Saturday, December 19, 2009

Gandhi on Exercise

The ideal kind of exercise is that which gives vigor to the body as well as to the mind; only such exercise can keep a man truly healthy.

- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi "The Wisdom of Gandhi"

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Do you have to break a sweat before it counts as "exercise?"

You've heard it before: regular exercise is good for your health. It can raise HDL cholesterol, control your weight, improve the work capacity of your heart, reduce your blood pressure and blood glucose, and relieve stress.

However, do you have to break a sweat before it counts as "exercise?" So why is it so difficult to get up off the couch and get moving?

Tai Chi and QiGong are something worth trying. No sweat but raise your energy level. It improves your blood circulation, your immune system, your balance and your range of motion.

This exercise is good for people from middle age and above. No matter how busy you are, as long as you have time for a cup of coffee, you can spare a few minutes for Tai Chi and QiGong. It fits your busy life schedule.

If you are retired, you have more time to practice Tai Chi and QiGong. Join my classes at Long Branch Community Center, Silver Spring, MD and at Langley Park Community Center, Hyattsville, MD. For registration please call (301)445-4508.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Energy Refill

Life energy "Qi" maintains organ functions, repairs damages at cellular level, and keeps life going.

As we age, "Qi" energy weakens. As a result, we fell less energetic, easily get tired, and are prone to illness.

Can we refill the life energy? Yes. Tai Chi, QiGong, and JingLuo Exercise are effective ways to refill the life energy while minimizing the energy loss and maximizing the life functions.

Energy refill work needs daily efforts. We eat food and drink water every day. We breath 24 hours a day. And we do all kinds of exercises. However, all these are not enough. We need to do more. We need to be conscious that we are in a race against aging. If we want to slow down the aging process, we need to do more!

When I say "more", I mean more efforts with less cost for more gain.

Those energy consuming exercises are no longer suitable for the seniors. What we need at this stage of life is the type of exercise that consumes less energy, no stress, while serves to gain more energy reserve. The ideal exercises for this age group are Tai Chi, QiGong and JingLuo Exercise.

For further information please visit www.nanxwang.com

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Hand-in-Hand Tai Chi for Alzheimer's and Dementia Patients







I have been teaching Hand-in-Hand Tai Chi for two groups of Alzheimer's and Dementia patients since May 2009. One group is more advanced than the other. The age range is from 50 to 102 years old. I have been giving them lessons once a week. I am very honored to mention my 102-year-old student Helen Rohde. She is so pleasant and sweet. She feels good during the exercise and says "thank you" each time we finish our work-out. Here is a photo when she was doing Wheelchair-Push-Hands with me.

Hand-in-Hand Tai Chi helps Alzheimer's and Dementia patients with their range of motion, their emotions and tranquility. It also helps them with their overall physical conditions.

During my first class with them, their faces were cold and they were stiff at the beginning. But as I started holding their hands and doing the Tai Chi movements, they relaxed and followed me like a dancing partner. I feel their trust in me, and I can tell their internal good feeling from their smiles. What can be more rewarding than that!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Take Health in Your Own Hands

Healthy pH level of human blood is in a narrow range of 7.35-7.45. Alkaline food such as vegetables and fruits satisfy the healthy body pH, while meat, dairy, sugar, soda drinks, most refined processed food and cooked food are acidic. The polluted environment and stress in life and work also add acidic elements to our body. In today's world, many things are beyond our control. If you are not aware of this fact and taking actions accordingly, it is very difficult to avoid being sick.

However, you don't have to surrender to today's polluted world. You don't have to wait till you get sick. You can take your health in your own hands, and prevent illness to form. Even if you already have some illness, you can prevent the illness from getting worse.

Since I can't eat nine servings of fruits and veggies a day as needed by the body, I use two products--barley grass juice (BarleyLife) and alkaline water (Abova ORP Water). These convenient products satisfy my nutrition needs and give me good energy of the day. They are the best alkaline products available in the market today. They help me to off set the acidic elements in food and environment. I used to have liver and kidney problems, now I'm in the best status of my health.

