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The following text is taken from a newsletter published by the Lake Las Vegas Sports Club.

Tai Chi Gains in Popularity at Lake Las Vegas Sports Club

Henderson, NV (October 2020) -- The 2020 global Covid19 pandemic has caused upheaval

in the lives of people around the world. From schools to restaurants to travel and

more, people are having to adjust their routines to help ensure their own safety and

wellness as well as the safety and wellness of those around them.

Perhaps among the biggest adjustments in responding to Covid 19 early on was the requirement

to stay home and basically quarantine oneself. For many, this confinement

created circumstances that led to stress, weight gain and often boredom. On-demand

access to television, movies and mini-series provided some relief but binge watching

came with its own set of problems -- even if we were being told that our grandparents

were asked to go to war and all we’re being asked to do is sit on the couch.

These exact circumstances were what prompted Lita Chen, a Tai Chi instructor at the

Lake Las Vegas Sports Club, to reexamine her quarantine situation and come up with

options that would allow her to become engaged in more challenging activities for both

brain and body. One of those options was to conduct her Tai Chi class online via Zoom.

During the previous fall and winter, Lita had been teaching a Tai Chi class at the Sports

Club but had to stop when all classes were discontinued in March because of Covid 19.

After putting feelers out to gauge the interest level, an overwhelming response from her

students both encouraged and allowed her to continue with the class via Zoom during

the shutdown period.

Once the lockdown on sporting activities was lifted in May, Lita resumed her live classes

outside on the basketball court at the Lake Club. Classes adhered to the social distancing

rules with a maximum of 10 people allowed and typically comprised both male and

female students ranging in age from the 30’s to the 70’s.

Tai Chi Growing in Popularity

As one of today’s fastest growing exercise activities, Tai Chi (pronounced tie-chee) has

quickly become recognized as an exercise that everyone “can do” rather than “should

do”. It incorporates a series of movements performed in a slow, focused manner that

are easy to perform and, with regular practice, have been documented to improve flexibility

and gradually build muscle strength while improving physical balance. The low-impact,

gentle movements put minimal stress on muscles and joints and, as a result, are

far less likely to cause muscle soreness or injury. As well, the emphasis on slow and

gentle movement make it ideal for a wide range of fitness levels and health conditions.

Lita teaches the Yang style of Tai Chi, which is the most popular style of Tai Chi in the

United States. Its appeal is thought to be the graceful and slow movements while featuring

all the key components and health benefits of fitness including muscle strength, flexibility,

balance, and some aerobic conditioning. Compared to other conventional types of

exercise, Tai Chi movements are typically non-repetitive and never forced; the muscles

are relaxed, and joints are not fully extended.

Lita’s Tai Chi classes begin with warm up activities that help students ease into the next

set of exercises which are known as qigong (pronounced chee-gong). According to Lita,

the qigong exercises play an important role in Tai Chi movements by building strength,

improving mental focus, and helping to develop breath control.

“It takes time though,” adds Lita. “And because it is a low intensity form of exercise,

compared to other kinds of exercise, it may take somewhat longer for an individual to

see increased strength or flexibility. I tell my students to not worry about it but rather to

just enjoy. Competence will improve with good practice.”

In Lita’s classes, the qigong exercises are followed by Tai Chi instruction and practice

and this portion of the class typically starts with a 10-posture sequence referred to as a

basic 10 Form. It is an easy to learn sequence of 10 movements, with postures flowing

together without pause making the exercise look like slow, graceful dances. As the students’

capabilities progress, Lita is able to introduce additional sequences including 14

Form and 24 Form. These subsequent postures build on the original 10 Form and include

more demanding movements.

Meditation/Medicine in Motion

Tai Chi is frequently described as “meditation in motion” but it might also be called

“medicine in motion.” There is growing evidence that the practice of Tai Chi has value as

an adjunct to standard medical treatment for the prevention and rehabilitation of several

conditions commonly associated with age.

For instance, in a study at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, 39 sedentary seniors

who did 60 minutes of Tai Chi three times a week for 12 weeks, on average, lowered

their resting systolic blood pressure by 13% and decreased their resting diastolic

blood press by 10%. And, a recent Harvard Magazine article states, “there is growing

evidence the mind-body practice of Tai Chi has value in treating or preventing many

health problems”. Another Harvard Medical School Health Publication, The Health

Benefits of Tai Chi, explains how Tai Chi, when combined with standard treatment, is

helpful for a range of conditions including arthritis, low bone density, breast cancer,

heart disease, heart failure, hypertension, Parkinson’s disease, sleep problems and

stroke.

According to Jackie Arcana, Director of Fitness & Wellness at the Lake Las Vegas

Sports Club, the Tai Chi classes have proven to be quite popular with the members. In

fact, it was a member who brought the idea of offering Tai Chi classes to Jackie.

She says, “Our club offers a wide variety of equipment and activities, taught by certified

instructors, to address member needs for fitness and their overall wellbeing. We welcome

new ways to help our members stay active and the addition of Lita Chen and her

Tai Chi classes help us to achieve these goals.”

An Accredited Guide

When Lita Chen was a little girl in Indonesia, she and her family went every week for

exercise classes. She doesn’t recall exactly the kind of exercises they were doing, but

she does remember that they mostly involved slow movements coupled with breathing

exercises. Unbeknownst to her, she was practicing qigong and that it eventually would

have a long lasting impact on her life and well-being.

Lita began formally studying Tai Chi in 2008 after moving to Nevada from California.

She has performed in a variety of festivals and cultural events throughout the region as

well as teaching at the Lake Las Vegas Sports Club, the City of Henderson Parks and

Recreation facilities, among others.

Most recently she completed her training to become a Tai Ji Quan Moving for Better

Balance (TJQMBB) instructor. She notes that TJQMBB is based on the Yang style of Tai

Chi and has been adapted to only 8 postures/forms from the original 24. It differs additionally

in that it emphasizes activities such as sit-to-standing, walking, turning, reaching

and eye-head-hand coordination for improved posture, self-awareness, and performance

of daily functions. Lita plans to start the TJQMBB program online on Zoom this

November.'

“The TJQMBB program, a six-month course, will be held online so that participants can

more easily prioritize the class, which can then help optimize their health outcome,” said

Lita. “It’s non-equipment dependent, effective, safe and tolerable to most and, because

its online, students can practice from anywhere they have an Internet connection.”

Information on all of Lita’s classes can be found on the Lake Las Vegas Sports Club

website at www.llvsportsclub.com.

(Mary Abram is a member of the LLVSC and an enthusiastic participant in Tai Chi. She has written

extensively for the security, broadcast and television industries and is a member of the

Dog Writers Association of America).

Any questions ?   email me at myinita@yahoo.com