Go with the flow of low-impact fitness that's high on results.

A look at Tai Chi

When 48-year-old entrepreneur Janice Trupp decided to get a handle on her stress levels and aching bones, she didn't look to an intimidating health club regimen, power yoga or the pricey admonitions of a personal trainer. Instead, the Brantford, Ont., native found relief and release performing such curiously named exercises as White Stork Spreads Wings and Carry Tiger to Mountain.

These moves -- two of the 108 that form the backbone of Taoist Tai Chi -- have become a healthy tonic, increasing Trupp's energy, restoring calm to her busy mind and even injecting a sense of the lyrical into her workaday life.

"It looks like poetry when people are doing it together," she says. "It's all about the moment. It's so slow and beautiful -- it's as if time is suspended."

After a year of regular classes at the Brantford Taoist Tai Chi Club, Trupp, who has osteoporosis, says she is transformed. Her bone density has improved, and the joint pain in her hips, shoulders and ankles has waned by about two-thirds, she says. Best of all, she has found a new well of energy and has gone back to bicycling for the first time in years.

A look at Tai Chi
The ancient practice of Tai Chi originated in the martial arts traditions of dynastic China and has flourished in Canada for decades. Taoist Tai Chi is a meditative version, emphasizing its healthfulness rather than its role as a martial art. Today its devotees have formed 500 clubs in 24 countries.

For many busy boomers who have bounced from step classes to kickboxing to rock climbing in search of an antidote to aging and stress, the benefits of slower, more thoughtful disciplines such as Tai Chi are a refreshing discovery. The practice is inexpensive, low-impact, moderately aerobic and relatively easy to do. And it gets results.

According to Bruce McFarlane, an emergency room physician and the medical director of the Taoist Tai Chi Health Recovery Centre in Orangeville, Ont., a growing body of evidence indicates the gentle exercises can make a profound difference in a person's strength, suppleness, flexibility and balance. Several clinical studies have concluded that practising Tai Chi decreases the incidence of falls among the elderly, for whom a tumble can lead to the domino effect of broken bones, hospitalization and a decline into immobility. More anecdotally, Tai Chi at any age is believed to boost the immune system and ease pain. Furthermore, exercise of any kind is an age buster, building and maintaining strength, flexibility and cardiovascular function, thus slowing down the losses of bone, muscle and cardiovascular fitness. The benefits of Tai Chi are best explained using the traditional Chinese notions of health. Chinese medicine contends that an invisible life force, an energy called chi, circulates through the body along paths called meridians. When this energy is blocked, out of balance or depleted, the result is illness or discomfort.

Tai Chi can dramatically improve body strength and balance for those coping with debilitating disease or injury, according to McFarlane. He teaches Tai Chi to those with movement disorders such as Parkinson's Disease and multiple sclerosis. There's even sitting Tai Chi for people in wheelchairs.

Tai Chi also benefits those who have lost their strength and balance because they spend their days at a desk, on a soft couch or in a car. "I've had people say their golf game or skiing has dramatically improved after starting Tai Chi," said McFarlane.

Still, it's ironic that an ancient art once used to toughen the minds and bodies of Chinese warriors now suffers from the stigma that it's mostly suited for sedentary seniors.

Don't be fooled. While it's gentle and doable at any fitness level, an hour of Tai Chi is the aerobic equivalent of walking six kilometres. But unlike walking, Tai Chi requires you to concentrate. Each of the 108 moves involves an exact position for the legs, feet, arms, hands and head. Those moves are done in a fluid sequence that completes a circle. And in the process, the stretching and turning release tension, increase energy flow, focus the mind and deepen the breathing.

Tai Chi roots and benefits

Tai Chi roots
Purists insist that Tai Chi should retain its original martial arts component to produce the most benefits. Edmonton-based instructor Jennifer Gu approaches Tai Chi as a serious sport. Both she and her husband, Hong Yuan Luo, who run the Ji Hong Tai Chi Colleges in Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto, were national competitors in China before coming to Canada. "Original Tai Chi is not just the exercise," Gu says. "As an internal martial arts form, it requires you to combine your internal energy and your mind with your movement."

Whether practising the martial arts style of Tai Chi or its more modern meditative exercise form, devotees experience a common side-effect -- the discipline reverberates throughout their everyday lives.

