Foreword
Sun Simiao, the king of medicine, has a famous saying: "The Taoist way of maintaining health and nourishing nature is to work a little, but never be too tired or too strong to be heard. And running water does not rot, households The reason why the pivot is not beetrooted is because of its movement."
"Little Labor" - the secret of health and longevity
Most of the longevity stars in ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, are diligent in the practice of "little labor". who. Someone conducted a survey on some longevity people in Xinjiang and found that 73% of the longevity people are farmers who have been engaged in agricultural labor for a long time. Among the 10 centenarians in Aksu region, 8 are manual workers. Almost all people over 90 years old in Bama, Guangxi are manual workers.
Among the deputies to the National People's Congress, there was once a farmer named Aunt Ran who was the birthday girl. She was still in good spirits, with a cheerful face, and could eat and sleep well into her old age. When she was 104 years old, she not only went to work in the fields, but also raised three big fat pigs. When she attended the National People's Congress meeting when she was 105 years old, people asked her what was the secret to a long and healthy life. She replied humorously: "The secret is to work every day. The tonic is sunshine and wind and rain. If you don’t believe it, try it.”
She never took medicine in her life and died at the age of 109. A Japanese survey of some people over 100 years old also found that half of them still did not stop physical work when they were 75 years old, and one-third of them were 80 to 84 years old. As for the longevity among mental workers, almost all of them love working. Or like sports, there are countless examples of this.
Su Dongpo, a great writer in the Song Dynasty, vividly discussed the principle that princes and nobles were indolent and weak and sickly, while farmers and common people were hardworking and strong. He said:
"Isn't that why princes and nobles take good care of themselves? And they often suffer from many diseases in daily life. As for farmers and ordinary people, they work hard all year round without ever getting sick. Why? Or?
The change of wind, frost, rain, dew, cold and heat is the cause of this disease. Farmers and common people work hard in midsummer, but when they are exposed in the cold winter, their muscles and bones are invaded and their skin is soaked. Frost and dew come with wind and rain, so the cold and heat cannot poison them.
Nowadays, princes and nobles are under heavy houses. When they go out, they ride on their carriages. Don't be unprepared for your equipment. If you fear it too much and nourish it too much, if you don't like it, the cold and heat will come. If you cultivate your body well, you can make it easy to work and move easily, so that your limbs will be vulnerable to the cold and heat. After the transformation, they can be strong and strong, and can take risks without getting hurt."
The average life span of more than 300 emperors in ancient my country was less than 40 years old. Although they died from many causes, they undoubtedly lived in a dignified manner and lived in public affairs all year round. is one of the important reasons.
With the development of society, modern people's physical labor is decreasing day by day, and the labor intensity is also greatly reduced. They are too comfortable and inactive, which leads to the decline of the functions of various systems and organs of the body, the decline of immunity, and the risk of various diseases. occur.
People who are obese, have weak limbs, and are prone to diabetes, coronary heart disease and other diseases are called patients with "modern leisure diseases". Many experts believe that the way to eliminate "modern leisure disease" is "diligence". The fitness function of labor cannot be ignored, and one must be diligent in participating in various productive labor or physical exercises to achieve the purpose of health preservation and physical fitness.
Why does labor help health and longevity?
First of all, labor can move the body, flow Qi and blood, exercise muscles and bones, and regulate the spirit. Regular labor can promote the digestion of food, increase coronary blood flow, improve myocardial nutrition and metabolism, and enhance the elasticity and tension of nerves and muscles.
Secondly, physical labor is one of the important means to prevent premature aging. After entering middle age, as people age, their tissues and organs will age. People who work regularly can increase muscle metabolism and slow down physiological atrophy, thereby effectively preventing or delaying the occurrence of aging phenomena such as joint stiffness and osteoporosis, and laying a good foundation for health and longevity.
Of course, labor can also increase knowledge, accumulate experience, and open up wisdom. When the hard work and sweat turns into fruits, it can make people feel better and increase the interest of life. Labor can also be a kind of enjoyment. Tao Yuanming's poem "Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely seeing the Nanshan Mountains" expresses this state of mind.
Labor is good for health and longevity, but we must pay attention to doing according to our ability and combining work with rest. For example, when the external conditions are bad, we should temporarily avoid it; when working for a long time, we should take appropriate rest.
For middle-aged and elderly people, whose physical strength gradually weakens due to age, it is necessary to appropriately reduce the labor intensity, so as to "always want to do small jobs" and stop doing it in moderation. In other words, the labor movement must grasp the scale. It does not mean that the longer the time, the better, or the greater the intensity, the better. So how should this scale be grasped?
