Live Long and Be Heathy

Todd: So, Monica, you do Tai Chi?

Monica: Yes, I've just joined a Tai Chi club?

Todd: What made you join the Tai Chi club?

Monica: Well, I wanted to do something that was a lot different to what I usually do, which is high impact sports like basketball and tennis.

Todd: So, you wanted to do something that was slower?

Monica: Yeah, well, I don't usually enjoy exercise that is quite slow such as yoga, but I decided to join this club and I'm really enjoying it.

Todd: So, what exactly is Tai Chi? What do you do in Tai Chi?

Monica: Well, there are different types of Tai Chi. There's the original Tai Chi which involves quick fast movements, and then there's a slower form of Tai Chi which is quite popular in Japan. I think it's called Mr. Young Tai Chi, and that involves very slow pronounced movements, and that's the Tai Chi that I'm doing.

Todd: How do you feel? Like after you do Tai Chi, do you feel tired? Do you feel energetic?

Monica: After I've done Tai Chi I feel quite energetic actually. I don't really feel tired because I haven't had a really hard workout, but I feel that my mind is very relaxed and focused and that I'm very motivated to do whatever I need to do for the rest of the day.

Todd: Now, you actually are a tennis coach, so you teach sports. Would you recommend Tai Chi for other athletes?

Monica: Yeah, I do recommend Tai Chi for other athletes. It's quite difficult to know exactly how you would benefit from Tai Chi, and how it can directly relate a specific sport, but I've heard that it works on your energy levels, and focuses your mind so that everything is in balance, and I think that can help in kind of sport because even in a sport like tennis, it's important to have balance when you're hitting the ball, when you're volleying, when you're getting ready for a smash. It actually involves having balance in terms of where your center of gravity is, so yeah, the concepts are similar.

Todd: So, Monica, a minute ago we were talking about Tai Chi and about how it helps longevity, helps you live a long life. One time when I was in Bangkok, I met a guy and he was doing Tai Chi and he looked really young, but he said the secret to his old life ... he said the secret to looking young, was Tai Chi and cold showers. He took a cold shower every morning.

Monica: Oh, wow!

Todd: Could you do that?

Monica: No, I don't think I could actually.

Todd: Yeah, you know, I actually tried it for awhile and I tried it for about a week and I did feel so energized and it was easy in Bangkok, cause it's really warm but I couldn't keep it up, especially not that I'm in the cold climate. There's no way.

Monica: Yeah, I remember when I was young, my mother used to teach me to splash my face with cold water in the morning because she believed that helped wake you up, and I remember as a child not liking that at all because I found it too cold. I preferred to splash my face with warm water.

Todd: So, have you heard about any other secrets to having a long life?

Monica: Yeah, I've heard of quite a few different secrets to having a long life. I guess one secret that a lot of different cultural groups seem to share is diet. If you take the Japanese as an example, and Japanese people do have a long life expectancy in comparison to other people from other countries. I think the Japanese eat a diet that's quite low in fat and reasonably low in salt as well, and I think their fluid intake is quite healthy because they drink a lot of green tea which has antioxidants in it, and a they drink a lot of miso soup which has a lot of vegetables in it, and is made from fermented barley, so I think that's very healthy.

Todd: I've also heard that people in the Mediterranean, they also often have a long life span in certain regions and maybe the combination of wine, just a little wine, not too much, but wine and olive oil, and then a lot of fish, seafood is also maybe beneficial to a long life.

Monica: Yeah, that's true. I've heard French people for example live a long life and that has often been said due to a glass of red wine a day, and I know people think differently about alcohol and it's affect on the body these days.

Todd: Right.

Monica: Yeah, because alcohol used to be considered quite a bad thing and discouraged in all forms but now people tend to think that a glass a day is actually quite beneficial to your health.

Todd: I've also actually heard that laughter, that people that laugh a lot tend to live longer.

Monica: Yeah, I've heard that too, actually, because laughing releases natural endorphins, and I think that helps you physiologically, and also I think psychologically you're happier if laughing so. Yeah, I think that long life is related to how you are feeling, and I think a lot of it is psychological as well as physical, for example, how much you are eating and what types of food you're eating.

Todd: Yeah, I guess, I'm kind of in the same boat, but I just don't know if I laugh that much. Maybe I'm in trouble.

Todd: So, Monica, a minute ago we were talking about Tai Chi and about how it helps longevity, helps you live a long life. One time when I was in Bangkok, I met a guy and he was doing Tai Chi and he looked really young, but he said the secret to his old life ... he said the secret to looking young, was Tai Chi and cold showers. He took a cold shower every morning.

Monica: Oh, wow!

Todd: Could you do that?

Monica: No, I don't think I could actually.

Todd: Yeah, you know, I actually tried it for awhile and I tried it for about a week and I did feel so energized and it was easy in Bangkok, cause it's really warm but I couldn't keep it up, especially not that I'm in the cold climate. There's no way.

Monica: Yeah, I remember when I was young, my mother used to teach me to splash my face with cold water in the morning because she believed that helped wake you up, and I remember as a child not liking that at all because I found it too cold. I preferred to splash my face with warm water.

Todd: So, have you heard about any other secrets to having a long life?

Monica: Yeah, I've heard of quite a few different secrets to having a long life. I guess one secret that a lot of different cultural groups seem to share is diet. If you take the Japanese as an example, and Japanese people do have a long life expectancy in comparison to other people from other countries. I think the Japanese eat a diet that's quite low in fat and reasonably low in salt as well, and I think their fluid intake is quite healthy because they drink a lot of green tea which has antioxidants in it, and a they drink a lot of miso soup which has a lot of vegetables in it, and is made from fermented barley, so I think that's very healthy.

Todd: I've also heard that people in the Mediterranean, they also often have a long life span in certain regions and maybe the combination of wine, just a little wine, not too much, but wine and olive oil, and then a lot of fish, seafood is also maybe beneficial to a long life.

Monica: Yeah, that's true. I've heard French people for example live a long life and that has often been said due to a glass of red wine a day, and I know people think differently about alcohol and it's affect on the body these days.

Todd: Right.

Monica: Yeah, because alcohol used to be considered quite a bad thing and discouraged in all forms but now people tend to think that a glass a day is actually quite beneficial to your health.

Todd: I've also actually heard that laughter, that people that laugh a lot tend to live longer.

Monica: Yeah, I've heard that too, actually, because laughing releases natural endorphins, and I think that helps you physiologically, and also I think psychologically you're happier if laughing so. Yeah, I think that long life is related to how you are feeling, and I think a lot of it is psychological as well as physical, for example, how much you are eating and what types of food you're eating.

Todd: Yeah, I guess, I'm kind of in the same boat, but I just don't know if I laugh that much. Maybe I'm in trouble.