「為何太極是完美的運動？」 - 美國《時代週刊》Time Magazine - 150127
2002年7月31日美國《時代週刊》將中國古老的太極拳運動比喻為完美運動，原文見下。中國首富馬雲都練習太極，並與李連杰聯手合作推廣太極文化，成立太極培訓機構;美國第一夫人奧巴馬總統也米歇爾也學習。眾多的醫學和科研報告證實太極可以改善體質、精神心境、延年益壽，又可防身自衛、趣味內涵俱皆! 太極是低到中度帶氧運動，練習時不辛苦又能帶來健康和樂趣，太極今時今日已成為時尚的養生運動!
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為何太極被譽為 “完美運動"?
太極拳是以太極的陰陽之理為理論依據，以中醫經絡，骨骼學說為生理依據，能通經絡，旺氣血。全球習練人數超過1.5億的有氧健康運動。
- 奧巴馬夫人米歇爾於成都學太極
太極是世界上少數能將氣功，武術，體操，哲學，文化，技擊，健身等融為一體的運動，其養生功效最完美，最顯著。
看看太極的的19條益處!
1 啟動自身修復系統
隨著年齡的增長，人的自身修復系統也在慢慢退化，太極能打通「任督二脈」，啟動身體修復功能。每天三十分鐘，遠離亞健康。
2 疏通經絡
長期坐在辦公室，身體活動少，大腦活動過多，經絡通道堵塞，全身會有小疙瘩，就像水不流動就容易發酸發臭，堅持習練太極，疏通經絡後，啟動淨化血液，疙瘩就少很多。
3 放鬆神經系統
不運動，長時間做一些事情，全身都很緊張，很僵硬，太極拳凝神聚氣，沉穩安舒，可以使神經系統放鬆，緩解頭暈眼花。
4 身心輕安
身心不和，身心不安，身心不平，身心疾病都來自于氣血不通，氣血不通的原因就是經絡不通，所以，身心都不自由，通過太極，氣血通暢了，身心就自由了，達到身心合一。
5 增強心臟功能
不愛運動，所以心臟功能不強，太極雖慢，但是能以全身配合催動氣血，增強心臟功能，使心臟穩健而有力。
6 強健血管
中醫講，打太極能增強血管彈性，減少血管破裂的可能性，也能夠增強全身彈性。
7 增強筋骨
生活沒有規律，所以全身肌肉韌帶僵硬而沒有彈性，沒有力量，通過太極之後增強筋肉韌帶力量，關節靈活了，身心協調。
8 通暢血液迴圈
人體血液不通暢，因為經絡和脈絡不通，人容易得病，太極能輕鬆打通經絡，增強人體血液迴圈和新陳代謝。
9減少五臟疾病
五臟六腑需要運動，如果不運動，自然就硬化而得病。因此，太極拳節節貫穿的運動可以促進臟腑的自我按摩，濡養五臟六腑，臟腑平衡，很多疾病自然就不會來了。
10治癒三高
有三高的人，試過醫生們開了的很多藥方都沒有太大效果。開始學習太極吧，儒雅的的有氧運動，安全控制三高。太極對於防治高血壓，糖尿病，肥胖症，習慣性便秘等症都有良好的作用。
11 精神快樂
中醫講，堅持太極，會消除心臟缺血性症狀或降低血壓。使人體消除疲勞，精神愉快，緩解心慌心悸。人不愉快與血性有關系，太極能減少血糖，血脂;排除血淤，血症等血裡的垃圾，血裡沒有垃圾。
12 體形美麗
人美不美與血性有直接關係，人的血裡沒有垃圾，人一定漂亮及美麗，血裡垃圾多，人自然就不漂亮。因此，太極能排除體內的垃圾和血裡的垃圾，減少人體腹部脂肪的積聚保持人體的形體優美。
13 防止心肌梗塞
醫學裡講，心肌梗塞主要是氣血不通暢，血凝塊堵塞血管而造成的，太極能優化心臟功能，減少血凝塊的形成，減少心肌梗塞的可能性。
14強腰固腎
人本身懶惰，不願意活動，坐的時間長，會傷害腎，造成腎虛，腎炎，腎結石，腎功能退縮。因此，腎供血不足，肝血就不足；肝血不足，心血就不足，就開始生病了。為了治病吃藥，增加腎的負擔，練太極就是練腰，練習後還能減少吃藥，從而健康的增強腎功能。
15大腦清晰
待在電腦前，待在家裡看書，寫文章，大腦會不清晰。練太極吧，呼吸吐納，接受戶外新鮮空氣，大腦思維活動變得清晰了，靈活了，明顯消除了大腦的疲勞，提高了學習和修行。
16 增強視力
看書，打電腦，發微信過多，視力退化了，據有關專家測試， 每週太極三次，每次半小時，連續堅持4個月者與不喜歡運動的人相比，前者反映敏銳，視覺與記憶力均佔優勢。
17 延年益壽
生命在於運動的意思，太極是一種靜中有動，動中有靜的健身方式，可以緩解神經肌肉緊張，穩定情緒，這樣壽命自然延長。
18 開發智慧
人愚笨與血性有間接的關係，人體的血裡垃圾多，人自然變為愚笨，愚笨的人無法開發智慧。定時堅持習練太極，能排除血裡的垃圾，消除疲勞，精神愉快，緩解心慌心悸，消除廢氣污染，對強健身體，靈性活潑，提高智慧。為了你的健康，請開始學習太極吧。
19 益于大腦健康
太極運動有陰有陽，開發大腦潛能，有助於大腦釋放更多的欣快激素內啡肽，比健身房運動更有益於心理健康。
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原文見 時代雜誌 Time Magazine，http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,332063,00.html
Time Magazine, By Christine Gorman Wednesday, July 31, 2002
“Why Tai Chi Is the Perfect Exercise?"
It’s easy to tell people to make exercise part of their daily routine. It’s not so easy to tell them what to do. Some folks like to run marathons or climb mountains. But if you would rather care for your body without risking life or limb or increasingly creaky joints, you might consider Tai Chi Chuan, the ancient martial art that looks like a cross between shadow boxing and slow-motion ballet.
