August 15, 2006 – Older people who want to get in shape would do well to prefer tai chi to brisk walking. At least that’s what the results of a recent study suggest.1 conducted in the Boston area, United States.
The study compared the performance of older women who took part in either a brisk walking program or a simplified tai chi program (ten Yang-style movements). The participants, sedentary and with an average age of 71.4 years, were selected and assigned at random: eleven in the tai chi group, eight in the walking group. The other eight formed the control group.
At the end of the twelve weeks of training, at the rate of three one-hour sessions per week, the women who did tai chi improved their maximum aerobic power (VO2 max.) of 19.6% on average, compared to only 0.08% for walkers.
Thanks to its continuous and circular movements executed slowly and precisely, tai chi has been shown to be beneficial in several ways. The participants gained physical strength, flexibility and better balance. Calmer, they also improved their psychological health and quality of life.
These results follow on from many other studies2 on the benefits of tai chi for seniors. The results obtained have shown that, practiced on a regular basis, this thousand-year-old martial art reduces the risk of falls and improves the balance of the elderly.
Claudia Morissette – HealthPassport.net
1. Audette JF, Jin YS, et al. Tai Chi versus brisk walking in elderly women, Age Aging, 2006 Jul; 35 (4): 388-93.
2. See our Tai-chi (Tai Ji Quan) sheet.