If you have not yet taken any medication, try not to start one. If you are already under medication, try not to add one more pill. I strongly suggest you take your health in your own hands. You are responsible for your own health. Besides all the right things you are doing, I suggest you start taking barley grass juice and Abova alkaline water every day. They provide true healing naturally.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Alkaline Body Environment Prevents Cancer/Lymphoma

China Central Television leading news anchorman LUO Jing passed away on June 5, 2009 at age 48. A popular and likeable broadcaster, he was diagnosed as lymphoma 9 months ago and was under hospital medical treatment. The doctors could not save his life.

No doubt the doctors did their best. But the current medical treatment for cancer is harmful to the patient’s immune system which is actually the only hope for recovery, especially for lymphoma. Somehow I believe Luo Jing may not even have a chance to try the alternative method to boost up the immune system.

However, cancer/lymphoma are preventable. Lymphoma can be easily overlooked among people 45-60 years old. Some of the early symptoms are simply feeling tired, low energy or having flue-like symptoms. Actually these are also the symptoms of acidic body environment which is the basic condition to form many illness. By changing this condition, making the body environment alkaline we will be able to prevent cancer/lymphoma or all kind of illness to form.

How can we make our body environment alkaline? Human body has a narrow range pH level of 7.35-7.45 which is slightly alkaline. As we are facing fast pace and stressful work place, polluted environment, over chemical-used agriculture, overwhelmed electronic device, refined processed food, etc., they all make our body acidic. To restore the pH level to our natural balance, I suggested the following five steps in my 9/19/2008 blog:

1. Be happy (Sad tears are acidic and toxic)
2. Eat alkaline food as much as possible (vegetables and fruit are alkaline)
3. Drink alkaline juice: BarleyLife® and LeafGreens®
4. Drink alkaline water: ABOVA® ORP Water
5. Do Tai Chi and QiGong every day

If you have followed these steps, you probably already experienced being less stressful, more productive, happier, and have more energy.

We don’t have to be sick. We can prevent it. Even if the doctor told you that you have 6 months to live, or you have 50/50 chance, you can take control of your own health by changing your body environment alkaline.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Healthy Lifestyle

A study on longevity shows that family factor affects longevity by 15%, medical factor makes 8%, while lifestyle factor makes 60%. In sociology, a lifestyle is the way a person lives. That is to say, the way we live affects us directly on how healthy we can be and how long we can live.

We can't choose our family genes. But we can choose how to live. I believe the best examples to follow are those who already successfully lived 100 years and over. I found interesting stories of Centenarians on the internet. Many of them have something in common. They live simple and active life, they are happy people, they don't worry about things, and they eat light meals.

These sound simple. But in today's world, it's not easy to live a simple life. Things are complicated. And there are always things to worry about. I have been trying to keep myself positive, happy and active. But one thing I could not control. I always have late dinner after a full day of work. This is not healthy at all. Now that I'm retired, I don't have to eat late dinner any more. From today on, I will have light dinner not later than 7:00 pm. In a year, I will find out what impact it has on my overall health. At least, I don't have to go to bed with a full stomach of undigested food.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Natural Way of Healing

We don’t have to get sick. Our body is designed to heal itself. If you feel tired, or have pain here and there, don’t wait. It’s time to help yourself. All you need to do is to follow the natural way of healing.

Why Natural Way of Healing? I have my doctor to take care of me.

True. When you are sick, you have doctors to take care of you. However, why wait till you get sick when your internal organs get damaged? The body’s natural defense gives small signals when the health status is weakened. Feeling tired and having pain are the common signals. If you go to see a doctor at this time, most likely the tests will show normal, but you don’t feel well.

If we are not taking actions to improve the condition and allow the health to decline further, serious symptoms will occur. The damage will get into the internal organs. At this time, the test result will tell the doctor that you are sick of a named illness. The doctor will prescribe certain drugs to help you recover.

Do you have to wait till you are really sick? You don’t have to. You can take your health in your own hand, and enjoy a healthy and quality life up to 120 years old. Here is a simple solution through Natural Way of Healing.

