A Guide to a Balanced Life for Middle-Aged Men: A Detailed Explanation of Sixteen Things to Do and Eighteen Things to Avoid in Daily Life and Exercise

Middle-aged men need to maintain ample energy to cope with the heavy workload of daily life. To achieve this, they must pay attention to arranging their lives in a regular manner. Modern biology and medicine have proven that the physiological processes and metabolic activities in the human body follow certain regularities. For example, people are accustomed to working during the day and sleeping at night. During the day, the sympathetic nervous system is more active, and the heart rate and breathing are faster; at night, the opposite is true, the parasympathetic nervous system is more active, and the heart rate and breathing are slower. Even at night, the changes vary from hour to hour; for example, the pulse and breathing are slowest just before dawn. Furthermore, the circadian rhythm of endocrine hormones is even more pronounced. For instance, the release of oxytocin from the pituitary gland in women increases at night, which is why more babies are born at night.

Currently, some people refer to these physiological activity patterns as the biological clock, meaning that many processes within an organism function as regularly as a clock mechanism. Furthermore, each person, based on their different living environments, develops long-term lifestyle and work habits that gradually form certain regularities, some even becoming firmly conditioned reflexes. For example, someone who wakes up at a fixed time every day, forming a habit over many years, will naturally wake up without an alarm clock or being woken up by others; similarly, someone who habitually defecates every morning will experience bloating, abdominal pain, and discomfort if they miss that day. It is evident that the regularity and rhythm of life have a significant impact on the human body.

For middle-aged men, maintaining a regular and reasonable lifestyle is even more important. This is because after middle age, various physiological functions gradually decline, and certain conditioned reflexes have been established in daily routines. Once these routines and rhythms are severely disrupted, it takes a longer time and more energy to adapt to the new changes, often placing a new burden on the body. This has a greater impact on middle-aged men who are less adaptable and whose neurological patterns are less prone to change, potentially leading to the rapid development of certain underlying diseases. It has been proven that some middle-aged men suffer from coronary heart disease, hypertension, stomach problems, constipation, and insomnia, which are often related to sudden changes in lifestyle and an unreasonable pace of life.

Middle-aged intellectuals should be adept at managing their lives. However, some people often eat irregularly and in inconsistent quantities, just grabbing a quick bite; some frequently stay up late and don't get enough sleep; their participation in physical exercise is sporadic; and some experience excessive stress and lack proper lifestyle adjustments. These situations often cause some middle-aged men to age prematurely, experience physiological dysfunction, and develop various diseases.

Rub your face frequently: Rubbing your face with both hands can make your complexion rosy and radiant. Comb your hair frequently: Combing your hair with your ten fingers can relieve fatigue and clear your mind. Exercise your eyes frequently: Close your eyes and rotate your eyeballs to the left and right four times each; close your eyes for a moment, then suddenly open them wide, which can clear the liver and improve eyesight. Concentrate on your ears frequently: Cover your ears with both hands and tilt your head back and forth 5-7 times each, which can clear the mind and relieve dizziness.

Clench your teeth frequently: Clench your teeth 36 times upon waking each morning to strengthen them. Keep your mouth closed frequently: Regularly close your mouth and regulate your breathing, touching your palate with your tongue. Breathe evenly and slowly to ensure smooth airflow and promote saliva production. Swallow saliva frequently: Swallow saliva whenever it accumulates in your mouth to strengthen the spleen and stomach and aid digestion. Contract your anus frequently: While breathing through your nose, frequently perform anal contractions, pausing briefly before slowly exhaling. Doing this regularly can improve health and prevent illness. Keep your mind calm: Regularly maintain a clear mind, eliminating distracting thoughts to regulate your Qi and nourish your spirit.

Keep your spirit calm: Maintain a peaceful state of mind, avoid excessive thinking, and be free from worries and resentments. A positive attitude can reduce the afflictions of the seven emotions and promote good health. Keep your back warm: The back is where the kidney meridian resides. Colds often originate in the back; keeping it warm can prevent colds and strengthen the kidneys and lower back. Massage your abdomen regularly: After meals, frequently massage your abdomen to aid digestion and treat bloating and constipation. Protect your chest regularly: Regularly rubbing your chest can relieve chest tightness, regulate Qi, and enhance cardiopulmonary activity. Keep your genitals covered: Firmly press your hands against your genitals while keeping your mouth closed to nourish kidney Qi and strengthen the kidneys and lower back.

Speech should be minimal: excessive talking depletes energy, while silence nourishes it. Therefore, one should not speak too much. Skin should be frequently moistened: rub your hands together until warm, then frequently rub your entire body as if taking a shower. This promotes the flow of energy throughout the body, relaxes muscles, and improves blood circulation. The eighteen harmful effects are: prolonged staring injures essence, prolonged listening injures spirit, prolonged lying down injures energy, prolonged sitting injures blood vessels, prolonged standing injures bones, prolonged walking injures tendons, excessive anger injures the liver, excessive thinking injures the spleen, extreme worry injures the heart, excessive grief injures the lungs, overeating injures the stomach, excessive fear injures the kidneys, excessive laughter injures the waist, excessive talking injures bodily fluids, excessive spitting injures saliva, excessive sweating injures yang, excessive tears injures blood, and excessive sexual intercourse injures marrow. These sixteen beneficial and eighteen harmful methods for health preservation are traditional Chinese techniques for longevity and health maintenance, and are also considered secret formulas in the Qigong community. Applying these methods can prolong life.