Sun Simiao, the king of medicine, has a famous saying: "The Taoist way of maintaining health is to work a little, but never be too tired or too strong to be heard. Moreover, running water does not rot, and door hinges do not become beetles. Because of its movement, also.
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The principle of "xiaolao" is like "running water does not rot"
"xiaolao" means exercise with less intensity, and "often desires Xiaolao" means regular exercise and liking to exercise. Develop a habit of exercising. But remember, no matter what kind of exercise you do, it is not advisable to be "exhausted" or "exhausted". If you challenge the limit of your body's endurance, it will only hurt your body.
Sun Simiao did not explain the health principle of "always wanting to work hard", but only used a metaphor to describe its principle and "running water does not rot." , the door hinge is not beetrooted", all because of exercise. In fact, this health-preserving method is derived from the ancients' scientific understanding of human physiology and pathology.
"Lu Shi Chun Qiu Dayu" Said: "Mortal people have three hundred and sixty sections, nine orifices, five viscera (viscera), and six organs (fu organs). The skin wants to be compared, the blood vessels want to be smooth, the muscles and bones want to be solid, the mind wants to be harmonious, and the essence Qi wants to have its way. If this is the case, the disease will have nowhere to live and the evil will have no origin. ”
This passage shows that a healthy human body has fine skin, strong muscles and bones, a peaceful mind, and blood and essence flowing smoothly throughout the body. Once the blood and Qi are not flowing smoothly, it will lead to various diseases. Therefore, keeping Qi and blood flowing is the main goal of health care and disease prevention.
So, how to keep Qi and blood flowing? Only "shape movement" can make Qi and blood flow smoothly. It is not uncontrolled exercise, because excessive exercise will consume too much of people's Qi and blood, resulting in the so-called "five labors and six extremes". Therefore, the "Huangdi Neijing" puts forward the standard of exercise of "working hard without being tired". p>
Hua Tuo, a famous doctor during the Three Kingdoms period, further refined this criterion. He emphasized that exercise should not be excessive. He said to his disciple Wu Pu: "I have a technique called Five Animals' Play... When there is discomfort in the body, it causes movement. When playing with a bird, it is wet and sweaty. Because it is coated with powder, the body is light and the belly is hungry for food. "Hua Tuo believes that when exercise reaches the point of "sweating (clothes are slightly wet)", one should stop, and then apply talcum powder, the body will feel relaxed and convenient, and the stomach will want to eat.
Sun Simiao's "Xiao Lao Health Method" is based on the understanding and experience of predecessors. In addition, he also clearly stated that exercise should be "measured by sweating."
Sun Simiao's "Qianjin Yao". "Fang" said: "The way to cultivate one's nature is not to walk for a long time, stand for a long time, sit for a long time, lie down for a long time, look at it for a long time, or listen for a long time. Long-term looking will damage the blood, long-term lying down will damage the Qi, long-term standing will damage the bones, long-term sitting will damage the flesh, and long-term walking will damage the tendons. "Here it is pointed out that walking should also be moderate to avoid "injury to the tendons due to long walking."
Sun Simiao also recorded in detail many "little labor health methods" in the book. For example, massage methods such as face rubbing, abdominal rubbing, and Ear tapping, tapping the drum, loosening the waist, etc., including the Daoyin method of Daoyin, Hua Tuo's Five Animals, etc., and the Qi regulating method and fetal breath method of breathing and breathing methods formed the "Xiao Lao health method". "A relatively complete system, which had a profound impact on the sports and health sciences of later generations.
"Xiao Lao" made Sun Simiao full of vitality. According to the "Book of Tang", Sun Simiao was still "visual and visual" when he was nearly a hundred years old. "Unfading" Thanks to the "Xiao Lao Health Method", Sun Simiao became one of the longest-lived famous doctors in ancient times.
Lu You, a practitioner of Xiao Lao's health method: So, will Xiao Laojun know it?
The longevity poet Lu You is a practitioner of Sun Simiao's Xiaolao health regimen. He wrote in the poem "Book Meaning":
I brushed the whole book for leisurely play, and sometimes took my great-grandson's bamboo horse to ride .
So, Xiao Laojun? Hushu Liushui is my teacher.
In his free time, Lu You sorts out books and cleans up a few cases, and sometimes he takes care of his great-grandson. Don't think that he is looking for something to do.
Sun Simiao's small labor regimen is flexible, requires little physical energy, has low technical requirements, and has a small financial burden. Doing it can also achieve certain fitness effects. As long as you persist, it will be of great benefit to your health. Moreover, this method is similar to the popular "light physical exercise and enjoyable exercise" in recent years.
Many people now do it. I like to walk for exercise, and walking should also follow the principle of "little effort". You should "do according to your ability" and sweat a little, never "big effort".