Analyzing big data based on physical and mental characteristics helps the election campaign to get moving

Text ◆ Li Zuyi, Ming Pao

After every Olympics, there is always a sports craze. How do we choose the right sports? How do we develop a habit of continuous exercise?

Long-distance running tests endurance, fencing requires reaction, and ball games require hand-eye coordination. A university in the UK uses big data to help people select the sport that’s right for them; Hong Kong experts emphasize that happiness is the most important thing.

(Hong Kong) At this year’s Paris Olympics, 61-year-old Luxembourg table tennis player Ni Xialian played “Happy Ping Pong” and emphasized that “as long as you play happily, there is no reason to stop.” Hong Kong team fencer Zhang Jialang defended his gold medal and encouraged Hong Kong people: “Participating in sports is a happy and healthy thing. The most important thing for everyone is not to give up.”

Convenient and can be done alone to improve the duration

Different sports require different skills. For example, gymnastics requires high agility and strength, while weightlifting focuses on strength and is less about agility. Sports scientists at Loughborough University in the UK designed an online test (bit.ly/4dv1OL3) to help people find the sport that suits them and encourage more people to participate and continue to exercise. Participants answer questions about their physical and psychological characteristics, and the computer system evaluates the answers according to the sports of the Commonwealth Games and comes up with the three most matching sports.

Physical therapist Ouyang Jian said that the test is aimed at increasing interest in sports and inspiring people to exercise. The results do not mean that participants are only suitable for certain sports or other sports. For health purposes, the most important thing in choosing a sport is that it is in line with personal interests and can be sustained.

Choosing convenient and easy-to-play sports can help improve persistence, such as going to a sports venue nearby to reduce travel time, or choosing individual sports such as running, swimming, cycling, etc. Sports that do not require teammates are easier to start. In contrast, playing rugby requires at least 7 people to form a team, and it is more difficult to find enough people to participate.

Raymond Lam, senior lecturer at the Department of Health and Physical Education at the Education University of Hong Kong, added that the above test uses big data to analyze individual physical fitness and match suitable sports, but due to the differences in sports culture between the UK and Hong Kong, the resulting sports may not be popular in Hong Kong.

At present, Hong Kong does not have enough large data to make reliable estimates. In simple terms, how do you choose the right sport? The general principle is to do the sport you like according to the physiological needs, physical conditions and abilities of different age groups. As you age, your body functions and abilities will also change. The following are some examples of sports that correspond to the development of physical abilities:

Pre-adolescence: Various exercises to coordinate the body

Children are in a period of rapid physical development. Their flexibility, coordination and balance abilities are gradually improving. They can try different forms of exercise to meet their physiological needs. For example, swimming helps to exercise cardiopulmonary function and body coordination, and various ball sports can cultivate agility and coordinated limb control.

Adolescence: Increase the amount and intensity of exercise

During puberty, muscles and bones develop rapidly. Adolescents have greatly improved their motor skills and coordination abilities. They can appropriately increase the amount and intensity of exercise, such as participating in table tennis, badminton, basketball, volleyball, etc. Ball sports with a fast pace and high energy consumption can better meet the physical and mental needs of adolescents and allow them to exert their efforts.

30 to 60 years old: Exercise reduces stress and prolongs life

Adults aged 30 to 60 are in the career-striving period and are under great pressure from work and life. They can try sports such as mountain climbing and jogging, which can help improve their cardiopulmonary function, increase endurance, and speed up metabolism. Sports that connect them to nature can also relieve stress.

Foreign data shows that adults who have a habit of regular exercise can extend their life expectancy by 3 to 8 years on average. Taking running as an example, running for one hour can extend your life by about 7 hours.life.

Elderly: Regular exercise can effectively delay aging

As we age, it becomes more difficult to maintain the muscle mass we had when we were young because our metabolism, immune system, and hormone system slow down. However, age does not necessarily mean that our organs are damaged. Studies have found that regular exercise can effectively delay aging.

After the age of 65, muscle strength and coordination ability gradually decline, and more attention needs to be paid to body stability and balance. It is recommended to do more exercises such as supine leg raises and lunges.

Satisfying social needs increases intrinsic motivation

“Young people react faster and have certain advantages in playing table tennis, while middle-aged and elderly people react slower, but the most important thing is to enjoy the happiness.” Lei Xiongde emphasized that there are physical differences between people. It is assumed that a certain age group must do a certain sport, but they should do appropriate and moderate exercise according to personal interests and with controllable risks. Having intrinsic motivation to voluntarily participate in sports can continue their sports career; and parents should let their children try different sports, even if they fail Master the skills of a certain sport, or possibly perform well in other sports.

“To develop a habit of continuous exercise, there are three main elements: happiness, social interaction, and measurability. Finding happiness in the exercise process and having social elements, such as eating, drinking and chatting with friends after exercise, and measurable progress such as improved ball skills, running becomes easier at the same exercise intensity, and having a sense of success and satisfaction can enhance the intrinsic motivation for exercise.”

Consider age balance to avoid injury risk

Lei Xiongde first came into contact with canoeing during an outreach training when he was young, and he has been playing with it for more than 40 years. He shared the reason why canoeing has “fascinated” him for many years: “Every time I sit on a canoe, I can feel the forward movement with every stroke, and it feels very comfortable. Canoeing in the sea is far away from the hustle and bustle and concrete jungle, and I can chat with a few close friends while paddling. When I paddle to a deserted island with no people, I feel refreshed, just like pressing the reset button.”

