First of all, give a basic answer: there is no uniform, standard and absolute amount of exercise that can be suitable for everyone. So, don't expect someone to tell you a specific amount of exercise, and then follow it to get healthy. Exercise and health are not that simple.
Our age is growing, our bodies are changing, our sports ability is changing, and everyone's sports goals are different. So the amount of exercise will also change with the specific situation.
Secondly, we should define the word "old people". The "elderly" in this paper refers to the middle-aged and elderly people over 50 years old. The physical aging of this part of the population is obvious, and its basic characteristics are poor cardiopulmonary function, poor muscle strength and endurance, and serious muscle loss.
Therefore, we must consider the specific amount of exercise after "aging" according to the above physical conditions and characteristics.
What is "amount of exercise"? Strictly speaking, the influence of physical exercise on human body depends not only on the amount of exercise, but on the load of exercise ("amount of exercise" is just a popular name). The main factors that constitute exercise load are "quantity" and "intensity".
In fact, when we ask "What kind of exercise is good for our health", we actually want to know two questions:
First, how much exercise should be used to suit you;
Second, can you achieve the goal of improving your health or enhancing your athletic ability with such an amount of exercise?
How to grasp the amount of exercise when participating in aerobic exercise? Let's take a look at the advice of the State Sports General Administration on aerobic exercise for middle-aged and elderly people in the National Fitness Guide:
Moderate intensity exercise is the main exercise, and the heart rate increases 10% ~ 20% when the exercise is quiet, or it is controlled at 100 ~ 120 times per minute.
Exercise three times a week, and exercise every week 150 minutes or more.
This exercise suggestion is aimed at most middle-aged and elderly people. But if you are a middle-aged and elderly person who keeps the habit of exercise and fitness all the year round, you can exercise with higher intensity and more exercise according to your physical condition.
But here comes the problem: suppose an old man exercises three times a week, and according to the suggestion of "one week 150 minutes" above, the duration of an exercise will reach 50 minutes. Even if you exercise five times a week, the duration of each exercise should reach 30 minutes.
For middle-aged and elderly people who have just started to exercise, it is difficult to achieve such a long exercise time if they take part in jogging. What shall we do? There are two ways:
(1) In the initial stage, you don't have to force yourself to achieve the required amount of exercise in one step. For example, you don't have to ask yourself to run 5 kilometers at a time and 30 minutes at a time.
(2) Keep the duration of exercise, but the intensity of exercise can be reduced. For example, if you can't run, and your heart and lungs can't stand it, then switch to a combination of walking and running, or simply walking, or alternating walking with normal pace.
In short, no matter what kind of aerobic exercise you take, you should control the amount and intensity of exercise within the range you can bear at present. With the improvement of physical fitness and cardiopulmonary ability, it is gradually improved.
Tip: In aerobic exercise, the easiest way to control exercise intensity is to "talk".
No matter what kind of aerobic exercise you take part in, try to communicate with your partner in short sentences or phrases during the exercise. If you can talk fluently, the speed is appropriate. If you find the conversation difficult, slow down.
If you just exercise by yourself, try to recite a five-character poem. Fluency in reciting is not required, as long as you can say one sentence (that is, five words) at a time, indicating that the current speed is acceptable.
How to grasp the amount of exercise in strength training? Strength training is more complicated than aerobic exercise. The magnitude of exercise load involves many factors, including resistance (load), number and frequency of groups, rest time between groups and total capacity (total weight accumulated in one strength training). Obviously, considering so many factors, it is very difficult for middle-aged and elderly people who have no exercise experience to grasp the amount of exercise.
In fact, not only middle-aged and elderly people, but also exercisers of any age should strictly implement the principle of "step by step". Would rather be conservative than radical. Only middle-aged and elderly people should be more cautious.
The specific method is to do more trial training at least in the initial stage, and the principle is "light but not heavy", that is, the duration of a training can be shorter, the number and times of groups can be less, and the load can be less. Moreover, starting with self-respect training and unarmed training is a very good way to get started, and it doesn't have to be very heavy.
After the training, see if the body has normal fatigue, and it can be eliminated automatically in the next two or three days.
If you feel tired, you should rest for a few more days until you fully recover. Reduce the amount of exercise in the next training. If you feel relaxed or even not tired at all, you can increase your exercise a little next time. After repeated attempts, you will gradually find a basic strength training program that suits you.
Tip: The suggestion in the National Sports Association's National Fitness Guide is that the elderly should participate in low-intensity strength training, the maximum muscle strength is below 50%, and each part should be repeated 8- 12 times, or do unarmed strength training.
Conclusion Middle-aged and elderly people must proceed from their own health and physical fitness level, and there is no absolute and solid exercise. The amount of exercise that suits you is the best amount of exercise, which will definitely improve your health and enhance your athletic ability.