Combating fatigue with Lao Xie Zhen

 Health is wealth. That is an old adage that I suppose many of us take for granted. 

Ever since my unfortunate incident last year, I know that it is paramount for me to put in more effort in taking care of myself. Being the matriarch of the family, I cannot be down. It is, however, not the easiest thing to do. With work and two small sidelines, ensuring that food is on the table and every other thing for the family is on point, becomes a priority. I forget about myself. It wasn't hard. I neglected myself. It wasn't hard either. We only have 24 hours and that is barely enough to do it all. Coupled with all the Heightened Alert measures, it has put a strain on me. The kids are perpetually home and the husband is bogged down by meetings after meetings. It isn't that my work came to a standstill. In fact, it's quite the contrary. Ever since the last round of Circuit breaker in Singapore where students were unable to head to school, parents have now recognised the importance of online lessons to keep their littlest occupied and nourished academically and of course to keep the adults sane. So yes, work has been piling and though on social media it looks like I've got it all covered, in reality, there are still heaps of improvements needed. 

According to UNA, women perform 66% of the world's work and produce 50% of the food but earn only 10% of the income. Thanks. This is why it's so overwhelming to be a woman. However, I have come to the realisation that I must prioritise taking care of myself everyday otherwise I can't function. Loving yourself enough to live a healthy lifestyle will keep me from sinking too low on my bad days. Ok, I'm still working on that. 

One way to help make things a little easier is to take shortcuts. Yes! instead of standing in front of the stove, double boiling a bowl of chicken soup, there are several options out there. It is really ridiculous sounding to spend 2 hours or so, reducing half a pot of soup to just one bowl. That doesn't sound very productive to me. Since young, I absolutely detest the taste of those chicken essence which comes in a bottle. It was too pungent in my opinion. I had to pinch my nose to drink it. So when I found out that with the advent of technology, there is now chicken essence in a sachet, I jumped right on. To be honest, I was skeptical at first. What if it tasted just as pungent? 

Lao Xie Zhen proved me wrong. Not all chicken essence is foul-tasting! I had a go at  Lao Xie Zhen Premium Boiled Essence of Chicken last year while I was recuperating from my miscarriage. Many kind mummy friends had sent them to me to help with my wound healing. I drank it everyday and that possibly could be the reason why I managed to bounce back that quickly. It was really light and easy to drink. Lao Xie Zhen collaborated with Taiwan's largest free-range chicken farm, only 2nd generation free-range hens that are at least 12 months old, which have the highest nutritional value are used. Paired with a small amount of premium pork ribs, it further enhances the taste and nutritional content of the chicken essence. 

Some of the benefits include:

• Combat fatigue (NEED)
• Increase energy level (NEED)
• Strengthen immune system (NEED)
• Help with recuperation 
• Help with wound healing 

More recently, with all the work-from-home arrangements, increasing energy levels and combatting fatigue are really necessary and taking  Lao Xie Zhen everyday really helps. How do you think I manage to tackle at least 3 zooms a day and cook three meals a day on top of all the chores? This definitely is a testament that something is working. Even Small K, aged 7, was also willing to drink! He has been complaining of dizziness in the morning hence I had been advised by the mother-in-law to have him drink in the morning. I like it that Lao Xie Zhen is 100% natural with no preservative and additives. Due to the un-intimidating natural colour, Small K was also open to drinking it. It really tastes different from the conventional chicken essence. It is so convenient. Just soak in hot water for 3 minutes and you are good to go! I don't even need to carve out a big pocket of time to self-love!

To make incorporate it even more into our daily lives, I have even infused it into a dish! It's really easy and here's the recipe:

Instructions:

Combine all marinates for 3-4 hours. Preferably overnight in the fridge. Steam at high heat for 40 minutes. Do a taste test at the last 5 minutes and season with more salt to taste if required. It's optional but you could also add cordyceps flower. 

The primary reason why I had been procrastinating when it comes to taking better care of myself is time. I attempted to buy several soup packs with the wishful thought of boiling them at some point in time. But those packs are sitting prettily in my refrigerator, mocking me every single day as it occupies a huge part of my space. Lao Xie Zhen makes it so convenient. They used Japan's patented four-layer opaque packaging and advanced sterilization sealing method to ensure the nutrients are well preserved naturally without the use of preservatives. With a long shelf life of 18 months, the product is stored at room temperature hence you can conveniently bring a sachet out anywhere! 

They have other products besides chicken essence. And if drinking all these regularly can make me as good-looking as Vivien Hsu and Aaron Kwok, I say, give it to me man!

So, make yourself a priority once in a while. You need to be taken care of because you are worth it. It is really not selfish. It is a necessity!

Disclaimer: All photos are property of www.themishmashmess.blogspot. We are gifted Hao Yi Kang's Lao Xie Zhen, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own and written according to my experience in using the product. Please seek permission before reposting and give due credit when doing so.