Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art that combines diaphragmatic breathing and relaxation with gentle circular, fluid movements.
Health Benefits of Tai Chi
A number of studies have investigated the positive health effects of Tai Chi for patients as well as for healthy individuals. Such health benefits include improvement in: aerobic fitness and energy metabolism, muscular strength and balance, and mental control. However, compared to walking exercise, Tai Chi is intuitively perceived to be of lower exercise intensity and metabolic cost.
Similar Beneficial Efects
Now, Hui SS, Woo J and Kwok T (1) have shown that 3-month Tai Chi and walking exercise training in middle-aged Chinese in HongKong produced significant and similar beneficial effects on body composition, aerobic fitness, muscular fitness, fasting blood glucose, resting metabolic rate, and perceived health.
Both Tai Chi and walking exercise resulted in reductions of approximately 1 kg in body weight and 2.5 cm in waist circumference in men. In women, corresponding reductions were 0.33 kg after Tai Chi and 0.87 kg after walking exercise and about 5 cm of waist circumference for both forms of exercise.
Similar significant reductions in % body fat and sum of skinfolds were also noted after Tai Chi and walking exercise in both men and women.
Regarding aerobic fitness in men, after Tai Chi VO2max improved 22% and after walking eercise it improved 21%. In women, corresponding figures were 15% after Tai Chi and 20% after walking exercise.
Similar results were noted for changes in fasting blood glucose.
More importantly, other than the physiological parameters described above, perceived health status also improved significantly (24-29% after walking exercise, and13-14% after Tai Chi).
While Tai Chi and walking both elicited significant cardiorespiratory responses and energy expenditure to the moderate intensity level, walking exercise elicited about 46% higher metabolic cost than Tai Chi exercise.
When exercise intensity and safety is a concern, Tai Chi appears more desirable than walking exercise since it elicits lower metabolic demands but yields similar levels of health benefits.
Why Tai Chi produces similar health and fitness benefits at a lower metabolic demand compared to WLK is not known. However, it is the belief of Chinese martial arts practitioners that there is an internal energy called ‘qi’ that circulates inside the body when practising Tai Chi. The slow and regular breathing technique combined with slow but steady muscular movement is believed to produce ‘qi’ that stimulates long-term changes in physical fitness.
1. Hui SS, Woo J, Kwok T. Evaluation of energy expenditure and cardiovascular health effects from Tai Chi and walking exercise.
2. VO2 max, or maximal oxygen uptake, is one factor that can determine an athlete's capacity to perform sustained exercise and is linked to aerobic endurance. VO2 max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can utilize during intense or maximal exercise. It is measured as "milliliters of oxygen used in one minute per kilogram of body weight." sportsmedicine.about.com
3. Cartoon credit: www.hermitcartoon.com
If you stay in the Klang district, the Tai Chi group that meets Tuesdays and Fridays at
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