Movement is Key to Measuring Aging
Measuring aging is more complex than you might think. It requires a comprehensive evaluation of walking speed, grip strength, cognitive function, depression levels, chronic diseases, and various blood markers. However, these complex tests have the downside of being time-consuming and expensive.
That's why experts focus onphysical functions related to movement. Walking speed, in particular, is one of the most accurate indicators for predicting aging status. Research shows that if an elderly person can walk at a speed of more than 1 meter per second at their normal pace, their risk of death within the next 10 years is significantly lower.
This isn't simply about leg muscle strength. Walking is a comprehensive indicator that reflects cardiovascular fitness, balance, cognitive function, and musculoskeletal health all at once. Therefore, walking and moving as much as possible in daily life is the key to healthy aging.
The Scientific Effects of Walking and Optimal Amount
According to large-scale studies conducted in the United States, for every 1,000-step increase in daily steps, the risks of high blood pressure, depression, obesity, and premature death each decreased by about 10%. These are quite significant numbers.
The benefits of walking typically begin to appear around 2,000 steps. The effects reach their peak at around 8,000-10,000 steps, and additional benefits don't increase significantly beyond that point. Therefore, for most people, 8,000-10,000 steps per day can be considered the optimal amount.
The popular saying "sitting is the new smoking" makes sense in this context. Simply thinking of your legs as your primary mode of transportation and taking the stairs instead of the elevator can provide substantial health benefits.
The Trap of Excessive Walking: Beware of Muscle Loss
However, there's a trap with walking too. It's surprisingly common for people in their 60s and 70s to visit hospitals because they've lost too much weight and muscle mass. When asked about their exercise routine, over 95% of these patients answer, "I walk for an hour every day."
The problem is that walking too much can lead to muscle loss. Particularly when you do excessive cardio without adequate nutrition, your muscles can be used as an energy source, potentially harming your health.
When health checkups reveal pre-diabetes or high triglyceride levels, many people decide to "solve it through lifestyle changes" and start walking excessively. While they succeed in losing about 10kg, their muscle balance becomes disrupted and joint mobility decreases, often making their bodies more unstable.
The Right Approach to Exercise After 50-60
After age 50-60, many people have reduced hip mobility and stiff shoulder joints due to years of sedentary work habits. Exercising without addressing these issues increases the risk of injury.
Therefore, it's important to see a professional for an assessment, evaluate your muscle imbalances, and receive an exercise prescription. While the cost might seem wasteful, think of it as an investment that will save on future medical expenses.
Muscle is like a "savings account." When you become seriously ill later, you need enough muscle built up in advance so that you can still function in daily life even if you lose 20-30% of your muscle mass in the hospital. This requires systematic strength training combined with walking, rather than just slowly exercising while watching TV at the gym.
The Barefoot Walking Trend and Precautions
Barefoot walking has become hugely popular among people in their 40s-60s. Local governments are even creating dedicated barefoot walking paths due to the high interest. Barefoot walking can improve blood circulation and enhance balance through foot stimulation.
However, barefoot walking also has risks. The human body was originally designed to last about 30 years, but now we need to live 80-90 years. Given that joints have a somewhat predetermined lifespan, walking long distances while subjecting them to excessive impact can be burdensome.
There's also the risk of infection. People with diabetes, in particular, can develop diabetic foot from even small wounds, potentially leading to amputation. Therefore, diabetic patients should at least wear socks and enjoy barefoot walking lightly in safe environments.
Generational Misconceptions About Diet
Reversed health practices between generations are also problematic when it comes to diet. Small portions and intermittent fasting can be helpful for people in their 20s-30s, or broadly speaking, up to their 40s-50s when their bodies have sufficient energy. However, after age 60, these practices can actually be harmful.
Let me share a real case: Mr. A, a businessman in his 50s, prided himself on strict self-management and maintained what he thought was a healthy diet. However, his health checkup results showed skinny fat syndrome, osteoporosis, pre-diabetes, and fatty liver. When we calculated his total calories, he was only consuming about his basal metabolic rate, essentially creating a state of starvation.
The problem was the morning simple sugars (banana, yogurt, cereal) causing blood sugar spikes. This triggered greater appetite at lunch, and the liquid fructose and sugar-heavy seasonings at lunch created another blood sugar spike. The large amount of carbohydrates from these two spikes were mostly stored as abdominal fat and fatty liver.
