Are you ready for Spring?
Did you know SPRING is the BEST SEASON to make HEALTH CHANGES?
Chinese medicine is founded on empirical evidence, observation how our body behaves differently during different seasons. Therefore we should treat our body differently in each season. This pertains to three key lifestyle areas – Sleep, Diet and Exercise.
Spring is the time your body comes out of the hibernation of winter…The oldest classical text of Chinese Medicine, the Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperors Classic of Internal Medicine) is the source of diet and lifestyle advice practitioners of Chinese Medicine still adhere to today.
Each season has a movement of energy about it. Lifestyle of the season should go with that energy. This will lead to harmony, whilst going against the seasonal energy makes life harder. I’m not talking about some hocus pocus mystical In Chinese medicine, energy (or Qi) often refers to the function of things, think of energy in the terms of a movement…Winter is the time when things are still, sedentary and generally in nature, not a lot of movement happens in winter. Animal hibernate, trees and plants don’t easily grow. The general nature of winter is slowing down and resting.
Spring is the transitional season between the sedentary nature of winter and the movement based season of Summer. Spring is the time when animal and plant life begin to grow. Sprouts appear, new leaves appear on what were bare trees. You can tell spring is approaching when the chill of the evening seems just that little less chilly, when daylight lingers a little longer and its not so hard to get up in the early morning!
The Chart below shows the movement of seasons and a broad summary of lifestyle changes we should make in Spring.
The Key changes to make in Spring are:
SLEEP – go to bed early and get up early. Change from winter is to GET UP EARLIER.
EXERCISE – start moving and get out of the winter sedentary habits. The more “unfit” or overweight you are, the better to go slowly, Start with a half hour walking a day and build up to an hour walking with some stretching and then move into more strenuous exercises like running, yoga, cycling, aerobics classes or whatever takes your fancy. In Spring, the Yellow Emperor’s text says to “go outside and enjoy the warmer weather, let your hair out” – which was a custom for Asian women to have their hair so tightly bound in a bun to their head. Letting your hair out to me, signals the “end of the day”, a way to unwind and enjoy the warmer breeze through your hair as you walk through the garden after work in the evening.
DIET – Healthy diet changes for the spring season can include a little more raw foods – especially if you ate fully cooked foods in winter. Spring can start to introduce the diet of lighter cooking methods that will be the focus of Summer. For insance you might make a pulled pork roast with steam or roast vegies in winter, but have the same pulled pork roast hot over a raw salad in Spring. (Summer will usually do away with too many roasted or slow cooked meats).
So why is Spring the best time to make healthy changes?
The seasonal energy is making a big shift and the body will naturally be able to get up earlier, for people wanting to loose weight, exercise will feel easier in Spring. Chinese Medicine says spring is the season of new things. The energy of growth and birth is all around us in nature. It makes sense to go with it.
NOTICE: this information is provided in public interest of keeping people healthy as possible. Common sense should always be applied. Too much of anything can be hazardous to health. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical advice or diagnosis by a health practitioner. If you have a health condition, you should check with your health care practitioner before using foods as medicine treatments, if you are in any way unsure about the suitability of the food agents, herbs or recipies for your body. In an medical emergency always contact emergency services, call 000 in Australia.
This article is written by Marie Hopkinson, the Chinese Herbalist & Acupuncturist at Metro Health and Medicine in North Perth. Marie is available for consultation by calling 1300 132 830 or email [email protected]
Marie does not make any claims as to results of treatment. Results will vary from patient to patient. Marie does not claim, nor imply to practice Western medicine. Any reference to diagnosis is strictly in relationship to Chinese Medicine. Marie is registered with AHPRA as a Chinese herbalist and Acupuncturist.