Growing older? What are your Tai Chi Benefits?
There are a number of Tai Chi benefits that are directly related to growing older. As we age, many of us start to suffer from a number of ailments such as arthritis, loss of balance and as a result of this significant injury. Before we look too deeply at specific benefits, let’s take a moment to consider the fact that Tai Chi has long been known to reduce a person’s stress levels and by doing so help to strengthen their immune system.
Quite simply put these Tai Chi benefits result in a body and mind that are more relaxed and along with it, you will enjoy significantly lower blood pressure, which in turn is good for all of your internal organs. The Chinese believe that the health of your body is controlled by the flow of natural energy or Chi (Qi) in your body. As long as this Chi is balanced, you should remain in good health, it is only when there is an imbalance in this natural flow that illness sets in.
For Anyone and Everyone
Tai Chi can be practiced by anyone, no matter their age or for that matter, their physical condition. This is what makes Tai Chi the perfect form of exercise for the elderly. All of the forms and movements are performed with slow, deliberate and fluid movements. As a low impact form of exercise, seniors are finding that they can practice it on a regular basis without the risk of overdoing their exercises and injuring themselves, but this is only a small part of why seniors should be taking part in Tai Chi classes on a regular basis.
While the Chinese have long known that regular practice of Tai Chi can help alleviate the symptoms of aging diseases such as arthritis and loss of balance, it has only been in recent years that western medicine has even shown a little interest in the possibility that there might be more than a small amount of truth to the stories coming out of the Far East. In fact you will find that there have been several studies conducted using volunteers suffering from arthritis.
The results from these studies show conclusively that those volunteers who participated in Tai Chi classes found that their pain levels went down significantly and that their range of motion in the affected joints increased. In fact these Tai Chi benefits continued long after the person stopped taking their classes and those who continued practicing enjoyed continued seeing more improvement.
Tai Chi Helps
One of the less pleasant aspects of growing old is that many of us tend to start having problems with our balance. At first it might only show up as a misstep here and there or a little wobble. But as we grow older it can lead to a fall that can cause significant injury such as broken hips and other limbs. The combined physical and mental practices of Tai Chi serve to improve your overall sense of balance and increase things like bone and muscle strength.
One more Tai Chi benefit that can be of great benefit to the elderly is that it has been shown through the strengthening of bones to help prevent or limit the spread of osteoporosis, a disease that affects millions of senior citizens and cripples many. You can continue to practice Tai Chi for many years, up to the point where you are no longer physically capable of performing the movements.
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