7 Chinese Wellness Habits That Will Transform Your Life
Author Name:Reina Sui Chan
Youtube Channel Url:https://www.youtube.com/@reina.suichan
Youtube Video URL:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Svvfnu8YU7U
Title: 7 Chinese Wellness Habits That Will Transform Your Life
Author Name: Reina Sui Chan
Description: Let me know how those habits work out for you and if you prefer the apple ginger water or this new recipe ;)
Growing up, it helped me a lot knowing those tips to relieve tension and feel rejuvenated. The best thing about it is that it is cost-free and you have access to it all the time.
CHAPTERS
00:35 - The wonders of scalp care
03:54 - Empty your rubbish bins
09:40 - Self-massage your lower abdomen
11:23 - A little qigong
14:15 - Avoid cold drinks & foods
17:15 - Avoid fried & grilled foods
18:50 - Drink Chinese potions!
A lot of you asked me about my jewellery, and I got it from a family friend's jeweller in Hong Kong, which you can't buy online, so I found almost identically looking items for you - hope this helps!
#skincare #asianbeauty #asianskincareroutine #chinesebeauty #chineseculture #wellnesstips
Transcript:
(00:00) The key to staying healthy and beautiful in the Chinese wellness sphere is less to do with what you do once in a blue moon, but more to do with what you do every single day as micro decisions and habits >> [music] >> as maintenance. So, let's go through the seven Chinese wellness habits that helps you stay healthy and beautiful along with the wisdom and philosophy behind it.
(00:28) Scalp care is a very important element when it comes to Young Shen or any kind of self-care habits in Chinese culture. And when you take care of your scalp, not only does it help you to relieve a lot of tension in the head, it helps you sleep better at night, and it also helps with your [music] skin care because Chinese people always emphasize on this, which is >> [music] >> that your head, your scalp, and your face is one skin.
(00:54) And whatever that happens to your scalp would also affect your face because it is connected. [music] a lot of sense if you start thinking about it like that. So, when you take care of your scalp, not only does it help with blood circulation, but it also helps with the sagging, the wrinkles, and the lifting of the skin.
(01:11) One of my favorite things to do whenever I visit China is to go for a head spa treatment because it's so much cheaper there and the quality is amazing. And one of my favorite one to do is the ginger head spa treatment. They would blend lots of fresh gingers in a blender and they put all of that in a bowl or in a container and they start rubbing all that fresh ginger in your scalp while you're sitting massaging it in.
(01:37) And that is so amazing for increasing your blood circulation in the head because ginger itself has that heating property and you just feel like your whole head is heated, but then afterwards you have the best [music] release possible. And they have so many other head spa treatments as well. You can choose rose or sometimes even TCM inspired with TCM herbal ingredients in them and I can say that having a head spa is even better than having a body massage.
(02:04) We accumulate so much tension in our head and rarely does it ever go away unless you go for a head spa or head massage. So, I highly recommend it and I can see that it is becoming more of a thing in different parts of the world than just China and Hong Kong. If you don't have easy access to head spas like me, you can use a scalp massage tool, which has worked so well for me.
(02:27) You can also use the tip of your fingertips, not the nail [music] part, but just the tip of your fingertips. But then if you are using the massage tool, I usually hold it like this and I start from my right side, going from the top of my scalp, put some light pressure instead of lifting it up, which tangles my hair.
(02:48) I'm staying on it with light pressure and I go clockwise. One, two, three, four, five. And then I work my way down. One, two, three. You see how I'm going from one straight line to another. And I'm just working from the right side of my head to the left side of my head. And then I'm moving on to the next line here. One, two, three.
(03:14) After all that back and all that side is done, [music] then you can slowly work your way to the left side as well. One, two, three. So, I use the scalp massage tool once or twice a week and it just really helps to release the tension and it also helps to lift your face over time because it really prevents sagging when you're massaging your scalp and keeping that scalp healthy and tight.
(03:39) [music] You can also do it when you're showering, which sometimes is even better because when you have shampoo or conditioner on, it's just softer on your head instead of really rubbing it hard when it is dry. So, that is up to you. On the first video I posted about Asian women's self-care habits, I was talking about the rubbish bin that you have to empty after doing your gua sha.
(04:00) And just to remind you, the rubbish bin, it is right behind both of our ears. You [music] want to clear the rubbish bin at least once to twice a week and there are three main rubbish bins in the body, which is where usually our lymph nodes will get stuck and that's why you need to smoothen it.
