We have now entered into Light Snow, the second solar term of Winter. The weather continues to get colder and the precipitation will increase during this time period. Like the name indicates, many areas have begun to snow and if the thickness of the snow within 24 hours is between 0.1~2.4 mm, then it’s considered to be ‘light snow’.
How to Maintain -- Caring for the joints
Being in the same position for long periods of time can easily cause the circulation to slow down making it easier for acidic contents to accumulate in the joints. It’s natural that your circulation might be slower than normal when it’s colder (especially if there is a lack of physical movement). The slower circulation will also lead to a decrease in the transportation and provision of nutrients to the proper areas in the body.
In TCM, it’s said that using the eyes (straining the eyes, looking at something for a long period of time) hurts/damages the Blood, which can cause a deficiency of Qi and Blood in the body.
If the body’s protective shield (Wei Qi/defensive Qi) is weak, the cold can enter the body from the environment which can cause the muscles to tighten and pain in the joints.
When it is cold, it is natural for things to shrink. The same goes with our physical body. As the temperature drops, the tendons and muscles contract more. If there are areas of inflammation or pain, this contraction may cause an increase in pain.
Therefore:
- It is important to avoid staying in one position for a long period of time. Try to stretch your arms and legs after sitting for 30 minutes
- Remember to stretch and massage the joints
- Try to avoid gaining excess weight which adds more strain to the joints (I know it’s hard with the holidays)
- Always warm-up and cool down properly when exercising
- When lifting heavy objects, do it in the proper motion (lifting with your legs and not your back)
- Try keeping warm (It’s a great time for nightly foot soaks to warm up the body before bed)
Diet
As mentioned in the last post, Winter is all about storing the body's essence and nourishing the Kidneys. To do so, focus on replenishing the body with good quality oils and proteins along with mixed nuts and seasonal vegetables such as white radish (daikon), burdock, brassica oleracea, button mushrooms, celery, crown daisy, and spinach. It’s advisable to consume more black-colored foods such as black sesame seeds (black tahini), black rice, black beans, mulberries, and silkie (chicken breed) as the color black is associated with the Kidney.
Ginger tea is great for this season. Some other herbal teas that are suitable for replenishing includes: ginseng, angelica, astragalus, jujube, etc.
It’s best to avoid foods that are too spicy, salty, or oily. Cold foods should be avoided as well, especially those straight out of the fridge. It’s suggested to let food taken out from the fridge sit for a little bit more before consumption.
**Simple Cooking - Shacha Lamb**
Ingredients:
- 1 box sliced lamb
- 1 stalk green onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 bundle nanohana (*can use broccolini or other vegetables of your choice)
- 1 tablespoon shacha (asian bbq sauce)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 pinch cornflour
- 1 teaspoon rice wine
Directions:
- Place the lamb slices into a bowl and add the rice wine, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Lightly mix and let sit for 30 minutes
- Cut the green onions and nanohana into sections
- Crush the garlic cloves
- Heat the pot and add the shacha sauce followed by the lamb slices
- When the lamb is halfway cooked, add the nanohana, green onions, and garlic. If there’s not enough moisture, you can add a small amount of water and soy sauce (2:1 ratio).
- Once the lamb is fully cooked, the dish is ready to be served
*Shacha sauce and lamb are both warm property foods. Body properties of dry and with heat are not suitable to consume too much.
Lifestyle
The low temperature in winter can easily block the Qi and Blood, therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the protection of the head, neck, waist and legs (keep these areas warm and covered) to reduce the physical discomfort caused by climate change. In addition to basking in the sun, moderate exercise can also improve blood circulation. However, people who have the habit of getting up early in the morning to exercise are recommended to exercise after the sun is out. It is important to warm up before exercise, and wipe off sweat or put on another layer (change clothing if needed) as soon as possible after sweating to avoid cold intrusion.
Nowadays, people have to be in contact with computers or 3C products for a long time, even more so during this time of shelter in place. Oftentimes, we unconsciously maintain the same posture for too long, or have poor postures, which leads to muscle and joint stiffness. It is recommended that you can use it as an essential oil blend for joint maintenance. You can use it to massage as well as add in your foot bath.
