7 kinds of exercise can prevent aging

　　In Prevention magazine, Canadian fitness expert and physical therapist Maureen Hagen explains everything from teaching practices and clinical concluded from research healthy Exercise secrets for the elderly. whether elderly What kind do you like exercise , can all benefit from the following 7 anti-aging exercises. Not only do they allow seniors to move their bodies more easily, but they also help prevent injuries and help them feel younger.

　　1. You must master the essentials of squatting. for the elderly female For example, when doing squats, you need to move the toes of your feet slightly apart.； This simple fix aligns the femur with the hip joint and keeps the knee above the ankle as you squat, rather than moving forward. After adopting the correct exercise method, the strength of the knee joint will become stronger and the frequency of knee joint pain will be reduced. male The structure of the hip joints of women is different from that of women, so their toes should be facing the front of the body when doing squats. Hagen also added: "When standing before squatting, women really need to place their feet slightly wider than their hips, so that it will be easier to complete the squatting movement. ”

　　2. Strength training can change aging genes. Research shows that just 26 weeks of strength training can reverse the aging process at a genetic level. Hagen said: "In older people who are not suffering from severe disease Under the premise, they can still perform strength training on various muscle groups like young people. ”In addition, strength training also maintains muscle mass, because as people age, they lose about 2.3 kilograms of muscle every 10 years, while fat increases by 4.5 kilograms during the same period. Therefore, in order to maintain a balance between muscle and fat, the elderly should also perform strength training.

　　3. Use your brain more when exercising. Hagen’s favorite saying is: “Physical exercise is using your body to do crossword puzzles. ”The greater the amount of such activity, the higher the degree of brain involvement, and the better the fitness effect will be. For example, exercises that can improve reaction times in older adults include playing tennis, table tennis, and badminton ； Exercises that improve memory, such as ballroom dancing and rumba ； Exercises that change the direction of the body, such as kickboxing and rhythmic step aerobics.

　　4. Intermittent aerobic exercise is more efficient. Although the minimum activity level recommended by U.S. government health guidelines is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, Hagen's research found that 240 minutes of aerobic exercise per week is more beneficial to heart health because aerobic exercise improves mitochondrial function. Mitochondria, the energy-producing organelles in human cells, typically decrease with age. If the elderly feel that four hours of aerobic exercise per week is too long and too heavy, they can choose interval exercise. It alternates high-intensity exercise with low-intensity recovery rest.

　　5. Crossing the limbs allows the left and right brains to talk to each other. During fitness, the elderly can do more exercises where they cross their legs and arms on the midline of the body. This is because crossing the limbs can promote active dialogue between the two brains and enhance the communication between the two hemispheres. nerve connect. Many moves in yoga and Pilates fit this bill.

　　6. Proper jumping movements. Many older people are afraid of jumping because they think it will hurt their knees or hips. "Older adults need to do some jumping exercises because they need that impact to build bone density," Hagen said. ”This doesn't mean they need to make crazy jumps, powerful steps (like the force of crushing a bug) will suffice. ； Exercises such as lunges, leg raises, and skipping are also available.

　　7. Wear a pedometer when walking. The average person only walks 2,000 steps a day, but exercise experts strongly recommend increasing this amount to 10,000 steps, which is more beneficial to health. Research results show that just tracking and recording walking conditions will double the distance walked. Therefore, the elderly may wish to bring a pedometer when walking for exercise. They will unknowingly increase their walking distance and constantly challenge their own records.