Our lives have become so busy that we often look for ways to do more for less. So if we cannot exercise by going to the gym or jogging in the evening, we turn to other practices. Yoga is a great option to stretch your muscles and enhance your strength. Walking at least 15 minutes a day also keeps our body healthy. But nothing tops Tai Chi with simple to-perform yet highly beneficial movements if you are looking for an activity that will benefit you physically and mentally.

What is Tai Chi?

Simply put, it is an exercise like yoga or stretching originating from China and has been practiced there for centuries. In essence, it is a mind-body practice that balances your body and soul to bring them to the harmony of this world.

It includes movements and breathing exercises that help you breathe better, bring balance to your whole body, and allow you to contemplate while practicing. To reap the best benefits, you must practice it daily until you start seeing the positive effects.

 

Top Benefits of Tai Chi Practice

Here are some of the best benefits you should know about.

 

1.      Encourages Weight Loss

Some of us don’t want high-intensity exercises due to limited time or don't want the exertion. In that case, smooth movements of Tai Chi along with regular walks have been shown to reduce waists in different studies.

Most of the time, our bodies don’t move as often, and Tai Chi’s regular smooth movements take effort and energy. Simply adding a walking routine with Tai Chi practice will allow you to burn calories more and, in some time, start losing weight.

 

2.      It Isn’t a Fad; It is Here to Stay

You may find tons of new techniques popping up, and due to going viral, everyone is doing it. But with time, tried and tested exercises are the ones that always stick. The Chinese have practiced Tai Chi for centuries, and people have seen its effects firsthand. Furthermore, as it requires minimal space to perform, it is easier to practice and follow.

 

3.      Brings Balance

The movements in Tai Chi are calculated and slow, making you shift weight from one leg to the other. You then have to coordinate your upper body along with that in unison, so your whole body needs to coordinate.

That’s not all; due to your whole body being involved in this motion, you strengthen your core, enhancing your body's strength and bringing balance to everyday life.

The more balance you have with your body and increased strength, the more you strengthen your mind and bring the balance full circle.

 

4.      Increases Flexibility

If you aren’t regularly stretching or involved in yoga practices, you understand what happens when you do something out of the ordinary. Your muscles aren’t prepared for it, and you might get cramps.

So, if you want most of your muscles stretched during exercise, Tai Chi incorporates all the required range of motions to enhance your flexibility.

 

5.      Pain Relief

If you can increase your body's core strength and breathe more regularly, you increase the amount of oxygen your body takes. Furthermore, the motions in Tai Chi stretch your muscles and are designed to do so, allowing you to relieve pain from different issues. The more relaxed your body is and the more air you breathe, the more your body can quickly repair to bring you back to health.

6.      Everyone can Do it.

Do you exercise regularly in the gym? Regularly practice and improve your Tai Chi; you will be relaxed and take it as an after-gym activity to wind down. Do you go to the office and come back late? Stretch by practicing Tai Chi and sleep well. You just retired and have not much to do? You can do Tai Chi daily, stay young much longer, and focus on things that matter most.

Nonetheless, even if you have mostly seen the older generation in China performing Tai Chi, it is for all ages. You will be surprised to know their health, especially after asking about their age. You won’t find similar older folks in the US who are so healthy.

 

7.      Improve Your Posture

While we don’t need to mention it, as we all know, our postures are not as accurate as we all know due to our working all day and sitting habits. Instead, they are off balance, which will cause pain in later years. With the help of Tai Chi, when you maintain its forms correctly, you will feel so much change in your posture.

 

8.      Improved Sleep

Multiple studies have found that senior citizens who practice Tai Chi sleep better and have more energy because they are refreshed from a full night’s sleep. In this study, Qigong, a form of Tai Chi, was studied primarily due to the improvement in people with cognitive impairment issues.

 

9.      Improves Your Mood and Mental Health

You must perform Tai Chi for at least 15 minutes daily to boost your mental health because doctors have always recommended the said amount of exercise daily. Even if you basically just walk every day, you can enhance your mood for the whole day. You can find many studies online where Tai Chi has helped multipole focus groups to keep focus on living a healthy lifestyle.

Furthermore, there was a faster recovery in patients who had a stroke recently if they walked regularly after performing Tai Chi.

 

10.  Aerobic Capacity

Anything that you do that involves structured movement will push your lungs to breathe more air. With constant structured movement in Tai Chi, trainers are encouraged to practice breathing with their movement. So when you learn to breathe air, hold it in certain motions, and then release it when required, your lungs are being trained. This training enhances their capacity to breathe in more air than average, which helps them to breathe better.

 

Final Words

These are just some essential and prominent benefits of performing Tai Chi regularly. You can search online and see many other excellent benefits that cannot fit in this article. Ultimately, it’s all about how healthy you want to lead.