(Source: Huaihua Weather)
According to the lunar calendar, the Autumn Equinox is the midpoint of the 90 days of autumn. Like the Spring Equinox, the sunlight radiates almost directly onto the equator, and the length of day and night are equal again. It can be said the Autumn Equinox is a very special day. From that day on, the sun will radiate over the southern hemisphere more and more, and the day becomes shorter and the night becomes longer in the Northern Hemisphere. As it is said in the ancient book, The Detailed Records of the Spring and Autumn Period, “It is on the Autumn Equinox that the Yin and Yang are in a balance of power. Thus the day and night are of equal length, and so are the cold and hot weather.” Since the Autumn Equinox, most of the areas in China have entered the cool autumn. When the cold air southward meets the declining warm and wet air, precipitation is the result. Temperature also drops frequently. With the weather changes, people should follow these principles when preserving health:
1. Preserving mental health: As with Autumn Begins, the most important thing to preserve mental health is to stay optimistic and maintain peace of mind.
2. Preserving physical health: A strong physique depends on many factors, such as congenital development, diet, healthcare, living environment, and physical exercise. From some perspectives, exercise can make up for deficiencies, and it is also the simplest, most effective and economical way to get healthy. As the saying goes, “Proper diet is better than health products, while exercise is better than diet.” The temperature drops with the rain when it enters autumn. People find the autumn cool and comfortable after a hot and sultry summer. The pleasant autumn is also the golden season to exercise.
3. On a diet: Traditional Chinese medicine separates the diet into appropriate and harmful foods, according to the principle of keeping the balance of Yin and Yang. If it puts the Yin and Yang in equilibrium, then the food is appropriate. If not, then it is harmful. Different people have different choices. For example, if a man suffers from the phlegmatic hygrosis, then he should avoid greasy food. One whose physique belongs to the Mu-Huo type, should eat less spicy food. One who suffers form skin disease or asthma should avoid seafood such as shrimp and crab. One who has a stomach cold should not eat uncooked or cold food. The basic principle for anyone is to keep Yin and Yang in equilibrium.
4. Daily life: In the Autumn Equinox, people should insist on “sleeping early and getting up early”. Unlike during the period of Autumn Begins, people should keep warm now, and no longer practice “resistance against the cold by keeping cold”, to avoid catching a cold. But there is also no need to wear too much.
5. Exercise: Because it is near Autumn Begins, and the weather doesn’t change too much, people can refer to the ways and means of preserving health through exercise in the Autumn Begins.
Source: People’s Daily
Translated by Zhang Min
