The Week in Health and Fitness: Guilt-Free Mooncakes, Yoga, and Running for Charity

The Week in Health and Fitness looks at the latest fitness and health goings on in Beijing, so you can live your #bestlife.

With Mid-Autumn Festival coming up on September 15, many will be turning their thoughts to their waistlines. After all, what’s a festive occasion (in China or otherwise) without huge family meals and overindulgence? The Mid-Autumn Festival calorie fest is made all the more explosive thanks to that traditional treat – mooncakes. A typical Cantonese mooncake may contain up to 1,000 calories depending on the filling. 

Luckily a few of our favorite Beijing healthy restaurants have got you covered if you want to indulge without the guilt. First up, Tribe Organic is offering what they claim to be the only “handmade, trans-fatty acid and preservative free” mooncakes in Beijing. The mooncakes come in four flavors – lemon, purple sweet potato and coconut milk, cocoa-cashew-date, and matcha – and are available to purchase in gift boxes of four or eight (RMB 128 and RMB 288, respectively). Order via their Weidian at least three days in advance. 

Alternatively, Tribe competitor Glo Kitchen and Fitness are offering their own low-cal, low-sugar, low-fat (and dare we say it, low-fun?) versions of mooncakes. Also available in four flavors – purple sweet potato, matcha-red bean, black sesame-chocolate, and pumpkin-pear – the mooncake skins are made with highly nutritious ingredients such as sweet potato flour, while the fillings skip the sugar that gives traditional varieties their high calorie count. Purchase through Glo Kitchen’s Weidian at RMB 128 for four, or RMB 228 for eight.

Obviously, you could just throw caution to the wind and go all out with the mooncakes, then burn them off with a spot of exercise. This Saturday, September 10, will see the 18th Beijing Hope Run held in Chaoyang Park. Organized by the Cancer Institute of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, the event raises money for cancer patients and cancer research. The race kicks off at 9am – you'll need to make a minimum RMB 50 donation, which gets you a T-shirt, a place in the run, and a certificate. Email beijinghoperun@126.com for more information.

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If you prefer your exercise a little sedate, try a spot of sunset yoga on Sunday evening (Sep 11). Held every Sunday at a secret rooftop location (the exact location will be revealed to confirmed participants), the sessions cost RMB 100, which includes a one-hour yoga class and an hour of socialising, with fresh smoothies provided. The sessions are organized by and in aid of CandleX, a Beijing-based non-profit organization that aims to increase awareness of depression and bipolar disorder, and provide support for those experiencing depression, mania or anxiety. Email info@candlex.org to register.

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Photo courtesy of Tribe Organic