Essential Oil Blend -- Joints Strengthening Blend
*This is at 5% concentration for maintenance
- Laurel leaf (6 drops)
- Eucalyptus lemon (6 drops)
- Homalomena occulta (3 drops)
- Nutmeg (3 drops)
- Thyme (thymol) (3 drops)
- Gaultheria (2 drops)
- Tamanu oil (5ml)
- St John’s Wort oil (15ml)
- Sea Buckthorn oil (1 drop)
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Once again I would like to thank Yu Wei Huang L.Ac for designing the character for Light Snow ( Xiao Xue) and providing all of the great suggestions for this time period.
The essential oil blends are based off of the book "Four Seasons of Aromatherapy" by Elizabeth S. ***************************************************************************
來到冬天的第二個節氣小雪，大家可能已經感受到氣溫的驟降，因此出門在外一定要記得避寒就溫，注意保暖。在家中若是開著暖氣，則要注意水分的補充。由於日照時間減少，大家更要把握住可以曬太陽的機會喔。多曬太陽可以可以使心情愉悅，並促進人體製造維生素D，維生素D可強健骨骼，提升免疫力。另外曬太陽的時間建議在30~45分鐘，且要避免在正中午時曝曬使皮膚受損。
小雪的養生重點：補腎養心
可以吃／喝什麼？
冬季的飲食要注重油脂和優質蛋白的補充，以提供身體每日所需的能量，來配合天氣的變化，比如堅果類、紅肉類等溫補性食材，還有白蘿蔔、洋菇、牛蒡、青花菜、芹菜、茼蒿、菠菜等當令食材。另外以中醫五行來說，冬天適合多吃黑色系的食物，如黑芝麻、黑米、黑豆、桑葚、烏骨雞等。茶飲類可多喝老薑茶或是生薑肉桂茶，以及服用補益類的中藥材，如人參、當歸、黃耆、大棗等。雖然冬天是適合進補的季節，但是有特殊疾病史的人需要先諮詢專業醫師，由醫師來判斷體質是否適合進補喔。
禁忌：辛辣、重鹹油膩以及生冷的食品
節氣食譜－沙茶羊肉
材料：
蔥 1枝
大蒜 4瓣
油菜 1把
沙茶醬 1大匙
醬油 1小匙
玉米粉 1小搓
米酒 1小匙
- 羊肉片放入碗中加入米酒、醬油、玉米粉拌勻後，靜置30分鐘
- 將油菜及蔥切成段、大蒜拍裂備用
- 熱油鍋，先將沙茶醬炒香後，加入羊肉拌炒
- 在羊肉半熟時加入油菜、蔥段和大蒜再拌炒一下，此時水分若是不夠可以加入少量的水和醬油（比例約2:1），炒至油菜及羊肉熟成後即可上桌（油菜可用青花菜或是其他蔬菜代替）
*沙茶醬及羊肉都屬於溫性的食材，體質偏燥熱的人不適合多吃
生活習慣
冬季的低溫，容易使氣血阻滯，因此需要特別加強頭部及腰腿部的保暖，可以降低因氣候變化所以產生的身體的不適感。除了曬太陽，適度的運動也可以增進氣血的循環。然而有早起晨練習慣的人，建議在太陽出來之後再進行運動，運動前要好好暖身，且出汗後要盡快把汗擦乾，避免寒氣入侵身體。現在人因為居家隔離的關係，不論是工作、學習或是休閒都得長時間與電腦或是3C產品接觸，常常不自覺維持同一個姿勢過久，或是因為姿勢不良，而導致肌肉關節僵硬，在此推薦大家在平時可以做為關節保養的一款精油配方，大家可以搭配按摩或是足浴時使用。
芳療精油配方
保養關節精油配方（保養濃度5%）
- 月桂 (6 滴)
- 檸檬尤加利 (6 滴)
- 千年健 (3 滴)
- 肉豆蔻 (3 滴)
- 百里酚百里香 (3 滴)
- 白珠樹 (2 滴)
- 伊諾飛輪油 (5ml)
- 聖約翰浸泡油 (15ml)
- 沙棘油 (1 滴)
*此配方孕婦及12歲以下孩童不宜使用，未成年須將降低濃度至3%
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非常感謝中醫師黃昱瑋所提供有關【小雪】時期的養生方法還有可愛的插畫。
精油配方是來自沈莉莎的24節氣經絡芳療自療全書
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