"Aunt Xiao, why did your blood pressure drop so quickly? This is incredible!" The doctor couldn't help but show a surprised expression when he saw the physical examination report reviewed by Aunt Xiao.
Aunt Xiao smiled slightly: "I don't have any secrets. Just insisting on meditation every day has allowed the mind to be relaxed and purified. ”
After hearing this, the doctor showed an approving expression: "It seems that I should also learn from you and seek peace from the heart." ”
1. Authoritative research: Is it true that mindfulness meditation can reduce suffering?
With the public's quest to improve sleep quality, relieve stress, and improve life satisfaction, mindfulness meditation has gradually become a popular way to relax yourself.
Many scientists are gradually unraveling the neural mechanisms behind it. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, and other institutions have published a groundbreaking study in the journal Pain that delves into how mindfulness meditation affects pain perception and brain activity.
Studies have found that mindfulness meditation is able to weaken the connection between areas in the brain that process pain signals and areas of self-awareness. In other words, people can reduce their perception of pain signals and relieve pain through mindfulness meditation.
The research team pointed out that for people who suffer from chronic pain for a long time, it is not only physical pain, but also psychological burden and frustration. Faced with this dilemma, mindfulness meditation offers a new way to reduce pain and improve mood.
In addition, the research team of Sara Lazar, a yoga and meditation neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School, also said that meditation has some association with brain function.
Studies have shown that an 8-day meditation can cause measurable changes in brain areas related to memory, self-awareness, empathy, and stress.
In this world full of stress and anxiety, meditation can bring a moment of tranquility to the inner world, and its essence is actually to advocate that while focusing on building a strong body, we should also pay attention to the exploration of our inner world, and don't let negative emotions erode it.
2. Which is healthier, exercise or long-term rest?
Meditation is also a kind of "retreat" that we often say, and its popularity has made people who have always admired "retreat" more determined that this is the secret of longevity, does this mean that retreat must be better than exercise?
A prestigious study published in the New England Journal (BMJ) conducted a comprehensive analysis of 30,000 subjects with an average age of 63 years and continued to monitor their health for nearly 6 years.
Studies have found that 24 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise a day can halve the risk of death. Light exercise, such as walking and cooking, for 1 hour a day can reduce the risk of death by 40%. As long as you move, regardless of the intensity of exercise, you can reduce the risk of death.
In fact, exercise and recuperation are not "life or death" relationships.
Wang Xing, deputy chief physician of the cardiovascular department of the 983rd Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force, pointed out that self-cultivation is not contradictory; self-cultivation refers to exercise, including exercising blood vessels, muscles, and cardiopulmonary function;
He suggested that if your physical condition allows, you should still keep exercising. You can't completely separate exercise and recuperation, and choosing a regimen that suits you can make your health more beneficial.
Whether you choose exercise or recuperation, or a combination of the two, you can make your life more exciting, and the most important thing is to find a way that suits you.
3. People who insist on exercising may reap a lot of benefits
Professor Zhang Yimin, director of the Key Laboratory of Sports and Physical Health of the Ministry of Education of Beijing Sport University, said that exercise is not only beneficial to improving the body's cardiopulmonary function and muscle building, but also has a positive impact on the health of the nervous system.
Specifically, exercising more allows the body to reap these benefits:
Enhance cardiopulmonary function
Regular exercise can significantly enhance lung function and better protect against various respiratory diseases. Exercise also helps make the heart beat more vigorously and regularly, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Good for lowering blood pressure
A study in the international journal British Sports Medicine states that "isometric exercise" is the preferred way to lower blood pressure.
Continuous muscle contraction during isometric exercises (wall squats, planks, zama walks, etc.) can help improve muscle strength and endurance, while also having a positive impact on cardiovascular health.
Maintain healthy bones and joints
Exercise not only strengthens the muscles and ligaments around the knee joint, but also helps to reduce the loss of calcium, which can improve or alleviate the symptoms of osteoporosis. In addition, exercise improves flexibility and coordination, which helps prevent accidents such as falls.
In short, exercise brings a full range of benefits to the body.
Fourth, how should the elderly exercise correctly? Keep in mind the "three don'ts" and exercise healthily
If you exercise right, it is a treasure to strengthen your body, and if you exercise wrong, it will hurt your body. Keeping in mind the "3 Don'ts" will allow you to enjoy exercise with peace of mind.
1. The strength should not be too large
A proper exercise program can help the body gradually adapt to the intensity of exercise and avoid injury. Beginners can start with simple aerobic exercises, such as walking, jogging, etc., and gradually increase the duration and intensity of exercise.
2. Avoid fasting when exercising
When you wake up in the morning, your body has not yet recovered your vitality, and if you exercise on an empty stomach, it may induce arrhythmia due to the lack of energy in your body.
It is recommended to eat some high-energy foods appropriately before exercising to provide the body with the necessary energy reserves.
3. Don't rest immediately after exercising
After the workout, you should do 5-10 minutes of light aerobic exercise, such as slow walking or light cycling, to help blood flow back to the heart and relieve muscle fatigue.
Resources:
[1] "Research Shows Mindfulness Meditation Can Reduce Perception of Pain and Reduction of Pain Sensation".Bioworld.2022-07-20
[2] "Is Meditation Really Useful?It Starts with the Brain's Operating Mechanism".Popular Science China.2024-01-12
[3] "[Nature] MRI Scan Finds: 8 Weeks of Meditation Can Make Your Brain Respond Faster".translational medicine.2021-08-15
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