Recommended Exercise, Radio Taiso

When I joined my son’s school activity the other day, I did a warm-up exercise called “Radio Taiso.” When did I do this exercise last? Nearly 20 years have passed since I graduated from high school when I did this exercise in PE class. Although I occasionally worked out in a gym or played sports with my friends in the meantime, I still felt my body stiff as doing this simple and easy Radio Taiso. But I also felt very refreshing. It was so weird that I never felt that way when I had chances to do this exercise daily during schooldays.

There are few Japanese people but know Radio Taiso.  It was created in 1928 as to promote the people’s health. Primarily, it was called “National Health Exercise” and broadcasted through radio throughout Japan. Later in 1951, it was rearranged and renamed as current “Radio Taiso, Part 1 and Part 2.”

Radio Taiso has become a standard warm-up exercise in Japan. School children do it at the beginning of PE class or athletic meets. Construction workers or those who are engaged in physical labor are usually required to do Radio Taiso in their morning meeting. It is effective to stimulate their mind and body to awake before their work. Some people make it a daily habit to do Radio Taiso. But it is definitely true that there are many people who have a negative image of Radio Taiso as they recall it as one of the displeasing assignments for elementary school children during the long summer vacations, when it’s supposed to be fun and free from school. Typically, children wish to rise late in the morning and they expect it possible during the summer vacation. Bur in reality, they must get up early enough to attend Radio Taiso gathering in a school playground or a park in their neighborhood. Despite the aim of Radio Taiso as to maintain children’s daily routine even during a long vacation, most children including me did not like it.


Author Kakko Nakamura, Publisher Kodansha

Radio Taiso has such history, but it has been a boom among young people, especially women recently. The beginning of the boom was a book “It’s actually amazing! Radio Taiso for the adults. (Kodansha)” published in April 2012. The author, Dr. Kakko Nakamura is also an athletic doctor who is in charge of giving guidance and treatment for national rhythmic gymnastics members says Radio Taiso moves the whole body stimulating every muscle and it is effective to make slender body. The book comes with a DVD showing how to do Radio Taiso properly. This idea caught attentions and interests of young women who care about diet and their figures. DVD allows them to do Radio Taiso at home in private.

Radio Taiso has two parts, Part 1 and Part 2, and each part has 13 kinds of exercise which moves all the joints and muscle to the sides, back, and forth with a balance and thoroughly. Every step of Radio Taiso is simple and easy to understand but it was designed and created by a team of gymnastics professionals who precisely calculated that the exercise required no excessive force. Both Part 1 and 2 takes about 3 minutes. Plus, each movement intentionally uses the parts we seldom use. These are the significant factors to make into a daily habit. The sequence of movements is also designed precisely for hardness increases step by step.

Did you know that we only use 30% of total muscle in our daily lives? Radio Taiso seems so simple but if you pay attention to each movement, you cannot help but feel a slight pain. It means that where you feel a slight pain is not used unless you move intentionally as Radio Taiso. I used to make fun of Radio Taiso until my son’s school event the other day. Radio Taiso after 20 years was quite an exercise for middle-aged woman.

Radio Taiso lasts for just three minutes. When I was a child, I moved my arms and legs at random. But I realized if I move with intentions and master each movement, I am able to appreciate effects of aerobic exercise, muscle training, stretching, and body balance.

Bending and stretching knees and waist or twisting the upper half of the body can ease the stiff muscle, and stimulate the whole body leading to the acceleration of blood circulation. Stimulated blood circulation enhances the basal metabolism which helps burn body fat, beef up muscle, and changes one’s physical constitution to lose weight. Immune system will also improve and we tend to stay away from getting sick. Radio Taiso eventually moves our internal organs, which shall be helpful to relieve constipation. This whole body exercise surely eases back pains and lumbago.


Partially Cited from Kampo Insurance Co., Ltd.

From the web site below you can get detailed pictures or video about steps of Radio Taiso. (Available only in Japanese.)
http://www.jp-life.japanpost.jp/aboutus/csr/radio/abt_csr_rdo_guide.html

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Staying healthy is to continue good eating style and moderate exercise. Radio Taiso has gained its status as a nation’s most famous exercise because it has the factors to be healthy. Nowadays, you can find music or movie of Radio Taiso on YouTube, but what I strongly recommend is to follow the original radio broadcast at 6:30 every morning. Do this simple exercise first thing in the morning so that you will feel refreshed and inspire you for the rest of the day. If possible, try to keep time for second Radio Taiso before going to bed.

As a matter of fact, the origin of Radio Taiso has something to do with a physical education class during militarism era back in the history. Contrarily, in recent days when individualisms are highly praised, there are some people who choose to sleep in or who believe that they cannot exercise unless they pay to enroll a private sports club. Traditional style of Radio Taiso is for anybody in the local community to get together and exercise. Even for a short period of time, as people gather, they’ll greet and get to know each other. It is worth reviewing Radio Taiso as one of the trends of cool Japan.