LTAW2013 50km Fun Brisk Walk on 14 Dec 2013

Start at 7:30am (Hong Lim Park), 

Checkpoint 1 (Ulu Pandan CC-14km) timing at 3:04

Checkpoint 2 (Pandan Reservoir-30km) timing at 6:51

Checkpoint 3 (Labrator Park-45km) timing at 10:49 

Endpoint (Hong Lim Park- 51.5km) timing at 12:28

Number 4th group to reach the Endpoint

15 km/ 20/ 22km FUN Day Brisk Walk on 15 Oct 2013. Start Point at Yew Tee MRT

Meeting Time and Place
 

Yew Tee MRT Station – MRT Counter

Date  : 15 Oct 2013 (Tue)

Time : 7:00am

7:30 am – Start Point - Yew Tee

10:30 am - Reaching Diary Farm (Check Point)

12:30pm - Finish the BT Timah Trekking Circuit

Lunch near Beauty World 

2:00pm - Bt Batok MRT

Continue to 2nd Check Point and End Point; for those who want to walk more.

 

Finished by 3:00pm at Bouna Vista MRT (End Point) 

We have done well in our 15-22km Fun Brisk Walk. Our statistics:
Number of Walkers = 27 pax
Reach Bukit Timah Summit = 23 pax
Finished the End Point = 16 pax

Well done. See you on 14 December 2013 for the 50km Walk.

Happy Teacher's Day - August 2013

Thank you and we treasured every moments together - 4th Aug 2013

Using posturography to assess expertise among tai chi practitioners

Abstract

Tai Chi, performed either seating or standing, is frequently recommended to improve various aspects of health, including balance, metabolic control, heart rate variability, sleep, or immune response. Many studies exploring mind-body interventions, both with self-reported or biologically-measured outcomes, report significant differences in outcomes among participants. However, neither the physiological or psychological mechanisms behind the variations are understood. The purpose of this study was to determine whether posturography is a useful method to assess physical skill level differences between experts and non-expert Tai Chi practitioners. While standing, participants performed a series of movements from the Tai Chi for Arthritis form based on Sun style (commencement, open/close, single whip and wave hands in cloud). Master trainers and senior trainers were considered experts; all others were considered non-experts. Body sway was assessed by the CAPS™ Professional portable computerized force platform (Vestibular Technologies, LLC.). Center of Pressure motion measures were normalized by the subject's height. While standing, the experts displayed statistically greater displacement excursion and velocity when preforming commencement and wave hands in clouds forms. The results of this pilot study indicated that posturography may be a useful method to assess the quality of Tai Chi movements and potentially link the expertise of Tai Chi practitioners to changes in health related outcomes
References
Geib RW, Roberts BL, Li H, Waite G, Pagnacco G, Oggero E.Biomed Sci Instrum. 2013;49:195-200


Positive impact of Tai Chi Chuan participation on biopsychosocial quality of life compared to exercise and sedentary controls: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract
Abstract Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) is a traditional Chinese medicine practice and martial art with biopsychosocial aspects. This study aimed to examine the impact of participation in TCC on multiple domains of Quality of Life (QoL) and to assess the involvement of the psychological factors of self-efficacy, Locus of Control (LoC) and Hope in these effects. A total of 68 participants from the general community (13 males and 55 females) aged between 18 and 68 (M=43.55 years) and not currently suffering from a mental or physical illness took part in the study. It was found that TCC participants, as a group, scored significantly better than those in sedentary (book club) and active (gym exercise) control conditions on Psychological and Physical QoL, and that the Physical QoL benefits of TCC continue to accrue with years of practice. The three psychological factors were shown to variously mediate (self-efficacy) and moderate (internal LoC and Hope) this latter relationship. Whilst the results bear limitations (in particular small sample sizes), it is hoped that these findings will encourage further research into TCC, and consideration of TCC as part of the range of treatment options available in community-based mental and physical health management.

References
Baxter A, J P Francis A. J Complement Integr Med. 2013 May 24;10(1):1-10.

Associations of Tai Chi, Walking, and Jogging With Mortality in Chinese Men

Abstract

Moderate-intensity exercise has attracted considerable attention because of its safety and many health benefits. Tai Chi, a form of mind-body exercise that originated in ancient China, has been gaining popularity. Practicing Tai Chi may improve overall health and well-being; however, to our knowledge, no study has evaluated its relationship with mortality. We assessed the associations of regular exercise and specifically participation in Tai Chi, walking, and jogging with total and cause-specific mortality among 61,477 Chinese men in the Shanghai Men's Health Study (2002-2009). Information on exercise habits was obtained at baseline using a validated physical activity questionnaire. Deaths were ascertained through biennial home visits and linkage with a vital statistics registry. During a mean follow-up of 5.48 years, 2,421 deaths were identified. After adjustment for potential confounders, men who exercised regularly had a hazard ratio for total mortality of 0.80 (95% confidence interval: 0.74, 0.87) compared with men who did not exercise. The corresponding hazard ratios were 0.80 (95% confidence interval: 0.72, 0.89) for practicing Tai Chi, 0.77 (95% confidence interval: 0.69, 0.86) for walking, and 0.73 (95% confidence interval: 0.59, 0.90) for jogging. Similar inverse associations were also found for cancer and cardiovascular mortality. The present study provides the first evidence that, like walking and jogging, practicing Tai Chi is associated with reduced mortality.