(04:20) And today I want to go through two rubbish bins with you, which is the one behind your neck and also the one under your arm. Whenever I feel a lot of tension in my body and especially if I'm in Hong Kong, I will go for a massage called Tong Lam Ba, which means lymph node smoothing massage. And it is quite uncomfortable at times just [music] because whenever there's a lymph node stuck in your body, it feels like there's a lot of tension there.
(04:50) And usually the masseuses will really go in there and try to smooth it out. [music] And afterwards, you feel a big sense of release. So, I highly recommend this kind of massage if you haven't got one before. And when it comes to your lymphatic system, you can think about it as the ones that is transporting a lot of waste and toxins or bacteria from the body.
(05:10) That's why you want to clear out all the rubbish bins where toxin could be stuck in. If you smooth out the one behind your neck, not only does it help with detoxifying, [music] but it also helps with blood circulation, headaches, and also sleeping better. One bonus tip is if you do this regularly, it also helps with making your skin complexion less dull.
(05:33) [music] And trust me because I have really experienced this. If you have your gua sha, you can use your gua sha. Otherwise, you can also use your hands with a little bit of oil to make it easier. I'm taking the whole hoba oil where I'm just going to drip 1 2 [music] 3 4 5 6. And then I'm just going to put that all over the neck area from the side especially all the way down to almost your shoulder because this whole area is where we're going to be working on.
(06:10) You're going to use your right hand to massage your left [music] lymph node. So, we're going to start with behind your ears. And again, you don't need to put a lot of heavy pressure. Just use a light pressure. And then I'm just going to gently press it down from behind my ears all the way down to almost my shoulders. And then I'm just going to do that for 1 to 2 minutes.
(06:43) If you don't have time, just do it 30-40 times depending on how much time you have. I'm just going to show you doing my right lymph node using my left hand, going from the back of my ear. I'm just going to massage it down all the way to my shoulder. From the back to the shoulder. And actually now only doing it for I think maybe like 10 times, I'm already feeling like the tension is being released.
(07:15) So, it's honestly magical. Try to do it as often as possible. One to two times a week is great, but if you could do it every day, you really can't do this enough because it just helps with detoxifying your body and there is no bad side effect [music] to doing any of this. In the TCM sphere, the doctors always say that whatever is blocked, that is what leads to pain and illnesses.
(07:39) And that's why you want to soothe out and smoothen out every rubbish bin that can have an accumulation of blockage. And the next rubbish bin I want to introduce to you is the one under our armpits. Here, it's connected to our neck, shoulders, chest, and also heart. So, when you smooth out the rubbish bin in this area, it relieves a lot of tension and pain around the chest area [music] if you're struggling with that.
(08:06) You want to go in the middle of your underarm and going from the left side to the right side in a horizontal way, you're almost squeezing it. Not very hard, but gently pressure where you can feel a slight numbness in the middle. So, you're doing from left to right. And you do that for about 50 times. Sometimes you could also do it for 100 times.
(08:34) All of this is easier to do in the shower as well when you've got shower gel on. When you don't take care of your lymph node around this area and there's a lot of accumulation of toxin, you also see that there is more fat or more meat as they call it in Chinese around this area. But when you do this enough, you've got a really nice contour around your underarm area, which is also a bonus [music] benefit.
(08:59) So, let's say I've done 50 to 100 times on the left arm already. I'm going to do the same thing on the right where I'm finding the middle and then as I press on it, I can feel that numbness and I just do this for 50 to 100 times. I often talk about in my self-care videos where everything is interconnected.
(09:21) And that is why you want to take care of all the potential things that could be leading to blockages or tension because when you relieve the tension, not only do you feel better physically, but you also feel better mentally because [music] it is a whole ecosystem that we're dealing with here. Next I want to introduce to you is a lower abdomen massage, which my mom has been doing probably her whole life since she was like 20 or something and now she is 50 something.
(09:51) And she told me it's one of the best things she did that reduces lower belly fat and water retention. I'm actually wearing my gym outfit today so I can show you properly. So, start from your [music] belly button as the center point. You want to stack your hands together, however you like it, and then you're going to go to your lower abdomen.
(10:11) And you just do and you do clockwise. So, you just do that on your lower abdomen 400 times. And not only does that help with water retention, >> [music] >> bloating, lower belly fat, but it also helps with your digestion and also blood circulation. Plus, I think it also helps with any sagging and wrinkles around those area.
