Has anyone else received unsolicited health advice while walking down the street in Taiwan? I was stopped today by a guy who I initially thought wanted to sell health tonic or something but, in the end, just seemed to want to give me some pointers. He told me that I shouldn’t sleep so late. He also said that for improved blood circulation and increased lung capacity I should clap my hands for a half hour every day. Is this strange or what?
Never happened to me apart from co-workers badgering me to go see a doctor when all I have is a head cold. Have often wondered why the old folks in the park walk around clapping their hands. So now I know…
I’ve often walked around clapping my hands like that, quite naturally. It feels relaxing. Then I came to Taiwan and saw threads like these and became so conscious of it that I have basically stopped. If I’m dead in a year it will be all your fault.
Happy birthday, by the way. 
The funny thing is… his advice is really good. Often people like to retell the health sham of the week that they saw on an infomercial or last week’s Oprah episode. Perhaps this guy had an intuitive knowing and needed to pass this information on to you specifically. 
Walking at a slow steady rate while swinging both arms to the back and then to the front
up to shoulder level, then bring the hands together in a clap is an old chi kung moving meditation.
It is beneficial for the heart, cardiovascular system and the lungs.
Its also a good way to relax the shoulders and neck.
Do it at a slow steady pace and don’t strain or try to make it a “power-type” excercise.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m into applying Eastern wisdom to my health regime as much as the next girl. For instance, I love yoga. But I just can’t imigine walking around clapping for half an hour. That just seems incredibly boring to me. The creepiest part of this whole thing is that I do sleep too late, I do have bad circulation and I’ve had all sorts of respiratory problems since I got to Taiwan. However, I’m just going to chalk it up to a Taiwanese guy deciding that the pasty white girl could probably benefit from Chinese health practices.
No way does yoga compare to walking for half an hour and clapping. Throwing a little yell for each clap will further enhance respiratory health and increase libido. Ideally, this will be followed by twenty minutes or so of banging your mid and upper back against a tree, again accompanied by yells. A nice warm-down of handshaking in the air completes the exercise.