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Exercise is the most effective ways to forestall falls. But what type of exercise helps probably the most? A small randomized controlled trial—the gold standard in research—found that tai chi was a winner. The study was published online on September 10, 2018. JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers took 670 older adults (average age 78) with a self-reported history of falls or mobility problems and randomly divided them into three groups. One group did tai chi only. One group did only stretching exercises. and one group did aerobics, strength training, and balance and adaptability exercises. All participants participated of their assigned activities twice per week, for one hour every time. After six months, people within the tai chi group had 58 percent fewer falls than people within the stretching group, and 31 percent fewer falls than people within the group that did more exercise. The variety of tai chi within the trial was tailored to older adults susceptible to falling. But plenty of evidence has shown that tai chi basically is effective for improving balance. It uses a series of slow, flowing movements and deep respiration. Gradual weight shifting increases your strength, flexibility, range of motion, and reflexes.
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