- Breath deep 3 times a day 20 minutes each time (QiGong)
- Tai Chi at least 2 times a week, best do it every day
- Green barley juice (BarleyLife®) every morning to start your day

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Seek for Overall Wellbeing

Many chronic health problems develop over time. During the course of this development we have chance of getting sicker or getting better, depending on what we do.

Main elements that affect our health can be summarized as following:

- Immune system
- Mental strength
- Physical strength
- Nutrition
- Environment
- Lifestyle

Taking control of above elements with good understanding, and trying to improve in a steady and balanced way will lead us to a better health status.

When we go through physical checkup or screening exams, and experience doubtful or questionable reports, don’t panic, because panic will only serve to decrease your immune system defense, and bring down your mental and physical strength.

The best option is to go through above elements and check one by one. Find out the possible causing reasons, and make positive changes accordingly. Take physical checkup again after three months. If problem reports persist, seek for medical help. The chances are, in many cases, you are already on the way to improve. In that case, keep up the good work.

I found a simple solution to prevent and improve many health issues. Use BarleyLife, powder of young barley leaves, as the basic food supplement. It quenches the thirst of our cells, and satisfies our basic nutrition needs. It helped myself since 1994. I truly believe this is a simple solution for an overall wellbeing.

Friday, April 24, 2009

World Tai Chi & QiGong Day

On April 25, 2009, the 11th World Tai Chi & QiGong Day will take place in over 60 countries around the world. You can be part of this global event by joining me this Saturday afternoon at 1:30 in the open area outside the Long Branch Community Center, Silver Spring, Maryland.

This annual event was created in 1999 to promote Tai Chi and Qigong and has been held on the last Saturday of April each year. The annual event is open to the general public, and begins in the earliest time zones of New Zealand at 10 am, and then participants across Oceania, Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, and South America take part, with celebrations in sixty nations and several hundred cities, ending with the final events in the last time zones of Hawaii almost an entire day later. Celebrations include mass Tai Chi Chuan and qigong exhibitions in many cities, and free classes in most participating cities.  If you are interested, please join me at this event, or join the following Tai Chi classes:

- Long Branch Community Center, Thursdays, 7:30pm (ongoing free class)
- Langley Park Comminity Center, Saturdays (registration needed)

Friday, February 27, 2009

Go Nuts

Nuts contain important nutrients that are good for our heart. Some studies show that people who eat nuts regularly are less likely to suffer from coronary heart disease. According to recent clinical trials, consuming various nuts such as almond, pecan and walnut can lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol). Scientists believe that nuts contain various substances that possess cardio-protective effects such as omega 3 fatty acids. Eat a handful of mixed nuts a day, either added to meals or for snack, can reduce the risk of heart disease.

Almond is a rich natural source of vitamin E. Almonds are known to help lower LDL cholesterol when consumed in a healthy way. They are high in monounsaturated fats, the same type of health-promoting fats as found in olive oil. Almond is a good ingredient for low-carbohydate or carbohydrate-restricted diet. Almond flour is gluten-free which is good for gluten-sentitive people or those who suffer from wheat allergies.

Pecan is a good source of protein and a good low unsaturated fat source of vitamin E. The antioxidants and plant sterols found in pecans can reduce LDL cholesterol levels. A clinical research found that eating a handful of pecans each day may help lower cholesterol levels similar to what is often seen with cholesterol-lowering medications. Consuming nuts regularly can also help lower the risk of gallstones in women.

Walnut is a great source of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Its health benefits range from cardiovascular protection, to the promotion of better brain function, to anti-inflammatory benefits for asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. An antioxidant "ellagic acid" found in walnuts supports the immune system. In one study, the participants followed walnut-rich diet were found to have lowered LDL cholesterol and Lp(a) ("lipoprotein a" is a lipid compound that increases blood clotting).

Start your handful of nuts this weekend, and let me know if you feel better.

Natural Form of Nutrition

In a commercial society as we live, the food industry would promote products that bring profit. Nowadays, you may find co-Q10, green tea, Omega 3 fatty acid, polyphenols, etc., whatever is hot, are being "added" to many products in the market.

As our human knowledge about nature is very limited, there are many things we cannot fully understand. We can break down a piece of tea leave and analyze its chemical components, but we cannot put those chemicals together and form a piece of tea leave!

