Tips for staying healthy in the Fall

Tips for staying healthy in the Fall 

Here are some things that you can do to keep your lungs and large intestine in tip top shape this fall and for the year to come. 

Breathe Deeply 

One of the best ways to strengthen the lungs is to breathe deeply. It sounds so simple, but most of us don’t breathe deeply at all and this affects things like our memory, energy level and immune system. When we breathe deeply and with intention, we are flooding our cells and brains with much needed oxygen that is vital to all the body’s processes. We are also taking in vital qi from the air that the lungs use to perform many functions that keep us healthy. The best thing to do, is to go for a walk outside in the crisp, clean autumn air, and fill your lungs with all that good qi. Below is a simple exercise to help you get started. 

Breathing Exercise – Deep Breathing Breathe in through your nose and think of breathing in all the way to your belly, taking in as much air as possible. Once the lungs are completely full, hold the lungs full for a count of five. Once you have counted to five, exhale through your mouth from the very bottom of your Lungs until they are completely empty, repeat three times. This exercise should be done three times daily. 

Let Go of Negativity in Your Life 

Of course, letting go of negativity is always a good idea, but it is particularly important in autumn, when Lung energy is at its peak. We can often feel like many of the negative things is our lives are beyond our control, but if we become aware of negative things, we can make small changes to avoid them as much as possible. Negativity can be an extremely destructive force both physically and psychologically, so working towards keeping as much of it as possible out of our lives is a good goal. Sometimes, it is just the awareness that can really help make the changes necessary to keep as much positivity and light in our lives, because that is the energy that feeds us on every level and helps us be happy, healthy beings. 

Walk Outside 

One of the best things we can do to strengthen the lungs is to walk outside, soak up the beautiful fall colors and breathe in the clean, cool air. There is nothing more healing to us that connecting with nature, and autumn is one of the most beautiful times of the year to do it. 

Reorganize, Clean & Donate 

Autumn is the perfect time to take stock of things in your life, organize and let go of the old, to make room for the new. This is a good practice in the fall in the physical world, as well as the emotional one. Go through your closet and take out all those old clothes that you haven’t worn in ages – donate them to a local charity so that they can be new for someone else. Clean out your computer deleting anything you no longer need. Organize your cupboards. All of these activities can be incredibly liberating and are in harmony with the autumn season and strengthening to the lungs function of letting go. 

Wear a Scarf 

Because fall is a season also associated with wind – in Chinese medicine considered the cause of 100 diseases – a simple thing like wearing a scarf can ward off cold which is said to enter most easily at the neck. It’s an easy way to stay warm, portable and very stylish! 

Keeping the lungs strong and healthy is important in autumn. In Chinese medicine, the lungs are considered a “delicate organ” because of their close relationship with the outside of the body. The lungs are the only yin organ with a direct connection to the outside of the body – so we must be extra careful to keep them strong, especially in the fall. 

Beneficial Foods in Fall 

Because the weather begins to cool off in autumn, it’s a good idea to eat fewer cooling foods, like salads and raw foods at this time of year. Longer cooking times and heartier ingredients are used in autumn to help nourish the body and support the immune system throughout the winter months. To support the digestive system, soups and stews are eaten as their long cooking times are warming and the foods are easier to digest. And because the autumn is a season associated with wind and dryness, it is important to eat moisturizing yin foods like the snowear mushroom. Here is an excellent recipe using snow-ear mushroom, perfect for fall – Snow-Ear Mushroom, Apple & Pork Soup. Foods that nourish the lungs are eaten in fall. Below is a list of beneficial foods to eat in the fall season.
 

• Garlic 
• Sweet potato 
• Ginger 
• Onion 
• Cabbage 

• Pears 
• Walnuts 
• Black pepper 
• Radish 
• Rice 

• Chilli 
• Cinnamon 
• Cardamom 
• Leeks 
• Miso 

• Navy Beans 
• Soy Beans 
• Almonds 
• Asparagus 
• Broccoli 

• Cucumber 
• Celery 
• Mustard Greens 
• Apricot 
• Banana 

• Eggs 
• Sourdough Bread 
• Sauerkraut 
• Olives 
• Pickles 

• Vinegar 
• Cheese 
• Yoghurt 
• Lemons 
• Limes 

• Grapefruit 
• Apples 
• Plums 
• Grapes