Hong Kong’s fitness mania means that vegetable juices and hypobaric chambers have become legitimate profit-making enterprises. But this newest health craze – which, to be fair, is free – is just a tad over the top.
Ten women have been spotted staring directly at the sun for half an hour right before sunset on a beach in Sam Ka Village in Lei Yue Mun.
Why? One of the participants told Oriental Daily that by gazing at the sun, one can absorb the solar energy and substitute that for real, actual calories from real, actual food.
Apparently, according to this crazy person dieter, looking at the sun can replace the need for a normal diet, allowing you to go an entire day without eating.
She added that the “therapy” is of European origin and that certain religious groups believe it can also improve eyesight and sleep quality.
A frequent beachgoer, nicknamed Wing, said he often sees a group of 10 women, aged around 20 to 30 and all dressed in office attire, come to the beach. They arrive at two different times of day – either in the morning or in the early evening – and stare directly at the sun.
Wing said the sun-gazers always take their shoes off, and don sunglasses. They then set a timer on their phone and stand in a line. Some, perhaps absorbing too much solar energy, will fan themselves or use tissue paper to cover up their faces.
Another sun-gazer said that she did it for health reasons, but not for weight loss.
“We practice sun-gazing as a substitute for eating. Some of us who have finished the therapy now eat less, and others don’t have to eat at all!”
It is unclear whether those people who have stopped eating entirely are still alive.
She explained that they start by looking at the sun for up to 10 seconds on the first day, adding 10 seconds every day until they reach 44 minutes by the ninth month (assuming you aren’t blind and/or starved by then).
Apparently these sun-believers do not wear sunglasses after all, opting for pinhole glasses instead, which they believe do not let in enough UV rays to cause permant damage to their eyesight.
Some participants said the practice is at least partially religious. (Maybe they worship R’hllor, the Lord of Light? For the night is dark and full of terrors…)
Doctors warned that with the sub-tropical location of Hong Kong and the sea water bouncing back sun rays, these possibly insane people’s eyes and skin are at risk.
Photo: Screenshot via Oriental Daily
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