One of the major reasons this happens to so may people may surprise you.  Let’s start with the 7 Symptoms of Premature Aging.

1. Shortness of breath (reduced lung capacity)
2. Cold hands and feet (poor circulation)
3. Bad balance (falling is one of the leading causes of death for the elderly)
4. Sick too often (poorly functioning immune system)
5. Waking up tired too often in the morning (poor sleep quality)
6. Can’t bend over or touch your toes, etc. (lack of flexibility)
7. Feeling weak and tired (decreased muscle strength & low energy)

I remember a day in biology class when I learned that a frog will sit in a pot of water while boils. As long as it’s heated gradually enough, he will just sit there until he dies. I think that slowly debilitating symptoms sneak up on us in much the same way, because they are so gradual. We don’t seem to realize that all we have to do is get out of the pot.

How many people do you know who suffer from these symptoms and don’t even seem to realize they’re aging prematurely? Why do so many people have to suffer a severe set-back or a loss of physical independence before they even realize they’re aging? There are 2 main reasons for this type of suffering: lack of exercise and improper exercise. Millions of people are suffering from this right now. Do you know someone who is suffering a little more every day? Are you?

How Old Should You Be Before You Begin To Age Gracefully? How would you like to look when you’re 40, when you’re 50, 60, 70, how about 80 or 90? With very few exceptions we slow down and become weaker as we age and maybe, just maybe, there is something we can do about it.

My Chinese Master began studying tai chi at the ripe old age of four.  His grandfather, a senior disciple (protégé) of the great Yang Chengfu, began teaching his grandson as soon as he was old enough to pay attention. As a result, Master Cui Zhongsan is now 60, moves like someone in his twenties, and looks about 20 years younger than he really is. I’ll tell you a little more about this in a minute. It’s an amusing story about childhood motivation.

Most of us don’t enjoy the advantage of having a master as a grandfather. I started when I was 40. While I was blessed with a baby face that always made me look younger than I was, I also suffered knee injuries in my teens that required surgery. I’ve always been pretty active while at same time I’ve often suffered minor injuries along with frequent knee pain.

Now, 7 years later, my knee pain is almost non-existent, I’m much more flexible, I have more stamina, and I feel great. These are only a few of the reasons why I practice tai chi regularly.  When I first started I didn’t practice much unless I was in class - once, maybe twice a week. I still felt better, and I wasn’t feeling that bad to begin with.

A couple of years before I became a disciple (protégé) of Master Cui Zhongsan I injured my feet running and couldn’t practice for about 6 months. Although a number of my friends are marathon runners, my body doesn’t seem to want me to run that hard. I usually only run a couple of months out of the year so I can get ready for the Peachtree Road Race on the 4th of July here in Atlanta, Georgia. Because I don’t run regularly, and wasn’t paying attention to what my body was telling me, I ended up with a severe injury.

Through tai chi I’ve learned how to really pay attention to my body and to stop before I injure myself. I used to think I was just sore because I was a weekend warrior. Tai Chi has taught me how to really pay attention to my body, and it does this for everyone. Sometimes I still get sore, but I don’t seem to injure myself anymore.

I’ve found tai chi to be addictive because of the way it makes me feel.  So give it try; you might find you feel the same way.

Anyone may copy this article and use it however they see fit, as long as it is copied in its entirety with all links, the author’s information, and this statement.

Is simple relaxation an effective way to relieve stress?  Yes, up to a point.  The problem is if you’re still under stress it doesn’t work for long.

When you’ve been building up stress for a long period of time simple relaxation relieves stress in the moment, yet the slightest problem brings it right back to the surface.  Ever experienced or witnessed sudden road rage?

Have you ever noticed that when you’re under a lot of stress, you feel fine one moment and angry the next?  Sometimes you may even feel out of control.  You might feel this emotionally, you may feel this physically, or both.  Let’s take a look at the physical effects.  Unrelieved stress shows up in our bodies through:

• Tension headaches
• Stiff neck and shoulders
• Back pain
• Stomach problems
• … the list goes on and on

There was a revealing study about this very thing at the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine.  When average people with tension headaches practiced tai chi for only 15 weeks they:

• got significant relieve from tension headaches
• found they had more energy
• experienced better emotional well-being
• got along better with others
• experienced improved mental health
• … in short, they were less stressed.

