Entering ChinaIn the long river of time, people’s pursuit of health and longevity has never stopped. When life enters the stage of 60 years old, the choice of health care has become the focus of attention of many elderly people. Today, let’s start with the story of Uncle Li and explore the mystery together. Uncle Li, a 72-year-old energetic old man, his life is like a vibrant picture. Every morning, when the first rays of sunlight shine on the paths of the park, Uncle Li is already there, brushing a set of boxing techniques one by one, and the movements are smooth and powerful. People who don’t know, looking at it from afar, think that he is only in his early 60s. In his spare time, he played against his old friends in the shade of the trees, immersed in the vicissitudes of the chess game; Or embark on a journey to appreciate the customs and customs of different places; Or sweat it out on the sports field and enjoy the excitement of sports.
However, his family is a little worried about this way of life. In the eyes of his family, Uncle Li should stay at home and rest well at this age, after all, the years are not forgiving, and he goes out frequently. But Uncle Li has his own persistence, he often says: “The body is like a machine, the more you don’t use it, the easier it is to rust. Indeed, when we look at Uncle Li’s peers, we will find that many people are troubled by problems such as arthritis and inconvenient legs and feet, and even going out has become a difficult task. This can’t help but make people think, is it really better for the elderly to recuperate than exercise? What can be done to live a healthier life?
After the age of 60, the trade-off between exercise and recuperation
There are many ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and everyone has their own unique perspective. Among them, the idea of sports health has been supported by many people, which is not unfounded. The World Health Organization has emphasized that exercise has a positive impact on our physical and mental health and slows down aging. Not only that, but the scientific research team has confirmed through experiments that exercise is like a magical “restor”, which can stimulate cells to repair themselves, help the body maintain good function, delay the pace of aging, and enhance immunity at the same time, which plays a positive role in prolonging life.
The New England Journal (BMJ) has published an impressive study on exercise and mortality risk. The researchers carefully selected 36,383 middle-aged and elderly people with an average age of 62.6 years as the subjects of the study and conducted an in-depth meta-analysis. They act as patient observers, following up these middle-aged and elderly people for a long time. In the process, they found an interesting phenomenon: people who kept walking for more than 6 hours a day, doing light exercises such as housework, or doing moderate-to-high-intensity exercise for about 24 minutes had a 50-60% lower risk of death. This means that as long as you move, regardless of the intensity of exercise, it is closely related to a reduction in the risk of death, which shows that exercising more has a positive effect on longevity.
The authoritative journal “Aging Cell” also includes the research results of the team of Professor Nasir Ahmad Aziz from the University of Bonn Medical School in Germany. They focused on the relationship between regular exercise and anti-aging, and found through a series of rigorous experiments that no matter how high or low the level of exercise, it can bring benefits to cardiovascular function, immune function and anti-aging. It’s like adding another layer to the benefits of exercise. A South Korean study came to a similar conclusion. The researchers enrolled 6,076 people over the age of 60 with cardiovascular disease in an exercise-controlled trial. They divided the elderly into different groups, some who insisted on exercising and some who did not. After a period of observation, the results were thought-provoking: mortality was highest in the non-exercise group, while the risk of non-cardiovascular mortality decreased by 27% and 39%, respectively, even in those older people who had just started exercising. From this experiment, it is not difficult to see that the elderly insist on exercising for health and longevity.
Moreover, exercise is like a caring “protector” for the elderly. It can continuously stimulate neuromuscular function, making the body more coordinated and balanced in the elderly, thereby effectively reducing the risk of falls. Imagine an elderly man walking freely in a park, which is inseparable from the credit of sports. So, does it mean that there is no benefit in resting, and if you want to live a long life, you can only keep exercising? This is not the case. Exercise and recuperation are not incompatible, they can complement each other. Physician Wang Xing, deputy director of the cardiovascular department of the 983rd Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force, said that health preservation is a “combination of movement and static”. Exercise is like creating a solid body for us and making our body stronger; Meditation, on the other hand, is like an inner practice that helps us relax and unwind. While insisting on moderate exercise, learning to combine work and rest is the true meaning of health preservation.
