Too old for tai chi?

When I first started learning tai chi, I don’t ever remember either a class for children or seeing a child in any class. Did that mean they were too young to do tai chi? Not at all.

Children in the United States seem more interested in running, jumping, and exerting themselves by playing sports like baseball, basketball, tennis, and hockey. They likely don’t have the patience for tai chi. The tai chi movements they likely saw and that new learners started with were too slow. Even more important, they don’t have the role models.

I know that when I was in elementary, junior high, and high school, if I had watched someone doing tai chi, which I don’t remember happening, I would not have been interested. I only enjoyed playing action sports.

In China, tai chi is considered a significant part of Chinese culture, and children are often introduced to it at a young age. Some schools integrate Tai Chi into their physical education classes. The gentle movements and focus on breathing in tai chi are seen as beneficial for children’s physical and mental development. Many children can be seen practicing Tai Chi in public parks and community centers.

Many adults in the United States today also view tai chi as too slow, as not being a suitable exercise because it does not overtly involve cardio activity. How can a person gain anything by doing something that does not involve exertion, strain, and sweat?

Could be that in the American culture, doing something slow for many is a no. How many Americans have learned a form of meditation, one done in a sitting position, sometimes in which the legs are crossed in an uncomfortable one, such as the lotus position? That seems even more “inactive” than tai chi.

However, while tai chi often is done slowly, how it’s done does not prevent its doer from gaining health benefits.

Many who played sports such as baseball, basketball, and tennis when young no longer do so because they’ve “aged” behind the “playing age” and their skills have declined, often significantly. In contrast, tai chi is an activity whose practitioners’ skill level often improves with age, so that being in the 50s or 60s or older isn’t the barrier it becomes in any of the overtly physical sports they may have played in their youth.

Further, tai chi, when done skillfully and with persistence, can be a fountain of youth. When I was younger and attending tai chi events and competitions, I was often amazed at how young tai chi masters in their 50s and beyond looked. Their faces were wrinkle-free; their movements still flowed in a fluid, soft, and young way.

Take a minute to watch this video from the Mayo Clinic titled “Mayo Clinic Minute: Tai chi keeps seniors on their feet.”

Now, respond to the following assertion:

True or false: “Tai Chi exercise is more effective than brisk walking in reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors among adults with hypertension.”

How did you respond? Why?

For the answer, click here.