Thursday, October 30, 2008

Changed Class Time on Saturday

The Saturday morning class will now start at 0800 starting 01 November 2008.

This is due to some temporary resource conflicts in supporting some of the other classes at the gym. Hopefully this earlier time slot will help you off to a great start on your busy Saturday.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Moderate Exercise and Tai Chi

We are still learning the Yang Style Short Form and are about 1/2 way through. Don't be discouraged if you've missed a few classes or if you'd like to start. There is repetition in the form that makes it possible to start at any time and back fill what you missed later.

Tai Chi is endlessly challenging and takes long view about health and well being. You need to start up now and stay with it all your life to gain the great benefits of Tai Chi.

In modern exercise and health terms, you must establish an "active life-style" which can include structure exercise programs. These exercise programs don't have to be exceptionally demanding to produce remarkable improvements in good health. Numerous studies have shown that a mere 30 minutes of daily brisk walking can produce a host of positive changes in your health and well being. In fact these sessions can be broken up in to 3, 10 minutes rounds of walking.

A recent study of the aerobic effects of Tai Chi has shown that an hour of Tai Chi practice is approximately aerobically equivalent to walking for 30 minutes on level ground at a pace of 3.0 - 3.5 mph. This is a modest pace. Best of all you can practice Tai Chi indoors, when the weather is too bad for outside exercise (heat, cold, high ozone or pollen, precipitation).

Tai Chi can also benefit those who cannot walk extensively due to arthritis, back pain, or other conditions. Tai Chi can be great when you are rehabilitating from a sports injury or accident.