Health&Beauty TAKE BACK CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE Antonio Garcia Llorente, a doctoral student from the University of Almeria in Spain and an MSc cardiovascular health and rehabilitation student at the University of Chester, looks at how tai chi can help bring balance
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e have normalised hurrying from one place to another, getting caught up in our everyday routine. We live a relentless cycle of “busy-ness”, which can also mean we’re more likely to make poor lifestyle choices including lots of sitting, less movement, a lack of sleep and unhealthy eating. These behaviours negatively affect our general wellbeing and can impact our quality of life. Consequently, our physical and psychological health can pay the toll. There are different strategies we can use to improve our quality of life, including eating healthily, practising meditation, talking therapies and physical activity. One option, tai chi, has proven particularly effective. Since the beginning of the century, a growing number of high-quality
Tai chi is suitable for all ages
Tai chi is a body-mind exercise that combines controlled movements with breathing exercises, meditation, and philosophy. It “Evidence was born as a martial art for suggests self-defence improvements and, according in blood to some pressure and historians, sleep quality” was founded by Xiaolin monks more than 1,500 years ago. It was recently included in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco. There are four ancestral types of tai chi, named for the families that mastered the styles over the years: Chen, Yang, Wu-Hao and Wu. Chen is the most commonly practised style. However, it can involve jumping or fast movements, so if you’re returning to exercise, or have never exercised before, it is advisable to get started with the beginner Chen-style forms.
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You can get a tan through a window It’s unlikely. Standard glass blocks almost all UVB rays, the sunlight responsible for melanin production and enhancing the dark pigment within your skin. Even if you’re sprawling in the conservatory, the glass will convert that radiation energy into heat – so while you may not get burnt, you are at increased risk of overheating.
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Recent evidence suggests improvements in balance, blood pressure, pain reduction, sleep quality and overall quality of life following tai chi practice. These benefits are particularly important in chronic conditions such as cardiorespiratory diseases and in frail individuals with poor balance or osteoporosis. Tai chi has also been included in the NHS Live Well website given its benefits. It’s a light- to moderateintensity exercise, so is safe for the general population. Should you suffer from any chronic disease, Antonio Garcia Llorente musculoskeletal problem or health issue, it’s advisable to gain clinical approval from your GP. Tai chi is simple and inexpensive and can be delivered face to face, remotely or in a pre-recorded session. It can also be easily adapted to chair-bound individuals or people with low levels of fitness.
What is tai chi?
We look at some of the tall tales and home truths about tanning…
Myth buster
The benefits of tai chi
research articles have encouraged individuals to participate in tai chi sessions.
It is dangerous to tan on a sunbed It certainly is. Sunbeds were once the favourite of pale-skinned supermodels, but a 2012 campaign led by Kate Moss turned many
sunbed users off this bronzing method. The World Health Organization has stated that using sunbeds is as dangerous as smoking, leaving fewer and fewer people keen to take the risk.
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It’s safe to tan if you have dark skin It may be more obvious when fair-skinned people get too much sun exposure, but it’s a myth that those with darker skin don’t need to take the same precautions. The damage the sun can do – causing wrinkles, ageing and skin cancer – affects all skin types. There are even some theories that darker-skinned people are likely to take more risks and stay in the sun longer, putting themselves in more danger than their lighter-skinned friends.
118 SHIRE MAGAZINE | September/October 2021
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