They’ve been hard to miss, thrust in front of us on every social media platform for months now — adverts promising to transform you from an overweight, immobile pensioner into a slim, middle-aged, ripped and blissfully content new Tai Chi student. All in just a few minutes a day.
It was sometime in autumn last year when I first noticed them. And there are a plethora of versions, from a range of different sources. Typically, a woman sits on a stool being interviewed by a bare-chested, muscular Asian guy who warns her that her husband shouldn’t go to the gym, jog, or lift weights if he wants a body like his. Instead, he should learn Tai Chi Walking, or Tai Chi chair fitness, or Tai Chi harmonica or something-or-other. The specifics change depending on the platform.
The message, like the advert itself, is never clear. “Within two weeks of the Tai Chi programme, your friends will notice something different about you.” Will they? And what, exactly, will they notice? If you haven’t achieved a ripped belly, but instead feel ripped off, perhaps the the only noticeable reduction will be in your bank account?
Snake oil selling isn’t new. What is new is the scale and intensity of it, fuelled by unregulated platforms and AI-driven advertising. Browse YouTube over the last decade and you’ll find plenty of examples, claiming Tai Chi will help you lose weight, regain youthful energy, build a physique the gym supposedly can’t, cure terminal illness, or grant skills that politely ignore the laws of physics.
Social media, of course, only exists to monetise our interests. Thumbs-up a Tai Chi video, search for a Tai Chi book on Amazon, or Google a class nearby, and before your microwave has finished pinging the popcorn, an advert will appear on your phone recommending the easy-payment options for that Tai Chi fitness programme.
One ad shows a man with a huge beer belly announcing he’s about to start a Tai Chi programme. Two months later, he reappears: muscled, slim, and entirely free of belly fat.
So let’s put the record straight.
Weight loss comes from dietary changes and long-term physical activity.
Muscle gain comes from resistance and strength training.
These things are related, but they are not the same. Losing weight does not automatically build muscle. And building muscle does not necessarily result in weight loss.
To lose body fat safely usually requires six months at a minimum — more realistically, twelve. Claims that a 50-year-old can achieve dramatic physical transformation in a fortnight are not just misleading; they’re potentially risky. They ignore muscle mass, metabolism, recovery time, and the realities of ageing bodies.
So can Tai Chi walking reduce weight?
Any activity that gets you up, moving, and more active can contribute to better health, and over time, may support weight loss if that’s your intention. But separated from dietary change, aerobic activity, and resistance training, significant fat loss remains not just difficult, but largely imaginary.
So what is Tai Chi walking, and why are so many ads selling us this?
I wrote an article some years ago on the benefits of Tai Chi walking. Read it and make up your own mind about how it relates, or doesn’t, to weight loss or six-packs.
As for resistance training, core strength, stretching and the rest: YouTube is overflowing with simple, sensible home workouts. If that’s your goal, I’d suggest starting there. And yes, tai chi should broaden its traditional base to incorporate more general exercise approaches. Thats not the objection here. The objection is calling calisthenics "tai chi", and claiming it can produce results in a time frame that it cannot.
Those of you who know me, will know I worked in the fitness industry for years. I have written plenty about tai chi and exercise. I've built it into certain programs and courses. I believe keeping fit should be part of everyones health practice. I want people to move more, get outside, improve balance, breathing, coordination, and explore the genuine health benefits that Tai Chi and movement can offer.
But I also want people to do it safely, with realistic expectations, and with an eye on long-term change — not short-term fads or fantasy promises. Otherwise how many people are going to be disappointed when after 2 weeks they see little or no change? Who will they blame, the advertiser? Or will they shout loudly that tai chi doesn’t deliver what it promises?
We have, in this volatile world, a responsibility to challenge those that make dubious claims without offering evidence. Particularly when they turn up uninvited, and generated by an immature algorithm.
Read, discuss, challenge. ✊
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