12-week concurrent brisk walking and Taijiquan (Tai Chi) improve balance, flexibility, and muscular strength of Chinese older women

Abstract

Healthy aging is a global goal to enhance the quality of life for older persons. This study evaluated the benefits of 12-week concurrent brisk walking and Taijiquan. Healthy Chinese women aged 60 years and above were enrolled to the control (n = 26) and intervention (n = 25) groups. Participants in the intervention group engaged in three exercise sessions per week for 12 weeks, whereas control group engaged in free-living activities. Each exercise session consisted of 20–45 minutes of walking and 20–45 minutes of Yang style 24-form Taijiquan. 12-week exercise improved (p < 0.05) the sit and reach test (within-group mean difference: +5.6 cm; Hedges’ g = 0.77), handgrip strength (mean difference: +3.1 kg; g = 0.89), arm curl (mean difference: +2.1 repetitions; g = 0.69), chair stand (mean difference: +2.6 repetitions; g = 0.63), and one-legged standing (mean difference: +2.2 seconds; g = 1.07). There was no improvement in the circulatory health, body composition, or life satisfaction. Therefore, this concurrent brisk walking and Taijiquan training, which targets major whole-body muscle groups, could improve aging-critical flexibility, muscular fitness, and balance in older women. The exercise meets the current WHO guideline, is safe to perform, and could be campaigned as a health promotion for older persons.

Taoist way of a balanced exercise training cocktail for the management of primary hypertension in older persons

“…As mentioned above, there are various culturally diverse exercises for developing balance control. Our recent randomized controlled experiment demonstrated that a multi-component exercise training program, comprising walking and Taijiquan, can enhance static balance, as well as improve flexibility, handgrip strength, and lower limb endurance in normotensive older persons ( 67 ). Hypertensive patients within the Chinese cultural radius thus can choose to practice a simplified form of Taijiquan, which typically lasts for approximately 15 min, to improve their balance control.…”