Tai Chi Exercise in Medicine and Health Promotion

The three major factors that influence our health and longevity are genetics, the environment, and behavior [1]. From the 1980s, the fast development of computer technology has significantly changed human’s working environment, behavior, and lifestyle. Physical inactivity and obesity are prevalent worldwide, thus causing a major public health problem.According to theGlobalHealthObservatoryReport from theWorldHealth Organization [2], insufficient physical activity is the 4th leading risk factor formortality. People who are insufficiently physically active have an increased risk of 20% to 30% in all-cause mortality compared to people who engage in moderate intensity physical activity ≧30 minutes for most days of the week. Participation in 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week or its equivalent is estimated to reduce the risk of ischemic heart disease by approximately 30%, the risk of diabetes by 27%, and the risk of breast and colon cancer by 21%–25% [2]. Traditional exercise training mainly focuses on the younger population and pursuing significant improvement of physical fitness. In the “graying” world, however, new exercise recommendations are needed for the senior population and many “apparently healthy” individuals who may have chronic diseases. Before the mid-1990s, physical activity guidelines recommended vigorous intensity exercise for at least 20 minutes continuously, 3 days a week, with the goal of improving physical fitness and body composition [3]. In 1995, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [4] issued a landmark report on physical activity and health. The New guidelines recommended that “every adult should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week.” Subsequently, the National Institute of Health [5] and the US Surgeon General [6] issued similar recommendations for physical activity and public health in 1996. These publications called attention to the health-related fitness of regular physical activity, and even moderate exercise intensity that did not meet traditional criteria for improving fitness may significantly improve health [5].