Chinese pensioners crawl 'like turtles' in the park every day 'to exercise their bodies and live longer'
A group of pensioners in China has found an unusual way to exercise - by crawling like turtles in the park every day.
The elderly residents in southern Chinese metropolis Guangzhou claim the unusual moves can help them stay fit and even live longer.
They believe that the unique workout routine can help them 'stretch their bodies and achieve longevity', reported local media.
The elderly residents in southern Chinese metropolis Guangzhou believed the unique workout routine could 'stretch their bodies and achieve longevity', according to local media
Among the pensioners, there was Li Peiliang (pictured left), a 91-year-old fitness enthusiast who invented the unconventional exercise 15 years ago to help him stay agile
A dozen of them are seen in a bizarre video walking on hands and feet while turning their heads to mimic the animal's movement.
Among the pensioners, there was Li Peiliang, a 91-year-old fitness enthusiast who invented the unconventional exercise 15 years ago to help him stay agile.
The sports fanatic said that he fell ill and became bed-bound in 1995 after years of excessive exercise.
Refused to give up his passion for fitness, Mr Li started working out on the bed and came up with the 'turtle-walking exercise'.
'I felt a lot better after the crawling,' the pensioner told reporters. 'I started learning more about it and doing it outdoors.'
Mr Li was soon joined by other people who became his students as they crawled together in the park every day.
A group of pensioners in the southern Chinese city Guangzhou found an unusual way to exercise which they claim helps them to stay fit - by crawling like turtles in the park every day
The pensioners believed the unique exercise could help stretch their bodies and even live longer. The picture shows Mr Li teaching a reporter how to crawl like a turtle for exercise
The pensioners believed the unique exercise could help stretch their bodies and even live longer.
Ms Yu, who has been practising the 'turtle walk' for over a year, claimed that her health had improved noticeably.
'I used to have in my neck, chest and back. I felt energetic after the crawling,' she told Guangdong Television. 'Other people said I looked so much healthier.'
Mimicking animals' movements has been praised by fitness experts as an effective and fun way to work out.
The exercise, commonly known as 'primal movement', encourages people to explore different directions, get closer to the ground and utilise the natural freedom of movement that we have evolved to be able to do.
The 91-year-old sports fanatic said that he fell ill and became bed-bound in 1995. Mr Li (pictured right) started working out on the bed and came up with the 'turtle-walking exercise'
Mr Li was soon joined by other people who became his students as they crawled together in the park every day. But doctors also warn that such workout routine is not for everyone
But doctors also warn that such workout routine is not for everyone.
'Because you are working out with limbs, it is great for the muscle and body,' Dr Zhong Weijia, an orthopaedist told the Guangdong station.
'But I don't recommend it to people who have heart and blood vessels problems or suffer recurring dizziness and chest pain.'
Mr Li is not the only fitness lover who enjoys mimicking animal movements for exercise.
Chen Haigang, a 50-year-old man from northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has claimed walking like a monkey has stopped him getting ill for three decades.
Mr Chen said that his unique workout routine helped him fully stretch his muscles and feel refreshed. He also claimed that he never went to a hospital after doing the exercise.
He was inspired to create the exercise after observing the monkeys playing at a zoo 30 years ago.