The first thing females* ask me about Tai Chi is, ‘Can I lose weight’. My quick answer is, ‘not where you want it most, but you’ll have pretty strong legs’. Most of the time, this will discourage females from doing Tai Chi compared to doing Yoga or playing badminton. However, there are merits of doing Tai Chi as a supplement to your dieting regime or your weight management goals, even though it’s a slow moving, seemingly effortless exercise.
Strong legs
Strong legs seem to be the basis of a lot of other activities which will help you lose weight. You spend most of your time walking anyway, so start with a foundation of strong legs does make sense in any weight management.
You don’t get strong legs from standing tall in Tai Chi, which is one of the misconception of Tai Ji. Doing Tai Ji is not easy although it’s slow. In fact, doing Tai Chi is tough BECAUSE it’s slow. You have to hold in a position much longer than normal. Conditioning this way makes your legs much stronger. You have to maintain a certain mental strength to hold this position for a longer duration, which brings me to the next point.
Strong muscle discipline
It’s not only your leg muscles get stronger, your muscle is being conditioned to sustain, to hold on that little bit longer. This discipline is necessary if you were to maintain a specific weight management programme, or working towards any set goal, e.g. maintain weight at 60 kg. (see more on why training longer is better here).
Easy does it
Doing Tai Ji is an easy way to get into an exercise regime. It’s not strenuous such that your muscles will go wobbly after one exercise session. This will allow you to continue with it more regularly. It’s also not restricted to any age even though it has been associated with older folks.
Maintain energy level throughout the day
I find that after I do Tai Chi in the morning, my energy levels throughout the day is more consistent, without the sudden drop into the lethargic zone, only to come out feeling more tired than before. This helps in avoiding the need to constantly snack to maintain energy levels.
Sleep well
I also sleep better at night, avoiding the need for the hunger pangs that normally strike you just before you want to go to sleep.
Overall feel good
If you feel good about yourself, you won’t destroy your body by eating unnecessarily. Doing Tai Chi gives you that feel good feeling. After a while, you might find that you don’t need to diet after all! It’s subconsciously done for you.
So, have you tried Tai Chi in your diet yet?
* somehow almost always females. don’t ask me why…
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2 Comments
Hi,
I have practice taiji for 5 months but I most of the times I feel tired the next day after the training. Any advice?
Eat, drink, sleep more after the training.
The training itself should promote better rest if you learn to relax during training. You might be focusing on muscle training and not the “relax” part of the training. Just remember to enjoy yourself during training and see if it helps.