Chinese Folk Sayings On Ageing: 老從腳起！ 樹老根先枯 人老腳先衰。 Poem by Frank Yue

Some popular Chinese folk sayings on Ageing: Beware!
- Tr. by F C Yue)

老從腳起！

Old age grows from your foot!

樹老根先枯，
人老腳先衰。

For the trees growing too old, first to rot is their root;
For people growing too old, first to fail is their foot.


Why is this so?

Your feet (and knees too: they support your whole body weight every day!)are located farthest from the heart that pumps out oxygenated-blood carrying the essential nutrients out to (and helping eliminate the toxic wastes from)all the tissues and organs...With the heart muscles inevitably weakening over time, the efficiency of the heart functions drops and then the extremities of the body will first suffer.

(That's why long ago i taught my grandchildren, for fun and friendly competition in the park, to "stand on one leg". The one-leg stance forces each leg to become stronger by supporting the whole weight of the body. It's not just training the leg muscles per se. with suitable encouragement and incentives, the young child gains eye-body co-ordination, stability, confidence and slowly learns how to persevere in one's pursuits.)