(10:39) When it comes to Chinese wellness habits, a lot of it is very natural and completely based on things that cannot do your body any harm. Because if you think about massaging your body, drinking little potions I've introduced to you with just apple and water and ginger, it really can't do you any harm, but a lot of benefits because the earth really has offered us so much that gives us abundance and more than what our body could ask for.
(11:09) Bonus tip here is that if you deal with menstrual cramps, this is so good for alleviating that, especially [music] if you do it every single day in the shower or out of the shower. I started meditating since uni days and I can say that it generally has just made me a much better person overall because not only is my mood much more stable, but I'm much more present and I can connect with people better instead of just always listening to that chatterbox that's going on in our heads and minds. As you probably know what I'm
(11:40) talking about because meditation really just helps to remind you that you can be in the present as soon [music] as you're aware of what's happening. And that often starts with engaging with your senses. Although I do know that sometimes it is hard to sit still, [music] especially when there's so much noise in your head.
(11:59) And that's why I started discovering Qigong as a moving meditation. Qigong is so beautiful because it combines breathing, movement, and meditation all in one. And as you're trying to coordinate your movements, connect, and focus on what you're doing with the breathing, it really helps to take you back to the present, helps with rejuvenating the energy, the qi, and also blood circulation.
(12:25) So, that's why I'm going to show you this little Qigong exercise that you can do every day for all ages or any stage you are in life. The Qigong master suggests that you can do this three times a day, but I would say if you're just starting out, which I'm also just starting out as well, you can just try with once a day in the morning.
(12:43) [music] And then gradually you can increase your duration or do it twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Most important thing to remember here is when you're doing it, you really want to ground yourself and give yourself a minute to come back to the present before you start to reap the most benefits from it.
(13:01) To start, you want to plant your legs and feet very grounded on the floor. Then, you want to take your arms to shoulder height with your fingers pointing to the front, but relax instead of very stringent [music] and very hard on yourself. You want to relax your fingers and your arms. And we're going to do five swings with every fifth swing a squat bounce.
(13:28) And the squat bounce, you have to keep your body straight instead of tilting forward. One, two, four, five bounce. One, two, three, four, five bounce. Now, as I am finishing, let's say it's already been 20 minutes, I am slowly swinging to my rest position. And then you want to close your eyes, breathe in from your nose, and breathe out from your mouth for 2 minutes to let the qi be rejuvenated.
(14:12) And that's it for your Qigong exercise. Let me know how it works out for you because whenever I'm not up for a still meditation, moving meditation has worked wonders for me, especially when it comes to Qigong. I think there's so much wisdom in it cuz if you think about the history to how it all started, there is so much wisdom in trying to connect with the [music] energy of the planet, of the earth if you like, and it's really just concentrating that energy and connecting with that energy. I am a huge fan when
(14:43) it comes to yogurts and fruits. Especially [music] Greek yogurt is my absolute favorite. But I usually try to have yogurts and fruits at lunchtime instead of the morning because I was always told growing up that you should avoid cold foods in the morning and at [music] night because it's much easier for your body to process cold things at lunchtime.
(15:05) In the TCM sphere, it's believed that in the morning your stomach and spleen is not fully awake yet, so you don't want to put such extremities of cold things in you, which also leads to a lot of internal contraction. And at night, because [music] the yin energy is stronger, it can lead to lots of poor absorption, poor blood circulation, and water retention.
(15:30) So, that's why if you were to eat any cold things, try to keep it for a lunchtime thing. If you really listen to your body, in [music] the morning we usually don't want to put such extremities in our stomach because everything is just waking up. So, you want to go for food that is as gentle as possible. Usually in the morning I love to have just porridge or eggs, which is so gentle for the stomach.
(15:53) And if you want something sweet, sweet potatoes, especially the Japanese purple sweet potatoes, are amazing. I just want to show you some really nice purple sweet potatoes I bought in the morning. And usually I just have these >> [music] >> out on a bowl and whenever I'm hungry, I just snack on those. They are sweet, they are yum, and they're also low in calories.
(16:14) A lot of people often think that my mom looks very young for her age and I think she's like 55. I'm not sure, I need to make sure with her. But she looks really young, like at least 10 years younger. And I would say that really attributes to her being so clean her whole life where she often avoids sun, lan, zin, za food.
(16:36) Sun is raw, lan is cold, zin is grill, za is fried. She often avoids food that comes from this category cuz she knows that it leads to a lot of premature aging, bad skin, and generally bad health. Whenever it's hot outside, we often want to reach for something very cold because it just makes you feel like a release of the heat in your body.
