Fitness songs for the elderly

Follow your body, have fun, don't push yourself, and stick to it.

Don’t think that this is some undistinguished experience. I asked the researchers responsible for community exercise intervention for the elderly, and they said that this just hits the core principles of geriatric exercise medicine—individualization, fun, low load, and sustainability. It is completely consistent with the core of professional guidelines.

Let’s just say that Aunt Zhang Guilan, who lives downstairs in my house, followed the bandwagon the year before last and joined the riot group. She walked ten kilometers with the group every day and competed with others to see who could walk faster. Within two months, she was hospitalized with effusion in her knees. Not to mention she spent a small 10,000 yuan, and she couldn’t go downstairs for three months. Later, I didn’t dare to wander around after I was discharged from the hospital. I saw an old man and an old lady playing with sticks in the park having fun, so I went over to play with them. At first, I couldn’t even catch the sticks. After playing for three months, I can now play with two sticks without losing them. Last week, I went with the team to climb a hill in the suburbs, and my knees didn’t hurt at all.

When it comes to this, someone must mention the controversial issue on the Internet - does the old man want to make up for 10,000 steps? Should I practice strength training to prevent sarcopenia? Do you think these two views are wrong? All correct. The guidelines from the Society of Sports Medicine do say that it is best for older adults to engage in 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day, which can effectively prevent sarcopenia and cardiovascular problems. ； But orthopedic doctors have repeatedly reminded that joint degeneration is normal in the elderly, and excessive weight-bearing walking will wear out the meniscus. The two opinions are at odds with each other, but when it comes to the old man himself, this is actually easy to handle: you know your body best. If your knees hurt after walking for 5,000 steps, then walk for 3,000 steps. The rest of the time, you can turn your shoulders, move your neck, and sit and hook your feet to practice leg strength. If you find it difficult to carry groceries, just hold on to a grip ball or sit and lift two mineral water bottles filled with water. There is no need to go to the gym to lift irons and join in the fun with young people.

Oh, by the way, don’t believe those who say that the elderly must exercise in the morning and exercise on an empty stomach. I met an old doctor at a community hospital before, and he said that eight out of ten elderly people he treated who fainted during morning exercises went out on an empty stomach. Their blood sugar was already low, and if they moved violently, they fell directly on the roadside. If you feel heavy all over when you wake up in the morning, just lie down for half an hour longer and then go downstairs after eating. Who says fitness has to be slow?

Let’s talk about the three words “finding fun”. They seem to be the most useless, but they are actually the most critical. Two years ago, my mother saw that people practiced yoga for the elderly, so she insisted on signing up for a class. She had a herniated disc in her waist twice and was in bed for almost a month. After that, she stopped doing exercise. Later, several old sisters in the community made an appointment to walk around the community twice after dinner every day, chatting about family issues while walking. When they saw beautiful foxtail grass, they picked two handfuls and put them in vases. After walking like this for half a year, the previously high blood pressure stabilized, and the insomnia problem was mostly cured. Do you think this is due to walking? Half of it is because Nao Lao is happy. If you go to the park and see those who can persevere for several years, few of them practice alone. They all work together to play diabolo, play flexball, and dance slow square dances. It doesn’t matter whether they practice well or not. If they can chat and laugh together, they will naturally be willing to come every day.

As for "not holding on", these are lessons learned from old people's mistakes. There used to be an old man in the community. He was an athlete before retiring. He was very competitive and had to compete with the young guys to play badminton. As a result, he sprained his knee and had a meniscus replaced. Now he has trouble even walking downstairs. There is also an aunt who performs square dancing. In order to stand in the C position, she forced her legs to do difficult movements, and her ligaments were strained and she had to recover for two months. To be honest, when you get older, why do you exercise just to get a ranking? Isn’t it just to be able to carry ten kilograms of rice by myself, to take the bus to the temple fair with my old friend, and not to bother your children to take time off to accompany you to see a doctor? You can live comfortably by yourself, so why bother?

The last three words "persistence" do not mean that you can check in every day no matter what. It’s raining today and I can’t go out, so I just clap my hands, roll my eyes, and move my wrists and ankles along with the TV at home. ； Tomorrow my relatives will come to visit me, so I won’t move and there’s no need to feel guilty. Maintaining the habit of moving intermittently is a hundred times more effective than practicing vigorously for three days and resting for half a month.

Last week I went to the park to give my mother a forgotten fan, and I heard a few old men and women in the pavilion making up a jingle. You said one sentence to another, and finally I made up a few sentences: "Don't work hard for steps or fast, you can walk and jump freely, twist your waist and clap your hands, you are the most refreshing when you are not sick or suffering." Listen, this is the most practical old-age fitness song for us ordinary people. There are no complicated movements and no KPIs to be stuck. Just follow your own body and it is easier to use than any expert guide.