Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Looking to Enhance Your Fitness? Tai Chi May Help Bring You Into Balance

I have been working in the fitness industry for many years. I would rather not give you the exact number because then the cat will be out of the bag as to how old I am. Let’s put it this way: When I taught my first aerobics class, we were wearing leg warmers, headbands and thong leotards. Thank goodness those thong leotards have been retired into the “what were they thinking category.”

I have always been quite resistant to learning and teaching classes such as yoga and tai chi. I must admit, that I have always been a diehard cardio/strength/drill sergeant type fitness instructor. I am the personal trainer that has you doing pushups as well as pushing you to get that one last repetition in when you want to give it up. So as the catch phrase goes, I decided to “step out of my comfort zone” and learn something completely different.

Recently, I had the opportunity to take a weekend-long tai chi instructor/leader workshop led by master instructor Pat Lawson.

There, I learned that tai chi is “literally translated as ‘grand ultimate exercise.’ Tai chi is a gentle, slow-motion exercise that originated from ancient China.” You may have seen people in parks or on beaches moving in slow motion, and wondered what they were doing and why they were doing it. Odds are they were doing tai chi, which is surprisingly energizing and calming.

It is martial arts in slow motion and is especially beneficial to health. One of its major characteristics is control of movement. It is important to move slowly and gently in order to generate internal strength.

I have been learning the Sun style of tai chi. There are several styles, but this one in particular has been proven to help people who suffer with arthritis. It is called Tai Chi for Health which was designed in 1997 by Dr. Paul Lam, MD. There are 12 basic movements to this style and I am “slowly” learning how to master them. “Waving Hands in the Clouds” has been a challenging movement to master. However, with practice, patience and persistence, the moves will start to flow together and then you are left with a wonderful sense of calm and life energy known as the qi (chi).

Tai chi offers another component to the fitness wheel, which is balance. Balance as in mind, body and spirit, and also physical balance. Maintaining body balance will improve muscular strength, which will help to minimize potential falls.

Martin Memorial Health and Fitness offers an array of tai chi classes at most of our centers. If you would like to participate in a new way of improving your fitness, visit our website at mmhs.com and click on the Health and Fitness button to find class schedules. You can find me at the beginner class every Monday afternoon.

--Jane Reynolds
Health and Fitness Technician
Hospital South Health and Fitness

2 comments:

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