Tai Chi Possibly the Perfect Exercise

“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable!”
― Jillian Michaels

    OR  (you choose)

“Pain is no gain”

– Tai Chi Master Martin Lee

Does exercise have to hurt to be good for you?  You would think so, there are so many different forms out that that are grueling and painful.  The old addage "no pain no gain" are often used by personal trainers to help "motivate" their students. Some people like to run marathons, ultra-marathons, climb mountains, or cycle till they drop and feel cheated if they are not totally exhausted at the end of their exercise.  Granted, the benefits of any exercise are well documented, but all in moderation.  What I have found, as many others, after years of running and doing high impact exercise, my joints started giving out.  There are a few, genetically speaking, that are built to do these high impact exercises their entire lives and will never suffer from joint generation. For us less than super humans there is an alternative; Tai CHi.  If you don't want to end up with double knee joint replacement, yet still experience profound physiologic changes, try Tai Chi.

Not to be confused with other forms of martial arts that are solely focused on defense (remember Mr. Miyagi's teaching "Karate is for defense") ,Tai Chi, which is based in martial arts can be solely a profound way to exercise. Don't get me wrong, every aspect of Tai Chi is based on a martial art form that by themselves and used properly are darn effective.  Tai Chi combines intense mental focus with deliberate, graceful movements that improve strength, agility and — particularly important for the elderly — balance.  Each move in Tai Chi is done against a gentle resistance, and doing them slowly with purpose and proper breathing--as Dr Oz might tell you, "you need this every day".

Practitioners praise Tai Chi's spiritual and psychological benefits, but what has gotten the attention of Western scientists lately is what Tai Chi does for the body. In many ways, researchers are just catching up to what tens of millions of people in China and Chinatowns around the rest of the world already know about Tai Chi. Scientists at the Oregon Research Institute in Eugene reported in 2002 that Tai Chi offers the greatest benefit to older men and women who are healthy but relatively inactive. Previous studies have shown that Tai Chi practiced regularly helps reduce falls among healthy seniors. In the past ten years there has been an explosion of medical and scientific studies from all walks of the health community all pointing to the same conclusion: Tai Chi, done regularly have many benefits to your health, from arthritis to diabetes, to parkinsons disease to Osteoporosis.  But you don't have to have an ailment to enjoy the benefits of Tai Chi, in fact, many are turning to Tai Chi as an alternative form of exercise from all walks of life

There are several styles of Tai Chi, but most of them start with a series of controlled movements, or forms, with names like Grasping the Sparrow's Tail and Repulse the Monkey. There are many good how-to books to get you started, or you can choose from among the growing number of classes offered at rec centers and health clubs across the U.S. (These have the added benefit of combining instruction with a chance to meet new people.) Either way, the goal is to move at your own pace. As Tai Chi master Martin Lee of the Tai Chi Cultural Center in Los Altos, Calif., puts it, "Pain is no gain."

So why might Tai Chi be possibly the perfect exercise?  It is well rounded, involving aerobic exercise, muscle and joint exercise, balance and coordination and what most other forms of exercise miss: it exercises your brain.  That will be the topic of another blog entry, but suffice to say, Tai Chi hits all of the key areas for good exercise. The best thing about Tai Chi is that people enjoy it, so they are more likely to stick with it long enough to get some benefit. It helps when something that's good for you is also fun.