Chi Machines
Activating your Life Force

HSW-TBN Health TALK 1© 1995, HTEUSA NEW CALISTHENICS AEROBIC EXERCISE
DR. Wei-Penu Zhao

Based on human physiological function, a human being might have a life span of 150 years. However, the average life span of man nowadays is less than half of that. The reason is that, in addition to death resulted from disease, there is lack of sufficient oxygen in your living environment. Oxygen as a basic requirement of element for man is known to all. Nevertheless, many of us do not clearly understand what is its role to our health and longevity. Whatever exercise you do, you do require aerobic metabolism. Those sports such as jogging, swimming, playing balls, etc. then require much more oxygen. In such case, human organs such as heart, lung, liver, and blood circulation accelerate their functioning, require more oxygen, increase metabolism and the activities of various types of cells. Therefore, they are known as oxygen consuming physical exercises. In other words, there is certain pressure to the human body, or the so called physical discipline. The Chinese have some unique views about strengthening our body and health care. Long before several thousand years ago, there was the so-called "Sitting quietly" to strengthen one's body. This style of health care actually, through "Sitting quietly", readjusts human respiratory rhythm and function. It concentrates all the daily chores of all kinds of thoughts into one point, and lets blood circulatory system adjust and relax, and at the same time lets the vegetative nerves (regulating the function of visceral organs, composed of mutually cooperative sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves) mutually coordinate and produce a unified action. Thus human body can have a good health and life. YuJia, TaJiQuan, BaDuanJin and the like are derived from "Sitting quietly" and,with it as the basic starting point, with some additional motion mimicked from animal movements. All these play some role to strengthen out body, prevent disease and make a long life. Nowadays people discover that many biological functions of animals are absent in human being. The bionics is the science to study how to mimic the animals' functions and structures. The most simple example is how people manufacture the airplane from the flying of birds. Thus people hope there are some clues to be learned from them to be useful for antisenity, to improve our health and longevity as well.

The life span of human body is much longer than last century. It does not mean that human constitution is stronger than before. The credit is due to the following facts. People know much more about themselves, there are many early diagnosis for diseases, more improved methods of treatments. As the mortality of disease is declined, the life span is extended. In addition, the death rates resulted from the natural and man-made calamities such as famines and wars are also greatly reduced. This of course also is one aspect to prolong human's life. On the other hand, the living standard of man of the modem times is much raised, and greatly improved, so that they take more meat, high fat, high protein for a better meal, and eventually increase their burden. Furthermore, human activities are confined in closed high-rises and skyscrapers, the contact with nature becomes less and less. In such case, the intake of oxygen, both quantitatively and qualitatively, is greatly reduced. The current environment of human being is maintained by air conditioning and central heating; as a result, the function of human lung and skin to regulate aerial metabolism is degenerated. The intake of oxygen is also greatly reduced. The pollution of air, water, and food by various industrial contaminants on the earth is daily increasing. The increase of food additives also are the threatening toxin to human health. Based on all the phenomena and the comparison between the theories of ancient age and modem era, health care scientists come to the conclusion that we have to get rid of the above four harms, and increase the oxygen content in our body. One may ask which route is employed to increase more oxygen intake. It's not through vigorous exercises, which in fact consume more oxygen in the end. From mimics, people discover that fishes in the water are always in the swinging motion. They neither feel tired, nor consume more oxygen. It is the so called aerobic movement. Through long-term practical trial, especially from the patients with organic lesions in heart, liver and kidney, those with hypertension, hypo tension, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, or obesity with heavy deposit of fat in abdomen, osteoporosis, or arthritis, all these patients are not allowed to take these oxygen consuming exercise. However, aerobic exercise is beneficial but not harmful to them.