Humans can develop certain abilities we aren’t born with by practicing animals’ movements, the traditional Chinese Wushu lovers believed in the past-and still do today.

Chinese Five-Animal Exereises, also known as Wuqinxi, are the first complete set of qigong exercises following the movements of animals: monkeys,    A birds, bears and tigers. They were created by one of the greatest doctors in Chinese history, Hua Tuo, more than 1,800 years ago.

The Five-Animal-Exercises (五禽戏) are well-designed to help blood circulation (循环), and let the energy go smoothly in the body so as to improve the health.

“The bear movements are good for the stomach. The tiger movements can reduce the pain in the back. The deer movements help reduce the fat around the waist. (B)The bird movements can help keep our knees health and the monkey movements can be good for the heart,” said Hua Yi, the 59th inheritor (继承人) of Wuqinxi.

For those new learners, the first few exercises might not go well. You may find it hard to focus. Wear comfortable clothes, keep peaceful in your mind, try to move slowly... Little by little, you’ll feel more and more harmonious with nature. You may even feel you become a tiger or a deer, walking in the forest freely.

(C)The Five-Animal- Exercises need no tools and they are easy to learn. You can search online for the videos and practice them at any time when you feel like relaxing your body and mind. Because it’s fun to practice and good for health, Five-Animal Exercises are becoming more and more popular in recent years, not only in China, but also in many other places of the world.

Exercise helps to keep us in good health. Some doctors advise us to take exercise at least 150 minutes every week. Many people have a habit of taking exercise. They exercise for some minutes every day. So, getting those 150 minutes is easier.

But what about those times when you are ill? If you do not feel well, should you take exercise as usual? Will exercise help you feel better or not?

Edward R. Laskowski is a doctor. He says exercise is usually OK if you have a common cold. He says, “If you take some medicine and don’t feel so ill, it’s OK to take exercise.”

But there some other symptoms that can tell you to stop exercise. If you feel very tired, you shouldn’t exercise, either.

In all, Dr. Laskowski advised to listen to your body. If you feel really bad, take a break and let your body rest. If you don’t feel so bad, you can take exercise. For example, if you usually run, take a quick walk instead.

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