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

Dear Friends,

 

There is no time more fitting to say "Thank You" and to wish you a Happy Holiday Season and a New Year of health, happiness and prosperity.

Best Regards,

Enyu  

Foot Forces Induced through Tai Chi Push-Hand Exercises

Abstract

The low impact forces of Tai Chi push-hand exercises may be particularly suited for older people and for those with arthritis; however the biomechanics of push-hand exercises have not previously been reported. This paper examines the ground reaction forces (GRF) and plantar force distributions during Tai Chi push-hand exercises in a stationary stance with and without an opponent. Ten male Tai Chi practitioners participated in the study. The GRF of each foot were measured in three perpendicular directions using two force plates (Kistler). The plantar force distribution of each foot was measured concurrently using an insole sensor system (Novel). The results showed that the average maximum vertical GRF of each foot was not more than 88% ± 6.1% of the body weight and the sum of the vertical forces (103% ± 1.4%) generated by the two feet approximately equals the body weight at any one time. The horizontal ground reaction forces generated by the two feet were in the opposite directions and the measured mean peak values were not more than 12% ± 2.8% and 17% ± 4.3% of the body weight in the medio-lateral and antero-posterior directions respectively. Among the nine plantar areas, the toes sustained the greatest plantar force. This study indicates that push-hand exercises generate lower vertical forces than those induced by walking, bouncing, jumping and Tai Chi gait, and that the greatest plantar force is located in the toe area which may have an important application in balance training particularly for older adults.

References

Wong SH, Ji T, Hong Y, Fok SL, Wang L.
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Manchester, UK.