Hiking Basin mountain in the Adirondack’s was not a low impact exercise. However, Tai Chi is. FYI, going down the mountain is harder than going up on your knees.
A low impact exercise is easy on our joints, particularly our ankles, knees, and hips. Tai Chi is done standing, so there’s no need to bend, or contort yourself in any way, which is great for your back and neck. One of the first things taught in Tai Chi is proper posture.
Yet while being low impact, Tai Chi is still an exercise. It has been written that an hour of Tai Chi burns as many calories as walking for 45 minutes.
Tai Chi goes further than being just a low impact physical exercise. Tai Chi works on strengthening your mind’s concentration and attention. In the Martial Arts, the mind is another muscle that needs to be worked. By focusing our minds on the many different aspects of practice, like balance, coordination, or timing our movement and breath, we work our minds.
Tai chi, then, is a low impact physical exercise designed to help us become holistically healthier.