Tai Chi’s Positive effects on health
A topic of discussion that has come up recently in our studio has been the positive effects on our bodies from our martial art training. Specifically, in our tai chi classes. One of our students, Alison Brysk, took the time to write about her personal journey with health and how training tai chi at our studio has made a positive impact on her overall health. Thank you Alison for sharing this with us.
When I started doing Tai Chi about four years ago, I was looking for a manageable way to promote my health and fitness. As I hit middle age, I had suffered some health challenges resulting in early bone loss. I had never been athletic, and struggled to stay active with a stressful lifestyle. Tai Chi appealed to me because it was holistic, focused my attention, and rooted in the healing practices of Chinese culture. Joining a tai chi class also turned out to be a wonderful source of fellowship and connection to nature, as we were able to safely maintain an outdoor practice throughout the pandemic.
I was looking for a way to improve my energy, balance, and coordination. I’m a researcher who is open to different approaches, but I always want to see the evidence. I knew there were some studies suggesting health benefits of tai chi, especially for middle to senior aged women—and I found that my own experience backed up the studies. Just a few months into my tai chi practice, I began to see positive effects on my mood and energy. Over time, I also noticed how my balance improved, which is so important to remain active and avoid injury over the years. When I went on a hike with a fitter friend the same age after practicing tai chi for a while, I was the one who could scramble over the rocky areas without slipping.
Perhaps the best and most surprising result was the positive effect on my bone loss. My doctor had encouraged “weight-bearing exercise” to build bone density, and tai chi was on her list—along with medication of course. Generally, weight-bearing exercise can moderately slow bone loss. But for me, the extra advantage of regular tai chi was that last year my scans began to show I had reduced my proportion of bone loss.
The great thing about tai chi is that it is an accessible and sustainable way to improve your health and fitness for people of all ages, shapes, and skill levels. It is a gentle yet effective way to become stronger, right down to your bones.
Again, we want to thank Alison for sharing this story with us. We hope it brought you further insight into some of the positive impacts tai chi and traditional Chinese martial arts have on the body. Our full list of classes is available here if you are interested in joining. Also, if you’re interested in where our tai chi teachings come from we have a full history of our martial art lineage available.
Additional Learning Material:
An overview of a study on the effects tai chi has on bone density:
PubMed.gov National Library of Medicine
The entire study report from the link above:
Zhong M. (2022). Effect of Core Muscle Strength Training Combined with Taijiquan on Bone Mineral Density Measured by Quantitative CT Scanning in the Elderly. Scanning, 2022, 6942081. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/6942081