In addition to strictly complying with 10 rules during the Covid-19 pandemic time, the elderly should have suitable and regular physical activities at home to improve their health, reduce stress and anxiety, and relax themselves to prevent and control the pandemic.
Tai Chi Chuan is one of the best exercises for the elderly.
As guided by the General Department of Sport and Physical Training, exercises suitable for the elderly include Tai Chi, callisthenics, paper fan dancing, sword dancing, physical practice with no tool, gymnastics, indoor walking, yoga for the elderly, Yijinjing, or simple movements to enhance the flexibility of bones and joints, in combination with massage, breathing practice, etc.
A sword dance exercise performed by Hanoi City Elderly Association.
To gain efficiency, the elderly should choose such form and content of exercises and have such training plan suitable for their health conditions as well as the exercise space conditions. They might take normal exercises such as walking, callisthenics, yoga, etc. 3 to 5 sessions every week at a certain time with an average time of 20-30 minutes each.
Paper fan dancing
The best time to practice is 6-8 am or 4-6 pm, depending on the health conditions and habits of each person. Elderly people also need to monitor their body’s response and reaction during and after each session to adjust the exercise accordingly.
In addition to systematic practice, the elderly should have an appropriate and reasonable daily diet with a variety of foods, and get enough sleep to enhance their health, improve their resistance, and reduce the risk of disease.
“The elderly should actively take daily exercise to maintain their health and prevent diseases, and promote their roles and responsible for encouraging their family members to do so, responding to the movement “Physical exercise beats COVID-19” launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism” – said Ms. Nguyen Thi Chien, Deputy Director of the Department of Mass Sport and Physical Training under the General Department of Sport and Physical Training.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Chien also said that Covid-19 is a particularly dangerous acute infectious disease, capable of spreading quickly and widely, causing respiratory complications and easily leading to death, especially for people with underlying medical conditions and the elderly. To prevent and control the Covid-19 pandemic and its complications, the elderly need to comply with the regulations on social distancing and stay at home during the distancing time.
Reporter