"Tai Chi changes how you move in the garden, how you vacuum, how you lift something, " says Claire Jennings, 62, a Taoist Tai Chi instructor based in Burlington, Ont., who has practised for 16 years. "When you do Tai Chi you become very settled inside. There's a taming of the heart."

Benefits of Tai Chi
�?Reduced blood pressure
�?Mild cardiovascular benefits
�?Increased joint strength and range of motion in ankles, knees and hips, reducing risk of injury
�?Increased leg and core strength
�?Increased flexibility
�?Improved mood
�?Reduced stress

How to get started

1. Start with a 12- to 16-week beginners' group class to help you understand the basic moves. Teachers recommend you continue with group classes at least once a week and attend regular workshops in advanced techniques.

2. Wear loose, comfortable clothes and shoes that offer you some support.

3. Practise at home daily if possible for 15 to 30 minutes. As with any meditative practice, you gain more from a little bit each day rather than less frequent hour-long sessions.

4. Move slowly and fluidly, and focus on getting each position right. This complete focus creates the stillness in the mind that is the essence of Tai Chi, the "moving meditation."

5. Breathe naturally. Most Tai Chi instructors believe your body will automatically adjust to deeper, more abdominal breathing as a natural side-effect of progressing with the movements.

6. Stay quiet. Instructors will speak in class and students will ask questions, but Tai Chi movements should be done in silence as much as possible to increase relaxation and allow for focus and concentration.

7. Try an outdoor class. "There is something quite wonderful to doing Tai Chi outside," says Claire Jennings, 62, a volunteer instructor in Burlington, Ont., who has been doing Tai Chi for 16 years. "There's a grounding between the earth and the balls of your feet and a grounding of the rhythm with the earth that's quite beautiful." Many Tai Chi clubs offer classes outside when weather permits.

Tai Chi resources
Canada has more than 200 Taoist Tai Chi clubs, which are set up as charitable volunteer organizations offering classes and workshops. Membership fees start at $15 monthly for seniors, $45 for adults. To find out more, check out www.taoist.org or call the Taoist Tai Chi Society of Canada, 416-656-2110.

From:  http://www.homemakers.com

Tai Chi As A Beneficial Exercise For Seniors

by Healthy News Service

More and more seniors are becoming physically active--reaping the countless health benefits associated with regular exercise. If power walking and your run-of-the-mill strength building exercises are uninteresting, the no-impact Chinese exercise Tai Chi is an excellent way to tone muscle, increase endurance, and gain balance.

In a recent study in Annals of Behavioral Medicine, researchers concluded that the movements associated with Tai Chi helped seniors improve their physical functioning. Study participants who took Tai Chi twice a week for a 6 month period noticed a significant improvement in their ability to accomplish daily tasks such as carrying groceries, walking up stairs, or moving medium-sized objects.

It was concluded that the 6-month Tai Chi exercise program was effective for improving functional status in healthy, physically inactive older adults. A self-paced and self-controlled activity such as Tai Chi has the potential to be an effective, low-cost means of improving functional status in older persons. Most notably, those who took Tai Chi were less-likely to fall--one of the largest causes of serious injury for seniors.

The movements of Tai Chi combine the elements of balance, toning and aerobic exercises, through slow, graceful actions. When practiced regularly, Tai Chi positively affects overall health and wellbeing. Flexibility enables seniors to reach the top shelf, while balance aids in preventing serious falls. Practitioners will also develop stronger lungs--to walk without becoming winded--and improved leg strength--to easily rise from a seated position.

Tai Chi has three major components: movement, meditation, and deep breathing. All major muscle groups are utilized to articulate the gentle, slow movements of Tai Chi. Further, its movements improve strength, flexibility, coordination, and muscle tone. The exercise may help slow bone loss, and prevent osteoporosis. The meditative aspect of Tai Chi soothes the mind, reduces anxiety, enhances concentration, and lowers blood pressure. The deep breathing releases tension, enhances blood circulation to the brain, and supplies the body with fresh oxygen.

For older adults seeking an effective, no-impact exercise with a multitude of benefits, Tai Chi is an excellent choice to free the mind and energize the body.

For more information on Tai Chi for Seniors please contact Pacific College at (800) 729-0941 or visit www.PacificCollege.edu
 
From:   http://www.healthy.net

BY JODI HAWKINS, SOUTHERN HEALTH CONTRIBUTOR

 
What do you think of when you hear the word "exercise?" Does the very mention of it bring to mind images of jumping around to the point of breathlessness? If so, breathe easy! Fortunately, there is a Chinese practice that gives whole new meaning to exercise. The best part is, it can take the dread and exhaustion out of fitness and actually help people in several surprising ways. From work out to chill out, Tai Chi has something to offer everyone.