(16:58) That's completely understandable, especially during summer. But then still, I would always try to stick to the rule of minimizing cold things in the morning [music] and in the evening. And you still get to have your nice little cold drinks during lunchtime. Avoiding grilled and fried food is another one that is very big in the Chinese wellness sphere.
(17:17) It's notorious for causing bad skin such as dullness, oiliness, or spots, heartburn, acid reflux, and also high internal heat, which could lead to constipation, dryness in the body, dampness, and other kinds of illnesses. Not to also mention that in the TCM sphere, it's believed that these kind of foods causes chronic inflammation and it really damages the qi of your spleen and your stomach.
(17:45) And I think chronic inflammation from fried or grilled food is also a thing in Western medicine or like normal medicine if you're in the Western world. Growing up, whenever I go for Korean barbecue or tempura, a lot of dry and grilled food, I almost get spots immediately. So, if you're suffering from acne issues and you eat lots of fried food, maybe it's worth trying to reduce on the fried and grilled foods.
(18:11) And if you think about how your skin feels and looks after you have something really clean like just some clean protein and veggies and carbs, it almost glows immediately. Our body responds so much and so fast to what we put in us. We are literally what [music] we eat. And so that is so important for us to pay attention to. And on the calorie side of things, you can just look at how much oil and how much more calories is added [music] to grilled and fried foods.
(18:38) That's probably another reason why we want to avoid it if we want to have a very clean and healthy diet. In the last video of Asian women's daily habits, I show you guys how to make a ginger apple tea, which is one of the potions that my mom always makes for me. And apple ginger water is so good for your skin, digestion, and just generally a yang shen tea to have.
(19:00) Today, I want to show you guys another yang shen tea with an orange, one apple, and also three dates. I'm using three dates instead of five or six, which is in the original recipe that I want to recommend to you guys, because I still have a little bit of a sore throat and cough. And dates are hotter in nature, that's why I want to avoid for today.
(19:24) So, three dates, one orange, and one apple. This tea is really good for beautifying the skin, replenishing the stomach and [music] the spleen, and also moisturizing the lungs and relieving you of any kind of coughs or dryness. Growing up, my mom was very strict about me not having soft drinks like Coke or sodas or anything like that.
(19:46) Whenever I wanted sweet drinks, she would ask me to get a juice and preferably the ones that has less sugar. So, I never grew up to have the habit of doing so, but I do find soft drink very tempting at times, especially if you're having a burger or popcorn in the cinema, for example. But then, I will always do my best to avoid soda as much as possible.
(20:07) Whenever I want something refreshing, I might have Young Sheng Tea, detox juice, or orange juice, or even kombucha, but rarely would I go for soft drinks. And let's say there's only soft drinks and unsweetened [music] tea that's available, always go for unsweetened tea. We often underestimate how much sugar and calories is accumulated with these soft drinks.
(20:28) So, that's why try to avoid as much as possible. And I always emphasize this in my videos, which is health and beauty and happiness comes from every single drop you put into it every single day. All the things that you do and don't do, all the micro decisions matter in the grand [music] picture. I have already rubbed the orange with some salt to clean the skin and also washed the apple. Now, let's cut it.
(20:56) With the apple, I always try to exclude the seed part because my mom always told me that it is high in internal heat. You want to avoid that. Just cut it into smaller pieces. It's crazy to think about how seeds can have high internal heat, but the flesh of the fruit itself is fine. I always find that so interesting.
(21:23) I think nature is just very complex. Now, I'm going to cut the dates while I am excluding the seed again. Now, with my orange, I'm just going to take the lids off. I usually like to exclude the lids for some reason, but that's very personal. I'm sure you can also keep it in if you like. So, I'm just going to slice it.
(21:45) And then, let's put it in the pot. Now, the water has started boiling, I'm going to put this bowl of the fruits and dates that I just prepared inside the water that's bubbling. Now, I'm going to wait for the water to boil as well with the ingredients inside, and then I'm going to turn the heat down to medium to low. Then, I'm going to boil it for 20 to 30 minutes.
(22:11) And afterwards, I'm just going to drink the tea without eating the apple or the orange. Sometimes, I might have the dates. Sometimes, I'll just drink the tea by itself. The tea is done. It's been 20 minutes, and I'm just [music] going to scoop out all the tea and leave the fruits inside. I can just drink this when it cools down.
(22:34) Remember, prevention [music] is always better than cure, and we really want to focus on maintenance here. Let me know how these habits work out for you and if there are similar habits in your culture. Thank you so much for being here, and I hope to see you in the next video.
