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On a sunny weekend, Dr. Wong was walking in the park when a scene caught his eye:
"At this age, it's important to exercise in moderation, but it's even more important to understand your limits. ”
While observing the fitness group of the elderly in front of him, he explained to his nephew beside him.
The protagonist, Dr. Wong, is an internist with 30 years of clinical experience.
At this time, he and his family are enjoying a quiet family time.
Walking beside them was a group of energetic seniors who had set up makeshift gym equipment in a corner of the park and were doing gentle stretching and strength training.
"Health is an art. ”
Dr Wong goes on to say that his first unique point is that taking specific nutritional supplements while exercising can significantly reduce the risks associated with exercise.
This may not sound like much to do with traditional medical knowledge, but it actually deeply touches on a problem that is often overlooked by the elderly during exercise - the link between the deficiency of trace elements and muscle dysfunction.
According to a study that covered more than 2,000 elderly people, moderate supplementation of common trace elements such as calcium, magnesium and zinc;
It is essential to maintain muscle function, reduce fatigue and improve the body's ability to cope with stress.
Older people who supplemented with these trace elements recovered their muscles 40% faster than those who did not supplement after exercising at the same intensity, and the number of exercise-related injuries was reduced by nearly half.
In addition to this, Dr Huang also came up with an insight about the frequency of exercise.
He believes that interval training for the elderly, that is, alternating between exercise and rest, is more suitable for the physiological state of the elderly than continuous exercise.
This training mode not only strengthens the heart and lungs, but also effectively avoids the cardiovascular burden caused by continuous exercise.
One of the cases Dr. Huang has handled in this interval training practice is Lao Zhang, a 72-year-old retired teacher.
At Dr. Huang's suggestion, Lao Zhang changed from continuous jogging every morning to a 15-minute jogging and 15-minute brisk walking.
After half a year, Lao Zhang's electrocardiogram showed that his heart function had improved significantly, and he himself felt more relaxed and no longer had the previous feeling of depression.
Dr Wong's third point is even more surprising:
Simple cognitive games, such as Sudoku or simple memory matching games, before exercising can improve the concentration and physical coordination of older adults during exercise.
This method may seem to be independent of sports, but it can significantly reduce injuries caused by falls and misuse.
This idea stems from a neuroscientific discovery that cognitive stimulation can activate the prefrontal region of the brain, which is a key area for controlling decision-making and motor coordination.
A related study showed that after 30 minutes of cognitive play, the performance on the exercise machine was 30% lower than that of the older adults who did not have cognitive warm-up, and the reaction time was also reduced by 25%.
Towards the end of the article, Dr. Huang and his family slowly left the park, and his topic provoked further thinking about health.
If cognitive games can improve motor coordination, is it possible to develop specific games specifically for older adults that can be more effectively integrated with physical and mental health improvements?
From a technical point of view, current game designs have been able to integrate multiple elements of cognitive function training, such as reaction time, spatial perception, and memory.
Through collaboration with exercise scientists and neuroscientists, games can be developed that meet the physiological and cognitive characteristics of the elderly, making pre-exercise cognitive activation more targeted;
And it is interesting, so that it is more easily accepted and adhered to by the elderly group.
What do you have to say about this? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section!