Mr. Greene, who has been coughing and coughing and wheezing for more than 10 years, started to do aerobic exercise 3 years ago, playing Baduanjin twice a day for more than a year, and slowly found that his coughing and wheezing have been reduced. Is aerobic exercise really that amazing? Can all elderly people do aerobic exercise? What aerobic exercises can be done? Today we will introduce aerobic exercise to all the elderly in detail.
1. What is aerobic exercise?
Aerobic physical exercise refers to physical exercise that is performed with the body in full supply of oxygen. The criteria for aerobic physical exercise are: ① to do it in an aerobic environment; ② to exercise continuously for more than 20 minutes each time; ③ to exercise easily 3-5 times a week (with a good sense of relaxation after each exercise); ④ to control the intensity of cardiac load between 60% and 80% of the maximum heart rate. Light, less than 10 minutes, and excessively strenuous exercises are not aerobic physical exercises.
2. What are the benefits of aerobic exercise?
Aerobic exercise can improve cardiorespiratory function and promote physical health. It can make the body inhale several times more oxygen than usual, which helps to promote metabolism, make the body obtain more adequate nutrients, improves activity endurance, enhance immunity, promote the operation of the circulatory system, and significantly improve cardiorespiratory function. When the human body exercises, all organs of the body will produce a strong metabolic capacity, so more oxygen is needed and carbon dioxide is expelled.
Enhancing physical exercise can, on the one hand, reduce the stimulation caused by the body’s expansion of blood flow due to oxygen consumption, and on the other hand, increase the aerobic capacity of the heart, thus enhancing the body’s cardiopulmonary function and ensuring the smooth degree of blood flow within the body’s coronary arteries, thus providing the nutrients needed for the health of the heart muscle.
From the perspective of Chinese medicine, Chinese medicine believes that everything is based on qi, that the growth and decay of all things, changes in form, profit and loss, are all the result of qi, and that the movement and changes of qi drive the development and changes of everything in the universe. The human body’s qi is constantly in motion, popular throughout the body, from the internal organs to the six internal organs, and externally to the bones and skin, promoting various physiological activities of the human body.
The movement of human qi is generally summarized in four forms: ascending, descending, exiting, and entering, and in terms of overall physiological activities, ascending and descending, exiting, and entering are coordinated and balanced. The normal movement of qi is called “qi qi qi tune”, which includes the balance and coordination of ascending and descending and unimpeded flow. Moderate exercise can help to regulate the qi, promote the balance and coordination of the rise and fall, and smooth flow. The main points of moderate physical exercise are three: First, the amount of exercise should be moderate, depending on the person, so that “line labor but not tired”; second, to be gradual, the amount of exercise from small to large; third, to be persistent.
3. The elderly can choose which aerobic exercise?
Elderly people need to choose the appropriate aerobic exercise and exercise intensity carefully because of the declining physiological function and often a variety of underlying diseases. The duration of exercise is generally 15-60 minutes, generally 2-3 times a week, and exercise in the evening can help improve the body’s tolerance to exercise. The ideal intensity of exercise is one that produces the desired effect without producing clinical symptoms, discomfort, fatigue, and boredom due to excessive intensity. You can determine when you should stop exercising based on the Feeling Best Effort Scale.
Aerobic exercise is in various forms, and choosing the preferred form of exercise is conducive to long-term adherence; those with underlying diseases should gradually increase the intensity of exercise and progress gradually; those with very serious conditions can just move. Try to choose multiple forms of exercise, combining endurance exercise with plyometric exercise, and upper limb exercise with lower limb exercise while doing a moderate amount of ventilator exercise.
3.1 Aerobic walking: adhere to 30-60 minutes a day, a distance of about 2-3 km or 5000-8000 steps, regular, quantitative, fixed intensity, head up, chest up, and walk. Walking can prevent heart disease, exercise the lungs, and improve immunity.
3.2 Five birds play: five birds play through the movement of the limbs and guide the combination of static and dynamic ways to fully exercise the joints, dredge the veins, qi, and blood, regulate the function of the internal organs, refresh the mind, strengthen the body, physical and mental pleasure, to obtain the effectiveness of disease prevention. The five birds’ play can improve the lung function of respiratory system diseases and enhance the muscle strength of respiratory muscles. Five birds play has a certain intensity, there are certain requirements for physical fitness, and it is recommended that patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease choose carefully.
3.3 Taijiquan: Taijiquan is suitable for the elderly or home rehabilitation of the elderly with basic heart and lung diseases, the intensity is appropriate, while Taijiquan can improve heart and lung function, improve body flexibility, promote blood circulation, regulate mood, and other effects.
3.4 Eight Duan Jin: simple movements, moderate intensity, and regular practice of this work can move Qi and blood, regulate the internal organs, soft tendons, and bones, nourishing Qi and strength. Eight Duan Jin is an aerobic exercise, its exercise intensity is moderate, the basic requirements of the exercise population are not high; the spine as the axis to drive the slow movement of the limbs, and there is no pause in the middle, like the spring silkworms spitting silk and like a small river stream natural, the practice process of physical and mental unity, the magnitude of the action with the breathing depth to help improve their own cardiopulmonary function; exercise throughout the emotional self-regulation, mood relief to sharpen emotional stability, improve personal psychological regulation Improve mental health.
The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine – Su Wen: “The ancient people, who know, the law in the yin and Yang, and in the arts and figures, eating and drinking in moderation, living in a regular manner, not delusional labor, so that the form and the gods, and the end of its natural life, a hundred years before going.” Chinese medicine advocates the middle course and opposes “too much and too little”, which means that health care, food, rest and exercise should be moderate, suitable and comfortable and that too much and too little will make the yin and yang biased and cause diseases.
The elderly should choose the appropriate aerobic exercise with their own physical condition, subject to moderate comfort, do not overexert, gradually enhance lung function, and enjoy more smooth breathing.