The Proof of the Pudding </div> <style class="transform-vars"> .fe-block-yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_789 { --opacity: 100%; --translate-x: 0px; --translate-y: 0px; --rotation: 0deg; --scale-x: 100%; --scale-y: 100%; --skew-x: 0deg; --skew-y: 0deg; --origin-x: 50%; --origin-y: 50%; --block-transform: none; opacity: var(--opacity, 1); transform: var(--block-transform); transform-origin: var(--origin-x) var(--origin-y); } </style><style class="transform-overrides-vars"> </style> </div></div></div><div class="fe-block fe-block-yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_1099"><div class="sqs-block website-component-block sqs-block-website-component sqs-block-html html-block" data-block-css="["https://definitions.sqspcdn.com/website-component-definition/static-assets/website.components.html/dfdb9af1-f0d3-4487-8447-c951ed739ac9_904/website.components.html.styles.css"]" data-block-scripts="["https://definitions.sqspcdn.com/website-component-definition/static-assets/website.components.html/dfdb9af1-f0d3-4487-8447-c951ed739ac9_904/website.components.html.visitor.js"]" data-block-type="1337" data-definition-name="website.components.html" data-sqsp-block="text" data-website-component-id="yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_1099" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_1099"><div class="sqs-block-content"><div class="sqs-text-block-container"> <div class="sqs-html-content" data-sqsp-text-block-content><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">These two podcast episodes from the University of California and the BBC handily set out the science explaining why Tai Chi and Qi Gong are two of the very best things you can do to get healthy and happy. They cover the research showing these arts: </span></p><ul data-rte-list="default"><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Build strength, balance, posture, coordination, proprioception, flexibility and mobility.</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Improve cardiovascular health and lung capacity.</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Sharpen focus, memory and cognitive reasoning.</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Alleviate stress and depression, including by reducing cortisol and blood pressure and balancing the nervous system.</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Promote weight loss, lowering cholesterol and cutting blood sugar.</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Boost the immune system. </span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Ease chronic pain.</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Slow the onset of neuro-degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. </span></p></li></ul><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">And if that’s all starting to sound a bit like the fountain of youth, well in fact they have that covered too - the latest research shows that Tai Chi and Qi Gong help to keep your telomeres intact, the vital little caps on the ends of your DNA that have an annoying habit of fraying over time and causing you to age. </span></p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Below are links to peer-reviewed academic studies from leading universities around the world that provide the evidence for all of these benefits, places like Harvard Medical School and Stanford, showing that these soft arts really are backed by hard science. </span></p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent"><strong>1. Physical Function</strong></span></p><ul data-rte-list="default"><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Balance</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Flexibility</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Strength</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Endurance</span></p></li></ul><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent"><strong>2. Mental</strong></span></p><ul data-rte-list="default"><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Cognitive abilities</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Anxiety / depression</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Sleep quality / insomnia</span></p></li></ul><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent"><strong>3. Medical</strong></span></p><ul data-rte-list="default"><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Life expectancy</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Weight loss</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Cholesterol</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Blood pressure</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Blood sugar/diabetes management</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Immune system</span></p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Arthritis</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Parkinson’s</span></p></li><li><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"><span class="sqsrte-text-color--accent">Pain reduction</span></p></li></ul><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"></p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"></p></div> <style id="container-styles">#block-yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_1099 { --stroke-style: none;--stroke-thickness: 2px; --tweak-text-block-stroke-color: hsla(var(--black-hsl), 1) ; } #block-yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_1099 .sqs-html-content { --tweak-text-block-padding: 6% 6% 6% 6%; --tweak-text-block-padding: initial; } .fe-block-yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_1099 { mix-blend-mode: var(--tweak-text-block-blend ); border-radius: var(--tweak-text-block-radius); } .fe-block-yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_1099 { --tweak-text-block-radius: 0px 0px 0px 0px; } .fe-block-yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_1099 { --tweak-text-block-blend : normal; } .fe-block-yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_1099 { --blur-value: blur(15px);} </style> <style id="override-container-styles"> @media screen and (max-width: 767px) { #block-yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_1099 { } } @media screen and (max-width: 767px) { #block-yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_1099 .sqs-html-content { } } @media screen and (max-width: 767px) { }</style> <style class="transform-vars"> .fe-block-yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_1099 { --opacity: 100%; --translate-x: 0px; --translate-y: 0px; --rotation: 0deg; --scale-x: 100%; --scale-y: 100%; --skew-x: 0deg; --skew-y: 0deg; --origin-x: 50%; --origin-y: 50%; --block-transform: none; opacity: var(--opacity, 1); transform: var(--block-transform); transform-origin: var(--origin-x) var(--origin-y); } </style><style class="transform-overrides-vars"> </style> </div> </div></div></div><div class="fe-block fe-block-yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_540"><div class="sqs-block website-component-block sqs-block-website-component sqs-block-code code-block" data-block-css="["https://definitions.sqspcdn.com/website-component-definition/static-assets/website.components.code/562628f5-6e94-47cd-834e-46972d2f419c_949/website.components.code.styles.css"]" data-block-scripts="["https://definitions.sqspcdn.com/website-component-definition/static-assets/website.components.code/562628f5-6e94-47cd-834e-46972d2f419c_949/website.components.code.visitor.js"]" data-block-type="1337" data-definition-name="website.components.code" data-sqsp-block="code" data-website-component-id="yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_540" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1788345073710_540"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-code-container" data-localized="{"enableSafeModeButton":"Preview in safe mode","enableSafeModeText":"This block contains embedded scripts. 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