What we really need are the natural forms of these beneficial properties that the nature provides, or the forms that are kept less tempered. We need nutrition supplements that can be fully absorbed and digested by the body.

If supplements are not fully absorbed and digested by the body, they may actually cause potential health problems, such as kidney stone or joint pain.

Get closer to nature. Get natural form of nutrition.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Live Wisely and Meridian Channels

The body heals, not the medicine, not the medical equipment. No matter how much medicine we pour into a dead person, it will not work. Because the healing mechanism is with us when we are alive. This is beyond the current medical science can explain. The ancient people figured out wise ways to work with this natural healing mechanism which still work up to this day.

We must not treat our body as a machine. Rather, we should treat it as an extremely highly intelligent being. Having this kind of understanding in mind, we will not try to temper with any part of our body with our shallow knowledge, but try to understand its unique operation as a whole and cope with it according to its natural way.

Tai Chi and QiGong are along this line of Chinese traditional medicine theory to help the body to heal naturally. According to this theory, the blood and energy supply focus on different meridian channels during the 12 time zones of a day. Each pair of related two channels work together to keep a balance.

子zi 11:00pm-1:00am--Gall Bladder Channel
丑chou 1:00-3:00am--Liver Channel

寅yin 3:00-5:00am--Lung Channel
卯mou 5:00-7:00am--Large Intestine Channel

辰chen 7:00-9:00am--Stomach Channel
巳si 9:00-11:00am--Spleen Channel

午wu 11:00am-1:00pm--Heart Channel
未wei 1:00-3:00pm--Small Intestine Channel

申shen 3:00-5:00pm--Bladder Channel
酉you 5:00-7:00pm--Kidney Channel

戌xu 7:00-9:00pm--Pericardium Channel(心包经)
亥hai 9:00-11:00pm--Triple Heater Channel(三焦经)

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Tai Chi and Longevity

Tai Chi and QiGong work on the Qi flow along the channels that associate with our internal organs. They can offer theraputic effects if practiced correctly. Many examples in history proved that Tai Chi and QiGong effectively helped the weak to become strong and the sick to heal. It is a proven effective tool leading to a healthy and quality life.

Grandmaster WU Tunan (吴图南) lived 104 years (1885-1989). He was a sick boy when he was yong. His parents sent him to learn Tai Chi when he was nine years old. Later he taught marshall arts at schools and universities and became a well-known researcher in this field. One of his research subjects was longevity through Tai Chi and QiGong. He shared his experience at his 100-year birthday celebration. He said that he lived a full and quality life because of Tai Chi.

Please check out this link-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QRj4aqLsu8

Monday, January 19, 2009

Pathways of Healing

When we practice Tai Chi and QiGong for health and healing, it is important to understand the traditional Chinese meridians or channels (经络) which are know as pathways of energy flow. Through practice, we are able to focus the Qi and send it along the pathways for healing and releasing discomfort.

There are twelve primary channels(十二正经) that are related to internal organs. Six can be found on the arms and the other six can be found on the legs. During our practice we stimulate these channels to improve the energy flow through our internal organs.

The channels on the arms are related to heart, pericardium(心包), lungs, large intestine, small intestine, and the trunk of the body which is know as SanJiao(三焦).

The channels on the legs are related to liver, spleen, kidney, stomach, gall bladder, and bladder.

If you can't remember their locations, simply pat along your arms and legs in the morning after you get up and in the evening before you go to bed. You may add a third time during the day while you watch television or listen to music. You will feel good and it IS good for your health.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Tai Chi for Healthy and Quality Life

As we enter the new year of 2009, I would like to make a new year resolution that I make more efforts in promoting Tai Chi for healthy and quality life for the communities. Much need to be done in the following areas:

- Tai Chi for busy people to release pressure
- Tai Chi for seniors to strengthen balance and flexibility
- Special instructions for wheelchair Tai Chi
- Understand and work with Chinese Meridian (经络)
- Practice Qi(气) and use it for healing
- Push Hands (推手) for health and healing

In addition to the current classes, individual appointment will be available after May 2009. Please send email to nanxwang@gmail.com