Build yourself up in the spring_春季养生

It’s spring time. The weather is getting warmer. Plants are sprouting, and animals are waking up from hibernation and starting to grow up. By this time, the human being is also need to build up our energy, especially for the elderly, weak people, or people with cold hands and feet, or emotional or digestive issues.

To build up our energy, we can have some outdoor activity, expose to sunlight, and breathe fresh air. Although it’s getting warmer, we still need to stay warm, especially neck and shoulder area, and avoid wind. In a classical Chinese medicine text, “Wind is the starter of the many diseases”. Therefore, avoiding wind is very important.

We also need to keep our mind peaceful, because the spring is associated with the energy of the liver. Being angry is easy to injury the liver, causing blockage of the energy to get diseases.

For the diet, take some warm or tonifying food, for example, Chinese date, Goji berry/Chinese wolfberry, and ginger tea, etc. However, do not take too much sour and avoid iced cold food.

春天到了，天气渐暖，万物复苏，草木动物开始生长，人的阳气也在这个时间生长。

对于年纪较大者，手脚冰冷者（尤其是女性），虚弱者，肝气旺盛脾气虚弱者，就要把握春天这个季节，好好调养阳气，改善本身的体质，预防感冒，防止冬天怕冷的状况，或改善阳虚造成的疾病。

春天的养生，可以到户外活动，晒晒太阳，呼吸新鲜空气，但要注意避免受风，颈肩要保暖。《黄帝内经》说：“风者，百病之始“，所以要避免吹风。

在春天，也要保持心情舒畅。春天是肝脏的季节，生气发怒就容易伤肝，造成肝气不畅，而导致身体的不适。

春季可以吃些温补的食物，但不宜吃太多酸的食品。冰凉的食物也要避免。像红枣，枸杞子，姜茶都是不错的选择。

4 basic elements for health

I would like to share 4 basic elements for maintaining or achieving health with you:
1) Nutrition intake: sunlight, air, water (enough water intake), microelements (mineral, vitamin, etc.)

2) Emotion: this is associated with stress that you ever find a way to release. Does the job fit for you? A happy or nice family relationship, etc.

3) Life style: this is hard to simply describe what a good lifestyle is (more detail will be talked about next time). Basically, go to bed before 11pm, sufficient sleep, and have 3 meals at certain time (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and not over-eating and hunger), etc.

4) Exercise: suitable load of exercise.
These 4 elements are easy to say, but hard to achieve. Can you make it? If you can, you will become healthy.

和大家分享一下，健康的四大条件：
1）营养摄取：阳光，空气，水（摄取充足的水分），微量元素（矿物质，维他命等），饮食均衡。

2）情绪：生活压力是否适当释放，工作环境适不适合，家庭关系和不和睦等。

3）生活习惯：是否按生理时钟作息，11点前睡觉，三餐定时定量等。

4）运动:适当的运动量。
这四个要素，看起来都很简单，但却不容易做到，你做到了吗？如果你能做到，你就拥有健康。

Care for low back pain, 如何保养你的腰

Do you know how to take care of your back? At Mayo clinic website, they has talked about good posture, back exercises, lifting techniques, and sleeping posture to reduce the back pain. Please see the following links.
几个方法帮助你保养你的腰，请看下列连结：

good posture, 良好姿势
sleeping positions, 睡眠姿势
back exercise, 背部的运动
lifting techniques,提重物的技巧

References
1. Mayo Clinic staff. “Low back pain: Everyday solutions.” Mayo Clinic Health information. Web. 29 Jun. 2011.
2. Mayo Clinic staff. "sleeping positions to reduce back pain." Mayo Clinic Health information. Web. 29 Jun. 2011.

Health info: softening tendons and bodies 《筋长一寸，寿延十年》

In China, there are words “If tendons extend one more inch, you can live for 10-year more”. If your body and tendons are supple, the flow of Qi (vital energy) and blood are smooth. In Chinese Medicine theory, it’s status of a healthy body, because every cell can get enough nourishment and good metabolism. According to the theory, stretching the body and doing Yoga are very benefit for human being. However, they keep body healthy by physically stretching tendons, from superficial body to the interior. Theoretically, tendons can be softened, because function of the interior organs are balanced with one another. The stabilized organs make Qi and blood flow smoothly, which have muscle and tendons get enough nourishment.

Practicing qigong is to stabilize and enhance the function of the interior organs, which also can make tendons soften. It’s physiologically soft, not physically. It’s from interior to exterior of the body. Qigong more focus on the root of a healthy body (inner organs), in order to achieve soft tendons, which is manifestation, and eventually approach longevity.

中医有句话《筋长一寸，寿延十年》，也就是说筋柔， 则气血通畅，身体健康。所以人说拉筋和做瑜伽对人体有益，就是这个道理。但拉筋或练瑜伽都是由外向内的方式保健身体， 物理性地把人体的筋拉软。然而，筋会软是因为我们身体内脏功能平衡，气血流顺，而能滋养筋肉。而气功是以平衡和增进内脏功能，而达到筋的柔软， 是生化性的柔软，而不是物理强化性的柔软。是由内向外的方式，更着重于本，调好脏腑而达到筋的柔软（标），进而达到长寿。