Originally developed as a form of self defense about 2,000 years ago, Tai Chi is sometimes described as "meditation in motion" and has become very popular all over the world.

"Tai Chi for Health is an integrative system for the mind, body, and spirit," says Jenni Balis, certified Tai Chi instructor. "It's comprised of relaxation, deep breathing, warm up, Tai Chi postures and movements, cool down, and inspirations for the spirit. Its low impact, but you get a high amount of benefits."

Balis, who teaches Tai Chi at the Salem Recreation Department, explains how practicing consistently helps improve an impressively long list of health conditions. "You exercise every muscle, joint, tendon and ligament in the body and the benefits are just enormous for balance, coordination, and agility. It helps lower blood pressure and reduces stress. It's good for attention deficit disorder (ADD) and especially good for senior citizens by helping focus, concentration, and memory," she says.

Since Balis began teaching Tai Chi nearly five years ago, several of her students have made some remarkable progress physically and mentally. In the fall of 2005, Deb Atkinson of Salem was dealing with an excessive amount of stress after the death of her husband. "I needed something to get me out, to get exercise, to reduce my stress, and focus because I'm in school," she says. Atkinson found just what she was looking for in Tai Chi. After enrolling in Jenni Balis' class she soon discovered that she started doing Tai Chi moves often without even realizing it.

"It's becoming a second nature in the way I live," says Atkinson. "I don't always do a Tai Chi set, but there are elements like the deep breathing, posture, relaxation and concentration that I use parts of. It's a big help," she admits.

In addition to easing the effects of stress, Atkinson also found Tai Chi to be helpful in another way. "I grew up on a farm so I've worked hard. Every once in a while my joints tell me that the weather's changing and the Tai Chi helps the joints loosen up," she notes.

Fellow Tai Chi student, Sandra Munyon of Alma agrees. Munyon has lived with rheumatoid arthritis for 20 years. Though she has not suffered severely from it, she has been limited in her movement. That is, until she began Tai Chi.

"I don't think a day goes by that I don't do my deep breathing and some of my motions to keep my arms flexible because I've always had trouble with raising my arms above my head and as long as I can move them I'm going to continue," Munyon says. "I've gone to so many different exercise classes and other than water exercise, Tai Chi is the best...for me anyway," she adds.

It's important to remember that Tai Chi can be practiced at various intensity levels. While some may use it to improve physical limitations, and thus practice Tai Chi at a mild level; others may wish to make it a fitness regimen and decide to approach it more aggressively.

Marty Davis of Carbondale has taught Tai Chi through the SIU recreational program in the past. Davis has seen Tai Chi used in both ways. He emphasizes that calming the body down is just as important as heating it up through workouts. "In the Western world, we're really stuck on this idea of getting the heart beat up," says Davis. "You don't hear anybody preaching how, just as importantly, you have to know how to get the heart beat down and that's what we preach."

Interestingly, Tai Chi also teaches proper breathing. That may sound odd, since we breathe constantly without really thinking about it. But as Davis explains, there is a better way to breathe than the way most of us normally do.

"We're shallow breathers ordinarily and we don't expel all of our carbon dioxide," says Davis. "Just learning to breathe properly is like re-energizing your batteries; whereas most of us just drag around with our battery half-drained," he laughs.

With so many worthwhile uses for Tai Chi, people of every age and physical ability can benefit in some way. But like any other fitness activity, always check with your physician before beginning. Also, remember that Tai Chi isn't meant to replace any medication or physical therapy. However, it's often done in conjunction with those things.

Regardless of the reason people try Tai Chi, they're in for a good time. "We have fun and that's important," says Balis.

