When deep winter arrives, hands and feet become icy cold, and I believe this is a common fear for many of our compatriots who are afraid of the cold.
In recent days, a strong cold wave has swept across the country. With howling north winds, sleet and snow, and a sharp drop in temperature, many people who are already sensitive to the cold, especially the frail, women, and the elderly, find their daily lives particularly difficult.
While wearing down jackets keeps the body warm, the hands and feet remain icy. Even at night, under thick cotton quilts, the feet just won't warm up.
During the cold winter, how can we improve our physical constitution and cold resistance?
Spicy Lamb Soup
For cold protection and warmth, let's eat healthy foods
In winter, people can clearly feel the power of the cold. A gust of cold wind makes the whole body shiver. Cold can easily damage the body's yang energy, leading to dysfunction of the respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems. However, a scientific adjustment in diet can help us resist the severe cold. Which foods have such magical effects?
Lamb: Lamb is warm in nature and sweet in taste. Eating lamb often in winter can not only increase the body's heat and resist the cold, but also has therapeutic and nourishing effects on various conditions caused by deficiency, such as common colds and coughs, abdominal cold pain, aversion to cold due to a weak constitution, soreness in the lower back and knees, sallow complexion and emaciation, deficiency of both qi and blood, and physical weakness after illness or childbirth.
Oatmeal: Oatmeal is rich in various minerals that help the body resist the cold. Oatmeal can be used to make congee or mixed with rice to make oatmeal rice, making it very convenient to eat. At the same time, oatmeal is rich in dietary fiber and plant protein, which provides a good sense of fullness and helps control weight. The beta-glucan in it can lower bad cholesterol.
Brown sugar water: In the cold winter, emphasis is placed on nourishing warmth, and as a beverage, brown sugar water is the best. Its benefits lie in its ability to warm and nourish, warm and unblock, and warm and dissipate. It has the effects of resolving stasis and dispelling cold, warming the stomach and strengthening the spleen, and alleviating pain. It is also rich in essential minerals and trace elements like calcium and iron.
Eggs: Eggs are an excellent source of high-quality protein, riboflavin, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. These nutrients provide the brain with a variety of essential nutrients, store energy for the body, and play a role in cold protection and maintaining winter health.
Beef: Zinc is particularly important in the diet as it promotes the growth of white blood cells, which in turn helps the body defend against harmful substances like bacteria. Even a slight zinc deficiency can increase the risk of infectious diseases. Beef is an important source of zinc for the body. Therefore, supplementing with beef in winter can help both resist the cold and prevent the flu.
Chicken: Chicken has a good therapeutic effect on malnutrition, aversion to cold, fatigue, menstrual irregularities, anemia, and weakness. Therefore, eating more chicken can effectively reduce the invasion of cold into the body.
Clams: Clams are rich in iodine, which can promote the secretion of thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones have a thermogenic effect, accelerating the oxidation process in most of the body's tissues and cells (except the brain, glands, and uterus), increasing heat production, raising the basal metabolic rate, enhancing skin blood circulation, and resisting cold. However, it should be noted that because clams are cold in nature, people with a weak spleen and stomach should not eat them in large quantities.
Sunflower seeds: In winter, sunflower seeds can also provide the necessary elements for the body to resist the cold. Cold weather increases the body's demand for methionine. Methionine can provide a series of methyl groups necessary to adapt to the cold through a transmethylation effect. Therefore, in winter, one should consume more sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and vegetables to improve one's own cold resistance.
Dairy products: More than ten years ago, animal experiments proved that when calcium is insufficient, fat synthesis increases, heat production capacity decreases, and it also hinders the body's ability to resist cold. Therefore, eating some calcium-rich dairy products, such as hot milk, yogurt warmed to body temperature, and cheese, not only helps to warm the body but is also beneficial for weight loss.
Chili and alcohol: Both of these foods effectively promote blood circulation and can have a heating effect. For example, eating foods with spices like Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, green onions, ginger, and garlic can promote the secretion of digestive juices while also having a dual effect of promoting blood circulation, so the body's temperature will increase.
PS: To strengthen and warm the body, the first step is to maintain the normal function of digestion and absorption. Because if digestive and absorption functions are poor, nutrients from food cannot be properly utilized.
Exercise, build a cold-resistant body
In addition to adjusting your diet, exercise is also an essential measure for cold protection. In winter, you need to keep moving, combined with nutritional improvements, to build strong muscles and form a cold-resistant constitution. This is the best, most reliable, and most long-lasting way to warm up!
So, what are the top choices for winter fitness?
Fitness experts suggest that in winter, it's best to choose light, gentle, and low-intensity activities. These include outdoor sports like jogging, hiking, and cycling, as well as indoor activities like hot yoga, swimming, and Pilates. You can also soak in hot springs appropriately.
The following are a few exercises that experts have summarized as being suitable for winter, simple, and convenient.
1. Brisk walking and swinging arms: In the morning, walk at a speed faster than walking but slower than running, taking big steps forward, and swinging your arms. Do this for 30 minutes to promote the circulation of qi and blood, and your whole body will feel warm. By accelerating blood circulation and metabolism first thing in the morning, you will feel energetic all day and less prone to feeling cold.
2. Jogging: This is a very suitable exercise for winter. We don't aim to break into a heavy sweat; we just need to make the body slightly warm and sweat a little to achieve the desired exercise effect.
At the same time, it can also help you resist the cold. Remember, if you take off clothes while jogging, be sure to add them back on immediately after you finish to avoid catching a cold from the wind.
3. Cycling: Cycling is also a great form of exercise, relatively suitable for young people. However, it's important to note that you must take good measures to keep your head, ears, and hands warm. You must protect your ears, wear windproof and warm gloves, and it's best to add knee pads. Ride slowly around a park or a lakeside bike path; it's elegant and fun, and also very good. Of course, the timing is also important; don't do it when it's too cold.
4. Shuttlecock and badminton: Playing shuttlecock and badminton are two sports that I particularly like, especially in winter.
Choose a warm afternoon, go to a park, find an open space, and get a circle of friends together to play shuttlecock. The severe winter cold will completely disappear. It's simple and easy, and it's also a great way to exercise.
Playing badminton together is also a great choice, of course, on a windless day. Firstly, badminton is a sport that is best played out of the wind, and secondly, it reduces the chance of catching a cold.
Spicy lamb soup