Idioms about health in the elderly

Eat and drink in moderation, live regularly, do not work rashly, be relaxed and happy, proceed step by step, act within your ability, plan ahead, and be safe and sound. It just covers the full range of needs in diet, work and rest, exercise, mentality, and disease prevention and control. It is much more practical than spending a lot of money to buy health courses.

Don’t think this is an old saying, it really works.

Last week I met Aunt Zhang at a community vegetable shop. She squatted on the ground to recover for a long time. When I asked her, I learned that an internet celebrity had said "Light fasting can clear blood vessels". She drank only cucumber and celery juice for three days in a row and almost fainted due to hypoglycemia. Isn’t this just a misunderstanding of the meaning of “eating and drinking in moderation”? Nowadays, the health circle is quarreling over whether the elderly should eat light meals or supplementary meals. One person says that they should eat half a catty of meat, eggs, and milk every meal, and the other person says that only by avoiding oil and salt can they live longer. In fact, the "moderate" our ancestors said is not extreme at all, but rhythm and moderation - —You have been eating Sichuan and Chongqing cuisine all your life, so there is no need to suddenly force yourself to give up chili peppers, just add two less spoons of salt; if you have weak teeth and weak digestion, you don’t need to force yourself on health supplements to replenish nutrients. Eat at a certain time and seven to eight times every meal, which is more effective than any other folk prescription.

Oh, by the way, a retired man came to me last month and said that he was hospitalized because he insisted on exercising. He used to sit in an office at work and rarely move. After retirement, he wanted to recuperate his health. He climbed mountains for two hours in the morning, played table tennis for three hours in the afternoon, and danced for an hour in the evening. His knees were worn down to the point of degenerative disease in a week. The doctor said that he would need surgery if he came back a few days later. Doesn’t this mean that we have forgotten to “step by step” and “act according to our ability”? Nowadays, there is no end to the controversy about whether the elderly should move or stay still. Some people say that "life lies in exercise" and other people say that "resting can lead to longevity." In fact, these two idioms clearly draw the boundary: If you have not moved for many years, don't run five kilometers. Start by walking downstairs for 10 minutes every day and slowly increase the amount. If you love running and jumping, don't compete with young men for dunking speed when you are 70. The best intensity is to be able to sweat and not feel uncomfortable. There is no standard answer.

Speaking of this, I think of my mother. Before retirement, her schedule was as accurate as a clock. After retirement, no one took care of her. She stayed up late every day to watch opera short videos until two or three o'clock, and didn't get up until 90 in the morning. Within two months, she had headaches every day. She went to the hospital to check if there was anything wrong, and the doctor asked her to adjust her schedule. Later, I forced myself to go to bed at ten o'clock and wake up at six o'clock every day. I would go downstairs for a walk and come back to have a bowl of porridge and a steamed bun. After half a month, my head no longer hurt. This is the principle of "living a regular life". Many people say that the elderly do not sleep enough and do not need to sleep for 8 hours. In fact, it does not mean sleeping less, but a disordered schedule. Even if you sleep 6 hours a day and sleep at the same time, it is better than staying up until the early morning to catch up on sleep during the day.

A while ago I went to a nursing home in the area to do research, and I met an 88-year-old grandma with a little deaf ears. She sits in the yard every day to bask in the sun and water the roses. Her children come once every half month, and she doesn’t make a fuss. When asked about the secret of her longevity, she waved her hand and said, "Nothing, be open-minded," which corresponds to the four words "relaxed and happy." Nowadays, a lot of popular science says that the elderly must socialize more and participate in more group activities to be healthy. However, there are also many elderly people who just like to be clean. If you force them to dance in the square or go to a senior college, they will feel uncomfortable. There is no unified standard. The core of being relaxed and happy is that you feel comfortable. If you like the excitement, go join in the fun. If you like purity, just tend to the flowers and plants at home. The mood is better than anything else.

There is another aspect that is most easily overlooked: "Don't work in vain." Uncle Wang next door retired and wanted to raise some down payment for his son, so he went to work part-time at a construction site without telling his children. After working for two months, he suffered an acute lumbar disc herniation. The surgery cost tens of thousands, which caused a lot of trouble for his children. This "labor" does not only refer to physical labor, but also the stress of worrying - worrying about the work of the children every day, anxiously focusing on the grades of the grandchildren, having to intervene in everything, and eventually suffering from high blood pressure and insomnia, which is really not worth the gain.

As for "preparing for a rainy day", I have seen too many old people who go to extremes: either they are stubborn, they have headaches and brain fevers and say "the old problem does not need to be treated". Last year, the community had a free blood pressure test. Uncle Li measured a high pressure of 180 and said that he did not feel anything and refused to take medicine. As a result, he had a stroke last month and was hospitalized and could not move half of his body; In fact, to be prepared for a rainy day means to have regular physical examinations every year. If you have a minor problem, follow the doctor's instructions and intervene promptly. Don't be overly nervous, and don't drag it into a serious illness.

The last "safe and sound" is actually the ultimate goal of elderly health. Many elderly people have misunderstandings about health. They think that they have to live to be a hundred years old and have no problems to be considered healthy. In fact, this is not the case at all. As people get older, they will have some chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure and high blood sugar. As long as they take medicine according to the doctor's instructions and keep it within a reasonable range, and it does not affect normal eating, walking, or playing chess and chatting with old friends, they will be fine. There is really no need to pursue "no disease at all". Instead, it will make you anxious every day and affect your body.

After all, these idioms are not some mysterious health-preserving principles. They are all practical experiences accumulated by the older generation over a lifetime. Just like the old locust tree planted in front of the house for decades, it is much more reliable than those Internet celebrity health-preserving trends that disappear after a while. If you can't remember that much, just repeat these words a few times and follow them. It's better than anything else.