Tai Chi is often used for the following:

* Reduce stress

* Increase flexibility

* Improve muscle strength and definition

* Increase energy, stamina, and agility

* Increase feelings of well-being

 

Tai Chi hasn't been studied scientifically until recently. Preliminary research shows that for older adults, in particular, practicing Tai Chi regularly may:

* Reduce anxiety and depression

* Improve balance & coordination, reducing the number of falls

* Improve sleep quality

* Slow bone loss in women following menopause

* Reduce high blood pressure

* Improve cardiovascular fitness

* Relieve chronic pain

* Improve everyday physical functioning

Source: MayoClinic.com

For more information on Tai Chi and/or available classes, contact your local YMCA, health club, community center, martial arts academy, or the following:

* Arthritis Foundation - 800-568-4045 or www.arthritis.org

From:   thesouthern.com   Health Section

Tai Chi boosts immunity to shingles virus in older adults, NIH-sponsored study reports

6-Apr-2007:- Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese form of exercise, may help older adults avoid getting shingles by increasing immunity to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and boosting the immune response to varicella vaccine in older adults, according to a new study publishsed in print this week in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. This National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study is the first rigorous clinical trial to suggest that a behavioral intervention, alone or in combination with a vaccine, can help protect older adults from VZV, which causes both chickenpox and shingles.

The research was supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), both components of NIH. The study's print publication follows its online release in March. The research was conducted by Michael R. Irwin, M.D., and Richard Olmstead, Ph.D., of the University of California at Los Angeles, and Michael N. Oxman, M.D., of the University of California at San Diego and San Diego Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.

"One in five people who have had chickenpox will get shingles later in life, usually after age 50, and the risk increases as people get older," says NIA Director Richard J. Hodes, M.D. "More research is needed, but this study suggests that the Tai Chi intervention tested, in combination with immunization, may enhance protection of older adults from this painful condition."

"Dr. Irwin's research team has demonstrated that a centuries-old behavioral intervention, Tai Chi, resulted in a level of immune response similar to that of a modern biological intervention, the varicella vaccine, and that Tai Chi boosted the positive effects of the vaccine," says Andrew Monjan, Ph.D., chief of the NIA's Neurobiology of Aging Branch.

The randomized, controlled clinical trial included 112 healthy adults ages 59 to 86 (average age of 70). Each person took part in a 16-week program of either Tai Chi or a health education program that provided 120 minutes of instruction weekly. Tai Chi combines aerobic activity, relaxation and meditation, which the researchers note have been reported to boost immune responses. The health education intervention involved classes about a variety of health-related topics.

After the 16-week Tai Chi and health education programs, with periodic blood tests to determine levels of VZV immunity, people in both groups received a single injection of VARIVAX, the chickenpox vaccine that was approved for use in the United States in 1995. Nine weeks later, the investigators did blood tests to assess each participant's level of VZV immunity, comparing it to immunity at the start of the study. All of the participants had had chickenpox earlier in life and so were already immune to that disease.

Tai Chi alone was found to increase participants' immunity to varicella as much as the vaccine typically produces in 30- to 40-year-old adults, and Tai Chi combined with the vaccine produced a significantly higher level of immunity, about a 40 percent increase, over that produced by the vaccine alone. The study further showed that the Tai Chi group's rate of increase in immunity over the course of the 25-week study was double that of the health education (control) group. The Tai Chi and health education groups' VZV immunity had been similar when the study began.

In addition, the Tai Chi group reported significant improvements in physical functioning, bodily pain, vitality and mental health. Both groups showed significant declines in the severity of depressive symptoms.

"This study builds upon preliminary research funded by NCCAM and we are delighted to see this rigorous trial of Tai Chi for varicella zoster immunity come to fruition," said Ruth L. Kirschstein, M.D., NCCAM Acting Director.

###
Shingles, or herpes zoster, affects the nerves, resulting in pain and blisters in adults. Following a case of chickenpox, a person's nerve cells can harbor the varicella-zoster virus. Years later, the virus can reactivate and lead to shingles. More information about shingles is available from the NIA at [http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/shingles.asp] and from [www.NIHSeniorHealth.gov], a Web site for older adults developed by the NIA and the National Library of Medicine, also a part of NIH. More information on Tai Chi can be found on NCCAM's website at [http://nccam.nih.gov/health/taichi/].

The NIA leads the federal effort supporting and conducting research on aging and the medical, social and behavioral issues of older people. For more information on research and aging, go to www.nia.nih.gov. ........

The NCCAM's mission is to explore complementary and alternative medical (CAM) practices in the context of rigorous science, train CAM researchers, and disseminate authoritative information to the public and professionals. For additional information,....... visit [www.nccam.nih.gov].

NIH--the nation's medical research agency--includes 27 institutes and centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit [www.nih.gov].

Reference: Irwin, M.R., et al. Augmenting immune responses to varicella zoster virus in older adults: A randomized, controlled trial of Tai Chi. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2007), 55(4):511-517.