As the days grow longer and cooler, its important to make sure the way you are eating and living are in alignment with this time of year. Here are four helpful pointers:
Soup is an excellent fall food
1. Your Food: As the weather becomes colder, prepare more warm cooked foods and reduce the amount of cold raw foods in your diet. Despite what you may have heard, this is NOT a great time to do one of those juice cleanses! The weather changes in autumn may lead to dryness affecting your body, especially lungs and skin, resulting in dry skin, dry cough and constipation. Drink plenty of water! Eating more moistening, juicy fruits like pears, pomegranates, persimmons and apples. To help boost your immune system, cook more vegetables like yams, sweet potatoes, carrots and winter squash. If you do come down with a cold or allergies, try adding some pungent flavored foods such as green onions, fresh ginger or sweet onions. My Miso Onion soup recipe is an excellent remedy for colds.
Legs up the wall counts as exercise!
2. Exercise: Go easy. Try to avoid heavily aerobic exercise outdoors in the cooler autumn months, as it may reduce your energy or qi, and weaken your system. Instead focus on gentle or moderate exercise like brisk walking, tai chi or yoga. Light exercise boosts your immune system, excessive exercise can deplete it. Think about Goldilocks and the Three Bears, too much exercise can stress you body, you want just enough movement, not too little, not too much. And don’t forget to spend some time with your legs up the wall to re-charge.
3. Sleep: You’ve heard what they say about early to bed and early to rise. According to Chinese medicine, our sleeping habits should adjust with the changing length of days through the seasons. In autumn, as the days become shorter, try going to sleep earlier to avoid the chilly nights and waking early to enjoy the crisp morning air. Like many animals in nature, we simply need more rest and sleep in colder, darker months, honor that wisdom.
4. Clothing: Layers are key. A Chinese folk saying states that one ought to “muffle the body in spring and freeze the body in autumn.” That is to say, people should avoid wearing heavy winter coats and adding thick quilts too early in the autumn season. Especially in the beginning of autumn, the body needs some time to cool down from the summer heat. Adding too much clothing may prevent the body from adjusting to the cooling temperatures. We do need to build up some resistance to colder weather. A nice scarf can be stylish and can keep your neck and upper body from getting chilled.
