Core Tip: If you close your eyes and picture the Spring Festival, what always comes to mind are crowds of people paying New Year's calls, similar dumplings, clinking glasses at banquets, and the incessant sound of firecrackers... As the saying goes, "Year after year, the flowers are the same." This year, let's reject the chaotic way of celebrating and make our holiday more health-oriented!
【Day One】
A Nutritious and Delicious New Year's Eve Dinner
The New Year's Eve dinner on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month is not only the prelude to the Spring Festival carnival but also the main event of the long holiday. Every household strives to use all its provisions to enrich this most important meal of the year.
Nutritionists point out that traditional New Year's Eve dinners often contain too much animal-based food, with fewer staples and vegetables. This dietary structure is not balanced. How to have a New Year's Eve dinner that is both delicious and healthy is a satisfactory answer not every family can provide.
When children return from afar and relatives and friends gather, with chicken, duck, fish, and meat filling a large table, appetites are whetted, and people enjoy a satisfying meal, but their digestive systems can't handle it.
Digestive system diseases such as loss of appetite, indigestion, and indigestion make a comeback. If you drink excessively, it can lead to alcohol poisoning. Coupled with emotional excitement, it can also easily trigger cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
In summary, the "three common sins" of a traditional New Year's Eve dinner are: too much meat and too few vegetables; rich flavors and excessive salt; and high-fat snacks and overly sweet drinks.
With some modifications based on tradition, the New Year's Eve dinner can also be healthy, as long as you achieve a balanced mix, nutritional balance, and scientific eating.
First, a 1:2 ratio of meat to vegetables is quite appropriate.
For meat dishes, it's better to choose fish, shrimp, and poultry with low fat content, such as deep-sea fish rich in unsaturated fatty acids, and meats like dragon meat, lamb, goose, and duck. For vegetable dishes, it's better to choose vegetables with strong antioxidant properties, high chlorophyll, high vitamin C, and high fiber, such as celery, mustard greens, spinach, mushrooms, and algae.
These vegetables help eliminate free radicals in the body, increase gastrointestinal motility, and expel waste produced by the metabolism of animal protein.
Choose appropriate cooking methods. Use less oil and salt, mainly focusing on stewing and stir-frying, and try to avoid deep-frying.
After a delicious meal, drinking some light congee can both nourish the stomach and improve nutritional balance. Drink alcohol in moderation. It's best to choose yellow wine, as it is a nutritious beverage. Yellow wine is best served warm, as it can help blood circulation and promote metabolism.
Regarding drinks and snacks, tea and dairy products are better than carbonated drinks; fruits and melons are better than peanuts and melon seeds.
【Day Two】
Talking to Your Parents by Their Side
Family reunion is the very theme of this traditional festival, the Spring Festival.
Over the past year, with busy work, trivial matters, and heavy pressure, do you feel exhausted? The safe and selfless love that your family can give you is the best remedy for healing a wounded soul.
So, on such a holiday, what reason is there to waste time on boring social engagements, or watching TV, surfing the internet, playing mahjong, and playing games, while ignoring your own family?
Talk to your parents by their side: After growing up, it's been a long time since you chattered endlessly to your parents. During the long holiday, sit beside your parents and speak your mind as you did when you were a child. Let them feel your thoughtfulness, and your own bad mood will disappear with this warmth.
Afternoon tea for two: Busy couples, busy with work after work, busy with housework, and no mood to communicate. When did the person beside you become so unfamiliar? This afternoon, refuse all disturbances, prepare some exquisite tea snacks yourself, sit down, and let the time that belongs only to the two of you quietly pass in the light clink of cups and plates. You will feel as if you have returned to the sweet time before you got married.
Even if you do nothing, spend time with your child: Over the past year, you promised to take your child here and there, but few of these promises were actually fulfilled. If this continues, how can the father's glorious image be maintained? Finally on vacation, take your child to see the long-awaited "Garfield," and watching his happy face, you will feel much younger yourself.
【Day Three】
Don't Overindulge at Gatherings with Friends and Relatives
The second day of the Lunar New Year is the day for visiting parents-in-law. It's rare for brothers-in-law to gather, so a drinking battle is inevitable. It's hard to refuse such enthusiasm, so one has to raise their glass frequently on the table. If you're not a good drinker, the "not drunk, not home" rule is something only you can understand the bitterness of. Some even develop gastrointestinal diseases from drinking, which is not worth the loss.
