With sharp hearing, clear vision, agile thinking, and a spry gait, Tu Jinwen, Grand Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine and professor at Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, remains vigorous and active in clinical research despite his advanced age.
According to Tu Jinwen, “birth, growth, maturity, aging, and death” are the basic laws of life's metabolism. Immortality is unrealistic, but one can adopt a healthy lifestyle through scientific, systematic, multi-faceted, and practical methods to slow down the aging process to some extent, achieving a state of “unwearied,” “fearless,” and “harmonious qi,” and thus ensuring a high-quality later life. How can we slow down the aging process? The combination of stillness and motion, cultivating the mind in stillness and the body in motion, is Tu Jinwen's way of maintaining health.
Combining Stillness and Motion to Harmonize Mind and Body
According to Tu Jinwen, labor and exercise are important methods for people to maintain health, resist aging, and prevent diseases. They can sustain mental and physical strength, enhance the body's immunity, and improve limb function. For seniors, they can also delay the decline in brain function. Forms of labor can vary, such as appropriate household chores, public welfare activities, gardening, etc., while exercises could include Tai Chi, walking, running, etc.
Tu Jinwen notes that regular practice of Tai Chi can harmonize the circulation of qi and blood, adjust yin and yang, and play a role in preventing and treating diseases, promoting health and longevity. When practicing Tai Chi, one should pay attention to the following: let consciousness guide movement, focusing attention on the movements; avoid brute force, keep movements relaxed and natural; maintain coordination between upper and lower body movements; clearly distinguish between empty and solid, with a stable center of gravity; breathe naturally, coordinating breath with movement. Seniors should choose simplified Tai Chi routines that are easy to learn and practice.
In his spare time, especially after dinner, Tu Jinwen enjoys taking walks. He states that walking and running benefit the circulation of blood and the smooth flow of qi, activating joints, aiding spleen function, and strengthening the body against aging. Generally, it is recommended to run in the morning and walk after meals or before bedtime. One should plan the amount of exercise according to their own constitution, with slower-paced jogging suitable for seniors and those who are weak. While running, one should focus on deep, long, fine, and gentle breathing, with a rhythmical pattern, such as exhaling with every two steps and inhaling with every two steps, or exhaling with every three steps and inhaling with every three steps, aiming to develop abdominal breathing. Running for 20-30 minutes daily, five to six times a week, with gradually increasing intensity, requires year-round persistence.
In addition to physical exercise, mental exercise is also crucial for seniors to delay cognitive decline. Tu Jinwen advocates that seniors read more books and newspapers, and engage in intellectual games like Gomoku and chess.
Besides making the body and mind “active,” Tu Jinwen also emphasizes adjusting the body, regulating breathing, and cultivating the mind.
Five Massage Techniques to Unblock Meridians
Tu Jinwen introduces that health massage stimulates specific parts of the body through various techniques to achieve the goals of relaxing muscles, improving blood circulation, and regulating metabolism. He recommends five common methods:
- Hair Combing and Scalp Massage: Bend your fingers slightly and comb from the forehead and around the ears to the back of the head, 36 times each session, once to twice a day, preferably upon waking up or before bed. This method stimulates the scalp, promotes blood circulation, prevents hair loss and premature graying, and can also improve vision and calm the mind.
- Eye Rotation: Close your eyes gently and rotate them clockwise 18 times, then counter-clockwise. Finish by tightly closing your eyes and then suddenly opening them wide. This method can improve eye muscle tension and eliminate eye fatigue.
- Nasal Rubbing: Place the middle and ring fingers of both palms against the sides of the nose, massaging upward from the nostrils to the root of the nose, and then back down to the nostrils, repeated dozens of times until warmth is felt. Then use the middle finger of either hand to press and rub the philtrum 9 times. This can help unblock nasal passages and refresh the mind.
- Ear Massage and Drumming: Use the thumbs and index fingers of both hands to massage the earlobes and the entire outer ear 36 times. After the ears feel warm, place both palms over the ears, and have the index and middle fingers alternately tap the area below the occipital bone (near the Fengchi acupoint) 36 times. Then press the palms firmly against the ear holes and suddenly release, repeating 18 times. This method can clear the mind, refresh the spirit, and prevent hearing loss.
- Palm Rubbing Facial Massage: Rub both palms together until they are warm, then spread them over the face. Use four fingers to push outward from the center to the temples, then massage the cheeks downward with both palms, finishing by returning the middle fingers to the nostrils, completing one cycle. Repeat this 20-30 times until the face feels slightly warm. This method can activate blood circulation and nourish the complexion.
Dietary Considerations: Three Sets of “Threes”
According to Tu Jinwen, diet and nutrition are extremely important for human health, particularly for seniors. Attention should be paid to the “three fixities, three highs, and three lows.” “Three fixities” refer to fixed timing, fixed quantity, and fixed quality; “three highs” mean high protein, high unsaturated fatty acids (such as sesame oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil), and high vitamins (such as eating fresh vegetables and fruits); “three lows” mean low fat (less fatty meat, lard, beef tallow, butter, etc.), low calories, and low salt.
Facing a variety of ingredients in daily life, Tu Jinwen recommends several porridge dishes with the effects of replenishing essence and marrow and enhancing brain function, suitable for seniors to help delay cognitive decline.
- Walnut Porridge: 30 grams of walnuts, 200 grams of glutinous rice, and 10 jujubes, washed and cooked into porridge over low heat. Take twice daily.
- Black Sesame Porridge: 30 grams of black sesame and 100 grams of glutinous rice, washed and cooked into porridge over low heat. Add a teaspoon of honey when serving, taken in the morning and evening.
- Wolfberry Porridge: 20 grams of wolfberries, 100 grams of millet, and 30 grams of lean pork minced, washed and cooked together into porridge. Season with a little salt when serving, can be eaten regularly.
- Cattle Bone Marrow Porridge: 15 grams of cattle bone marrow, 15 grams of black sesame, and 100 grams of glutinous rice, washed and cooked together into porridge. Season with a small amount of sugar when serving, taken twice daily.