Here is an important article regarding an area of your body you can work on to help with movement ease, balance, and  longevity! Your gluteus muscles are very important for mobility, even for just standing from a sitting position. T'ai Chi and Qi Gong include many movements which enhance the strength of the glutes, even the simple "Tai Chi stance" requires action in the glutes!

This is an “open” article from the NYT, so you do not have to be a subscriber to read it. As such, I have included an excerpt or two here as well, with my notes in [brackets]. To Your Health!

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/well/move/strong-glutes-health-longevity.html?unlocked_article_code=1.X1A.hwPT.MY9HxHaxBmxY&smid=em-share

Building your butt muscles will help you stay injury free and independent in midlife and beyond.

… experts are increasingly finding that having a powerful posterior isn’t just about looking good in jeans. The glutes are the largest muscles in our body and are closely tied to stability, balance and aging well. They act like shock absorbers when we walk or climb stairs, and building a strong butt can help prevent and manage back pain at any age and reduce the risk of falling for older adults.

…“Glutes are so important” for independent living, said Theresa Marko, a physical therapist in New York and adjunct professor of physical therapy at Touro University. “Do you want to get off the subway? Do you want to get off the toilet?”

…The key to building powerful glutes for strength and stability is finding exercises that require them to work alongside the hamstrings, quads, lower back in a natural way, Dr. Dorgo said. [TC and QG do this!]

Rising Phoenix T'ai Chi / Shoulders Down, Inc. 
 

You Are the Motion 

By Cate Morrill 

A white crane spreads its wings, a snake creeps down in the grass. 

A golden rooster stands on one leg, a jade phoenix nods its head. 

But you are not the observer, standing idly by, watching these beautiful movements in nature. 

You are performing them, creating them, feeling their energy, your “inner-chi.” 

You are taking in each breath with purpose, intention, 

filling yourself with a lightness, 

while opening your energy paths so the chi will flow freely. 

* 

You are finding relaxation in powerful movements, 

and strength in yielding. 

You are experiencing the invigorating balance of Yin and Yang, the fluidity of balanced motion,

the peacefulness of a still mind,

and the joy of newly discovered sensations. 

 You are the instrument of this choreography, 

and the benefactor as well. 

You are also often laughing, shaking like a snake and 

mimicking a monkey. 

You are connected to the universe with the 

Golden Thread. 

You are in T’ai Chi class. 

* 

Somewhere near, a 

Phoenix Rises

Here is a very important article for you!

New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has revealed that training one arm can improve strength and decrease muscle loss in the other arm — without even moving it. 

The findings could help to address the muscle wastage and loss of strength often experienced in an immobilized arm, such as after injury, by using eccentric exercise on the opposing arm. 

In eccentric exercises, the contracting muscle is lengthening, such as when lowering a dumbbell in bicep curls, sitting on a chair slowly or walking downstairs. Previous research has shown these exercises are more effective at growing muscle than concentric exercises, in which muscle are shortening such as when lifting a dumbbell or walking up stairs.

Full article - https://scitechdaily.com/new-research-reveals-exercising-one-arm-has-twice-the-benefits/

https://healthandwealthbulletin.com/how-to-prevent-one-of-the-greatest-dangers-to-the-elderly/

So happy to share with you!