In modern society, exercise seems to have become a standard for pursuing health. From sweating it out in the gym to outdoor running and fitness, people’s enthusiasm for exercise is on the rise. However, can exercise truly restore our bodies as we hope, allowing us to regain health and vitality without reservation? From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the answer is not so straightforward.

1. The Essential Difference Between Modern Exercise and TCM Exercise

1. Modern Exercise vs. Ancient Meridian Exercise

Common modern exercises, such as running, fitness, and weightlifting, primarily train the muscles and bones. When running, our leg muscles and bones bear the pressure of the exercise, and to some extent, cardiovascular function is enhanced, with increased breathing and heart rate, and faster blood flow, leading to improved lung capacity and seemingly enhanced blood circulation.

Weightlifting focuses even more on muscle training and shaping.

However, from the perspective of TCM meridian theory, these exercises do not truly engage the meridians and are less effective in directly exercising the internal organs.

In stark contrast are traditional TCM practices. Take Tai Chi, for example; its movements are slow and gentle, seemingly less intense than modern exercises, but its core lies in moving the meridians and energy channels. As practitioners slowly perform each move, the meridians within the body are gently combed through as if by a tender hand.

TCM states that “qi commands the blood,” and when qi flows, blood flows; when meridians are unblocked, blood circulation naturally follows. Moreover, during serious practice of Tai Chi, the body’s qi also merges with the qi of heaven and earth, like opening a window in the body, expelling the turbid and inhaling the clear, absorbing the pure qi from the environment and expelling the body’s turbid qi.

However, achieving healing effects through traditional practices is not easy. This is closely related to the depth of one’s practice and personal condition. Simply mimicking movements does not guarantee health. Truly practicing and maintaining health requires meeting several prerequisites.

First, one’s foundation must be good, referring to the body’s original qi and blood, and the basic functions of the internal organs. If one’s qi and blood are severely deficient, and the organ functions are weak, relying solely on practice to restore health will be challenging.

Second, there should be no significant internal consumption in daily life. Internal consumption includes excessive fatigue, long-term staying up late, and significant emotional fluctuations. A person with a peaceful life and stable emotions is more likely to nourish their body and mind through practice.

Finally, consistent daily practice is crucial. The effects of practice are not immediate and require time to accumulate and settle; only long-term persistence can gradually bring about changes in the body.

If these three points cannot be achieved, relying solely on practice to reverse sub-health and restore physical health is, frankly, difficult to achieve.

2. Reasons Why Unhealthy Bodies Cannot Be Restored Solely Through Exercise

All diseases and sub-health conditions that occur in the body, when analyzed from the root of TCM theory, can be attributed to two aspects: deficiency and excess.

Deficiency situations are complex; from a functional perspective, there may be qi deficiency, blood deficiency, yin deficiency, yang deficiency, and fluid deficiency.
People with qi deficiency often feel weak and breathless with slight activity;
Those with blood deficiency may have a pale or sallow complexion and easily experience dizziness and blurred vision;
People with yin deficiency may have hot palms and soles, and night sweats;
Those with yang deficiency are often cold and have cold limbs;
People with fluid deficiency feel dry mouth and tongue, and dry skin.

From the perspective of the internal organs, there may be lung deficiency, spleen deficiency, stomach deficiency, liver deficiency, and kidney deficiency.
People with lung deficiency are prone to colds and coughs;
Those with spleen deficiency often have poor digestion, loss of appetite, bloating, and diarrhea;
People with stomach deficiency may experience stomach pain, bloating, and discomfort after eating;
Liver deficiency may lead to dry eyes, decreased vision, and depression;
Kidney deficiency may cause lower back and knee weakness, and reduced sexual function.

Excess situations are also diverse:

Conditions like nodules, hyperplasia, cysts, and effusions, when dissected from a TCM perspective, are mainly caused by factors such as phlegm, dampness, blood stasis, cold, and heat. For example,
People with heavy phlegm and dampness may be overweight, have a thick and greasy tongue coating, and feel lethargic;
Those with blood stasis may have fixed pain in the body and may have petechiae on the skin;
People with cold pathogens may have obvious cold symptoms, possibly with abdominal pain and diarrhea;
Those with heat pathogens may experience fever, thirst, and sore throat.

3. TCM has clear principles for regulating these deficiency and excess conditions.

For deficiency, supplementation is needed, using methods such as tonifying qi, blood, yin, yang, and fluids according to different deficiency syndromes;
For excess, opening, draining, and unblocking are needed, such as resolving phlegm, dispelling dampness, promoting blood circulation to remove stasis, dispelling cold, and clearing heat.
It is evident that these complex bodily conditions cannot be resolved solely through exercise. For those with very weak bodies and health scores below 60, even without internal consumption and with consistent practice, restoring health is a long process. Because deficiency is like a lack of resources in a warehouse; exercise can promote the flow of yang qi to some extent, but it cannot fundamentally replenish the lacking resources, much like a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice.

4. You Need to Distinguish Between Blockage and Malnourishment If you are not deficient but have local blockages, many sub-health conditions can be resolved through exercise. If you are deficient, many sub-health conditions are due to a lack of qi and blood to nourish the body. At this point, exercise may become a greater burden on your body. You may feel good during exercise, with improved complexion and other aspects, but feel more tired and uncomfortable afterward. At this point, you should consider whether to try a different approach, not relying solely on exercise for regulation. We can categorize those who are only blocked as sub-healthy individuals with strong self-healing abilities, for whom exercise can turn them into “healthy individuals.” The latter are truly sub-healthy individuals, for whom many remedies that others find effective may not work, and the exercise that others find healthy may still leave them feeling the same. So, is your body suitable for exercise, and what is the best way to regulate your body? First, you need to have a clear understanding of your own body.