References
Wang N, Zhang X, Xiang YB, Li H, Yang G, Gao J, Zheng W, Shu XO.Am J Epidemiol. 2013 Jun 27



Effect of skill level on cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses during Tai Chi training

Abstract

Nowadays, Tai chi chuan (TCC) is practiced by millions worldwide with a range of skill levels. However, the effect of skill level on physiological response to TCC performance has yet to be clarified. In this study, physiological parameters during practicing simplified 24-form TCC were investigated and compared in 10 young high-level (HL) male TCC athletes and 10 ordinary-level (OL) male TCC practitioners with similar age and body size. Significantly higher energy expenditure, heart rate, oxygen uptake and tidal volume were found in HL group than OL group during TCC performance. The respiratory frequency and exhalation time were similar between the two groups during practicing TC; however, significantly less inhalation time was found in HL group (1.02±0.2 s) than OL group (1.12±0.28 s). Our results suggested that skill level may have considerable impact on metabolic and cardiorespiratory responses to TCC performance. TCC practitioners with different skill levels may practice TCC in different ways, which was supposed to lead to distinguishable response between the two groups

References
Eur J Sport Sci. 2013 Jul;13(4):386-91. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2011.635706. Epub 2011 Dec 5.

Short Walks After Meals Could Help Control Glucose Levels in Older Adults

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of three 15-min bouts of postmeal walking with 45 min of sustained walking on 24-h glycemic control in older persons at risk for glucose intolerance.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Inactive older (≥60 years of age) participants (N = 10) were recruited from the community and were nonsmoking, with a BMI <35 kg="" m="" sup="">−2

and a fasting blood glucose concentration between 105 and 125 mg dL⁻¹. Participants completed three randomly ordered exercise protocols spaced 4 weeks apart. Each protocol comprised a 48-h stay in a whole-room calorimeter, with the first day serving as the control day. On the second day, participants engaged in either 1) postmeal walking for 15 min or 45 min of sustained walking performed at 2) 10:30 a.m. or 3) 4:30 p.m.. All walking was on a treadmill at an absolute intensity of 3 METs. Interstitial glucose concentrations were determined over 48 h with a continuous glucose monitor. Substrate utilization was measured continuously by respiratory exchange (VCO₂/VO₂).

RESULTS Both sustained morning walking (127 ± 23 vs. 118 ± 14 mg dL⁻¹) and postmeal walking (129 ± 24 vs. 116 ± 13 mg dL⁻¹) significantly improved 24-h glycemic control relative to the control day (P < 0.05). Moreover, postmeal walking was significantly (P < 0.01) more effective than 45 min of sustained morning or afternoon walking in lowering 3-h postdinner glucose between the control and experimental day.

CONCLUSIONS Short, intermittent bouts of postmeal walking appear to be an effective way to control postprandial hyperglycemia in older people.

References

Diabetes Care article (Free abstract)

Tai Chi May Benefit Those With Rheumatological Diseases

References

Archer, S. (2013, April 2013). Tai Chi May Benefit Those With Rheumatological Diseases. IDEA Fitness Journal, 81.

TaiChi Practice Increases Brain Size

References
Shirley. (2012, November-December). TAI CHI PRACTICE INCREASES BRAIN SIZE. IDEA Fitness Journal, 69.

Tai Chi and Psoriatic Arthritis - Gentle movement, gentle spirit

References

1. National Psoriasis Foundation. (2005, Jan/Feb). Gentle movement, gentle spirit - Tai chi and psoriatic arthritis. PSORIASIS ADVANCE, 3

Basic TaiChi Maintenance Model

Composite of Strength, Speed and Endurance

Hundreds of Exercises are Not as Good as Simply Walking; Walking is the Master of Hundreds of Exercises

Modern research has only recently confirmed something that the Chinese clearly knew over a thousand years ago – that regular moderate exercise enhances resistance to disease, improves emotional well-being and reduces the incidence and risk of high blood pressure, strokes and diseases like diabetes. Studies have shown that a moderate exercise like walking may actually produce greater results than more intensive cardio-vascular exercise. As proof some doctors point to the work of Hiroshi Nose:

Hiroshi Nose, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of sports medical sciences at Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan, who has enrolled thousands of older Japanese citizens in an innovative, five-month-long program of brisk, interval-style walking (three minutes of fast walking, followed by three minutes of slower walking, repeated 10 times). The results have been striking. “Physical fitness — maximal aerobic power and thigh muscle strength — increased by about 20 percent,” Dr. Nose wrote in an e-mail, “which is sure to make you feel about 10 years younger than before training.” The walkers’ “symptoms of lifestyle-related diseases (hypertension, hyperglycemia and obesity) decreased by about 20 percent,” he added, while their depression scores dropped by half. Walking has also been shown by other researchers to aid materially in weight control. A 15-year study found that middle-aged women who walked for at least an hour a day maintained their weight over the decades. Those who didn’t gained weight. In addition, a recent seminal study found that when older people started a regular program of brisk walking, the volume of their hippocampus, a portion of the brain involved in memory, increased significantly. [1]

Walking is also superior to many other forms of exercise, as it balances the musculature of the legs and utilizes the entire body through the natural oppositional movements of the arms and legs and their concomitant production of spiral movements through the torso, which in turn relaxes the diaphragm and engages the inter-costal and stomach muscles. This in turn stimulates the organs of digestion and improves circulation throughout the entire body.

Hundreds of exercises are not as good as simply walking;
Walking is the master of hundreds of exercises. 

References

[1] What’s the Single Best Exercise? by Gretchen Reynolds Published: April 15, 2011 New York Times Magazine http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17exercise-t.html

Wishing You and Family a Healthly and Happy Lunar New Year 2013