Taiji as weight loss?

[Sandus]

A friend of mine recently told me she was interested in losing some weight and wanted to know if Taiji was an effective way to do so. I exercise in addition to my practice, so I haven't noticed any effects. I realized that I had no idea how to answer her question.

Can Taiji help you lose weight in addition to its other benefits? Or is it better to pair it with some regular exercise to keep yourself fit?

Has anybody noticed any weight loss or overall increase in fitness level while practicing Taiji?

[RobP]

IME I wouldn't take taiji as a weight loss programme - in fact if anything it stimulates the appetite and makes you eat more. Also the emphasis on diaphragm breatihng tends to create a nice little pot belly.

[haaptic]

hehe, yes, the big belly effect
i like to call it "the taiji muscle"
also true that it will give you an apetite but so does other types of exercise
but assuming you eat healthy, it shouldnt be an issue

I can't speak for the other styles of taiji.

but speaking from personal experience
it seems studying traditional chen style with
no other type of work out
the body seems to get increasingly toned
except for the belly area
(I think correct taiji practice makes your belly area drop lower)

I won't get into the internal effects since that's not what your asking.
Externally, I think Chen style will get you in shape faster
since the forms are a bit more physically rigorous
with lower stances, changing speeds, bursts of energy ect ect.,
various weapons, and lots of painful qinna practice.
In particular the legs, back and shoulders.

If you see my sifu he looks like he lifts weights but he only does taiji.
Also, practicing taiji raises our over all energy level all day which may burn carlories more efficiently too.

[oldyangtaiji]

My opinion is that TJQ is a great aerobic exercise, so it can be also used as exercise for the weight loss. For the weight loss only the exercise is not enough, but we must also combine it with a diet.

[nzric]

Taiji builds core muscle strength - it has a similar effect to pilates, because it's emphasising torso and back movements.

As for getting you in shape though - yep, to do decent taiji you need a pot belly, and it seems that all the qigong and forms makes people a bit bottom heavy (thick legs).

The other big benefit is aiding digestion. Your organs get massaged, so the improvement in circulation/digestion would have to have an effect on weight.

[hwardo]

I remember reading in a B.K. Frantzis book a sort of grid with recommended practice times and intensities for practicing taiji for health as opposed to fitness. If I remember correctly, he thought that to get fit with taiji, you had to practice at least an hour a day, using full speed and low stances. He also recommeded taiji sword as a good way to lose weight.

But then again, B.K. Frantzis is, like, 350 lbs, so maybe he isn't the person to take advice from on weight loss.

[TM77]

A friend of mine recently told me she was interested in losing some weight and wanted to know if Taiji was an effective way to do so. I exercise in addition to my practice, so I haven't noticed any effects. I realized that I had no idea how to answer her question.

Can Taiji help you lose weight in addition to its other benefits? Or is it better to pair it with some regular exercise to keep yourself fit?

Has anybody noticed any weight loss or overall increase in fitness level while practicing Taiji?



I don't believe tai chi chuan is a good way to lose weight. It's a low impact exercise. When I train, I do work up a sweat but I'm never out of breath.
I don't know how many pictures I've seen of old tai chi masters with huge pot bellies. In fact one of my tai chi class mates has been doing it for nearly 10 years and he has a large pot belly.