Off the Couch and Into Family Fun, Fitness With Tai Chi Rhythmball(TM)

WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- A new Chinese exercise -- based on a very old one -- is getting families off the couch together.

Tai Chi Rhythmball(TM) encourages players to keep a ball on a racquet while moving the arms and legs in motions of increasing difficulty. Based on Tai Chi's centuries of proven benefits, Rhythmball is available at .
"Without dieting, to go from size 24 to 18 in three months has been remarkable," says Lynn Johnson of Northampton, Mass.

, whose family is the sole North American distributor. "It's increased my vitality and strength, which helps me be a better mom. For the holidays, I'm giving Rhythmball to my friends for their health.

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Rhythmball is played together by generations of families to lower body weight and increase physical fitness. Tai Chi-based exercises have been proven to decrease back pain, lower blood pressure, and reduce symptoms of arthritis and diabetes.
Johnson is happy to be learning Rhythmball and her 10-month-old enjoys it, too.

"Whenever I plug in the DVD and get my racquet, he sits down and claps. He thinks it's the greatest show in town, which helps me stick to it."
On the sportive front, Rhythmball is shortlisted to be demonstrated at the 2008 Olympic Games, and was featured as the Leisure Detour challenge on the season 10 premiere of "The Amazing Race.

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Developed by a Chinese Olympic boxing coach to help wheelchair users improve their fitness, Rhythmball was quickly adopted by the ambulatory, making the "standing" version the "adaptive" one.
The Chinese have practiced Tai Chi for centuries, both for relaxation and also as a gentle, no-impact aerobic exercise. Rhythmball can be played alone or in a group, in unison or competitively, indoors or out.