Compared to the pumping intensity of spin or Zumba, a tai chi class looks like it’s being performed in slow motion. Watching the gentle, graceful movements of this ancient Chinese practice, it’s hard to imagine that tai chi can burn off a single calorie or strengthen muscles. But this exercise program is far more dynamic than it looks. “The slowness that you see from the outside can be deceptive,” says Dr. Peter Wayne, research director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. As an aerobic workout, tai chi is roughly the
Read more →Straighten up, Don’t slouch These exercises can help your posture, which could spare you back pain down the line. September 13, 2011|By Julie Deardorff | Tribune Newspapers (Bill Hogan/Chicago Tribune) Poor posture can make you look 10 pounds heavier. It could sabotage a promotion. And slumped or hunched shoulders are a major reason why back pain affects 80 percent of Americans at some point in their life. “Poor posture isn’t just disrespectful; it will ruin your spinal health and leads to a dreadful life,” said Gloria Starr, an international business coach who teaches posture at her North Carolina finishing and
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