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Anyone who actively engages in exercises on a regular basis knows that the benefits are many and the drawbacks few. The most obvious, of course, is the ability to increase cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength and endurance. Exercise also improves one’s functional skills and balance. And in additiion, regular exercise is an essential element in training one’s body for optimal performance in sports – from something as gentle as golf to something as punishing as rugby.

Physical exercise, though, doesn’t necessarily have to be incredibly physically demanding to produce a beneficial output for those who participate in it. Though many associate an effective workout as one that elicits buckets of sweat or several subsequent days of soreness, that doesn’t have to be the case. Despite popular assumptions, exercise isn’t something that has to be incredibly physically draining. While certainly a high intensity interval training session or a fast-paced, hypertrophy-inducing Crossfit session or strength-building resistance workout would be highly effective and likely to move one toward their ideal physical condition or body composition, there are many "tamer" options that provide great benefits.

Traditionally, the "gentler" forms of exercise have been thought to be more appropriate for older populations or those who are engaging in post-surgery physical therapy or post-injury rehabilitation. Low-intensity exercise and workouts that don’t make use of weights may not be as physically demanding, but their use is still effective in a variety of situations. One shouldn’t merely view these forms of exercise as stepping stones that are a means to getting back to other, better exercise technique.

Consider, for example, yoga. While the pace of a yoga session may be far from that of a sprint-interval session, it can do a lot to improve fitness. And it’s not just older individuals or rehabbing athletes participating in these sessions. Another form of exercise that may appear less effective when viewed in comparison with higher-intensity techniques is tai chi.

Tai chi may be low intensity, but it’s not limited in effectiveness. This ancient Chinese martial art focuses on dynamic balance and involves slow movements and shifts in posture combined with deep breathing. If that doesn’t sound like something that can significantly benefit participants, you’ll be surprised to learn that a study published in the latest edition of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine proved the effectiveness of tai chi.

The study involved men and women participating in two tai chi sessions each week over the course of six months. At the end of the study, the researchers found that the tai chi sessions resulted in greater declines in fasting blood sugar levels and better glucose control, factors that can decrease the dangers of obesity and diabetes, than a control group. Additionally, tai chi participants had better quality of life ratings and improved social functioning, mental health, and vitality (1).

As this research indicates, even low-intensity exercise can have significant benefits. And the outcomes aren’t just limited to endurance or strength – activities such as tai chi can impact physiology as well as mental function and mood.

SOURCE:

1. Rhayun Song, Sukhee Ahn, Beverly L. Roberts, Eun Ok Lee, You Hern Ahn. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. June 2009, 15(6): 627-632.

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