During the Spring Festival, visiting relatives and friends, there are gatherings almost every day, and alcohol is the star of the banquet.
"A thousand cups are not enough when meeting a bosom friend." Friends and relatives gather to chat and drink, with various drinking games and persuasion. It seems that only getting drunk can be considered a good time. Little do they know, this way of drinking damages health.
There are many considerations for healthy drinking during the Spring Festival. First, choose the right type of alcohol. There are white liquor, red wine, and beer.
Nutritionists point out that from a health perspective, red wine is the best for drinking. White liquor is the most harmful to health, so it's best to drink less or not at all.
As for the appropriate amount of alcohol, it can be calculated as follows: The liver can metabolize about 1 gram of alcohol per kilogram of body weight per day. A person weighing 60 kilograms should limit their daily alcohol intake to less than 60 grams. For those weighing less than 60 kilograms, it's best to keep it around 45 grams, which is equivalent to 50 grams of 60-proof liquor, 1 kilogram of beer, or 250 milliliters of whiskey. Red wine should also not be consumed excessively, with 2-3 cups a day being best.
There is also the issue of food pairing. The best accompaniments are high-protein and vitamin-rich foods, such as fresh vegetables, fresh fish, lean meat, beans, and eggs. Avoid eating pickled fish, sausages, or cured meats with alcohol.
Drinking a glass of milk before drinking can form a protective layer on the stomach lining, reducing the irritation of alcohol on the gastrointestinal tract.
It should also be reminded that drinking is not advisable in the following situations: on an empty stomach, as it irritates the gastrointestinal tract and is not conducive to digestion; before or after a bath; and for those taking antibiotics.
Eating more fruits, such as apples, pears, fresh oranges, bananas, strawberries, pineapples, and star fruits, can help sober up.
【Day Four】
Keep Warm When Traveling Outdoors
Who says you can't travel during the Spring Festival? Dress warmly and go out for a walk, which can also be a form of exercise.
As the festive atmosphere fades, for many people, especially the younger generation, the Spring Festival has gradually lost its traditional burdens and has become just a holiday to rest and relax.
Thus, many people have given up traditional ways of celebrating and turned Spring Festival travel into a new fashion.
Many people believe that the cold, frozen winter is not the best season for travel.
However, as long as you are willing to explore, there are still many good choices. You can go to the south to feel the warmth of the sun, or to the north to enjoy the wonders of ice and snow. More importantly, the Spring Festival is also a good opportunity to experience local customs.
If time and funds do not permit, you can also choose a fine day for a short trip with your family, climb mountains to exercise your body, or go for a hike in the countryside to relax your mind.
Even if you can't go far, a walk in the park is also a good choice.
Traveling in winter is different from other seasons, and keeping warm is the most important thing to pay attention to.
Dress warmly, but not too thickly, as too much clothing can hinder movement. Sweating and wetting your underwear can make you more susceptible to catching a cold. The weather is dry, so replenishing water during the trip is also very important.
Furthermore, on snowy and slippery days, you need to be careful when walking and driving. Winter is also a season with a high incidence of infectious diseases, so be sure to prevent them when going out. It is best for susceptible people to get relevant vaccinations before departure.
When the weather is cold and you travel during the Spring Festival, frostbite can sometimes occur. Frostbite often happens unintentionally.
In general, the affected area of frostbite often feels numb. During the trip, you can consciously move your toes and fingers frequently.
Once your hands or feet feel numb, take immediate measures to warm them up. If necessary, you can put your hands and feet in your own or your companion's arms. Lack of oxygen and water can make frostbite more likely to occur.
【Day Five】
Exercise to Relieve Fatigue
During the Spring Festival, there are endless large and small banquets, and it's hard to resist the temptation of delicious food. Weight loss plans have long been put on hold. While the appetite is satisfied, the waistline has obviously become thicker.
Consuming a large amount of high-calorie, high-fat food while the amount of exercise is relatively reduced will make people gain weight to some extent, which is not good for health. For the sake of your mood after the holiday, it is very necessary to have an active Spring Festival.
"Okay, I'm not going anywhere today, I'm going to exercise at home."
