How to Pull Through The Dog Days of Summer

Since early July, we have officially been in the 三伏天 sān fú tiān or "dog days in summer" season, which lasts until mid-August and coincides with the year's highest temperatures and humidity levels. It's also peak season for related illnesses such as heat-stroke and diarrhea. Fun!

The good news is, we're halfway through! To carry you through the other half, we've complied some TCM tips. While there is no magical cure to protect you from being a hot, sweaty mess most of the time, there are a few pearls of TCM wisdom that can help. Follow these golden rules, and you'll get through the dog days like a pampered pooch instead. 

Keep your exercise indoors and at a lower intensity than usual

Don't stay outdoors for too long, and focus on less intense, indoor workouts like swimming and yoga. Remember to drink plenty of water before you exercise, and keep up your energy levels with light and healthy snacks such as bananas and small handfuls of nuts.

Watch out for the dreaded "AC disease"

The air conditioning is cranked to the max in most Beijing offices right now, creating significant temperature differences between indoors and outdoors. If possible, try to keep the room temperature around 26 degrees, and dry off any perspiration before entering office spaces, so that your body does not react badly to the stark temperature difference. Oh, and avoid sitting directly in the stream of cold air in the office. 

Stay hydrated

This sounds like very basic advice, but many of us fail at staying hydrated in the hot weather. While the 'drink eight glasses of water a day' adage has been disproven, you do generally need to up your water intake in hot weather quite significantly, and even a desk jockey office worker can easily get through a liter or more. Avoid caffeinated drinks as they are diuretics, and if you do get dehydrated, take small sips of water rather than chugging it down all at once, as this may prove too much for your system. 

Get enough sleep

During summer, your body's metabolism is actually more active than in cold weather, which means more energy consumption, which can lead to you feeling tired. Getting enough sleep is always important, but you have to be even more vigilant in the summertime when the long, bright days can lead to you staying up well past your bedtime.

Consume more protein

When you perspire heavily, the protein decomposition in your body is increased, so you need to continually replenish your protein intake. While it's common to experience a decreased appetite during the hot weather, you should still make an effort to consume more protein-rich food such as beans, milk, and eggs.

Get a boost with TCM 

Even if you're following all of this advice, it can still be hard to stay on top of your health at this time of year. This is where a 三伏贴 sān fú tiē comes in handy. This is a special kind of herbal patch that is designed to target typical hot weather ailments like headaches, neck and shoulder pain, insomnia, and gastrointestinal discomfort. These patches are available at most local pharmacies, and also available on Taobao. 

READ: Stay Sprightly With These Five In-Season Summer Vegetables

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