166. Learning to Rebuild My Body | 學習重建我的身體
– Musings of Dr. Jamie C. Hsu, 1.16.2025
In the past couple of years, I have learned quite a bit about how to take care of and rebuild my aging body. Here are some of my learnings from doctors, therapists, trainers, a few good books, and newsletters. These are my personal learnings and practices, which may or may not apply to others. I am sharing this in hopes of sparking your interest in your own health.
- Eat a variety of foods to have a balanced nutrient intake of lean protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water. I try different foods: Chinese, American, Korean, Thai, Japanese, Italian, Mexican, and Mediterranean dishes. By eating a wide variety of foods, I am more likely to have all the nutrients my body needs.
- Take necessary medications and supplements to make up for what is missing or damaged in my body over many years of wear and tear.
- Monitor my vital signs such as blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, BMI, and other biomarkers. My doctor will help me implement necessary interventions as early as possible.
- Keep my body hydrated to avoid joint pain, lubricate the fascia for increased flexibility, and cleanse the digestive system regularly.
- Do brisk walks properly, with push rather than lift motion. This strengthens my toes, calves, and gluteus muscles, which are essential for mobility and endurance.
- Do proper stepping and squat exercises, various balancing and shuffling movements, and core muscle training to avoid falls. Accidental falls are one of the leading causes of senior fatalities. It may take months or years to get the body agile and strong enough to prevent falls. But seeing how seniors suffer the consequences of falls, I must put high priority on this group of exercises.
- Do aerobic, low-impact exercises such as cycling, swimming, and the elliptical to improve the cardiovascular capacity of my lungs and heart. Mix the right amount of Zone 2 exercise with Zone 3 high-intensity interval training to improve my cardio fitness (VO2 max).
- Get enough high-quality sleep time by adjusting my activities, caffeine intake, and occasional naps.
- Do easy stretches and flexibility movements first thing in the morning to avoid back injury and stiffness in daily activities.
- Move intentionally with eyes open and mind clear to avoid absent-minded falls, bumps, and injuries.
This may seem like a long and random laundry list, but I hope it will help me rebuild my body. I just regret that I did not do this 20-30 years ago. Wish me luck! Cheers.
學習重建我的身體 (2025/1/16)
-作者 許俊宸博士
-中譯 薛乃綺
過去幾年，我開始學習如何照顧和重建逐漸退化的身體。以下是我從醫生、治療師、教練，以及幾本好書、還有電子報當中獲得的一些心得。可以算是我自己的學習和個人實踐，不見得適用在每個人身上。我只是想透過這些分享，激發各位儘早關注對自己的健康。
- 飲食多樣化：攝取均衡的營養，包括精瘦蛋白質、碳水化合物、維生素、礦物質和水。我嘗試各種不同的菜餚，像是中餐、美式、韓國菜、泰國菜、日本料理、義大利菜、墨西哥菜或地中海料理。透過多樣化的飲食，更可能滿足身體所需的各種營養。
- 適量補充保健食品和營養品：補充保健多年來因磨損而缺乏或損耗的營養或部位。
- 觀察監控生命體徵：像是血壓、膽固醇、血糖、BMI，以及其他生物指標。如果你有家庭醫生更好，他們可以儘早幫助並及早採取必要的干預措施。
- 保持身體水分：能夠防止關節疼痛、潤滑筋膜以提升柔軟度，並定期清理你的消化系統。
- 正確快走：要用「推」而非「提」的方式行走，強化腳趾、小腿和臀部肌肉，這對行動力和耐力至關重要。
- 進行正確的步伐訓練和深蹲運動：結合平衡訓練、橫移動作及核心肌群鍛煉，避免跌倒。意外跌倒是導致老年人致命的主要原因之一。讓身體變得敏捷並強壯到足以避免跌倒，可能需要數月甚至數年的努力。因為看到部分長者因跌倒而受苦，我想更需要優先重視這類運動。
- 有氧、低衝擊運動：例如騎自行車、游泳和使用橢圓機，增強心肺功能。適量結合Zone-2有氧中等強度的運動， 和Zone-3高強度間歇訓練，以提升心肺健康和最大攝氧量。
- 確保充足且高質量的睡眠：調整日常活動、咖啡因攝取，並適時小憩。
- 早晨簡單伸展和柔軟運動：避免日常活動中腰部受傷和僵硬。
- 專注移動，保持清醒：避免因心不在焉而跌倒、碰撞或受傷。
雖然這看起來像是一份長長的隨機清單，但我希望這些能幫助我重建更好的身體機能。只是覺得很可惜，這些事我沒能在20、30年前就開始做。祝我好運吧！也祝各位一切順心！
