Why do Japanese people not like sports, but they live the healthiest and longest life? There are 5 reasons behind it to ponder
Uncle Lu is 80 years old this year. He has been plagued by chronic low back pain for more than 6 years. The low back pain will only be relieved when he is on bed rest. In order to relieve the low 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 leg lifts and kicks in bed every day, hoping to relieve his low back pain . Unexpectedly, his lower back pain became more obvious. Later, Uncle Lu, who couldn't stand it, had to go to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor told him that he suffered from disuse muscle atrophy because he did not exercise for a long time.
Some people say that life lies in movement; others say that life lies in rest. So, for the elderly, does life lie in exercise or rest?
1. Is life in "exercise" or "rest"?
Some people say that tortoises live a long life because they don't like to move, but many athletes have injured their organs because of sports, making them even more short-lived.
Are athletes shorter-lived? A 2021 study by Swansea University on the health and longevity of 160,000 athletes found that retired athletes lived significantly longer than the average person. Also, retired athletes have a lower risk of developing certain diseases.
Researchers in France have counted the lifespans of 8,134 common summer and winter Olympic athletes in U.S. history from 1912 to 2012, and found that Olympic athletes lived an average of 5.1 years longer than the average person . The reason, the study found, is mainly related to the lower risk of cardiovascular disease in Olympic athletes.
Others say that heart rate is inversely proportional to lifespan, so tortoises live longer, and "life is movement" is a lie. In fact, heart rate has little to do with lifespan , and has a lot to do 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 claim that heart rate is inversely related to lifespan is not true. Moreover, even if animals have a certain law, it does not mean that this law is also established in humans.
In 2020, a paper published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) studied more than 1,500 elderly people. The researchers divided the elderly into a high-intensity exercise group, a control group, and a 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 mandatory exercise.
Five years later, the researchers analyzed the physical functions of the three groups of elderly people and found that the physical and mental state of the elderly in the high-intensity exercise group was better than the other two groups, and the mortality rate was also the lowest.
Cardiovascular Dr. Wang pointed out that if there is too much stillness and too little exercise, this is an unhealthy living state. If you exercise too much, it may also cause the opposite result. So this is a degree of grasp.
2. Why Japanese people 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 world's least sports-loving countries, and about 60% of people do not like sports. However, as we all know, Japan is a country with longevity. The "World Health Statistics 2018" ranked countries in terms of life expectancy, and Japan ranked first, reaching 84 years old. Why is this?
From the perspective of eating habits and lifestyle, there may be the following reasons:
· Eat less
Although there are many dishes on the table when the Japanese eat, they are all very "small", and the weight is very small. Eat and drink.
· Eat lightly
The taste of the Japanese is relatively light, and they pay attention to the original taste of the ingredients, generally less oil, less salt, and less condiments. The cooking method is mainly raw or steamed, and Japanese cuisine is also called "water cuisine". On the contrary, we like stir-frying, frying, roasting and other cooking methods, which not only easily lose a lot of nutrients in food, but also may produce carcinogens.
·Eat all
Japan is an island country, and seafood is an essential dish on the Japanese table, especially deep-sea fish, which help prevent cardiovascular disease. In addition, the Japanese also like to eat soy products. Studies have found that soy isoflavones contained in soy products can fight cancer, and soy protein can prevent heart disease.
·Control your waistline
Obesity is closely related to the occurrence of various diseases. Japan, regardless of gender, age, and age, pays more attention to body management. A 2017 survey showed that the world's thinnest country is Japan, with an adult obesity rate of only 3.7%. Japanese law also stipulates that companies must conduct annual waist checks on employees aged 40-75.
·Combination of work and rest
Although the work pressure is relatively high, the Japanese pay attention to the combination of work and rest, and rest when it is time to rest. Japanese people love travel and health care, they can regulate bad emotions and maintain physical and mental health.
3. How to talk about sports, a few misunderstandings
So, it's not wrong at all that life lies in the right amount of exercise. But it should be noted that in order to exert the greatest value of sports, it is necessary to pay attention to the scientific method. When exercising, the following mistakes are made, otherwise it may be counterproductive:
1. Pursue high-intensity exercise
Exercise should be moderate, do not blindly pursue high-intensity exercise. Like not exercising at ordinary times and exercising vigorously on weekends, not only will you not be able to enjoy the benefits of exercise, but it may overwhelm your body, leading to muscle strain and even rhabdomyolysis.
2. Rest immediately after exercise
Do not sit down or squat to rest immediately after exercising, otherwise it will hinder the return of blood to the lower limbs, affect blood circulation, and make yourself more fatigued. The correct way should be to adjust the breathing rhythm , and then walk and swing your arms to speed up the speed of physical recovery.
3. Losing weight means not losing weight
The purpose of exercise is not to lose weight, but to be healthy. If you find that your weight has not dropped after exercising for a period of time, and you feel that exercise is useless, you are wrong. As long as exercise consumes fat and increases muscle mass , it is successful.
4. Post-exercise stretching is optional
Be sure to stretch after exercise, which can extend and lengthen the muscles that are used more in 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 it is exercised scientifically and reasonably. In the face of sports, we should not "kill a boat with a single pole", because there are cases of sports-related deaths and we will blindly draw conclusions. All in all, life is movement, and movement can make us healthier.
References
[1] "Chronic low back pain cannot be "rested" for a long time". The Third Hospital of Peking University. 2020-11-02
[2] "Japanese do not like sports, why are they the healthiest and live longer? These "secrets" are worth learning from~". I am the official WeChat account of a big doctor. 2021-10-31
[3] "Aerobic exercise for more than 40 minutes to lose fat? Experts from the General Administration of Sports correct the top ten misunderstandings of fitness, how many do you believe? 》.Health Times. 2019-07-27
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