Tai chi has a big appeal to older physical fitness fans for a lot of reasons. Most human beings do not have the flexibility, balance and physical strength in their 50s and older as they did when they were younger. That is simply a law of living.

Once you hit your 40s, and sometimes earlier, your body begins to age more rapidly, you lose muscle mass naturally, medical conditions and diseases begin to pop up, and you cannot perform the same physical exercises you did when you were younger.

That does not mean you should stop exercising. This is where tai chi steps in effectively as an “over 50” form of physical fitness.

Running and jogging, with that repetitive pounding of your feet, has been proven to take a drastic toll on your knees, ankles and hips, at any age. Many seniors find those forms of exercise more physically destructive than beneficial. Continue reading →

Beginners considering taking up tai chi for its many mental and physical benefits may be wondering what specific movements they should try. A good starting place is with Tai Chi Chih, a set of 19 movements and a single pose for meditation. This focuses on your development of natural, intrinsic energy known as “chi”.

Beginners to this ancient Far East practice discover Tai Chi Chih is easy to learn, and does not require any advanced level of coordination or physical fitness on your part.

Try these basic movements for beginners before deciding whether or not you want to move onto the more difficult martial art-based Tai Chi Chuan. (Tai Chi Chih movements are done in sets of 9, so repeat each of the following beginner moves 9 times.) Continue reading →