Fitness clapping songs for the elderly

"Fitness Clap Song for the Elderly" is essentially a set of home-based light fitness guidelines adapted to the low exercise intensity needs of middle-aged and elderly people, combined with traditional Chinese medicine hand reflex zone theory and rhythmic body movements. It is neither a "health magic formula" that can cure all diseases, nor is it a useless IQ tax - reasonable exercises adapted to one's own physical conditions can achieve the actual effect of improving peripheral circulation and relaxing upper limb muscles. Blindly following the trend and pursuing "the heavier the beat, the better the effect" may cause soft tissue contusions, subcutaneous bleeding and other injuries.

Last week, I stayed in the small square at the south gate of the community for half an hour. I watched Aunt Zhang, who lives in Building 3, leading seven or eight old sisters to take photos enthusiastically. What she said was the most widely circulated version on the Internet, "You take one shot and I take one, until seventy-seven." When we took a breather after 20 minutes of filming, several aunties who had practiced regularly said that their hands were warm and their shoulders, which were usually too stiff to lift, felt much more relaxed. Only Uncle Li, who had just broken his leg and came to join in the fun in a wheelchair, stopped filming after ten minutes. He said that his palms were numb and the shoulder where he raised his arm was so sore that he couldn't bear it.

When I accompanied my mother to the community hospital to get medicine, I specifically asked Dr. Chen, the traditional Chinese medicine doctor who was attending the consultation. He said that there are indeed reflex zones corresponding to the heart, lungs, spleen and stomach and other organs on the palm of the hand. Commonly used health care acupuncture points such as Hegu and Laogong are also within the range of the palm. Pat with even force. It is equivalent to gentle massage stimulation, combined with the small movements of raising hands and turning around in conjunction with the rhythm of clapping songs. It is indeed a low-threshold exercise method for the elderly who have inconveniences in their legs and feet and cannot do strenuous exercise. They can be practiced while sitting on a chair, and it is not easy to feel bored while following the lyrics.

However, Dr. Wang from the Sports Rehabilitation Department of the Third City Hospital has a different view. He has come into contact with several cases of elderly people who came to see a doctor because of blind clapping: some believed the saying "the purpleer the clapping, the more detoxification will be achieved", and the whole palm was covered with bleeding spots. Others had problems with thrombocytopenia and osteoporosis. After a week of vigorous clapping, not only the palms were swollen, but also the wrist joints were bruised. In his opinion, the essence of clapping is the rhythmic contraction of the muscles of the upper limbs, which can promote peripheral blood circulation. However, the so-called "detoxification" and "curing diseases" are nonsense. Elderly people with underlying diseases may easily get into trouble if they practice blindly.

Speaking of which, Aunt Zhang and her group have been practicing for almost eight months and have long since changed the original lyrics online beyond recognition. The original version required patting on the shoulders and back. Some of them, who had periarthritis of the shoulder, had difficulty raising their arms, so they changed to patting on the thighs and backs of hands. The rhythm also slowed down from the original two beats per second to one beat per two seconds. An unwritten rule was also set: no matter how hard others patted, if you feel pain, dizziness, or out of breath, stop immediately. No one will say you are lazy. Last time, a new auntie said she had high blood pressure, and they specifically told her not to shout the lyrics loudly, so as not to hold her breath and raise her blood pressure, and just sit down and record slowly.

There are a lot of different versions of clapping songs uploaded on the Internet. A few days ago, I was browsing short videos and came across a blogger who said that 3,000 claps a day can cure diabetes and high blood pressure. Some elderly people actually believed it. After a week of clapping, their palms were so swollen that they couldn’t hold chopsticks, and they ended up going to the hospital for emergency treatment. In fact, this set of things is just a light activity. It is no different from your usual half-hour walk downstairs or doing two sets of simplified Tai Chi at home. There is really no need to put a "health tool" filter on it.

I specially copied a copy of the version modified by Aunt Zhang and others. The first sentence at the beginning was changed to "You shoot one and I will shoot one, and the right one is the first." They often said that it was just a matter of getting together to play, and they had to work hard to achieve some "curative effect", but they were exhausted. If you have nothing to do at home and sit and watch TV for ten or twenty minutes, your hands will feel warm and your shoulders will feel relaxed. That's enough. If you really feel uncomfortable, you should go to the hospital. Go to the hospital. Don't point and clap your hands to cure the disease.

Yesterday afternoon I passed by the small square and saw them practicing with Grandma Chen, who had just moved in. Grandma Chen has bad legs and has been in a wheelchair all year round. She laughed from ear to ear after filming for ten minutes. She said it was much better than sitting at home with her mobile phone, and she could chat with the old sisters. You see, isn't this the most practical use of this clapping song?