Author Name:Reina Sui Chan
Youtube Channel Url:https://www.youtube.com/@reina.suichan
Youtube Video URL:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Svvfnu8YU7U
Title: 7 Chinese Wellness Habits That Will Transform Your Life
Author Name: Reina Sui Chan
Description: Let me know how those habits work out for you and if you prefer the apple ginger water or this new recipe ;)
Growing up, it helped me a lot knowing those tips to relieve tension and feel rejuvenated. The best thing about it is that it is cost-free and you have access to it all the time.
CHAPTERS
00:35 - The wonders of scalp care
03:54 - Empty your rubbish bins
09:40 - Self-massage your lower abdomen
11:23 - A little qigong
14:15 - Avoid cold drinks & foods
17:15 - Avoid fried & grilled foods
18:50 - Drink Chinese potions!
A lot of you asked me about my jewellery, and I got it from a family friend's jeweller in Hong Kong, which you can't buy online, so I found almost identically looking items for you - hope this helps!
#skincare #asianbeauty #asianskincareroutine #chinesebeauty #chineseculture #wellnesstips
Transcript:
(00:00) The key to staying healthy and beautiful in the Chinese wellness sphere is less to do with what you do once in a blue moon, but more to do with what you do every single day as micro decisions and habits >> [music] >> as maintenance. So, let's go through the seven Chinese wellness habits that helps you stay healthy and beautiful along with the wisdom and philosophy behind it.
(00:28) Scalp care is a very important element when it comes to Young Shen or any kind of self-care habits in Chinese culture. And when you take care of your scalp, not only does it help you to relieve a lot of tension in the head, it helps you sleep better at night, and it also helps with your [music] skin care because Chinese people always emphasize on this, which is >> [music] >> that your head, your scalp, and your face is one skin.
(00:54) And whatever that happens to your scalp would also affect your face because it is connected. [music] a lot of sense if you start thinking about it like that. So, when you take care of your scalp, not only does it help with blood circulation, but it also helps with the sagging, the wrinkles, and the lifting of the skin.
(01:11) One of my favorite things to do whenever I visit China is to go for a head spa treatment because it's so much cheaper there and the quality is amazing. And one of my favorite one to do is the ginger head spa treatment. They would blend lots of fresh gingers in a blender and they put all of that in a bowl or in a container and they start rubbing all that fresh ginger in your scalp while you're sitting massaging it in.
(01:37) And that is so amazing for increasing your blood circulation in the head because ginger itself has that heating property and you just feel like your whole head is heated, but then afterwards you have the best [music] release possible. And they have so many other head spa treatments as well. You can choose rose or sometimes even TCM inspired with TCM herbal ingredients in them and I can say that having a head spa is even better than having a body massage.
(02:04) We accumulate so much tension in our head and rarely does it ever go away unless you go for a head spa or head massage. So, I highly recommend it and I can see that it is becoming more of a thing in different parts of the world than just China and Hong Kong. If you don't have easy access to head spas like me, you can use a scalp massage tool, which has worked so well for me.
(02:27) You can also use the tip of your fingertips, not the nail [music] part, but just the tip of your fingertips. But then if you are using the massage tool, I usually hold it like this and I start from my right side, going from the top of my scalp, put some light pressure instead of lifting it up, which tangles my hair.
(02:48) I'm staying on it with light pressure and I go clockwise. One, two, three, four, five. And then I work my way down. One, two, three. You see how I'm going from one straight line to another. And I'm just working from the right side of my head to the left side of my head. And then I'm moving on to the next line here. One, two, three.
(03:14) After all that back and all that side is done, [music] then you can slowly work your way to the left side as well. One, two, three. So, I use the scalp massage tool once or twice a week and it just really helps to release the tension and it also helps to lift your face over time because it really prevents sagging when you're massaging your scalp and keeping that scalp healthy and tight.
(03:39) [music] You can also do it when you're showering, which sometimes is even better because when you have shampoo or conditioner on, it's just softer on your head instead of really rubbing it hard when it is dry. So, that is up to you. On the first video I posted about Asian women's self-care habits, I was talking about the rubbish bin that you have to empty after doing your gua sha.
(04:00) And just to remind you, the rubbish bin, it is right behind both of our ears. You [music] want to clear the rubbish bin at least once to twice a week and there are three main rubbish bins in the body, which is where usually our lymph nodes will get stuck and that's why you need to smoothen it.
