Why do Japanese people not like sports, but live the healthiest and longest life? There are 5 reasons behind it worth pondering
Uncle Lu is 80 years old this year. He has been troubled by chronic low back pain for more than 6 years. The low back pain can only be relieved when he rests in bed. In order to relieve the back pain, Uncle Lu tried various methods, but all had little effect.
Later, Uncle Lu simply stopped all treatments, reduced his activities on the ground, and performed exercises such as leg lifting and kicking in bed every day, hoping to relieve his low back pain . Unexpectedly, his back pain became more obvious. Later, Uncle Lu couldn't take it anymore and had to go to the hospital for an examination. The doctor told him that he had disuse muscular atrophy due to prolonged inactivity.
Some people say that life lies in exercise; others say that life lies in rest. So, for the elderly, does life lie in exercise or rest?
1. Does life lie in "exercise" or "rest"?
Some people say that tortoises live longer because they don't like to move, but many athletes live shorter lives because of damage to their organs.
Are athletes shorter-lived? In 2021, Swansea University in the United Kingdom conducted a study on the health and longevity of 160,000 athletes, and found that the life expectancy of retired athletes is significantly longer than that of ordinary people. Also, retired athletes have a lower risk of developing certain diseases.
French researchers have counted the life expectancy of 8,134 common summer and winter Olympic athletes in the history of the United States from 1912 to 2012. The results also found that compared with ordinary people, the average life expectancy of Olympic athletes is 5.1 years longer . The reason, the study found, is mainly related to the lower risk of cardiovascular disease among Olympic athletes.
Others say that heart rate is inversely proportional to lifespan, so tortoises live longer, and "life lies in movement" is a lie. In fact, the relationship between heart rate and lifespan is not much , and it has a great relationship with the species of animals. Most frogs with a heart rate of 40-50 beats/min have a lifespan of only about 10 years. The statement that heart rate is inversely proportional to lifespan does not hold true. Moreover, even if there is a certain law in animals, it does not mean that this law is also true in humans.
In 2020, a paper published in the "BMJ (British Medical Journal)" conducted a study on more than 1,500 elderly people. The researchers divided the elderly into high-intensity exercise group, control group and moderate-intensity exercise group in turn, and asked them to do high-intensity exercise twice a week, moderate-intensity exercise twice a week, and no compulsory exercise.
Five years later, the researchers analyzed the physical functions of the three groups of elderly people, and found that the physical and psychological states of the elderly in the high-intensity exercise group were better than those in the other two groups, and the mortality rate was also the lowest.
Cardiovascular Doctor Wang pointed out that if you are too stationary and exercise too little, this is an unhealthy state of life, and if you exercise too much, it may also cause the opposite result. So this is a degree of grasp.
2. Why the Japanese don’t like sports, but live a long life
"The Lancet Global Health" once published an article and found that Japan ranks 11th in the list of the least sports-loving countries in the world, and about 60% of people do not love sports. But as we all know, Japan is a country with a long life. The "World Health Statistics 2018" ranked the life expectancy of various countries, and Japan ranked first, reaching 84 years old. Why?
From the perspective of eating habits and lifestyle, there may be several reasons:
· Eat less
Although there are a lot of dishes on the dining table when the Japanese eat, they are all very "small" and the portions are very small, so they don't eat a lot after a meal. Moreover, they have the habit of eating only 80% of their meals, and they seldom mess around. Eat and drink.
· Eat lightly
The taste of the Japanese is relatively light, and they pay attention to the original flavor of the ingredients, generally less oil, less salt, and less condiments. The cooking method is mainly raw food or steaming, and Japanese food is also called "water food". On the contrary, we like cooking methods such as stir-frying, frying, and baking, which not only easily cause a large loss of food nutrition, but also may produce carcinogens.
·Eat all
Japan is an island country, and seafood is an indispensable dish on the Japanese table, especially deep-sea fish, which helps prevent cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the Japanese also like to eat soybean products. Studies have found that soy isoflavones contained in soy products can fight cancer, and soy protein can prevent heart disease.
·Take control of your waistline
Obesity is closely related to the occurrence of various diseases. Japan pays more attention to body management regardless of men, women and children. According to a 2017 survey, Japan is the thinnest country in the world, with an adult obesity rate of only 3.7%. Japanese law also stipulates that companies must conduct annual waistline checks on employees aged 40-75.
· Combination of work and rest
Although the work pressure of the Japanese is relatively high, they pay attention to the combination of work and rest, and rest when it is time to rest. The Japanese love to travel and keep healthy, and they can regulate bad emotions and maintain physical and mental health.
3. Sports talk about methods, a few mistakes to distinguish criminals
Therefore, it is true that life lies in moderate exercise. But it should be noted that if you want to maximize the value of sports, you must pay attention to scientific methods. When exercising, the following mistakes are made, otherwise it may be counterproductive:
1. Pursue high-intensity exercise
Exercise in moderation and don't blindly pursue high-intensity exercise. Like not exercising at ordinary times, the method of exercising vigorously on weekends will not only fail to enjoy the benefits of exercise, but may overload the body, causing muscle strain and even rhabdomyolysis.
2. Rest immediately after exercise
Do not sit down or squat down to rest immediately after exercising, otherwise it will hinder the blood return of the lower limbs, affect blood circulation, and make yourself more tired. The correct approach should be to adjust the breathing rhythm , and then walk and swing the arms, so as to speed up the recovery of physical fitness.
3. Not losing weight means not losing weight
The purpose of exercise is not to lose weight, but to be healthy. If after exercising for a period of time, you find that your weight has not dropped, and you feel that exercise is useless, then you are wrong. As long as the exercise consumes fat and increases muscle content , it means success.
4. Stretching after exercise is optional
Stretch after exercise, which can extend and lengthen the muscles used more during exercise, relieve muscle fatigue, restore muscle function , and prepare for the next exercise. When stretching, you can choose static stretching, fix the position, and continue to exert force slowly.
Exercise is definitely beneficial to the body, provided that it is exercised scientifically and reasonably. In the face of the movement, we should not "beat a boatload of people to death with one pole", and blindly draw conclusions just because there are cases of movement-related death. All in all, life lies in exercise, and exercise can make us healthier.
References
[1] "Chronic low back pain, can't "rest" for a long time". Peking University Third Hospital. 2020-11-02
[2] "Japanese people don't like sports, why are they the healthiest and longevity?" These "secrets" are worth learning from~". I am the official Weibo of a great doctor. 2021-10-31
[3] "Aerobic exercise for more than 40 minutes to lose fat? Experts from the General Administration of Sports corrected the top ten misunderstandings in fitness. How many do you believe? ". Health Times. 2019-07-27
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