Re: Tai Chi

Hi

If you cannot stretch you cannot exercise.

Speed is everything.

Re: Tai Chi

I used to go to elementary Tai Chi every week before the lockdown and l loved it.
I did the Crane and other moves l can’t think of the names of.
When l went shopping after the class, l found myself holding onto the trolley whilst standing on one leg with my other leg resting on my knee! I only did it if the aisle was empty!

I also did some Tai Chi in the mornings down by my chicken coops. Especially, the moves where you make a sort of a square with your hands and look through it.

Re: Tai Chi

I did some stretching this morning and a few yoga poses. It did make a difference, I admit. This lockdown has really made me a bit stiffer than I would like.

Re: Tai Chi

I disagree with Swim's comment about if you can't stretch, you can't exercise, because there are still lots of things we can do, Pixie. Nothing to do with speed whatsoever, either.
In fact yoga is not done speedily at all.

It depends on what people think stretching is too, daft as that sounds.
It doesn't have to be all the weird and wonderful positions you see some people attempting at all, even getting a tin of beans out the cupboard, or putting your shoes/socks on, or combing your hair involves gentle stretches!

You could also do some Yoga breathing exercises, too.
I believe there are about 8 types of breathing exercise we can practice.

There are more exercises we can easily do just by sitting down and raising the hands and arms to shoulder hight, or sitting down and doing head and neck exercises - again, lots to choose from.

So perhaps you can see why I don't agree with Swim's comment about can't stretch - can't exercise!
It is just a matter of knowing how.

Re: Tai Chi

Yes, Mups...I'm still stretching, but now I have the allotment, its quite physical work so I feel like I'm really exercising now, so that's good. Plus I power walk there and back.....oh I'll be like an eel come the Summer!

Re: Tai Chi

That sounds plenty of exercise to me, Pixie.
Well done. You'll also get a lovely tan this summer down on that allotment.

Re: Tai Chi

I know what you mean about enjoying it but not enjoying it. In my case it was back in 1991. We were going through an adventurous phase with friends and I was also doing kick boxing classes at the time (!). The tai chi was annoying because the instructor would go around "correcting" us. So we had to wait for "corrections" when in a pose. I found that very controlling but then I felt the same way in Le Roc classes.

I might give it another go using you tube and maybe it will be more fun. But at the time it wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be.

Re: Tai Chi

Oh I did kick boxing for a while too.....I loved it! That correcting while in a pose sounds SO infuriating!

Re: Tai Chi

Ahhh kick boxing - the gift that keeps on giving you muscles in places you didn't realise muscles existed!

I was a lightweight especially doing the exercise where you stand back to back and then lift someone onto your back while doing squats! But one of my best mates carried on for years, even went skiing with the kick boxing crowd. They were a nice bunch. Some a bit obsessed with the whole philosophy. But a nice crowd. Also very fit!

I'm going to try doing tai chi. It would be really cool to do it in the garden and impress the nosy neighbours. I think my original inspiration was watching Patrick Swayze in Road House! I was the one dragging my friends to all these classes then packing it in myself after a few half hearted tries.

Re: Tai Chi

Oh I didn't try that one! I had to do some weird thing whereby I lay on the ground and someone chucked a medicine ball at me and I had to catch it on the way up. Kind of like extreme sit ups! I had a fab stomach but its gone a bit soft since then, heh!