ラジオ体操に含まれる「効果的な動き」に気づく

　毎朝６時３０分から倉賀野町上四公園で行われてるラジオ体操会に、すでに１０年ほど参加してます。ラジオ体操は一見、簡単な体操と想われがちですが、最近になって、私はこのラジオ体操こそ人間生活にとって特に大切な動きが含まれてると気づき始めてます。

　それはラジオ体操には平素の生活では得られない動きがあるからです。その動きとは「生命維持の基本」です。１０分間のラジオ体操の中の８割ほどの動きが関係してます。皆さん、その動きは何だと思いますか。

　一般的に、筋肉をつけることは健康に大切と考えられてますが、上半身や足腰の筋肉を鍛え、ボディービルダーや格闘家のように筋肉をつけても、スポーツの目標は勝利第一主義であることから、苦しくても無理の上に無理を重ねます。しかし、これは健康長寿とは程遠く、多くの例を見ても、後にその付けが回って来る傾向です。

　ところで、最初の質問の答えは、ラジオ体操の動きの殆どは「呼吸筋を鍛える」ことにあります。私たちの胸の前側、背中の全面、そして左右の横胸に多くの細い呼吸筋があります。ラジオ体操では「胸を大きく左右に捻ったり、横に曲げたり、前後に曲げたり、両腕を上に伸ばしたり」「両肩を上に上げたり」して、これらの呼吸筋肉を思い切り伸ばし、そして縮める運動が多いです。しかも、「深呼吸」そのものの運動もたくさん含まれてます。今度ラジオ体操をしながら「呼吸筋の運動が多いこと」を確認してみてください。

　不思議なことに、四六時中、無意識のうちに、私たちの呼吸筋は伸びたり縮んだりして酸素を肺に吸入し、二酸化炭素を外に排出し、生命を維持してます。こう考えると、胸の周りにたくさんある呼吸筋をしっかり鍛えることが健康長寿の要と考えるようになりました。

Dear my friends who are crazy about nature, humans and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for our mutual understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

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　I have been participating in the radio gymnastics event held at Kami-4th Park in Kuragano-town every morning from 6:30 since about 10 years ago. At first glance, radio gymnastics may seem like simple exercises, but recently I have realized that it contains movements that are particularly indispensable for our human life.

　This is because radio gymnastics contain movements that we cannot get in daily life. These movements are the "basics of life support." About 80% of the movements in the 10-minute radio gymnastics involve these movements. What do you think these movements are?

　It is generally believed that building muscle is important for health, but even if we train the muscles of our upper body and legs and build muscle like a bodybuilder or martial artist, the purpose of sports is to win first, so they push even harder, even if it is already painful. However, this is far from a healthy longevity, I guess. And looking at many examples, it tends to come back to haunt later.

　By the way, the answer to my first question is that most of the movements in radio gymnastics includes to "train the respiratory muscles." We have many thin respiratory muscles in the front of our chest, the entire back, and on both sides of our chest.

Radio gymnastics involves a lot of exercises that stretch and contract these respiratory muscles, such as "twisting the body left and right, bending sideways, bending forward and backward, stretching both arms up," and "raising both shoulders." In addition, it also includes a lot of "deep breathing." Next time when you do radio gymnastics, try to notice how much exercise there is in the respiratory muscles.

　It's amazing how our respiratory muscles stretch and contract all the time, unconsciously, to inhale oxygen into our lungs and expel carbon dioxide in order to maintain our lives. Thinking about it, I've come to believe that training the many respiratory muscles around the chest is the key to a long healthy life.