立冬｜一候水始冰，立冬启新章

立冬是二十四节气中的第19个节气，通常出现在每年的11月7日或8日。这一天太阳到达黄经225度时，表示进入了冬季的开始。下面我们来看看立冬的含义、中国传统节日与立冬、饮食习惯变化、立冬养生保健、农事活动与立冬、天气特点及应对措施以及立冬的文化意义。

日常起居防感冒

冬季是流感高发期，除了老人和儿童，心血管疾病患者、糖尿病患者、慢性肺病、肾病患者也是很容易“中招”的人群，最好接种流感疫苗。日常预防流感要注意个人卫生、少去公共场所、清淡饮食、坚持锻炼、规律作息等。
除此之外，每天用热水泡一次脚可以改善足底部血液循环，散风驱寒、预防感冒，但要注意泡脚的时间不能太长；用艾灸灸双侧足三里穴可以增强免疫力，预防感冒；还可以通过燃烧艾叶或艾条对室内空气进行熏蒸，以驱逐空气中的病毒、细菌，但呼吸道过敏者慎用；通过按摩太阳穴、大椎穴、迎香穴、风池穴，或通过推拿双颊、按揉鼻旁及颈肩等进行简单的头面部按摩，进行保健。

饮食以温热为主

立冬后人们“进补”，要给肠胃一个循序渐进的适应过程，如可先食用性质温和的花生红枣汤等。此外，冬季喝热粥也是养生的好选择。小麦粥可以养心除烦，芝麻粥可以益精养阴，萝卜粥可以消食化痰，茯苓粥可以健脾养胃。

天气寒冷，要适量增加蛋白质、脂肪以及维生素和矿物质的摄入，对抵御寒冷很有好处。人们可多吃一些糯米、高粱、栗子、大枣、核桃仁、桂圆、韭菜、南瓜、生姜、牛肉、羊肉等温热性质的食物。同时，增加维生素A、维生素C的摄取，可以增强对寒冷的适应能力。维生素A主要来自动物的肝脏、胡萝卜、深绿色蔬菜等，维生素C则主要来自于新鲜水果和蔬菜。此外，冬天吃点辣椒，可以促进血液循环，还能增进食欲。

早睡晚起多养神

随着气温逐步降低，人体的阳气也将随着自然界的变化而潜藏于内。因此，在精神调养上要做到早睡晚起，保证充足的睡眠，有利于阳气的潜藏。

与此同时，如果衣服穿得过少过薄或室温过低，则容易患上感冒又消耗阳气；而穿得过多过厚或室温过高，汗毛孔容易张开，则体内的阳气也不得潜藏，寒邪之气易侵入体内。在进出家门时要注意增减衣物。

Beginning of Winter is the 19th of the 24 Solar Terms, usually falling on November 7 or 8 each year. When the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 225 degrees on this day, it marks the start of winter. Below is an overview of its meaning, its connection to traditional Chinese festivals, changes in dietary habits, health preservation tips for the season, agricultural activities associated with it, weather characteristics and corresponding measures, as well as its cultural significance.
Daily Living: Preventing Colds
Winter is a high-incidence period for influenza. Besides the elderly and children, people with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic lung diseases, and kidney diseases are also highly susceptible to the virus, so it is advisable for these groups to get an influenza vaccine. For daily prevention of influenza, it is important to pay attention to personal hygiene, avoid frequent visits to crowded public places, maintain a light and healthy diet, keep up with regular exercise, and stick to a consistent daily routine. In addition, soaking one’s feet in hot water once a day can improve blood circulation in the soles of the feet, dispel wind and cold, and help prevent colds, though it is important to avoid soaking for too long. Moxibustion on the bilateral Zusanli Points (ST36) can enhance immunity and ward off colds, while fumigating indoor air with burning mugwort leaves or moxa sticks can eliminate viruses and bacteria in the air—however, this method should be used with caution by those with respiratory allergies. Simple head and face massages also serve as effective health preservation practices, such as massaging the Temporal Points, Dazhui Point (GV14), Yingxiang Points (LI20), and Fengchi Points (GB20), or kneading the cheeks, areas around the nose, and the neck and shoulder region.
Diet: Focus on Warm Foods
After Beginning of Winter, when people engage in the traditional practice of “nourishing the body” (jinbu) to prepare for the cold season, it is essential to give the stomach and intestines a gradual adaptation period—for instance, starting with mild-natured foods like peanut and red date soup. Besides, drinking warm porridge is also an excellent choice for health preservation in winter: wheat porridge can calm the mind and relieve irritability, sesame porridge nourishes essence and replenishes yin, radish porridge aids digestion and resolves phlegm, and poria porridge strengthens the spleen and nourishes the stomach. As the weather turns cold, appropriately increasing intake of protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals is highly beneficial for resisting the cold. People can incorporate more warm-natured foods into their diets, such as glutinous rice, sorghum, chestnuts, red dates, walnut kernels, longans, chives, pumpkin, ginger, beef, and mutton. Meanwhile, increasing the intake of vitamin A and vitamin C can enhance the body’s adaptability to cold: vitamin A mainly comes from animal livers, carrots, and dark green vegetables, while vitamin C is primarily found in fresh fruits and vegetables. Additionally, eating a small amount of chili in winter can promote blood circulation and stimulate appetite.
Sleep & Rest: Nourish Vitality with Early Nights & Late Mornings
As temperatures drop gradually, the body’s “yang qi” (a concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine referring to the warm, active energy that sustains life) is stored internally in accordance with changes in nature. Therefore, for mental and physical nurturing, it is recommended to go to bed early and get up late, ensuring sufficient sleep—this helps with the storage of yang qi. At the same time, wearing too little or too thin clothing, or keeping the indoor temperature too low, can easily lead to colds and consume yang qi; on the other hand, wearing excessively thick clothing or keeping the indoor temperature too high may cause sweat pores to open, preventing yang qi from being properly stored and allowing cold pathogenic factors to invade the body. Thus, it is important to adjust clothing appropriately when entering or exiting the house.