Reference; My Best Pro2022-01-25; https://mbp-japan.com/jijico/articles/32278/
Modified and translated by CFJA
1. Exercise is necessary to improve physical strength. It is essential for increasing body temperature.
In order to maintain a healthy body, we think below things are necessary.
i) Adequate sleep (7.5 hours/day)
ii) Adequate rest (about 5 minutes per hour)
iii) Eating at regular times.
iv) Adequate clothing and residential environment that enable you to maintain your body temperature.
And
v) Exercise
Knowing how to live without getting sick is what Dr. Seino advocates as “養正Jp.Yosei (health care)” therapy.
i) to iv) are necessary to prevent disease, and if they are not carried out properly, they will directly lead to a decline in physical strength and organ function. v) will not only prevent disease, but will also improve physical strength. The fact that we all know that we should exercise is proof that we already understand that on some level.
However
A) a lot of people don’t know what to do, or
B) they don’t have time to exercise
C) their bodies are too stiff to exercise
D) they don’t like to exercise at all
When the temperature is around freezing, we feel cold even if we wear heavy clothes and use a heater. What we need to do to raise our body temperature is to exercise. Exercise is the act of moving your body. Shivering when you are cold is a self-defence mechanism to raise your body temperature. Shaking your body for a few seconds to a minute is enough to raise your body temperature. On the other hand, sitting in cold weather is counterproductive.
2. Constantly stretching during and after bathing makes you more prone to injury
Many people do flexibility exercises and stretches immediately after taking a bath in order to improve joint flexibility. Many people also do this in the bathtub. After bathing, the muscles and ligaments are relaxed, and everyone feels more flexible. If you stretch muscles at that time, you will feel that your joints are more flexible because you have a wider range of motion.
When you take a bath, the parasympathetic nervous system becomes dominant, and the muscles are in a relaxed state. The sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for muscle contraction, tends to be relatively low, so the muscles and ligaments that restrict joint movement are less active and the range of motion is increased. In this situation, the muscles and ligaments around the joint are stretched is wider than necessary, resulting in a state of the light muscular injury. However, due to the warmth of the body, it is unlikely to cause pain. Rather, you may feel mild soreness and think it is a sign that your flexibility has improved. With daily repetition, the ability of the muscles and ligaments to contract gradually decreases. If you exercise rapidly in this state, your joints will become more vulnerable and you will be more prone to sprains.
If you do daily flexibility exercises immediately after or during bathing, your joints will start to feel an abnormal sensation. Many people do flexibility exercises for about 30 minutes immediately after a 10-minute bath at 42°C or higher to warm up their body. The best way of bathing without exhausting the body is to take a bath at 38°C for 2 to 3 minutes, so taking a long bath at a hot temperature will exhaust the body. It is not uncommon for people to seek treatment at our clinic for pain in one of their joints and they often do flexibility exercises immediately after taking a long bath every day for more than three months.
3. People with joints that are too flexible get injured easily
When we exercise, we do some warm-up exercises first. Why is this? If you haven’t exercised for a while, you probably do it to avoid injury. If you are a regular exerciser, you probably do it because you are too stiff to do the exercise you want to do. The problem is you have an idea that you will get injured if your joints are not warmed up. In fact, people who often get injured are the ones who have joints that are too soft. If you have too much range of motion in your joints, you are more likely to be in an uncomfortable position and therefore more likely to get injured. People with stiff joints are less likely to get injured in sports because they don’t have a wide range of motion. It’s just that they can’t do it well. This is because joints should be moderately stiff and moderately soft. We see injured people every day and it seems to me that a lot of athletes have a problem with too much range of motion as well. It is good to understand that making joints too soft or with too much range of motion can lead to injury.
4. Did you know, to improve your physical strength only takes about 1 to 3 minutes after waking up?
The best time to start physical activity is around the age of five. We believe that a reasonable amount of exercise for each age group is as follows
5 to 9 years: 4 to 5 days a week, 1.5 to 2 hours each time
10s: 6 days a week, 2 to 3 hours each time
20s: 1 day a week, about 2 hours each time
30s: 2 days a week, about 2 hours each time
40s: 2 days a week, about 2 hours each time
50s: 2 days a week, about 1.5 to 2 hours each time
60s: 4 days a week, about 40 minutes to 1 hour each time
70s: 5 days a week, about 30 minutes each time
80s: 6 days a week, about 20 minutes each time
90s: 7 days a week, about 15 minutes each time
100s: 7 days a week, about 10 minutes each time
110s: 7 days a week, about 5 minutes each time
However, if you don’t have time to exercise, your joints are too stiff to exercise, or you just don’t like to exercise, the above suggestions may be difficult to follow. We believe that the most effective time of day for people who have physical weakness, get sick easily or have never exercised at all is immediately after waking up. The act of sleeping is to take away tiredness of the body, so when you wake up is when you have the most energy. It is also the time when the body is at its stiffest. Exercising for one to three minutes during this time will help improve your strength and flexibility.
It is important that you continue to exercise every day. It is therefore difficult to continue with an activity that you feel you are not suited to, or that you are not able to do. We suggest people start by moving their large joints.
This suggestion can be done in the following ways
(1) Move your neck backwards and forwards 3 to 5 times each.
(2) Rotate your arms backwards and forwards 3 to 5 times each.
(3) Rotate the hips to the right and to the left 3 to 5 times each.
(4) Bend the knee twice and extend it twice, 3 to 5 times each.
This method will take you less than a minute if you do each movement in one second. If you do it every day, at the same time, in the same place and in the same clothes, it will be input into your brain and when you start the first exercise, your body will move until the end of this exercise. These exercises can be done in your pajamas, so you exercise for a minute after waking up and then afterward get dressed. The first step is to get into the habit of exercising, and once you are used to it, you can gradually increase the duration and volume of your exercise. However, if you exercise more than 30 minutes after waking up, you will need to rest or take a nap. For people of working age, in our experience, 5 minutes of exercise every day is enough to maintain physical strength.
5. Acupuncture is effective in maintaining and improving physical strength
There are many people who cannot exercise for health reasons. Why don’t you try acupuncture and moxibustion treatment to improve your overall health? Exercise is a powerful ally to your health. And, by reviewing your daily lifestyle, you can expect to reduce your symptoms.