Chinese kung fu fans

Tai Chi has been widely practiced as a Chinese martial art that focuses on slow sequential movements, providing a smooth, continuous and low intensity activity. It has been promoted to improve balance and strength and to reduce falls in the elderly, especially those ‘at risk’.

There are five major styles of tai chi chuan, each named after the Chinese family from which it originated:

Chen style (??) Yang style (??) (founded by Yang Lu-ch’an, 1799-1872) Wu or Wu/Hao style of Wu Yu-hsiang (Wu Yuxiang) (??) Wu style of Wu Ch’uan-yü (Wu Quanyuo) and Wu Chien-ch’uan (Wu Jianquan) (??) Sun style (??)

The order of verifiable age is as listed above. The order of popularity (in terms of number of practitioners) is Yang, Wu, Chen, Sun, and Wu/Hao. The first five major family styles share much underlying theory, but differ in their approaches to training.

Because tai chi is low impact, experts say, it’s a good choice for people carrying extra weight, who often have knee and hip limitations. If you can’t walk or do traditional exercise without pain, tai chi may be gentle enough to get you moving. And with regular practice, they say, you will begin to burn calories and lose weight.

Research indicates Tai Chi burns about 280 calories per hour, nearly as much as downhill skiing. It may also stimulate metabolism in regular practitioners.

When you’re overeating and not moving enough, your body becomes stressed. Practicing tai chi gets you in touch with your body and makes you more aware of its needs.

Tai chi may also help you deal with emotions that can trigger overeating, experts say.

Take 20 minutes to do a little tai chi,  and ”your palate has a whole different need. You’re not denying yourself; you’re just more in tune to what the body is really asking for.”