The range of daily sports and recreational activities for people is becoming increasingly diverse—football, basketball, badminton, frisbee, skateboarding, trampolining…

Yet most of these activities seem to be suitable only for young people, leaving our parents with very few sports options to choose from.

We’ve discovered a sport that comes with a wealth of benefits: it can prevent falls, ward off Alzheimer’s disease, reduce anxiety and stress, help people make plenty of friends, and also allow them to enjoy the joy of solitude. That sport is—

Most people probably underestimate the benefits of Tai Chi.

Practicing Tai Chi Reduces the Risk of Falls

What do people fear most as they grow old? Falling.

Data from the WHO shows that approximately one-third (28%–35%) of people aged 65 and above fall each year, and the incidence of falls among those aged 70 and over is as high as 32%–42%.

A minor bump or bruise for young people can be a fatal blow for the elderly. Among older adults who fall, 20%–30% suffer moderate to severe injuries such as abrasions, hip fractures, or head trauma. Unintentional injuries caused by falls are a leading cause of death.

How to reduce the risk of falls in the elderly? Try practicing Tai Chi.

A six-month study published in 2018, involving 670 elderly participants, found that for adults over 70 with no cognitive impairment who are mostly sedentary, practicing Tai Chi is more effective at reducing falls than comprehensive exercises or stretching.(Comprehensive exercises include balance, aerobic, strength, and flexibility activities.)

Many other studies have also found that elderly people who were previously sedentary can reduce their risk of falling by 47%–55% compared with non-practitioners after practicing Tai Chi for 3 months to half a year.

Tai Chi’s slow and gentle movements are not only suitable for elders with poor physical fitness, but also hold the secrets to fall prevention:

Building muscle strength and maintaining lower limb stability;

Enhancing the vestibular system (the sensory system responsible for the body’s sense of balance and spatial awareness) to perceive positional changes and control bodily balance.

Most Tai Chi movements require practitioners to perform leg lifts, steps and other actions while maintaining a half-squat posture. The exercise involves delicate joint control, muscle coordination and weight transfer, which enhance leg muscle strength, lower limb stability and bodily balance.

Take the move "Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg" as an example: from a half-squat posture, one leg is lifted forward, the other supports the body, and the hands are raised simultaneously.

When performing this move, the corresponding hip flexors contract concentrically to lift the thigh, while the knee extensors provide eccentric control to keep the lower leg stable.

The muscles of the two legs are trained alternately, thereby enhancing the elasticity, strength and stability of the lower limb muscles.

There is also the classic move "Cloud Hands". It requires maintaining bodily balance and stability when changing direction, while fixing the gaze on a target ahead. This strengthens the function of the vestibulo-ocular reflex pathway, improves the vestibular system’s ability to maintain balance, and also exercises the strength and flexibility of the lower limbs.

Tai Chi’s charm doesn’t stop there.

Practicing Tai Chi Helps Prevent Age-Related Cognitive Impairment

In 2022, a high-quality study published by the Alzheimer’s Association demonstrated that Tai Chi can enhance the effects of cognitive training and delay mild cognitive decline.

Conducted at Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai, this study enrolled 152 patients with mild cognitive impairment, who were randomly assigned to either the "cognitive training alone" group or the "cognitive training plus Tai Chi" group. Results indicated that the combined "cognitive training + Tai Chi" group achieved faster and more significant improvements in cognitive function and memory.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) further revealed enhanced neural activity in several brain regions among the combined training group, including the inferior frontal gyrus, transverse temporal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, and entorhinal cortex.

These brain regions are associated with abilities such as language processing, auditory and sound recognition, memory, spatial orientation, and time perception.

Tai Chi is far more than casual arm and leg movements—it is a fully designed system of exercises. This continuous, rhythmic full-body coordination activity, involving dynamic weight shifts and single-limb support, engages multiple cognitive processes including motor recall, task switching, and spatial orientation, requiring sustained attention and executive control.

Tai Chi audio announcement: "Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg!"Brain's sound recognition module: "Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg"

identified—retrieving memory...Brain's memory recall module: "How did this move go again? Oh right, like this and then that!"Brain's spatial orientation module: "Lift your hand higher, a bit higher—left leg up. How long do I hold it?"Brain's time perception module: "5, 4, 3, 2, 1!"

This is essentially cognitive training in motion! While exercising your body, it also workouts your brain, directly and indirectly reducing the risk of cognitive impairment.

Give Tai Chi a try!

In fact, in parks and residential communities, Tai Chi is no longer an exclusive activity for "the elderly." More and more young people are joining in and discovering its secrets

Beyond enhancing physical health for seniors, Tai Chi also provides emotional and psychological support. Numerous studies have confirmed that Tai Chi lowers cortisol levels in the body and reduces anxiety.

Practicing Tai Chi is highly flexible.

For those who enjoy socializing, gathering in small groups not only exercises the body but also helps make new friends. Whether it’s elders entering the "retired with leisure" phase or young people feeling "recently stressed," everyone can gain companionship and emotional support through group Tai Chi practice.

Solitude lovers need not worry either—face the lake alone, savor the joy of being with yourself during the practice, and you might even enter a state of flow.

Tai Chi also comes in many variations. If you prefer not to practice "empty-handed," there are props like Tai Chi fans, Tai Chi swords, and Tai Chi balls waiting for you to explore.

Grab a loose, breathable outfit and a pair of soft, well-fitting shoes, then gather your parents and grandparents for a family Tai Chi session—give it a go!