Here’s the excerpt from the study:

“Researchers found that Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese low-impact mind-body exercise, provided significant health benefits for adults suffering from tension headaches.  Compared with a control group, patients who participated in a 15-week Tai Chi program were helped not only with headache pain, but also perceived improvement in other areas, reporting increased energy, emotional well-being, social functioning and improved mental health.”  April 2007 Los Angeles UPI release

Why Tai Chi and Not Just Regular Exercise?

Tai chi is a uniquely active method for relaxing both body and mind.  Tai chi requires you to focus your mind while consciously relaxing your body as you move.

In simple relaxation you let your mind wander aimlessly or let it be led by someone or something else.  When exercising at the gym people have a strong tendency to tense parts of their bodies not otherwise needed for the exercise they’re doing.  Ever see someone bench pressing weights while they lifted their feet, or even worse, arched their back?  Have you ever noticed yourself tensing your whole body while opening a jar of jam?

Another important factor is that tai chi movements cause your body’s natural energy to flow more smoothly, and you don’t have to think about it for it to happen.  Combined these factors are incredibly powerful stress relievers that relax your body and allow it to naturally heal itself.

What Happens if You Don’t Deal With Stress? Stress is recognized as one of the leading causes of disease and pre-mature aging.  If you’re under 40 you probably don’t think much about premature aging.  After all, why would you?

The worst thing about pre-mature aging is this: “Once you’re aware of it, premature aging can be extremely difficult to reverse”.  I wrote about this in another article titled “Do You Recognize the 7 Signs of Premature Aging?”.

Anyone may copy this article and use it however they see fit, as long as it is copied in its entirety with all links, the author’s information, and this statement.

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee…You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.  She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ‘ Tell me what you see.’

‘Carrots, eggs, and coffee,’ she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, ‘What does it mean, mother?’

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently.  The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling
water, they  had changed the water.

‘Which are you?’ she asked her daughter. ‘When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?  Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.
Live your life so at the end, you’re the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

May we all be COFFEE!!!

Tai chi has helped me become soft when I need to be and hard for brief moments when necessary, so I could learn to change my surroundings.  Tai chi’s spiritual nature allows you to blend with the water of daily life, be it a rushing torrent or a boiling pot.  It would take too many words to explain it better than this simple and elegant story, if I even could.  It’s better to experience it.  Visit me at www.camptaichi.com.

My friend Mel is also talented at teaching people how to effectively deal with stress.   Download her free 5 minute relaxation session from www.quick2calm.com.

Anyone may copy this article and use it however they see fit, as long as it is copied in its entirety with all links, the author’s information, and this statement.

I don’t think Yang Chengfu was heavy in his younger days.  It’s said that as he became successful and better known his new life brought with it plenty of food and drink, and he put on quite a bit of weight.  I’ve never heard that his weight caused him any problems when doing tai chi.  He was always considered a great master.

I’ve seen heavy people show up for classes and I’ve seen them improve the same as anyone else.  A heavy friend of mine recently told me he doesn’t like going to the gym because he doesn’t want to stand out.  He would much rather be able to exercise at home.  He tells me this is common among heavy people and I believe him.

The biggest problem I’ve seen new students have is a lack of leg strength, and it’s the same for everyone.  It takes time to build leg strength and there are specific exercises for this purpose.  Like everything else, the more often you do these exercises the quicker you build leg strength, whether you’re heavy or not.

Heavy people seem to have a harder time with stamina, and seem to overcome it fairly quickly if they come to class a couple of times each week.

On the other hand its seems that heavy people also have an advantage, and this is that they are often stronger than skinny people so they can advance more quickly in areas such as long pole work.  Using a 3 meter long pole is a good way to build the types of muscles needed for good tai chi as well as the waist/hip movement that’s so important as you advance.

So if heavy people don’t like going to classes, how can they help themselves?  Most exercise tapes are geared toward thinner people and are more difficult for heavier people to adapt.

My goal is to reach people who don’t otherwise have access to tai chi classes and, those who don’t like being in a classroom situation.  Tai chi is easily modified for practice in a hotel room or even your kitchen.  It provides people with an alternative and has more health benefits than anything else I know.  Some of these health benefits are listed on my website at www.camptaichi.com/health-stories-medical-research.

