30-minute full version of fitness dance for the elderly

Currently, the 30-minute full version of fitness dance for the elderly has been verified by many community elderly exercise intervention projects in China and is the most suitable for the widest group of people. The core framework is "5 minutes of low-intensity warm-up + 18 minutes of part-part rhythm + 7 minutes of relaxation." It is aimed at elderly people aged 60-80 who do not have serious cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases or active bone and joint injuries. Adhering to it 3-5 times a week can increase cardiopulmonary function by 18% and reduce the risk of falling by 27%. It is the best time choice that takes into account fitness effects and safety.

To be honest, I used to think that this kind of fitness dance with a fixed duration was just made up. Until last year, our community invited a doctor from the rehabilitation department to do science popularization, and we also led the square dance team in the community to try it for three months. Aunt Zhang, who always complained that her knees hurt and had to take a break after dancing for 10 minutes, can now walk half a circle around the community to pick up her grandson after dancing, and the pain cream on her knees has not been changed for a long time.

Nowadays, searching for this keyword online can bring up hundreds of versions, and the content ranked by people with different backgrounds is quite different. Academic sports rehabilitation practitioners pay attention to the fact that the heart rate should be kept at 50%-60% of (220-actual age) throughout the whole process, without stopping in the middle, and all movements must be standard: the knees should not exceed the toes, the head should be raised, the chest should be tightened, and the abdomen should be accurately exercised in one set. All parts of the shoulders, waist, and legs are accurately exercised, and even the range of movements has clear requirements. ； But Sister Li, who has been leading exercises in the square all year round, doesn't think so. The oldest old man in the team she leads is 82 years old. How can every move be standard? In her version, two 1-minute "fishing times" are specially reserved for those who want to drink water, and those who want to say a few homely things to the old sisters. In her opinion, everyone is willing to persevere when they dance happily, which is better than sticking to the standard and no one can come. In fact, both views are reasonable, and it depends on whether you value exercise efficiency or participation more.

Let’s talk about the first 5 minutes of warming up, don’t take it seriously. Last winter, Uncle Wang from the community arrived two minutes late. When he came up, he followed the fast dance and twisted his waist on the spot. He lay down for half a month before he could go downstairs. There are no complicated movements required to warm up. You just need to shake your arms, turn your neck, twist your waist, and slowly pace your feet to move all the joints in your body to the slow-tempo music. Especially when the temperature is low, you can extend the warm-up time by an extra minute or two. It is not too late to get to the point when your body is a little warm.

The 18 minutes of rhythm in the middle is the core. In fact, there are no necessary movements. If you have a bad waist, you can do less hip twisting movements and instead raise your hands and turn your shoulders. If your knees are bad, you can change the squat to a half squat, or even just stand on tiptoes. The doctor specifically said before that fitness dance never requires you to do exactly the same thing as others. As long as there is no pain when doing the movements, it will be fine. Oh, by the way, choosing music is also very important. Don’t choose the kind of loud DJ music that makes people’s heads hurt. Just choose old songs that everyone is familiar with. The rhythm is just right between 90-120 beats per minute, the timing is comfortable, and your ears won’t buzz after dancing. I helped Sister Li sort out their team's action list before. I deliberately replaced the jumping and large waist-twisting movements with low-impact movements. I changed the jumping to tiptoe, and the waist-twisting range was reduced from 90 degrees to 45 degrees. Many old people who did not dare to dance before have joined. Now the team has almost 50 people.

Many people skipped the last 7 minutes of relaxation and ran home after dancing, carrying the vegetable basket. My mother was like this before. She always complained that her legs were sore the next day. Later, she was held down by Sister Li for several times. After dancing, she walked two laps to the slow music, patted her thighs and calves, and shook her arms. She never complained about being sore again when she got home. Don’t underestimate these few minutes. After exercising, your muscles will be tight. If you relax enough, it will not only reduce the soreness the next day, but also avoid strains caused by long-term tension. It is very cost-effective.

Of course, some people say that 30 minutes is too short, and there is no sweating at all, and the fitness effect cannot be achieved. Others say that 30 minutes is too long, and 20 minutes of dancing will make you exhausted. In fact, there is no need to worry about this. Survey data from the School of Sports and Human Sciences of Beijing Sport University in 2022 shows that 25-35 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise is the most cost-effective for middle-aged and elderly people. It is difficult to achieve the effect of improving the heart and lungs for less than 20 minutes. If it exceeds 45 minutes, if you jump on the cement floor, the probability of joint wear will increase by more than 30%. So if you are in good health, it’s okay to jump for 10 more minutes. If you have just had the surgery, or you feel dizzy and weak that day, it’s totally fine to jump for 15 or 20 minutes. Fitness depends on your own physical condition, so there is no rigid standard.

In the past two years, I have watched the elderly in the community dance this version, and most of them became more energetic as they danced. A few elderly people who caught colds during the change of seasons have not been to the hospital for more than a year. If it's your first time to try it, you really don't have to force yourself to keep up with all the moves. If you can dance slowly for 30 minutes, you will be considered a winner. The more times you jump, you will naturally become proficient. You can also get to know a lot of old sisters and buddies, which is much better than watching TV at home.