Chen Zhonghua Hunyuan Qigong video 

This is an introductory video on Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang's Hunyuan Qigong system. It can be used alone or in combination with personal instruction. It was performed by Chen Zhonghua, a disciple of Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang who created the system. Each move is performed in slow and exaggerated fashion so that it is more visible to the learner. The video is narrated in English.

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Exercises for Seniors

Reasons to Exercise
Women over 60 who exercise for at least 30 minutes three times per week have the heart, lungs, and muscles of a woman ten years younger. Can you think of any better reason to exercise? In fact, there are other reasons, as well. Women reach a peak bone density at age 35, at which point bone density slowly decreases. At menopause, bone density begins to drop sharply if hormone replacement therapy is not administered. Lack of exercise, in addition to not eating enough dietary calcium, may be an important promoter of bone loss.

Women who are well past the age of menopause may be able to increase their bone mass through Tai Chi exercise. One study showed that older women in their eighties experienced more than a 8% increase in bone mass when they took part in Tai Chi exercises three times a week for three years. A group who did not exercise experienced a decrease of bone density of 2.5% during the same period.

Exercise will help you maintain your weight as your metabolism slows. This can help you avoid developing diabetes and heart disease. Increased circulation can help your digestive system stay healthy and keep your immune system strong.

What to Do
The kind of exercise that you do depends on what effect you want to see. Stretching promotes flexibility, makes movement easier, and decreases the risk of muscle injury; strength training promotes muscle strength and builds up bones; endurance exercises strengthen the heart and improve overall fitness. The best workouts will combine all three types of exercise which is exactly what Tai Chi exercises do.

Stretching
Older joints may become stiff and inflexible. In order to avoid injury during strength training and aerobic exercises, you need to warm up and cool down with stretching exercises for 5-15 minutes. There are stretching exercises for the calves, thighs, stomach, chest, back, shoulders, and arms. 

Strength Training
Muscles in the upper and lower body can be strengthened through the use of machines, free weights, or even by using household items such as soup cans as weights. However for senior these exercises are not recommended. Soft and gentle exercises as Tai Chi and Qigong supply plenty of muscle strengthening.

Endurance Exercises
These are any activities that increase your heart rate and breathing for a long time-span. You may need to avoid "high-impact" exercises such as jogging and jumping rope because they put a large amount of strain on your muscles and joints. Good exercises to engage in are low-impact exercises including swimming, walking, Tai Chi and dancing. Endurance exercises should be done for 20-40 minutes at least 3 times per week. Make sure that you pay attention to warning signs such as lightheadedness, chest pain, or shortness of breath.

When exercising, you should work toward your target heart rate. Your maximum heart rate can be calculated by subtracting your age from 220. For instance, if you're 60 years old, 220-60=160. This means that 160 beats per minute is your maximum heart rate. Your target heart rate is 60% to 80% of your maximum heart rate. 60% of 160 is 96 and 80% of 160 is 128. This means that someone who is 60 years old should work up to a heart rate when exercising of somewhere around 96-128 beats per minute.

Back Strengthening Exercises
Back pain is a common symptom of aging. For this and all other problems Qigong is a very good solution. The tape here teaches a wonderful set of exercises called Hunyuan Qigong.                                      top

Postpartum Weight Loss

Exercise is the Key
The best way to lose weight after pregnancy is by exercising. Many new mothers are told that they need to take care of the baby first and then they can take care of themselves later. However, this is probably not such a great idea. As any new mother knows, taking care of the baby will take an enormous amount of time and energy and you may feel that there is not enough time left over for exercise.

The Benefits of Exercise
A recent study has shown that women who begin to exercise right after delivery tend to lose more weight in the first six weeks than mothers who do not exercise then. Only about 35% of women exercise after giving birth. It is well known that physical well-being impacts a great deal on psychological well-being. Post-partum women are known to be especially vulnerable to depression. Exercise will not only help women lose the weight they gained during their pregnancy, it will also help them to avoid or minimize post-partum depression. Some women are concerned that exercise may somehow impact their ability to breast-feed. This study did not find any evidence to support this.

Finding the Time
Having trouble finding the time to exercise? Set aside a certain time every other day when someone else watches the baby. Use this time to exercise, without worrying about needing to change the baby's diaper or do the laundry. Best take on exercise such as Qigong which is very beneficial for nursing mothers. Keep in mind that exercising regularly will actually give you more energy than you would have if you did not exercise.

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