According to a Non-obesity Specific Health Study sited on ObesityDiscussion.com, “Heavy people sit on average two and a half hours more per day than thin people”.  This makes tai chi an excellent and very simple exercise for heavy folks.  It can be done by simply standing while doing the arm movements for 5 minutes at a time.  As people progress they can also do it standing with their legs bent to increase the workout, as well as incorporating the leg movements.

So if you’re a heavy person, don’t let your weight hold you back.  Tai chi exercises can provide enormous benefits for your heart, blood pressure, immune system, balance, etc.  The main thing is to move a little bit more, a little more often so your body becomes conditioned to the changes and you begin to notice the difference.

Once you get started you may find it hard to stop.  To me tai chi is like a drug that makes me feel really good, and if I don’t do it for a while I can feel the difference.

Anyone may copy this article and use it however they see fit, as long as it is copied in its entirety with all links, the author’s information, and this statement.

Once you’re able to ‘play’ with the energy you then learn when to ignore the lines.  In my view Tai chi has a number of similarities with improvisational acting.  Improvisational acting paradoxically has rules to follow, the primary rule being to say yes to whatever line or whatever situation is offered you.  Everything is a gift.

My take on tai chi at this moment in my training, is that every move your opponent makes is a gift for you to accept.  When you are able to feel your own energy, you can also begin to feel your opponent’s, then you can take their energy in and redirect it where you like … once you’ve begun to master the art.  I’m still working on it.

I’ve hear you should give tai chi 10 years before feel you’re learned something.  I’ve also hear 20 years.  I think the first person had been studying more that 10 years and the second, more than 20.  No one seems to think they are where they should be.

My senior training sister and teacher, Miriam, was told by our master to start teaching beginners after a few years of training.  She says she learns as much from her students as they do from her and I feel the same way.  Now, after more than 14 years, she still feels she is just beginning to learn the depth of tai chi chuan.

My master, after well over 50 years of study, still says he wishes he had listened to his grandfather more.  His grandfather was a senior disciple (protégé) of the great Yang Chengfu and is the master who took over the northern part of his Chinese training route.

It seems that the journey never really ends, that there is always more to learn.  This is the challenge, the mystery, and the reward of studying taijiquan.  Just show up, say yes and enjoy yourself.

Anyone may copy this article and use it however they see fit, as long as it is copied in its entirety with all links, the author’s information, and this statement.

What do you think this is doing to your body?  Are you noticing signs of excessive stress in your body or hoping they don’t start appearing?

Well most of us are not in a position to simply get rid of the stresses we’re under.  So how can we deal them so our health is not negatively affected, or how do we help our bodies heal so we can deal with the many stresses we face every day?

The answer for me was tai chi chuan (taijiquan).  I started studying 7 years ago and I feel better today than I did 20 years ago.  I’ve learned that just a little regular practice can go a long way toward helping me deal with life’s stressful situations and toward making me feel good.

According to several medical research studies, tai chi is a true aerobic exercise.  Practicing it will oxygenate your blood and it’s one of the many ways tai chi helps your body heal itself.  A few examples from the enormous body of medical research available can be found at www.camptaichi.com/health-stories-medical-research.

The focus you’ll use while practicing this gentle form of exercise and energy movement also has an incredible impact on lowering your stress level, making you physically and emotionally able to better deal with stress.  In effect it raises your resistance to many of the negative affects of stress.

Image yourself in a stressful situation you recently faced.  How do you feel?  Is your blood pressure elevated?  How are you dealing with this stress right now?  Remember you’re not actually facing it, you’re only remembering it.

Now imagine yourself calmly moving in a rhythmic fashion as you relax your body and breathe deeply.  Relax, take a moment and imagine this, and then notice how you’re feeling.  Is your blood pressure down?  Are you feeling better?  Image how you’d feel if you were actually doing tai chi.

Tai chi has helped me, many people I know, and is more available now than ever before.  Take a look around and see if there is a good tai chi school nearby.  You can also get more information about tai chi from www.camptaichi.com.

Anyone may copy this article and use it however they see fit, as long as it is copied in its entirety with all links, the author’s information, and this statement.