Is tai chi, the slow-mo Chinese quasi martial art exercise good for you? Apparently. According to this article in the Boston Globe, practicing tai chi can improve balance, lower blood pressure, and boost immunity to diseases such as shingles. The Globe cites research by biologist Peter Wayne, director of Tai Chi
Research Programs from Harvard Medical School’s Division for Research
and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies, whose systematic review of the published literature
found that 20 of 24 studies support the hypothesis that tai chi
improves balance. It also mentions a recent study in the Journal of the American
Geriatric Society, in which 112 adults age 59 to 86 were randomly assigned
to tai chi or health education classes for 16 weeks. Those who
got tai chi had nearly twice as much immunity against the chicken pox
virus (all participants had had chicken pox) measured by a blood test,
as well as a stronger immune response to the chicken pox vaccine.
Read more in the Boston Globe.
Health, fitness and lifestyle tips for people over 50 who still like to play hard
Sunday, June 1, 2025
Some flavors of both Tai Chi and Yoga ask participants to balance themselves on one leg at least briefly. This practice tends to improve your ability to sense the stability of your balance and adjust your position. It isn’t much help, though, when you are walking on, say, ice. Both also require more energy output than most sedentary folks are used to dealing with, and that from many different muscle groups. I’m not saying they are strenuous, but they raise your body’s basic energy level, making it easier to do a great many “usual” things. Picking up groceries, for example.
Both tend to be easy on the body, easy on the joints, and only as much work as you feel comfortable doing. Yes, you can eventually improve your workouts by adding ‘small’ hand-held weights to your routine. Or not. Tai Chi is, at its core, a “Martial Art” … though you’d hardly notice the fact.
DLMeyer – the Voice of G.L.Horton’s Stage Page pod cast.