Tag Archive for: tai chi

Stretch Your Body, Stretch Your Lifespan

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“Stretching reduces your risk of dying from all causes” was the message from Tuesday’s Memo. How does that work? Why would stretching decrease mortality? There are no definitive answers, but here are a few possibilities.

It may be that stretching strengthens the blood vessels as well as the connective tissue; that may decrease the potential for blockages or building up plaque in the arteries. Or it may be that the deep breathing that’s associated with most forms of stretching also contributes to the health of the heart and lungs.

One of the other benefits of stretching is a resultant increase in strength, which could help keep the muscles more pliable, and that’s important at any age. I’ve already mentioned that there may be an improvement in arterial function when undertaking stretching, but associated with stretching is a reduction in resting heart rate and an increase in vasodilation. Their possible net impact could lower blood pressure, which would reduce mortality.

I think that one of the most important benefits is going to be related to mobility and balance. We often only think of the flexibility of the muscles of our hips and our knees, but something as simple as raising your hands above your head can benefit stretching those lower joints as well. And all that contributes to your ability to move in space as you get older; maybe you move more if you stretch regularly. By regularly, that means five days a week, the criterion in one of the studies I mentioned.

Finding out the why stretching helps may take a while, but the fact is that there are benefits to what we would consider the easiest forms of exercise. As you move forward through this year, when you have a few minutes in every day, whether it’s waiting for the microwave to finish heating a cup of coffee, washing your hands after using the bathroom, or standing alone on an elevator, taking the time to do purposeful stretching may provide a benefit that you don’t envision. To take it one step further, put together a short routine of three to ten minutes that you do every day; if you have old injuries or joint issues, an appointment with a physical therapist can help you devise a routine you can do safely. And now that spring has sprung and you can get out of the house a little easier, try a class in yoga, tai chi, or qigong. Be sure to look for one that’s within your abilities; Paula and I tried a class a few years ago and were embarrassed that we couldn’t get up and down as easily as the 20-somethings.

The net effect should be that your muscles and your connective tissue will be more pliable. Who knows, you just may end up living a little while longer as well! Sounds like a good investment of time to me.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2020 Dec;52(12):2554-2562

2. BMC Public Health. 2023; 23:1148.

Reducing Your Risk of Dying the Easy Way

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Quick! If I were to ask you which form of exercise would decrease your chance of dying, and especially your chance of dying from cardiovascular disease (CVD), what would your answer be? You’d probably pick some form of aerobic exercise such as running, elliptical training, walking, and cycling—any type of exercise that works the heart and the entire body to improve your cardiovascular fitness. That’s on the list for sure, but it’s not the form of exercise that seems to decrease your risk of dying the most. Data from two large observational studies show this form of exercise decreases your risk of dying the most: stretching.

Stretching? Stretching is that toe-touching and heel-to-butt type of stretching we were all taught in high school or some other fitness class. But that’s not all. What also counts as stretching would be activities such as yoga, tai chi, and qigong. They feature slow, elaborate movements that control the body in ways that result in stretching the muscles and other connective tissue. That all counts as stretching.

How much does it reduce mortality? In two large studies, 10% and 12% respectively over the course of several years, the highest reductions in both studies. You get more benefit if you combine it with other forms of exercise such as aerobic training and weight training. But stretching? How or why? I’ll cover that on Saturday.

The Insider Conference Call is tomorrow night at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. Get your questions answered about anything related to health including exercise if you become an Insider by 8 p.m. tomorrow.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2020 Dec;52(12):2554-2562
2. BMC Public Health. 2023; 23:1148.

How Exercise Improves Sleep

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To become the best version of yourself, it takes more than just eating better and moving more. One factor that gets overlooked is sleep.

Sleep patterns change over a lifetime; in addition, isolation during the COVID pandemic can also impact sleep patterns. Moderate to strenuous exercise has long been known to have a positive impact on sleep, but what about people who can’t exercise at a high level? Using a technology called actigraphy, researchers in Hong Kong attempted to find out whether mild exercise can help people with insomnia.

Actigraphy is a noninvasive technique that measures physical activity levels of a subject by means of a wristwatch-like motion-sensing device that can be worn for prolonged periods of time. Researchers recruited 320 participants with a mean age of 67 with most subjects being female. There were 110 in the control group, 105 subjects in the conventional exercise group, and 105 subjects in the tai chi group. Subjects in both exercise groups exercised for one hour, three days per week. The conventional exercise was a combination of brisk walking and weight training for 12 weeks, while the tai chi group attended a 12-week Yang-style, 24-form tai chi training program.

When compared to controls, both the exercise and tai chi groups showed improved sleep efficiency, reductions of wake time after falling asleep, and reduced number of awakenings. The actigraphy and sleep diary reports were consistent; there were no differences between exercise groups in benefits.

There’s good reason to believe that if mild to moderate exercise works for people with insomnia, it will work for anyone who wants more and better sleep. Seems like a good deal to me: invest three hours a week to help your entire body and get better sleep as a plus.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: JAMA Network Open. 2021;4(2):e2037199.