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Excercise:
The Yin and Yang of working out
- December
6, 2008,
By
Karen Miller: Boston Banner
Roosevelt Robinson is the
name his mama gave him,
but he goes by Master Heg.
He
practices and teaches
T'ai Chi Ch’uan,
an ancient Chinese martial
art that uses rhythmic
movements, meditation
and breathing for health
and self-defense.
Now
65 years old, he says
that his inauguration
into T'ai Chi occurred
years ago. He just didn’t
know it. He just didn’t
know it.
As
a young boy, he worked
with his father on a two-man
saw. Both had to be in
sync with one another. “Boy,
you don’t move if I don’t
move,” his father warned
him.
“You
had to move with him,” said
Heg. “I didn’t know what
I was learning.”
Unknowingly,
he was practicing the “push
hands” technique in T'ai
Chi.
These
days, Heg gives lessons
to students who learn
a series of gentle, deliberate
movements that flow into
body positions called “forms.” Each
form contains between
20 and 100 moves, and
requires 20 minutes to
complete. Students must
focus on their breathing
and technique rather than
strength and power, although
good muscle control is
required to complete each
form satisfactorily.
Heg
has studied with many
masters for several years
and now teaches out of
his academy in Roxbury.
Master
Heg has nothing but praise
for T'ai Chi.
“It
works on the mind, body
and spirit,” he explained. “It
improves balance, posture
and can help control diabetes
and high blood pressure.
It increases strength,
stamina and coordination.”
Research
has shown that T'ai Chi
can offer the same cardiovascular
benefits as moderate-intensity
impact exercises, but
the two are different
in form. Although both
activities are rhythmic,
movements in T'ai Chi
are slow and gentle, while
aerobic exercises, such
as walking, are repetitive,
fast and sustained for
a period of time.
Aerobic
(meaning “with oxygen”)
activity improves the
body’s intake of oxygen,
which is necessary to
generate energy.
Oxygen
is required for almost
every function of the
body. It keeps the heart
pumping, allows muscles
to contract and processes
the information from the
brain to the nervous system.
The
more oxygen in the system,
the more energy it can
produce.
Aerobic
activity therefore challenges
the body and makes the
cardio-respiratory system — affecting
the heart, lungs and blood
vessels — more efficient.
This decreases the risk
of stroke, high blood
pressure and diabetes.
While
aerobic and strengthening
exercises are recommended
for people of all ages,
activities to improve
flexibility and balance
are also important, particularly
for the elderly to help
prevent falls, which can
result in hip fractures.
That
is why a large percentage
of Heg’s students are
elderly.
The
master ticked off other
advantages of T'ai Chi.
For one thing, it is practical.
“Anyone
can do it at any age,” he
said. “You don’t have
to be athletic and you
don’t have to wear special
clothes. You can practice
it anywhere — and if you
do it right, you won’t
pull a muscle or break
a bone.”
No
need to tell George Morrison
about the benefits of
T'ai Chi. He already knows.
Master Heg instructs George
Morrison in the T'ai Chi
form called "grasping the
bird's tail." T'ai Chi has
been found to improve strength
and balance in older adults;
as well as as reduce the
risk of heart disease.
He
is 73 years old now and
is very honest in explaining
why he started practicing
T'ai Chi. It wasn’t because
of any medical condition.
Nor did he have problems
with his balance or stamina.
The
real reason, Morrison
explained was simple — to
stop his longtime friend,
Master Heg, from nagging
him so much.
Morrison
finally surrendered 10
years ago. “I became a
student of T'ai Chi,” he
says. “I am still a student.
“I
understand the value of
conditioning,” Morrison
went on. “I was an athlete
and played football in
school and ran track.”
But
as years passed, Morrison
realized he had lost a
step — or two. He still
golfs, but T'ai Chi is
now a part of him. He
practices twice a week.
“It
helps strength, balance
and coordination,” he
says. “It gives you a
healthier life — more
stable and secure.”
Morrison
was quick to point out
the mental conditioning
that results from T'ai
Chi as well. “It’s a total
problem-solver,” he said.
Karen
Miller can be reached
at kmiller@bannerpub.com.
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