy, and liver is easy to damage the spleen and stomach, so, spring diet avoid acid.

Acidic foods include mutton, dog meat, quail, fried peanuts, fried melon seeds, sea fish, shrimps, crabs, etc. It is advisable to eat sweet and warm products to nourish the spleen, such as yams, spring bamboo shoots, spinach, dates and leeks.

The spring climate is hot and cold, so you should follow the "spring cover" principle and not take off your cotton clothes immediately. In particular, elderly people suffering from chronic bronchitis and emphysema should try to keep their bodies "not freezing and not cold" in early spring.


The key to nourishing Yang is to "move" and not to "be still". People should actively exercise outdoors.

Don't be angry: Spring is a time when the liver and yang are in full bloom, so it is important to be open-minded and harmonious. Depression can lead to stagnation of liver qi, which can also lower the immune system and lead to mental illness, liver disease, cardiovascular disease, etc.