From ICU to Gym, 66-Year-Old Reversed Disability and Controlled Diabetes in 1 Year

From ICU to Gym, 66-Year-Old Reversed Disability and Controlled Diabetes in 1 Year
Jung-Hua Chen exercises in the gym with the help of her son and fitness coach, Daniel. (Courtesy of Daniel, founder of FMC Fitness Space)
4/29/2022
Updated:
5/16/2022

Jung-Hua Chen, 66, was bedridden for one year due to a lumbar fracture in 2020. She was transferred to the ICU the following year, but miraculously discharged after just 36 days. With the help of her son, a fitness coach, she worked hard for a year in weight training. Her lost muscles have grown back, she can move freely, and is currently preparing to participate in a fitness competition.

Building muscle mass is a necessary anti-aging exercise, because people lose muscle and bone with age.

Her doctor once warned her to start “preparing for the funeral,” but her muscle building exercise has extended her life and now she “lives younger.”

“My mother (Jung-Hua Chen) has had heart disease and asthma since she was a child. At school, when others were in PE class, she would just chat on the side and never exercise,” said Daniel, the founder of FMC Fitness Space and a fitness trainer.

Later, Chen suffered from diabetes, severe depression, and had to get an artificial heart valve. Daniel encouraged her to improve her health by weight training, but his suggestion was always rejected.

“I’ve been a fitness trainer for nine years, and I haven’t been able to convince her,” said Daniel. She believed that weight training and muscle building is something just for young people.

Then in 2020, everything changed.

‘I’m in so Much Pain’

Chen was hospitalized with a fractured lumbar spine in 2020. She was bedridden for one year with artificial braces. In March 2021, a sudden breathlessness prompted an examination in the hospital. She had both heart and lung failure. She was soon transferred to the ICU and intubated for nearly 20 days.

During those difficult and long days, Chen was unable to speak due to intubation, so she could only lie on the hospital bed and look at the ceiling every day. On the notebook she communicated with her family, she wrote “I’m in so much pain” with wrists and fingers that were barely able to move.

Daniel recalled that the doctor told him that her lung failure and lung infection have not improved; they would probably have to prepare for a funeral.

After hearing the news, as Christians, they began to pray for their mother. Chen also kept praying, asking the Lord Jesus to heal her disease. So when doctors announced that her lung infection had improved and she could be transferred to a general ward, she believed that God had helped her.

“I’ve been a physical trainer for so many years, but I couldn’t help her,“ Daniel said. When his mother was moved to the general ward, ”I cried begging her to let me help her, and don’t let us have any regrets. She finally nodded.” So, he brought elastic bands, dumbbells, and other equipment to the ward to train his mother and help her recover her physical strength and muscle strength.

They mother and son started with once or twice weekly sessions. In a few weeks, her physical strength had improved, and the doctor said she could go home. As they walked out of the hospital, both Chan and her son turned around and said to the hospital, “Will never come back again.”

Jung-Hua Chen is intubated in the hospital in March 2021. (Courtesy of Daniel)
Jung-Hua Chen is intubated in the hospital in March 2021. (Courtesy of Daniel)

Training, Step by Step

Over the course of the year, Daniel’s training for his mother included Pilates, core training, stretching, and some relaxation and stretching exercises. The training intensity was maintained so that she would not be too sore after finishing, but enough so that she could feel a degree of progress.

After 1 year of training, Chen no longer needs a cane, can help her granddaughter bathe, and can go out for groceries by herself.

She has regained the 5 to 6 kilograms of muscle mass she lost while in bed. At the same time, her blood sugar control has become stable, her cardiopulmonary function is normal, and her asthma has not recurred.

At 66 years old, her current fitness results are: weights 46kg (101 lb), bench press 22kg (48.5 lb), squat 50kg (110 lb), deadlift 70kg (154 lb). She’s preparing for the Elite Cup Powerlifting M3 Evergreen Group this July.

Weight training helps nourish muscles, prevent disability and chronic diseases for the elderly.

Muscle mass can be lost with factors such as age and bed rest. Alex Yang, a fitness trainer and Chinese medicine doctor of Come Hope Clinic, said that when skeletal muscle mass decreases, physical strength and physical function deteriorate, which can easily lead to disability. Not only does the quality of life decrease, but it even increases the risk of death.

Weight training increases muscle mass and increases the basal metabolic rate, which speeds up burning calories and rejuvenates body function. Exercising muscles can also promote the secretion of growth hormone, which in turn affects the growth of cells, organs, bones, and muscles.

Dr. S.Z. Wang of Star Rehab Clinic said that people with strong muscle strength are less likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sarcopenia, dementia, osteoporosis, and so on. It can also improve emotional problems and sleep disorders. Therefore, he often emphasizes that weight training cures diseases.

Another benefit of weight training for the elderly, said Daniel, is that it stimulates the nervous system and helps train the brain to control muscle fibers and the body. Because if the brain degenerates, even if the body has enough muscles, it will not be able to control the movements it wants to do well, such as carrying things, pushing a cart, and so on.

It is not enough for the elderly to just walk and shake their hands. They need to be stimulated with weight. “Only heavy training can counteract the rate of degeneration,” Daniel said. He emphasized that weight training helps the elderly to live longer.

Jung-Hua Chen exercises in the gym. (Courtesy of by Daniel, founder of FMC Fitness Space)
Jung-Hua Chen exercises in the gym. (Courtesy of by Daniel, founder of FMC Fitness Space)
Building muscle is not difficult, and Daniel gave three tips to start from scratch.

1. Overcome Mental Resistance and Start with Simple Movements

People who have just started training are so quick to give up because they’ve yet to see results, so this mindset is the first hurdle.
It’s best to start with the goal of developing an exercise habit so that you can continue.
When starting, spend half an hour doing some simple movements, two to three times per week. This way, you’re not too tired, and you can still see progress. With small goals at the beginning, it’s easier to build upon the habit.

2. Seek Professional Assistance to Train Effectively and Avoid Injury

Daniel posted his mother’s fitness results on Facebook, and many netizens marveled that they were still young, but the training results were not as good as this old lady.

In this regard, Daniel said that he is a fitness coach himself and knows how to make his mother progress faster. Arrange a training plan and go step by step. In addition to training one day a week, Chen also trained by herself one or two days a week.

If you try to do it all yourself, it is easy to make mistakes, and the progress will be slower. When the method is correct, on the premise of not getting injured, and practicing step by step, it will definitely progress faster than the elderly.

In fact, his mother also had uncomfortable moments during the process, such as tenderness when the ribs were pressed. At this time, Daniel would seek out a physical rehabilitator and a physical therapist to give his mother a checkup. With assistance on the medical side, he could avoid uncomfortable areas and continue the training.

Jung-Hua Chen exercises in the gym with the help of her son, also the fitness coach, Daniel. (Courtesy of Daniel, founder of FMC Fitness Space)
Jung-Hua Chen exercises in the gym with the help of her son, also the fitness coach, Daniel. (Courtesy of Daniel, founder of FMC Fitness Space)

3. Get Proper Nutrition and Sleep

Eat a balanced diet with appropriate amounts of calcium, vitamin D, protein, good carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and so on, supplementing when necessary. All of these nutrients can affect the degree of weight training progress.

It is also necessary to have enough sleep on a daily basis, because the human body only grows muscles when sleeping and resting.

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