(04:20) And today I want to go through two rubbish bins with you, which is the one behind your neck and also the one under your arm. Whenever I feel a lot of tension in my body and especially if I'm in Hong Kong, I will go for a massage called Tong Lam Ba, which means lymph node smoothing massage. And it is quite uncomfortable at times just [music] because whenever there's a lymph node stuck in your body, it feels like there's a lot of tension there.
(04:50) And usually the masseuses will really go in there and try to smooth it out. [music] And afterwards, you feel a big sense of release. So, I highly recommend this kind of massage if you haven't got one before. And when it comes to your lymphatic system, you can think about it as the ones that is transporting a lot of waste and toxins or bacteria from the body.
(05:10) That's why you want to clear out all the rubbish bins where toxin could be stuck in. If you smooth out the one behind your neck, not only does it help with detoxifying, [music] but it also helps with blood circulation, headaches, and also sleeping better. One bonus tip is if you do this regularly, it also helps with making your skin complexion less dull.
(05:33) [music] And trust me because I have really experienced this. If you have your gua sha, you can use your gua sha. Otherwise, you can also use your hands with a little bit of oil to make it easier. I'm taking the whole hoba oil where I'm just going to drip 1 2 [music] 3 4 5 6. And then I'm just going to put that all over the neck area from the side especially all the way down to almost your shoulder because this whole area is where we're going to be working on.
(06:10) You're going to use your right hand to massage your left [music] lymph node. So, we're going to start with behind your ears. And again, you don't need to put a lot of heavy pressure. Just use a light pressure. And then I'm just going to gently press it down from behind my ears all the way down to almost my shoulders. And then I'm just going to do that for 1 to 2 minutes.
(06:43) If you don't have time, just do it 30-40 times depending on how much time you have. I'm just going to show you doing my right lymph node using my left hand, going from the back of my ear. I'm just going to massage it down all the way to my shoulder. From the back to the shoulder. And actually now only doing it for I think maybe like 10 times, I'm already feeling like the tension is being released.
(07:15) So, it's honestly magical. Try to do it as often as possible. One to two times a week is great, but if you could do it every day, you really can't do this enough because it just helps with detoxifying your body and there is no bad side effect [music] to doing any of this. In the TCM sphere, the doctors always say that whatever is blocked, that is what leads to pain and illnesses.
(07:39) And that's why you want to soothe out and smoothen out every rubbish bin that can have an accumulation of blockage. And the next rubbish bin I want to introduce to you is the one under our armpits. Here, it's connected to our neck, shoulders, chest, and also heart. So, when you smooth out the rubbish bin in this area, it relieves a lot of tension and pain around the chest area [music] if you're struggling with that.
(08:06) You want to go in the middle of your underarm and going from the left side to the right side in a horizontal way, you're almost squeezing it. Not very hard, but gently pressure where you can feel a slight numbness in the middle. So, you're doing from left to right. And you do that for about 50 times. Sometimes you could also do it for 100 times.
(08:34) All of this is easier to do in the shower as well when you've got shower gel on. When you don't take care of your lymph node around this area and there's a lot of accumulation of toxin, you also see that there is more fat or more meat as they call it in Chinese around this area. But when you do this enough, you've got a really nice contour around your underarm area, which is also a bonus [music] benefit.
(08:59) So, let's say I've done 50 to 100 times on the left arm already. I'm going to do the same thing on the right where I'm finding the middle and then as I press on it, I can feel that numbness and I just do this for 50 to 100 times. I often talk about in my self-care videos where everything is interconnected.
(09:21) And that is why you want to take care of all the potential things that could be leading to blockages or tension because when you relieve the tension, not only do you feel better physically, but you also feel better mentally because [music] it is a whole ecosystem that we're dealing with here. Next I want to introduce to you is a lower abdomen massage, which my mom has been doing probably her whole life since she was like 20 or something and now she is 50 something.
(09:51) And she told me it's one of the best things she did that reduces lower belly fat and water retention. I'm actually wearing my gym outfit today so I can show you properly. So, start from your [music] belly button as the center point. You want to stack your hands together, however you like it, and then you're going to go to your lower abdomen.
(10:11) And you just do and you do clockwise. So, you just do that on your lower abdomen 400 times. And not only does that help with water retention, >> [music] >> bloating, lower belly fat, but it also helps with your digestion and also blood circulation. Plus, I think it also helps with any sagging and wrinkles around those area.
