Women’s cold hands and feet are related to a deficiency in qi, and the herbal medicine prescribed by the Imperial Physician already contains drugs to replenish qi. Therefore, for her, I prescribed some formulae for enriching blood and nourishing the complexion. These "formulae" include nothing more than drinking red dates and goji berry tea (to enrich blood and nourish the complexion), red bean and coix seed tea (to remove dampness and detox), and so on. There are many formulae, but the key is whether one can persist in drinking them?
If one can persist, the effects will naturally be significant.
The Empress felt her body had become somewhat heavier and sought effective weight-loss methods from her.
Xiao Yu felt like she had become a know-it-all; why could everything be asked of her?
She didn’t like to exercise. In fact, all women in the harem didn’t like to exercise, but walking everyday from one palace to another was enough to wear them out.
Those of higher status had sedan chairs to carry them, while those of lower status could only walk. One could sometimes tell the condition of their health just by looking at their complexions.
The Empress had not only become heavier, but she also showed signs of aging that often appear after women turn forty. If she didn’t take good care of herself at this time, she would quickly enter old age.
To maintain her beauty, sleep had to be ample, bowel movements regular, and exercise needed to be increased.
As people age, their bodily functions decline. Of these, gastrointestinal function is the most important, followed by sleep. Mastering these two components, combined with a proper diet and exercise, great improvements can be made.
During her exchange with the Empress, Xiao Yu instructed her that the first thing to do after waking up was to drink a glass of water. A glass of water in the morning could detoxify and clear the intestines. It was an excellent habit that should be adhered to daily.
Further, she advised that one’s regular diet should be light, with less oil and less salt, and include more vegetables and fruits.
Regarding exercise, Xiao Yu taught the Empress a set of common yoga poses. When watching these poses, the Empress didn’t take them seriously and even thought,
"This doesn’t look challenging at all, it’s not complex, right?"
However, when she actually came to do them with Xiao Yu and started sweating from her forehead while Xiao Yu corrected her posture, she realized she was wrong, and not just wrong, but completely mistaken. She had underestimated yoga. The movements, which seemed so simple, gave a different sensation each time they were practiced.
"These exercises can tone your skin and exercise every part of the body, stretch the ligaments, open the shoulders, regulate breathing. In short, Lady, if you can maintain this year-round, you will find walking less breathless, skin tight and not sagging, body well-proportioned and graceful. Perhaps one or two years won’t show much difference, but try ten or eight years?"
"Did you create this?"
Xiao Yu shook her head, "No, it was taught by my master. What ability does a civilian girl like me have? But I have been practicing it for six or seven years now. What do you think of my figure? What about my skin?"
The Empress couldn’t help but laugh, "You’re in your prime, it’s hard to tell,"
"That’s true, but, Empress, if you like, I can draw a set of pictures and compile them into a book for you. When you’re bored, you can flip through it. If it gets tedious to practice alone, you can have these female officials accompany you, that way you’ll have motivation!"
Xiao Yu had just drawn a Tai Chi Boxing manual for the Emperor, which the Empress was aware of. Now when Xiao Yu offered to draw a yoga manual for her, she felt touched, "But just having the movements, without the key points of how to do them, we won’t be able to learn!"
"That’s okay. Whenever the sisters are free, they can come to the noodle shop to find me, and I’ll provide training."
The Empress immediately slammed the table with approval, "This is a good idea; let’s settle on that. This exercise is quite peaceful, doesn’t require going outside, just flexible clothes are needed to practice within our own palace. I like it!"