Not to be confused with Falun Gong, a quasi-religious and political movement that uses similar exercises, Tai Chi combines intense mental focus with deliberate, graceful movements that improve strength, agility and — particularly important for the elderly — balance.
Practitioners praise Tai Chi’s spiritual and psychological benefits, but what has attracted the attention of Western scientists lately is what Tai Chi does for the body. In many ways, researchers are just catching up to what tens of millions of people in China and Chinatowns around the rest of the world already know about Tai Chi. Scientists at the Oregon Research Institute in Eugene reported last week that Tai Chi offers the greatest benefit to older men and women who are healthy but relatively inactive. Previous studies have shown that Tai Chi practiced regularly helps reduce falls among healthy seniors. The next step, from a scientific point of view, is to determine whether Tai Chi can help those who are already frail.
There are several styles of Tai Chi, but most of them start with a series of controlled movements, or forms, with names like Grasping the Sparrow’s Tail and Repulse the Monkey. There are many good how-to books to get you started, or you can choose from among the growing number of classes offered at rec centers and health clubs across the U.S. (These have the added benefit of combining instruction with a chance to meet new people.) Either way, the goal is to move at your own pace. As Tai Chi master Martin Lee of the Tai Chi Cultural Center in Los Altos, Calif., puts it, “Pain is no gain."
It can take a few months for the effects to kick in, but when they do they can act as a gateway to a new lifestyle. “Once people start feeling better, they often become more active in their daily life," says Dr. Karim Khan, a family-practice and sports physician at the University of British Columbia.
Any form of exercise, of course, can do only so much. “For older individuals, Tai Chi will not be the end-all," says William Haskell, an expert in chronic-disease prevention at Stanford University. “But Tai Chi plus walking would be a very good mixture." Younger people probably need more of an aerobic challenge, but they can benefit from Tai Chi’s capacity to reduce stress.
The best thing about Tai Chi is that people enjoy it, so they are more likely to stick with it long enough to get some benefit. It helps when something that’s good for you is also fun.
For more info, visit tai-chi.com, or e-mail gorman@time.com
