The Health Benefits of Tai Chi

The Health Benefits of Tai Chi

There are many benefits to health when we include exercise as part of a daily routine, lowering the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and some types of cancer. Tai Chi differs from other types of exercise in that it is a low impact exercise. Working through the form in slow motion ensures the movements are never forced, the joints are neither over extended or bent and connective tissue is not stretched. You breathe deeply, focus your mind on the movement creating a relaxed, meditative sensation that creates stillness and inner peace that reduces blood pressure, lowers heart rate, tension and anxiety. Tai Chi is said to have the aerobic capacity to leave you breathless, but no more than a brisk walk, and it address key components of exercise by increasing muscle strength, improving flexibility and balance, as well as increasing blood flow. 

In a 2006 study published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, Stanford University researchers reported benefits of tai chi in 39 women and men, average age 66, with below-average fitness and at least one cardiovascular risk factor. After taking 36 tai chi classes in 12 weeks, they showed improvement in both lower and upper-body strength. (Altern Ther Health Med. 2006 Mar-Apr;12(2):50-8).

In a Japanese study using the same strength measures, 113 older adults were assigned to different 12-week exercise programs, including Tai Chi, brisk walking, and resistance training. People who did Tai Chi improved more than 30% in lower-body strength and 25% in arm strength, almost as much as those who participated in resistance training, and more than those assigned to brisk walking.

“Although you aren’t working with weights or resistance bands, the unsupported arm in Tai Chi exercises strengthens the upper body,” “Tai chi strengthens both the lower and upper extremities and also the core muscles of the back and abdomen.” (Dr. Gloria Yeh, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School).

Tai Chi improves balance and according to some studies, reduces falls, by increasing "Proprioception" — the ability to sense the position of one’s body in space which is known to decline with age. Tai Chi helps train this sense, which is a function of the sensory neurons in the inner ear and stretch receptors in the muscles and ligaments. Tai Chi also improves muscle strength and flexibility, which makes it easier to recover from a stumble. And a study in 2006 from Stanford University found that Tai Chi significantly boosted upper- and lower-body flexibility and strength with women.