(10:39) When it comes to Chinese wellness habits, a lot of it is very natural and completely based on things that cannot do your body any harm. Because if you think about massaging your body, drinking little potions I've introduced to you with just apple and water and ginger, it really can't do you any harm, but a lot of benefits because the earth really has offered us so much that gives us abundance and more than what our body could ask for.
(11:09) Bonus tip here is that if you deal with menstrual cramps, this is so good for alleviating that, especially [music] if you do it every single day in the shower or out of the shower. I started meditating since uni days and I can say that it generally has just made me a much better person overall because not only is my mood much more stable, but I'm much more present and I can connect with people better instead of just always listening to that chatterbox that's going on in our heads and minds. As you probably know what I'm
(11:40) talking about because meditation really just helps to remind you that you can be in the present as soon [music] as you're aware of what's happening. And that often starts with engaging with your senses. Although I do know that sometimes it is hard to sit still, [music] especially when there's so much noise in your head.
(11:59) And that's why I started discovering Qigong as a moving meditation. Qigong is so beautiful because it combines breathing, movement, and meditation all in one. And as you're trying to coordinate your movements, connect, and focus on what you're doing with the breathing, it really helps to take you back to the present, helps with rejuvenating the energy, the qi, and also blood circulation.
(12:25) So, that's why I'm going to show you this little Qigong exercise that you can do every day for all ages or any stage you are in life. The Qigong master suggests that you can do this three times a day, but I would say if you're just starting out, which I'm also just starting out as well, you can just try with once a day in the morning.
(12:43) [music] And then gradually you can increase your duration or do it twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Most important thing to remember here is when you're doing it, you really want to ground yourself and give yourself a minute to come back to the present before you start to reap the most benefits from it.
(13:01) To start, you want to plant your legs and feet very grounded on the floor. Then, you want to take your arms to shoulder height with your fingers pointing to the front, but relax instead of very stringent [music] and very hard on yourself. You want to relax your fingers and your arms. And we're going to do five swings with every fifth swing a squat bounce.
(13:28) And the squat bounce, you have to keep your body straight instead of tilting forward. One, two, four, five bounce. One, two, three, four, five bounce. Now, as I am finishing, let's say it's already been 20 minutes, I am slowly swinging to my rest position. And then you want to close your eyes, breathe in from your nose, and breathe out from your mouth for 2 minutes to let the qi be rejuvenated.
(14:12) And that's it for your Qigong exercise. Let me know how it works out for you because whenever I'm not up for a still meditation, moving meditation has worked wonders for me, especially when it comes to Qigong. I think there's so much wisdom in it cuz if you think about the history to how it all started, there is so much wisdom in trying to connect with the [music] energy of the planet, of the earth if you like, and it's really just concentrating that energy and connecting with that energy. I am a huge fan when
(14:43) it comes to yogurts and fruits. Especially [music] Greek yogurt is my absolute favorite. But I usually try to have yogurts and fruits at lunchtime instead of the morning because I was always told growing up that you should avoid cold foods in the morning and at [music] night because it's much easier for your body to process cold things at lunchtime.
(15:05) In the TCM sphere, it's believed that in the morning your stomach and spleen is not fully awake yet, so you don't want to put such extremities of cold things in you, which also leads to a lot of internal contraction. And at night, because [music] the yin energy is stronger, it can lead to lots of poor absorption, poor blood circulation, and water retention.
(15:30) So, that's why if you were to eat any cold things, try to keep it for a lunchtime thing. If you really listen to your body, in [music] the morning we usually don't want to put such extremities in our stomach because everything is just waking up. So, you want to go for food that is as gentle as possible. Usually in the morning I love to have just porridge or eggs, which is so gentle for the stomach.
(15:53) And if you want something sweet, sweet potatoes, especially the Japanese purple sweet potatoes, are amazing. I just want to show you some really nice purple sweet potatoes I bought in the morning. And usually I just have these >> [music] >> out on a bowl and whenever I'm hungry, I just snack on those. They are sweet, they are yum, and they're also low in calories.
(16:14) A lot of people often think that my mom looks very young for her age and I think she's like 55. I'm not sure, I need to make sure with her. But she looks really young, like at least 10 years younger. And I would say that really attributes to her being so clean her whole life where she often avoids sun, lan, zin, za food.
(16:36) Sun is raw, lan is cold, zin is grill, za is fried. She often avoids food that comes from this category cuz she knows that it leads to a lot of premature aging, bad skin, and generally bad health. Whenever it's hot outside, we often want to reach for something very cold because it just makes you feel like a release of the heat in your body.
