Kidney-strengthening exercises to consolidate kidney qi, anal sphincter contraction exercises, and waist massage to strengthen muscles and bones.

Practice a few moves now and then to strengthen your kidneys and bones.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that appropriate exercise can improve physical condition, strengthen muscles and bones, and stimulate thinking, thus facilitating the digestion and absorption of nutrients and consolidating kidney qi. Therefore, protecting kidney qi requires appropriate exercise. The following are some exercises specifically introduced for patients with kidney deficiency:

1. Anal sphincter contraction exercise

Lie flat or stand upright, relax your whole body, and breathe naturally. While exhaling, perform the anal sphincter contraction motion as if defecating; while inhaling, relax. Repeat about 30 times. This can be done in the morning or evening. This exercise improves blood circulation around the pelvic cavity, promotes the recovery of the sexual organs, and has a good effect on preventing and treating impotence and premature ejaculation caused by kidney deficiency.

2. Kidney-strengthening exercises

Stand with your feet parallel, shoulder-width apart, and look straight ahead. Let your arms hang naturally at your sides, palms against your trouser seams, fingers naturally spread. Raise your heels and breathe continuously for 9 breaths without letting them touch the ground.

Inhale again, slowly bend your knees and squat down, gradually turning the backs of your hands forward so that the base of your thumbs is facing your ankles. As your hands approach the ground, clench them into fists with a little force (as if grasping something), and inhale deeply.

Hold your breath, slowly stand up, let your arms hang down, and gradually clench them.

Exhale, stand upright, twist your arms outward with palms facing forward, press your elbows against your ribs from both sides, simultaneously lift your body and heels upward, and tighten your anus while breathing. This procedure can be repeated several times.

3. Stimulate the soles of the feet

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of the foot is where turbid qi descends. Regularly massaging the Yongquan acupoint can benefit the kidneys and replenish essence. Massaging the soles of the feet can produce beneficial stimulation to the cerebral cortex, regulating the excitation and inhibition processes of the central nervous system, and has a good effect on treating neurasthenia. The method is as follows: Rub your palms together until warm, then rub the sole of your right foot with your left hand and the sole of your left foot with your right hand. Do this once in the morning and once in the evening, 300 times each time.

4. Self-massage of the lower back

Rub your palms together until they are warm, then place them on your lower back and massage up and down until you feel a warm sensation. Do this once in the morning and once in the evening, about 200 times each time. These exercises can strengthen the kidneys and improve their function.

Make fists with both hands, and use the protruding part of the metacarpophalangeal joint of your thumbs to naturally massage the acupoints on your lower back. Massage in a circular motion inwards, gradually increasing the pressure until you feel a slight soreness or distension. Continue massaging for about 10 minutes, once each in the morning, noon, and evening. The lower back is the residence of the kidneys. Regularly massaging the acupoints on the lower back can prevent and treat chronic muscle strain, lower back pain, and other symptoms caused by kidney deficiency in middle-aged and elderly people.