For busy office workers, the long holiday should be a good opportunity for fitness. However, the temperature is relatively low during the Spring Festival, and people are often lazy and unwilling to exercise. In fact, as long as you have a fitness mindset, exercise at this time can also be rich and colorful.
Group Activities:
Exercising alone can be boring and tedious. You want to find a partner, but others have no time. During the Spring Festival holiday, it's not difficult to invite two or three friends to play ball, take a walk, or go to the gym. On a nice day, you can even go mountain climbing, and exercise can become a pleasant thing.
Jump Rope:
Jumping rope is a staple winter sport, and its benefits are self-evident. What is most appealing is its simplicity. In the midst of the holiday feast, it can be a small, happy treat.
Yoga:
Is the carnival of traditional festivals a bit too lively? On this day when you don't go out to visit relatives and friends, slowly savor the warm holiday sun in yoga.
There is one more thing to remind everyone: it is easy to get injured during winter exercise, so you should pay special attention to the following issues: keep warm, and warm-up exercises before and cool-down exercises after are essential.
In addition, the biggest taboo in exercise is inconsistency. Don't interrupt your fitness routine during the Spring Festival, but of course, you shouldn't "overdo it" either.
During the New Year, don't become a "lazy cat." Go out for a walk and do some outdoor exercise. This not only avoids the temptation of snacks but also exercises your body, killing two birds with one stone.
【Day Six】
Rescue for Your Face and Skin
By the sixth day of the holiday, it seems that all the activities that can be done have been completed. In the morning, you crawl out of bed, look in the mirror, and are startled by two distinct dark circles: the holiday is about to end, you can't go to work like this, can you?
During the Spring Festival, the daily routine is always disrupted. Overeating and lack of sleep can cause considerable damage to the skin. What should you do?
A woman who sleeps more is more beautiful. If you are busy with parties during the New Year and really don't have time for a good "beauty sleep," then give yourself a massage during your free time to relax your tense skin.
A face mask is a "skin first-aid kit" that can enhance the skin's softness and radiance. Before a party, applying a hydrating mask will make your makeup look clearer and more natural.
The dark circles caused by staying up late are a troublesome problem, but there are ways to remedy it:
Apply a warm towel to the eyes, including the temples on both sides, for about 20 minutes, then apply a cold towel for 1 minute, and finally apply eye cream and massage for two to three minutes. You can also use used tea bags to apply on the eyelids.
If your eyes are swollen, you can wrap a few pieces of ice in plastic wrap, cover it with a dry towel on your eyelids, and apply a cold compress. Using a cotton pad to apply frozen milk to reduce swelling also has a good effect.
When sleeping, apply a little lavender essential oil, which has calming, analgesic, and antidepressant effects, giving you a good night.
【Day Seven】
Mental Adjustment is Essential
At the end of the long holiday, office workers are the group most prone to psychological problems. Faced with the stress of work the next day, they feel a bit at a loss.
It's as if waking up from a dream, you have to say goodbye to the Spring Festival and return to your unit. Some people may feel very unadapted and may feel mentally tired and have difficulty concentrating. Experts will teach you how to "healthily refocus your mind"—
Symptom 1: Fatigue
During the Spring Festival, many people stay up late and visit relatives and friends. Even if they don't travel, they still feel tired afterwards. This is because the normal "biological clock" is disrupted during the holiday.
Solution: Eliminate fatigue through rest, adjusting the biological clock, taking baths, and soaking feet. Sleep is an important means of dispelling fatigue.
Symptom 2: Nervous Anorexia
Continuous social gatherings and banquets make people feel psychologically disgusted and fearful of all food.
Solution: The best way is to exercise. Such as brisk walking, jogging, dancing, etc., this will also "whet" your appetite.
Symptom 3: Work Phobia
After the holiday, returning to normal, stressful work, some people may feel a sense of strangeness, and some may even feel fear.
Solution: You can make corresponding adjustments to your lifestyle and schedule, think calmly about what you should do after returning to work, and adjust your mentality to a working state. In the first week back at work, start with easy tasks to give yourself a buffer.
Symptom 4: Loneliness Syndrome
This is a psychological illness that many people who return to work or study from their hometowns are prone to. As their parents and relatives get farther and farther away, a sense of parting arises.
Solution: Don't deliberately suppress it. When you miss your hometown and parents, give them a call. Make more friends, participate in more group activities, and don't isolate yourself.