(16:58) That's completely understandable, especially during summer. But then still, I would always try to stick to the rule of minimizing cold things in the morning [music] and in the evening. And you still get to have your nice little cold drinks during lunchtime. Avoiding grilled and fried food is another one that is very big in the Chinese wellness sphere.
(17:17) It's notorious for causing bad skin such as dullness, oiliness, or spots, heartburn, acid reflux, and also high internal heat, which could lead to constipation, dryness in the body, dampness, and other kinds of illnesses. Not to also mention that in the TCM sphere, it's believed that these kind of foods causes chronic inflammation and it really damages the qi of your spleen and your stomach.
(17:45) And I think chronic inflammation from fried or grilled food is also a thing in Western medicine or like normal medicine if you're in the Western world. Growing up, whenever I go for Korean barbecue or tempura, a lot of dry and grilled food, I almost get spots immediately. So, if you're suffering from acne issues and you eat lots of fried food, maybe it's worth trying to reduce on the fried and grilled foods.
(18:11) And if you think about how your skin feels and looks after you have something really clean like just some clean protein and veggies and carbs, it almost glows immediately. Our body responds so much and so fast to what we put in us. We are literally what [music] we eat. And so that is so important for us to pay attention to. And on the calorie side of things, you can just look at how much oil and how much more calories is added [music] to grilled and fried foods.
(18:38) That's probably another reason why we want to avoid it if we want to have a very clean and healthy diet. In the last video of Asian women's daily habits, I show you guys how to make a ginger apple tea, which is one of the potions that my mom always makes for me. And apple ginger water is so good for your skin, digestion, and just generally a yang shen tea to have.
(19:00) Today, I want to show you guys another yang shen tea with an orange, one apple, and also three dates. I'm using three dates instead of five or six, which is in the original recipe that I want to recommend to you guys, because I still have a little bit of a sore throat and cough. And dates are hotter in nature, that's why I want to avoid for today.
(19:24) So, three dates, one orange, and one apple. This tea is really good for beautifying the skin, replenishing the stomach and [music] the spleen, and also moisturizing the lungs and relieving you of any kind of coughs or dryness. Growing up, my mom was very strict about me not having soft drinks like Coke or sodas or anything like that.
(19:46) Whenever I wanted sweet drinks, she would ask me to get a juice and preferably the ones that has less sugar. So, I never grew up to have the habit of doing so, but I do find soft drink very tempting at times, especially if you're having a burger or popcorn in the cinema, for example. But then, I will always do my best to avoid soda as much as possible.
(20:07) Whenever I want something refreshing, I might have Young Sheng Tea, detox juice, or orange juice, or even kombucha, but rarely would I go for soft drinks. And let's say there's only soft drinks and unsweetened [music] tea that's available, always go for unsweetened tea. We often underestimate how much sugar and calories is accumulated with these soft drinks.
(20:28) So, that's why try to avoid as much as possible. And I always emphasize this in my videos, which is health and beauty and happiness comes from every single drop you put into it every single day. All the things that you do and don't do, all the micro decisions matter in the grand [music] picture. I have already rubbed the orange with some salt to clean the skin and also washed the apple. Now, let's cut it.
(20:56) With the apple, I always try to exclude the seed part because my mom always told me that it is high in internal heat. You want to avoid that. Just cut it into smaller pieces. It's crazy to think about how seeds can have high internal heat, but the flesh of the fruit itself is fine. I always find that so interesting.
(21:23) I think nature is just very complex. Now, I'm going to cut the dates while I am excluding the seed again. Now, with my orange, I'm just going to take the lids off. I usually like to exclude the lids for some reason, but that's very personal. I'm sure you can also keep it in if you like. So, I'm just going to slice it.
(21:45) And then, let's put it in the pot. Now, the water has started boiling, I'm going to put this bowl of the fruits and dates that I just prepared inside the water that's bubbling. Now, I'm going to wait for the water to boil as well with the ingredients inside, and then I'm going to turn the heat down to medium to low. Then, I'm going to boil it for 20 to 30 minutes.
(22:11) And afterwards, I'm just going to drink the tea without eating the apple or the orange. Sometimes, I might have the dates. Sometimes, I'll just drink the tea by itself. The tea is done. It's been 20 minutes, and I'm just [music] going to scoop out all the tea and leave the fruits inside. I can just drink this when it cools down.
(22:34) Remember, prevention [music] is always better than cure, and we really want to focus on maintenance here. Let me know how these habits work out for you and if there are similar habits in your culture. Thank you so much for being here, and I hope to see you in the next video.
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