Modern medicine encourages annual check-ups and looking at indicator data, but often the result is lifelong medication for chronic diseases and surgery for acute symptoms or organic diseases.
TCM also has a corresponding set of principles. TCM does not assess health based on indicator data but on various bodily sensations and functions.

This is an article I wrote before about the standards for true health in terms of diet, bowel movements, sleep, and mood:Health Indicators Many people still do not understand what health and unhealthiness mean. They may mistake unhealthiness for health, delaying body recovery. Additionally, I have categorized people’s health into several score ranges based on years of clinical experience.

So, what score does your body get?

☆☆ Limitations of Modern Exercise

• ​Mainly Muscle and Bone Training: Running, weightlifting, and other exercises primarily stimulate the musculoskeletal system and enhance cardiovascular function, but their regulatory effect on meridians and internal organs is limited.
• ​Energy Consumption Trap: Excessive exercise may deplete qi and blood, exacerbating yin or yang deficiency (such as night sweats and chills after running at night).

☆☆ Wisdom of TCM Exercise

• ​Meridian Guiding Techniques: Tai Chi and Baduanjin use slow movements to unblock the twelve main meridians, such as the “Cloud Hands” movement regulating the liver and gallbladder meridians, and the “Single Whip” movement activating the bladder meridian.
• ​Principles of Dual Nourishment of Qi and Blood: The movements are designed to integrate “form, qi, and spirit,” such as the Five Animal Frolics mimicking animal postures to guide the rise of clear qi and the descent of turbid qi within the body.

Comparison:

​Type of Exercise	​Target Audience	​Regulatory Effect
Modern Fitness	Young and Middle-aged Sub-healthy	Enhances Muscle Strength, Short-term Improvement in Physical Fitness
Tai Chi	Elderly with Qi and Blood Deficiency	Improves Balance in 3 Months, Enhances Sleep Quality in 6 Months

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​2. Deep Causes of Unhealthy Bodies: Analysis of Deficiency and Excess

(Attached Tongue Image Atlas and Constitution Self-Assessment Table)
1. Four Types of Deficiency Syndromes and Their Manifestations

​Type of Deficiency	​Typical Symptoms	​Tongue Image Features	​Prohibited Exercises
Qi Deficiency	Shortness of Breath, Fatigue	Pale Red Tongue with Thin White Coating	High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Blood Deficiency	Pale Complexion, Dizziness	Pale and Swollen Tongue with Tooth Marks	Long-distance Running, Hot Yoga
Yin Deficiency	Night Sweats, Five Palm Heat	Red Tongue with Little Coating	Hot Yoga, Sauna
Yang Deficiency	Fear of Cold, Cold Limbs	Pale Purple Tongue with White Slippery Coating	Winter Swimming, Cold Showers

2. Three Major Causes and Harms of Excess Syndromes

​Type of Excess	​Causes	​Typical Diseases	​Regulatory Direction
Phlegm-Dampness	Greasy Diet + Spleen Deficiency in Transportation	Fatty Liver, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome	Er Chen Tang + Hawthorn Lotus Leaf Tea
Blood Stasis	Qi Stagnation and Blood Stasis + History of Trauma	Uterine Fibroids, Arthritis	Tao Hong Si Wu Tang + Bloodletting
Mixed Cold and Heat	Overeating + Irregular Lifestyle	Irritable Bowel Syndrome	Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang + Moxibustion at Shenque Point

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​3. Core Principles of TCM Regulation: Combining Unblocking and Supplementation

(Attached Classic Formulas and Operation Guidelines)
1. Three-Step Method for Regulating Deficiency Syndromes

• ​First Step: Gently Supplement Qi and Blood
  • Formula: Bazhen Tang (Dang Shen 15g + Shu Di Huang 20g + Dang Gui 10g)
  • Dietary Therapy: Dang Gui Sheng Jiang Yang Rou Tang (twice a week, stop during menstruation)
• ​Second Step: Unblock Meridians
  • Practice: Morning practice of “Left and Right Bow Like Shooting an Eagle” (unblocks the Lung Meridian)
• ​Third Step: Consolidate the Foundation
  • Habit: Go to bed before 9-11 PM, apply Wu Zhu Yu powder to the Yongquan point

2. Key Points for Regulating Excess Syndromes

• ​Phlegm-Dampness Constitution:
  • Bloodletting (Fenglong and Yinlingquan points) once a week
  • Medicinal Diet: Red Bean and Job’s Tears Porridge (soak Job’s Tears for 2 hours before cooking)
• ​Blood Stasis Obstruction:
  • External Treatment: Apply Tao Ren Hong Hua Medicinal Wine to the painful area (Hong Hua 10g + Tao Ren 15g + 500ml white wine)
  • Internal Formula: Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang (Tao Ren 12g + Hong Hua 9g + Chuan Xiong 6g)

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​4. How to Determine If You Are Suitable for Exercise?

1. Exercise Adaptability Assessment

​Assessment Item	​Standard	​Score
Morning Tongue Coating Status	Pale Red Tongue/Thin White Coating	20 Points
Recovery Speed After Exercise	Fatigue Disappears Within 30 Minutes	30 Points
Night Sleep Quality	Deep Sleep ≥ 4 Hours	25 Points
Emotional Stability	Monthly Irritability ≤ 2 Times	25 Points

2. Result Comparison Table

​Total Score Range	​Regulation Suggestions
80-100 Points	Can Moderately Engage in Aerobic Exercise (e.g., Brisk Walking)
50-79 Points	Need to Take Decoctions for Regulation Before Exercising
＜50 Points	Prohibited from Intense Exercise, Focus on Rest