There is no age limit for doing sports, but you need to know how to balance the risks. Reducing the risk of injury during exercise will help develop a lifelong habit of exercising. Lei Xiongde, who is nearly 65 years old, rarely played football five years ago because of the risk of balance injuries. If you fall or sprain your knee while playing football, you will not be able to participate in other activities such as hiking.

At his age, he thinks mountain climbing makes him happier than playing football, but he has to pay attention to the weather. “Now that the weather is so hot, I will choose to walk on flat roads or ponds with shade from trees at dusk, and will not climb Lion Rock, Anaconda Point or Phoenix Mountain. It is also very important to have knowledge of how to deal with the environment.”

In addition, to reduce the risk of injury during exercise, it is very important to do a good warm-up. Lei Xiongde said that before starting the main sport, you should do a warm-up to increase your core temperature, warm your hands and feet, and even start sweating.

Warm-up exercises can include relevant movements according to the main sport type. For example, warm-up exercises for football can include passing the ball, imitating shooting movements, running back and forth, etc. These movements should be done slowly and easily so that the brain can activate relevant sensors and control muscles when actually playing football.

Newbies don’t need to pursue heart rate

Yang health supplements, do exercise according to your ability, gradually increase the intensity, help develop a continuous exercise habit and reduce the risk of injury.

“Generally healthy people need a maximum heart rate for aerobic exercise

(220 minus age) 60% to 80%.

Take 30 years old as an example.

The heart rate should be maintained between 114 and 152 beats per minute.

But for those who have no exercise habit,

Maintaining this heart rate for 20 minutes may feel strenuous.

Therefore, you can settle for the next best thing,

First, aim for 50% to 60% of your maximum heart rate.

That is 95 to 114 times per minute.

Extend your exercise session to about 25 minutes.

When you feel good, gradually increase your target heart rate.”

Sudden exercise muscle pain

For people who are new to exercise or have not exercised for a while, “sudden exercisers” or “weekend warriors” are more likely to suffer muscle strains or sprains.

Physical therapist Ouyang Jian pointed out that common types of injuries include:

◆ Popliteal muscle strain

If you haven’t exercised for a long time, the hamstring muscle on the back of your thigh is particularly prone to strain during sports that require sprinting movements.

Calf muscle strain

The calf muscles are easily strained when there is a sudden increase in activity.

◆Ankle sprain

Weakened muscles and ligaments that stabilize the ankle can easily lead to ankle sprains when returning to activity

◆Lower back strain

Weakened core and back muscles, which can easily be strained when the body is subjected to sudden stress

◆Knee injury

Weak quadriceps and popliteal muscles around the knee, which can lead to sprains or other knee problems

After exercise, applying heat and massaging with an exercise roller can help relax muscles and relieve delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Muscle soreness is more obvious after a long period of inactivity or a sudden and significant increase in exercise. Muscle soreness usually lasts for 3 to 4 days. If the symptoms persist or do not subside, it may be a muscle strain and professional treatment should be sought.

3 Tips for Sports Beginners to Reduce Injury

As the Olympic year approaches, there is a sports craze. In addition to watching the games and appreciating the athletes’ performances and cheering for them remotely, many people are also inspired by the athletes’ perseverance and thus start or resume their exercise habits.

We will take this opportunity to briefly discuss the possible risks of injury and precautions for novices who have just started exercising, so that everyone can better appreciate the fun of exercise.

The intensity and volume of training for athletes are many times higher than that of ordinary people, so if the volume of training is not properly controlled, they will be more prone to injuries than ordinary people. In addition, the biggest cause of injury is “old injuries”. As a former track and field athlete, I deeply understand the impact of injuries on athletes. Therefore, when I saw the Chinese Taipei team’s “number one” badminton player Tai Tzu-ying’s performance was affected by injuries, and the Spanish team’s badminton player Ma Lin withdrew from the game due to an old anterior cruciate ligament injury, I was really sad.

Causes various common injuries

Sports enthusiasts may also have old injuries, such as back pain, neck pain, or the most often ignored ankle sprain. If old injuries are not treated properly, even if the pain is gone, the fascia and joints in that area will still be tight or have problems, resulting in reduced fascia movement space throughout the body. Excessive exercise, coupled with insufficient time for the body to recover, will easily lead to fatigue or injury problems.

Popular leisure sports such as running, badminton, and swimming can all cause common injuries. The first two sports use more leg muscle strength, such as the front and back thigh muscles and buttocks muscles to perform single-leg support or lunge movements, and training is required to reduce the risk of knee injuries. Swimming requires more core muscle strength to stabilize the trunk and prevent the body from sinking; when the core strength is insufficient, the psoas muscles will compensate, and then fatigue problems will occur.

Rest, recovery, and treatment of old injuries

To reduce the risk of injury, pay attention to the following when exercising:

1.Build body strength and learn correct exercise posture.

2.Allow your body enough time to rest and recover: Although according to the overload principle, exercise must be of sufficient intensity to improve performance, you also need to pay attention to your body’s warning signs to avoid fatigue or serious injury due to overwork.

3.Treat old injuries well. Even if the joints are pain-free, it does not mean that the joints or old injuries have been properly treated. Joint dislocation or fascia tightness will lead to compensation between muscles, which will cause injuries over time.

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