The red meat at dinner, rich in branched-chain amino acids, increased insulin resistance, while high-risk drinking worsened chronic inflammation and insulin resistance. Eating fruit before bed provided another source of carbohydrates, accelerating fat accumulation.
Proper Diet After Age 60
After age 60, you shouldn't try to lose weight indiscriminately. Fat is also an important metabolic organ, and without fat, insulin resistance actually worsens. Therefore, you should appropriately consume simple sugars and refined grains to increase both fat and muscle.
In Mr. A's case, we changed his breakfast to focus on vegetables and sugar-free protein, eliminated pre-bedtime fruit, reduced red meat and replaced it with healthy protein, and limited alcohol to about two glasses of wine. At the same time, we actually increased his total calories.
When you eat too little, your body tends to store all incoming energy as fat. This starvation state needs to be resolved before you can burn fat. After three months, he lost 5kg of fat while gaining muscle, and after six months, his blood sugar levels returned to normal.
The Dangers of Doctor Shopping
Another dangerous behavior among elderly people, as risky as indiscriminate supplement consumption, is "doctor shopping" - going to multiple hospitals and getting prescriptions as if shopping.
Consider the case of 77-year-old Mrs. C. Initially, she only took blood pressure medication and had no inconvenience in daily life. However, when her husband was hospitalized and she became stressed, severe nighttime urination led to prescriptions for two bladder medications. The side effects of bladder medication caused constipation and indigestion, making her feel weak, so she got sleeping pills from another hospital.
The sleeping pills increased daytime drowsiness and decreased concentration and memory, leading to a dementia test and mild cognitive impairment diagnosis, resulting in dementia medication. The side effects of dementia medication decreased her appetite, leading to additional prescriptions for digestive aids and appetite stimulants.
Using medication to counter medication side effects eventually left her completely drained. The initially prescribed bladder medication contained substances that impair cognitive function, while the later prescribed dementia medication had the side effect of increasing bladder sensitivity. Medications with opposing effects kept being added.
The Importance of Medication Review
In such situations, a medication review process is necessary. You need to eliminate medications with opposing effects and those causing side effects. In Mrs. C's case, her sleep and eating patterns improved after two weeks, and after a month, her cognitive function recovered to the normal range.
However, not all cases show such positive results. I've seen someone who came in a wheelchair and could walk again after medication review, but then went back to visiting multiple hospitals complaining of various aches and pains. Eventually, medications increased again, and when symptoms subsided with medication, they thought they were fine - but this is similar to being anesthetized.
Elderly people need to tolerate and accept symptoms to some degree. You can't completely eliminate every symptom experienced in life with medication. Instead of automatically responding to symptoms with medication, it's better to first consider basic lifestyle improvements.
For example, people with nighttime urination often improve with consistent bridge exercises or Kegel exercises. But if you only seek medication, the side effects of those medications create a vicious cycle of requiring more medications.
Mindfulness and Dementia Prevention
Finally, mental health, particularly mindfulness, is important. To understand mindfulness, look at its opposite state - "mindlessness." This is the state of aimlessly scrolling through smartphones or continuously watching TV while indulging in stimulation.
Prolonged mindlessness makes you more susceptible to dementia. There are three main ways to build cognitive reserve that can prevent dementia: physical activity (exercise), mental stimulation, and social interaction.
Playing cards perfectly satisfies all three. You use your brain, meet people, and to go play cards, you need to leave home and walk there, incorporating physical activity. Games like Go or mahjong have similar effects.
Practicing Daily Meditation
Meditation also helps prevent dementia. While meditation was once considered something special, nowadays many global companies operate meditation centers because its scientific effects have been proven.
You don't need to think of meditation as complicated. Any activity that allows you to focus quietly and completely on yourself while relaxing your body is meditation. Running meditation, swimming meditation, and walking meditation are all possible. You don't even need to close your eyes.
Meditation simply means staying in the present moment while feeling your breathing, joints, and surrounding sensations without judgment. You can meditate while washing dishes or vacuuming. Practicing staying in the present moment will be tremendously helpful.
## Conclusion
Healthy aging requires a combination of appropriate walking and strength training, proper diet for your age, avoiding unnecessary medication abuse, and mental health management through mindfulness. Most importantly, choose health practices appropriate for your age group and approach them systematically with professional help. Remember that healthy aging isn't achieved overnight, but through consistent lifestyle improvements.
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