When I think of IMA "health benefits," I always compare it to the healthiest things I've ever done in my life: swimming and running.
During my senior year in high school, I got serious about running and built my training up to the point that I was running about 7-8 miles a day, which took about an hour. I lost loads of bodyfat, I could breath through my nose when I ran at a comfortable pace, I could eat nearly anything and I never felt better in my life both mentally and physically. In fact, I was sitting in civics class one day and I got the most intense rush of endorphines I had ever experienced. My body felt very light and fit, all the supposed health benefits of IMA.
My freshman year of univeristy, I took a swimming class where we swam for an hour each morning about 4 times a week. Swimming for an hour will KILL you. But I got similar results to running: my lung capacity increased beyond belief, I had really robust health, and mentally I had never felt better or more calm.
Now I train IMA about 3 hours a day and I have none of the health benefits that I had when I ran or swam for an hour a day. None.
Frankly, I think the "health benefits" of IMA are wildly exaggerated and pale in comparison to what a good, intense aerobic training program will give you over time.
Plus, you get lots more time to spend with your family. 
Health benefits of IMA?
June 17, 2006 · 11 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
11 responses so far ↓
silkreeling // June 18, 2006 at 6:01 am |
i train on alternate days now and found that i am less light than before where i trained everyday for about an hour.
maybe you’re not sung or relaxed enough. do you breathe heavily or pant when you sweat buckets during your training or holding the postures in your form. if you do it is a sign that you’re not sung enough or perhaps even overdoing things. And alot of the health benefits are associated with being sung.
chessman71 // June 18, 2006 at 7:56 am |
Silk,
I agree that a lot of the health benefits come from being song. But actually no, I don’t really pant heavily when I hold the postures. Granted, that type of training is the most taxing and probably the most rewarding training that I do now, but so far, it doesn’t produce the health affects I experienced from running or swimming. Maybe given time, it will.
An important question when talking about IMA for health that is never discussed is what is the definition of health being used? For me, it’s more like fitness. I practice my stuff right in front of a swimming pool at the university across the street from my house. I’m seriously considering swimming after practice.
It would be a great way to cool down from thr Taiwan summer heat, as well.
silkreeling // June 18, 2006 at 7:08 pm |
the mind and the body are closely related according to the chinese medical theory and that’s the difference between CIMA and other forms of exercises. So maybe your mind is not still enough during practice. one way is to go into meditation or simply just stand in wuji zhuang. that should help.
chessman71 // June 19, 2006 at 6:51 am |
Perhaps. But I really don’t think that’s the problem. IMO the IMA just are not really that great for health when compared to some other forms of exercise. IMO they are fighting systems that maybe have a secondary health effect. I’ve become very skeptical of health claims because I just don’t see the supposed health effects. What I see are a lot of obese men dying of the same lifestyle-influenced diseases that someone who never trained a day in their lives would succomb to.
Needless to say, I’ve decided to start running everyday and swimming occasionally. That should balance things out.
Shang Lee // June 19, 2006 at 11:01 am |
I think the health claims come from people who don’t do ANY exercise as oppose to SOME exercise. It’s the relative exercise done that makes the impact. You have done intense exercises and when compared to seemingly less intense ones like IMA, the benefit isn’t there. For the “health claimers”, IMA is an intense exercise to them compared to no exercise! Plus, I believe the social aspects of an IMA class improves their mental health as well. Nothing beats human interaction if you’ve been cooped up at home with no one to talk to!
chessman71 // June 19, 2006 at 11:40 am |
Shang,
Now there you go. You really hit that one out of the ballpark. I completely agree. Doing taiji is obviously better than not doing any exercise at all.
As to the social aspects, I have noticed that for the health-taiji people, taiji class in the park is really just social hour. They spend far more time talking than actually doing anything at all. You may be right about the mental health aspect of it, then.
I guess I prefer “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner.” Thanks for the insightful comment.
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silkreeling // June 19, 2006 at 8:28 pm |
I started doing it as a weekly social/ recreational event. Well, I wouldn’t totally agree with this line of argument. Normal exercises don’t make you more aware of how you move your body as integrated and being aware of it can help if you’re shifting heavy/huge objects up and down the stairs such that the energy used is optimised and there is less chance of injury. I have had this experience when moving house 2 yrs ago where I found myself relaxing unused muscles instead of tensing them,. And I find that I don’t use local strength when taking out the thrash or the baby’s buggy and I can maintain good balance with ease. These are the side benefits from IMA that can’t be gotten from swimming or running.
Lots of IMA people waste away because of their own lifestyle so IMA can’t reverse any detriment that already is accumulating. Refer to the Dao of Taijiquan for examples.
“IMO they are fighting systems that maybe have a secondary health effect.” – I think it is better if you view it as 50:50. You’ll find that you just practice with concerns only regarding the art itself.
Just for the record, I have participated in ball games and running and swimming events before and would like to do so if I have the time.
Matt Whyndham // June 22, 2006 at 9:04 pm |
There is more to health than strength, aerobic capacity and metabolic rate. Posture and proprioception, efficiency of movement, pacing, resistance to mental and physcial stresses all spring to mind as a) being of substantial health importance and b) developed by IMA practices.
I used to just run, and could run up stairs but had other unhealthinesses. I now practice taijiquan, AND go jogging regularly. If I’m feeling really unhealthy I go to the gym or the pool! “All eggs in one basket” is an unheathly strategy anyway.
chessman71 // June 23, 2006 at 7:05 am |
Matt, I agree that IMA does bring some things to the table that other pursuits don’t. And I see that you’re into cross-training. i think that’s very healthy and very smart. Unfortunately, most other IMA people don’t and I’ve gotten more than a few looks and comments about why I would need to crosstrain if I do IMA. It’s sort of along the lines of “if your IAM were real, you wouldn’t need to do that kind of stuff.” It’s funny how you increase the difficulty of the workout (gym, pool) if you’re feeling really unhealthy. I do the same. Take care.
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