SilverSneakers EnerChi is a 5-segment format that improves health- and skill-related fitness components.
Health-Related Components of Fitness
Cardiovascular endurance
Cardiovascular exercise is any mode of continuous, rhythmic activity utilizing large muscle groups. In individuals 65 and older, the continuous flow of movement in forms practiced for 20 to 35 minutes in the work segment of SilverSneakers EnerChi provides similar benefits to walking at a low to moderate pace (The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi).
Muscular strength and endurance
SilverSneakers EnerChi can provide significant strength training for both the lower and upper body. Applying the tai chi principle of cultivating whole body power through an internal emphasis, when one flows both upper and lower body movements with resistance as if in water, muscular strength and endurance improve. Awareness of weight shifting combined with slow movement as weight is transferred into one leg, held and then transferred to the other leg, results in substantial loading of the leg muscles and bones, contributing to muscular strength and endurance.
Flexibility
The slow, continuous, relaxed and repetitive movements of EnerChi result in dynamic stretching, which enhances overall flexibility. The exercises practiced in the warm-up and final stretch segment of class help stretch the muscles and lubricate joints throughout the body. Improved flexibility while maintaining balance is important to preserving independence during activities of daily living (ADLs), such as the ability to reach for an object without falling.
Skill-Related Fitness Components and Fall Prevention
Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older Americans. Falls threaten safety and independence and generate enormous economic and personal costs. Improving skill-related fitness components in combination with the health-related fitness components will minimize the risk of falling and help maintain an individual’s independent lifestyle.
With increasing age, there is a normal decrease in sensory function, muscular strength, reaction time, flexibility and cognitive processing. The regular practice of tai chi has demonstrated improvements in these areas leading to improved balance and balance recovery among regular practitioners. The article “The Role of Exercise in Preventing Falls Among Older Adults” in ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal (May/June 2015) says “Successful programs have incorporated more simplified forms of tai chi and a smaller number of movement sequences that emphasize multidirectional weight shifting, multi-segmental (arms, trunk, legs) coordinative movements, awareness of body alignment and synchronized breathing.” SilverSneakers EnerChi applies to each of these components. Additionally, SilverSneakers EnerChi integrates the five skill-related fitness components to improve health and independence.
The five skill-related components of fitness are agility, balance, coordination, speed and power. Each skill area plays an important role in improving functional performance. SilverSneakers EnerChi integrates these skills, contributing to improvements in maintaining balance, regaining balance and reducing fall frequency.
Agility
Practicing weight transfer in combination with reciprocal, or spiraling arm patterns trains agility, the ability to effectively respond to changes in body position.
The forms used in SilverSneakers EnerChi are introduced in Unit 3 of this course. When reviewing the forms, notice the spiraling arm patterns. Examples include:
- Parting the Wild Horse’s Mane.
- White Crane Flashes its Wings.
- Brush Knee.
- Stroke the Bird’s Tail.
Balance
Sustaining good postural control depends on a person’s ability to rely on three centers for adaptability:
- the vestibular system (located in the inner ear).
- the musculoskeletal system’s response to center of gravity changes.
- the neuromuscular sensory system’s response to surface variations.
Improvements in postural control come from flowing weight transfer in forms, practicing single leg movements, “sinking” or anchoring forms with deeper knee bends and rotating neck and upper body in forms.
While most forms contain elements that train each of these centers, examples include:
- Embrace the Moon: Up and Down.
- White Crane Flashes its Wings.
- Wave Hands Like Clouds.
Coordination
Movements that cross the midline of the body, movements that require one action from the left side and another action on the right side, as well as complex movement patterns, improve coordination. This is experienced when practicing upper and lower body movement patterns that are part of many EnerChi forms.
“Stroke the Bird’s Tail” is a perfect example of a form that includes all these elements. The form involves four parts with spiraling upper body movements that require one action on the right and a different action on the left while crossing the midline of the body.
Speed
Speed is more than quickness. Training acceleration and deceleration of movement aids in the recovery of a movement perturbation, the disturbance of motion or state of equilibrium. Applying the tai chi principle of focused weight transfer and “sinking” or anchoring the forms trains deceleration, an important principle of speed training.
Power
Lower body muscles are needed for stability actions that require powerful movement to avoid falling. Slow, deliberate movements with a focus on push and pull action creates power in movement. An example of training deceleration and power is in the form “Push the Mountain.”
Functional Fitness and EnerChi
Functional fitness can be defined as having the physiological capacity to perform normal, everyday activities safely and independently without undue fatigue.
Functional movement patterns include:
- Bend and lift movements.
- Single-leg movements.
- Pulling.
- Pushing.
- Rotation.
SilverSneakers EnerChi utilizes functional movement patterns to help improve the performance of daily activities and reduce the risk of falling. For example:
- Weight transfer emphasizes single-leg movements.
- Spiraling arms and torso utilize rotational patterns.
- Pushing and pulling are taught with muscular resistance.
These types of functional movements bring harmony and fluidity to the body while improving confidence and ability.