I completed the 10th week of my fasting routine on Friday and began the 11th week today. It is good to include Nordic walking because I get to enjoy the seasonal changes. The rice paddies started having their water filled now to get ready for rice planting. People usually plant rice during the Golden Week, a long holiday week from the end of April to the beginning of May. The farmers in Nishi-Oji area can focus on rice planting since Hino Festival is canceled again, which is a pity, but for them, they don’t have to prepare for the festival, which can take a lot of their time.
Anyway, it is a great season to go Satoyama walking or cycling. I might do Hinoich cycling during this season to see all the water-filled rice fields.
I didn’t do any exercises on the weekend since it was break time, but also it was raining. I usually end up moving a lot by working in the vegetable field, riding my bike, or playing soccer with my son. Instead, my son and I went to a hot spring yesterday. We went there for the first time in 6 months or so, and it was really nice. There was an open-air outdoor bath overlooking Lake Biwa.
It was relaxing and became a true break from my regular exercises. I even went into a sauna there. Japanese hot spring facilities are usually equipped with saunas, so we can take both bath and sauna.
Maybe I should do this every weekend so that I can create a good balance sequence of stress and break. Alternating stress and break is a method recommended by Yu Suzuki, the author of Furo Choju Method, A Method of Immortality and Longevity, another best-selling book on the topic of longevity. The idea of HIIT is the same, repeating the pain and relaxation. That is also seen in Yoga, you always have relaxation time after tensing up your muscles. I alternate the pain and break daily but I also want to do it on a weekly basis, and that is why I have the weekend off from my fasting and exercises. Incorporating a hot spring on my break will add benefits.
Going to an Onsen, a Hot Spring is One of My Ikigais
The Ikigai Diet: The Secret Japanese Diet to Health and Longevity
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