The recuperation here does not mean that everyone is completely lying flat and doing nothing. It is more of a state of mind, a state of life, which allows our consciousness to return to its true nature and reach the state of physical and mental relaxation. Even if it’s just going out for a walk in the afternoon and feeling the warmth of the sun; Or sit by the window, drink a cup of tea quietly, and enjoy a moment of tranquility, which all belong to the category of meditation. In the long run, our physical and mental health can be better maintained.
Association of exercise with cancer risk
In the field of health, the relationship between exercise and cancer risk is also of great interest. Using the recommended amount of exercise as a criterion, we find that more than half of the population in the United States and 31% of the global population fail to meet this standard. According to incomplete statistics, nearly 61% of cancers in the world are inextricably linked to insufficient exercise, and in the United States, the proportion is as high as 75%. This makes people wonder why exercise is associated with a reduced risk of cancer. The authoritative journal JAMA has published a study on exercise and cancer risk. Researchers followed 1.44 million people aged 19 to 98 for 18 years. They are like faithful recorders, keeping detailed records of their movements and whether they have cancer. In the end, it was found that people who regularly exercised at moderate intensity had a significantly lower risk of developing cancer. This discovery is like building an important bridge between health and exercise.
In 2022, a study was also published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. This time, the researchers focused on more than 50,000 middle-aged and elderly people in China. Through long-term follow-up, they found that participants who were physically active had a lower risk of cancer. This seems to tell us that people who have the habit of exercising have an extra guarantee on the road to fighting cancer. Another study, published in Sports Medicine and Science, delved into the causes of cancer suppression in exercise. The researchers selected 10 elderly patients with prostate cancer and administered them an exercise intervention for 12 weeks. During this process, they closely observe the changes in the patient’s body. The results were pleasantly surprised to find that after exercise, the human body seems to have formed a special “anti-cancer environment”, which can inhibit the growth of cancer cells, thereby effectively reducing the risk of cancer in the human body.
Does life lie in motion, or does stillness make people live longer? The study found that 3 kinds of exercise longevity and cancer prevention
Find the best anti-cancer exercise
Since exercise and the fight against cancer are so closely linked, what is the best exercise to fight cancer? Last year, a study on the health effects of exercise interventions was published in the journal Sports Medicine. Through a large-scale meta-analysis of more than 2.6 million adults, researchers found that different types of exercise have different health benefits. Cycling, like a gentle health messenger, reduces the risk of all-cause mortality by 21%, coronary heart disease by 16%, and cancer by 10%. Imagine riding a bicycle on a picturesque trail with a gentle breeze and not only having a good time, but also contributing to your health.
Does life lie in motion, or does stillness make people live longer? The study found that 3 kinds of exercise longevity and cancer prevention
Running, on the other hand, is an energetic health champion that reduces the risk of all-cause mortality by 23%, cardiovascular mortality by 20%, and cancer mortality by 27%. Moreover, running can also effectively improve physical fitness and cardiopulmonary function. When you take a step on the runway, every step seems to inject health into the body. Swimming, like an all-around health guardian, has the most significant effect on reducing the risk of all-cause mortality by 24%. Swimming not only exercises the whole body, allowing every part of the body to get enough exercise, but also stabilizes blood lipid levels. Take a dip in the water and feel the buoyancy and resistance of the water, as if you are one with nature.
Does life lie in motion, or does stillness make people live longer? The study found that 3 kinds of exercise longevity and cancer prevention
While many studies have clarified the relationship between exercise and the fight against cancer, we also need to understand that exercise is good, but it can be counterproductive if done in the wrong way. Therefore, how to exercise scientifically is crucial.
The World Health Organization provides us with a benchmark for adults to achieve at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, or more than 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week. During exercise, we should always pay attention to our physical condition. If you feel tired to the point of exertion, it means that your body is signaling us that we need to take a reasonable rest. Generally speaking, when there is an increase in breathing and heart rate, and the body sweats slightly, but is still able to communicate normally, this kind of exercise intensity is more appropriate.
Does life lie in motion, or does stillness make people live longer? The study found that 3 kinds of exercise longevity and cancer prevention
Of course, everyone’s physical condition is different, and the exercise plan should be different from person to person. Especially for those patients with underlying diseases, it is best to consult a doctor before exercising to develop an exercise plan that suits them, so as not to aggravate the condition due to excessive exercise.
