Fitness jingle for the elderly

「Don’t be in a hurry, don’t pant, don’t get tired, walk with arms and legs raised, don’t squat, don’t hold back or carry, bask in the sun and chat about household chores, don’t compare intensity with others, comfort is the hard indicator.” Don’t think these words are corny, they are more reliable than 90% of the short fitness videos with special effects that you have seen - the first half of the sentence is a lesson learned from going through pitfalls, and the second half is an experience gained from real practice.

Last week, Lao Zhangtou from the team was still talking about how he walked 18,000 steps around the park in order to compete with Lao Li downstairs for the first place in the WeChat step list. The night he got home, he felt chest tightness and panic. He lay down for three days before he recovered. Some old friends have raised objections before, saying that fitness has to be "moving until you sweat and practice until you are sore". This is not unreasonable. If you do not have any basic cardiopulmonary disease and have always maintained exercise habits, it is normal to sweat a little and have some soreness in your muscles. However, if you have high blood pressure, coronary heart disease or old joint injuries, then "you can speak normally without rushing or panting" is the most reliable standard. The cardiologist who came to the free clinic in the community also mentioned that the heart rate of the elderly during exercise should be controlled within the range of "170 minus their actual age." In terms of intuitive feelings, it is exactly the state where they are not panting, not tired, and don't need to gasp for air. This jingle is in line with ours.

As for "walking with arms and legs raised", Aunt Li from the previous team figured it out. She used to walk with her pockets in her pockets and her back hunched over, and she complained of back pain after walking for half an hour. Later, she listened to the rehabilitation doctor's advice and gently swayed her arms when walking, without raising them too high. Oh, yes, if you have bad knees, don't deliberately take long steps. It's okay to take small steps. There is no unified standard.

“"Don't squat, don't hold back, don't carry." These six words are the lessons learned by Uncle Wang in the team by using half a meniscus. Last year, he watched short videos and saw people saying that he could do leg squats to prevent aging. After practicing for half a month, his knees hurt so much that he couldn't go downstairs. He went to the hospital to check that the meniscus was worn, and it cost him a few thousand to heal. Of course, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do all squats and silent squats. If you have a professional coach beside you to adjust your posture, keep your knees no higher than your toes, and the weight is appropriate. Silent squats are indeed a good way to practice leg strength. I’m afraid that if you learn blindly from a video, you won’t know if you’re doing something wrong, and you’ll injure your joints instead. There is also the matter of holding your breath, whether it is a big or small thing. There was an old man who held his breath hard when lifting dumbbells. His blood pressure soared to 180 on the spot and he almost fainted. So whether you are moving things or practicing strength, don't hold your breath and exert force. If you really need to exert force, just open your mouth and exhale steadily.

Many people say that when it comes to fitness, you should focus on training and waste your time chatting, but we don’t think so. “"Baking in the sun and chatting about homely things" is recognized as a "must-have fitness activity" by our team. After walking slowly every day, we all sit by the flower bed for 20 minutes, soaking in the sun and replenishing vitamin D, chatting about the family here and there, and all the worries in our hearts are gone. Aunt Zhang, who was in the team before, has been suffering from insomnia since her wife left. She practiced with us for three months, and now she sleeps on pillows. She said she walks half of the time and chats with everyone else. For the elderly, fitness is not just about building muscles. Emotional comfort is more important than anything else.

The last sentence, "Don't compare strength with others, comfort is the hard indicator" is an unwritten rule of our team. Nowadays, in check-in groups and step lists, there are always people secretly competing with each other. If you walk 10,000 steps, I will walk 12,000. If you lift 10 kilograms of dumbbells, I will lift 15 kilograms. It is completely unnecessary. Can your 60-year-old body and bones compare to those of a 75-year-old? Can people without underlying diseases be compared with those with diabetes or high blood pressure? We have closed the step ranking list a long time ago. If we want to walk, we can walk twice a day. If we don’t want to walk, we can do Tai Chi or crack the whip, whatever makes us feel comfortable. Anyway, the ultimate goal of fitness is to live a few more years and enjoy happiness, not to win a competition championship.

Oh, yes, the old guys in our team with different conditions also made up their own version of the jingle. The old guys with joint problems made up this: "Climb stairs less, climb less hills, walk slowly is the safest, sit and kick your legs to practice strength, your knees will not hurt hahaha”； An old friend with high blood pressure made up this: "Don't get up suddenly when you wake up. Don't be in a hurry when exercising. Slowly move and exert force slowly. If you feel dizzy, take a rest immediately."” ； Aunts who love to dance square dance make it more smooth: "The beat is half a beat slow, don't turn around too fast, and don't touch the cold after dancing. It's comfortable and enjoyable."

In fact, there is no jingle with standard answers. In the final analysis, it is all the experience accumulated by old men and women like us. If you think a sentence is suitable for you, use it. If you think it is not suitable, just use it at your own pace. Anyway, fitness methods that can make your body more and more comfortable and your mood more and more bright are the best.