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"Actually, too much activity is not particularly good for some older people. ”
On a sunny weekend afternoon, the phrase popped up from a mobile phone article and caught the attention of Lin Miao and his friend Li Ze, who were having a barbecue outdoors.
The two of them were just discussing whether barbecued food is really as carcinogenic as the article says, when suddenly the topic changed and they talked about the health of the elderly.
Lin Miao is an urban planner whose work rarely involves knowledge of medicine or health, but he is always curious about these topics.
Li Ze is a programmer, although his profession is even more incompatible with medicine, but he likes to search for various health knowledge on the Internet, and he can be regarded as half an "Internet doctor".
"You know, I always think that old people who walk a lot of steps every day look very healthy," Mr. Li said, flipping the lamb skewers on the barbecue.
"Not really. Lin Miao shook his head, and he went on to explain that he had recently read a study,
It is pointed out that excessive walking may exacerbate joint wear and tear for older people, especially for those who already have osteoarthritis, and excessive step count is not a good thing.
This point of view is quite new to Li Ze's ears. He stopped what he was doing and listened carefully to Lin Miao's continued explanation.
Lin Miao said that a geriatric expert mentioned in the paper that for most elderly people, moderate exercise is important, but the definition of the word "moderate" varies from person to person.
Factors such as the physical condition, past medical history, and living environment of older people should be taken into account.
For example, in people with cardiovascular disease, excessive exercise can cause arrhythmias or other complications.
In addition, Lin Miao also mentioned an often overlooked point that the frequency of social interaction may be more important to the longevity of the elderly than the simple number of steps.
He said that studies have shown that the frequency of social activities and mental health status of older people are closely related to their longevity.
Older people who are socially active, even if they don't take many steps a day, tend to have a better quality of life and mental state, which is extremely beneficial for longevity.
Li Ze was deeply convinced, and he suggested that perhaps we should pay more attention to the mental health and social interaction of the elderly, rather than simply pursuing the number of steps.
Lin Miao nodded in agreement and gave an example. He mentioned an old man named Uncle Zhang, who only walked about 3,000 steps a day, but he would play cards and chat with his friends every day.
Uncle Zhang's grandson once mentioned in an interview that although his grandfather did not take many steps, he never smiled a lot and was in excellent spirits.
The discussion between the two led to another interesting topic: Is it possible to improve the quality of life and longevity of older people by increasing their social activity?
Lin Miao believes that this is a direction worth exploring. He said that while everyone's situation is different, there is always no harm in improving the quality of life.
When the weather slowly turned cooler and the barbecue was about to end, Lin Miao and Li Ze both felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.
While neither of them is a medical expert, today's discussion has given them a deeper understanding and respect for the health of the elderly.
The question at the end is: if social activities are essential to the health and longevity of older people, in the current context of rapid aging,
How should we design and promote social activities for older people to ensure their quality of life and health?
What do you think about this? Welcome to discuss in the comment area!