Eight words of golden sayings about fitness for the elderly

The most practical horoscope for fitness for the elderly is "Slow down to measure your strength, persevere and have peace of mind."

The first time I heard this was under the awning of a community fitness center. Director Wang, who has led the senior fitness team for 12 years, said it while chewing on mung bean popsicles. There was half a rolled-edged soft-cover book at his feet. The cover said "Fitness Injury Registration" - every word here is the real experience he has accumulated from dozens or hundreds of elderly people who have fallen, been injured, and suffered pain.

Two years ago, there was a recently retired Uncle Liu. He was a basketball player in the factory when he was young. He refused to accept his old age and ran three kilometers every day with the young men in the community. To be honest, I used to think that there were some standard movements for fitness for the elderly. It wasn’t until I met several old people who were practicing for injuries that I realized that the most effective ones are often the simplest ones.

Some people also raised objections, saying that Grandpa Zhang from the unit next door was over 80 years old and still swam every day in the winter and plunged into the river in sub-zero weather. His body was stronger than that of a young man. How can he talk about slow motion and strength? This is true, but you have to ask clearly. Grandpa Zhang has been insisting on winter swimming since he was in his forties. He has not stopped doing it for decades, and his body has long adapted to it. If you have just retired at the age of seventy and have never touched cold water, and you follow others' winter swimming, you are simply looking for trouble for yourself. In the final analysis, the word "measure one's strength" measures your own "strength", not someone else's.

What is slow motion? It doesn't mean that you can only walk slowly, but no matter what kind of exercise you do, you have to start slowly and don't rush up. When it comes to square dancing, don’t just choose the fastest-paced Internet celebrity song. Dance with a slow one for half a month first, then stretch it out. ； When training strength, don’t just lift ten-pound dumbbells. First, take two bottles of mineral water filled with water to see how it feels. ； Even for walking backwards, which sounds simple, you have to move slowly on the flat ground first, and don't go up to the slopes. In fact, it is not recommended for elderly people with poor balance to practice backward walking. One fall will have to lie down for half a year, which is not worth it. Director Wang met an aunt before. She followed an online video to practice shoulder swings. She threw her arms so fast that afterimages appeared. She strained her rotator cuff in half a month and it hurt when she raised her arms. It took her more than three months to recover. If she had taken it slow at the beginning, she would not have suffered this fate.

As for "persistence and peace of mind", it does not mean that you should practice for three days in winter and three days in summer. You have to make up to 10,000 steps regardless of wind or rain. My mother has committed this problem before. She has set a strict rule for herself. She must walk 8,000 steps every day. Even during typhoons, she has to hold an umbrella and walk in circles in the underground garage. The soles of her feet hurt when she walks, but she still holds on, saying, "If I don't practice today, all my previous efforts will be in vain." In fact, what's the point? Perseverance means forming a habit, not a hard target. If the weather is nice today, go shopping twice more and chat with your old neighbors. If you feel uncomfortable, practice Baduanjin at home. You can even sit on the sofa and stretch your arms and legs. You don’t have to be anxious and unable to sleep because you have missed thousands of steps. Fitness is supposed to be comfortable, but in turn it makes you worry. That is putting the cart before the horse.

I previously read the domestic exercise guide for the elderly and the International Association of Sports Medicine’s recommendations for exercise for the elderly. In fact, the core requirements are consistent with these eight words: low-intensity, continuous exercise is recommended, and sudden high-intensity exertion is avoided. The exercise intensity is based on the absence of persistent pain within 24 hours after exercise. To put it bluntly, these eight words are said in different ways. It is not a folk remedy, but a coincidence of front-line experience and scientific research.

After I told my mother these eight words last time, she no longer worries about step count. She dances slow-paced square dancing with her old sisters for twenty minutes every morning. She walks in the community garden in the afternoon to play with the cat. When it rains, she does ten minutes of stretching at home along with the video. In just over half a year, the pain in her waist and legs that she often suffered before has become much less severe, and her blood pressure has stabilized. In fact, there are not so many fancy sayings about fitness for the elderly. Hold these eight words tightly, stop comparing yourself with others, and pay more attention to your own body. No matter how many expensive tonics you take, it will work.