When centenarian Huang Chun-mu of Yuanlin City in Changhua County was 60 years old, he would get up in the middle of the night and stretch for two hours to relieve his sciatica and other complaints. As time went by, he learned how to do yoga. His neuralgia gradually receded until it was completely cured, and eventually he was able to go hiking every day.
Despite having turned 100 this year, Huang still has good hearing and vision and is in pretty good shape. On Monday last week, Yuanlin Mayor Yu Chen-hsiung visited the Huang family home to wish him a long life and present him with a monetary gift given to demonstrate respect for the elderly. Huang shared his secret for staying healthy: an unbroken, regular exercise routine.
Huang has three sons and two daughters and once won a Changhua County model father award. When he was young, however, things didn’t always go well. He lost his father when he was seven years old, after which his mother remarried, so he went to live with his grandmother. Money problems forced him to quit school in the first year of elementary school, when he moved in with relatives and did farmwork. After a while he became an apprentice in a lumber store, where he discovered his real interest, going on to become an independent craftsman. These experiences led him to deeply appreciate the importance of education, so he encouraged his sons and daughters to study hard, and three went on to graduate from national universities such as National Taiwan University and National Chung Hsing University.
Photo: Chen Kuan-pei, Taipei Times 照片:自由時報陳冠備
One of Huang’s sons said that his father often worked day and night so that his children could study. This caused him to suffer from sciatica when he got older, and he was often in so much pain he could hardly sleep. Starting from the age of 60, he was woken up by the pain at 3am every night and only felt better if he got up and stretched for two hours. He kept doing his stretching exercises for more than 20 years and gradually alleviated his sciatica and other problems. His children said their father learned his stretching moves by looking at illustrations in books about yoga, without any personal instruction. They were amazed that he could learn it without a teacher. However, 10 years ago his family realized that he wasn’t getting any younger, so they forbade him from doing the most difficult yoga movements.
Huang said that he initially relieved his pain by practicing yoga, and since then he has deeply appreciated the importance of exercise. He says that strong legs, in particular, are a guarantee of good health. Even though he is now 100 years old, he still insists on walking around with the aid of a walking frame. He goes walking on hiking trails to keep his legs strong. This continuous habit of taking regular exercise must be the secret of his longevity.
(Translated by Julian Clegg, Taipei Times)
彰化縣員林市百歲人瑞黃春木,在六十歲時為紓緩坐骨神經痛等問題,只好半夜起來拉筋兩個小時,久而久之竟然學會瑜伽,身體神經酸痛問題也漸漸痊癒,最後還能天天爬山健行。
今年滿一百歲的黃春木依然耳清目明,相當勇健。員林市長游振雄上週一前往黃府賀壽,並頒發敬老禮金,黃春木慷慨分享,不間斷的運動習慣,就是他的養生秘訣。
黃春木育有三男二女,曾獲彰化縣模範父親楷模,但他年輕時命運坎坷,七歲時因喪父、母親改嫁而與祖母生活,面對經濟問題,小一就放棄學業到親戚家務農,後來到木材行當學徒,找到興趣,進而成為獨當一面的師傅,但也因此他深知教育的重要,栽培出三位台大、中興等國立大學畢業子女。
黃春木的兒子表示,父親為了讓子女安心讀書,經常日夜工作,也導致晚期身體有坐骨神經痛毛病,經常痛得難以安眠,六十歲後某日凌晨三點又痛醒,只好起床拉筋,做伸展運動兩個小時,才覺得紓緩,因此持續伸展運動二十多年,也漸漸改善坐骨神經痛等問題。其子女也說,父親拉筋動作是看瑜伽書本圖片學來的,從沒人指導,對於能無師自通感到訝異,但十年前年事已高,家族才禁止他再做高難度的瑜伽動作。
黃春木說,當初因為練瑜伽,所以改善身體病痛,從此也深知運動的重要性,尤其強健的雙腿就是健康的保證,即使現在年紀百歲,仍堅持以助行器走動,到登山步道健行,訓練雙腳力量。恆心不間斷的運動習慣,就是他的長壽秘訣。
(自由時報)
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