Mindfulness-enhanced Tai Chi improved motivation and fitness measures in college students
A randomized trial favored the enhanced program over traditional Tai Chi, but did not establish whether benefits persisted after training ended.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
College students assigned to the mindfulness-enhanced program improved more than those assigned to traditional Tai Chi on the measured outcomes, including exercise motivation, fitness, mindfulness and well-being. These results concern changes from the start to the end of the program. They do not establish that motivation or exercise habits remained better after training ended.
There was no reported assessment after the program ended, and some participants withdrew. The abstract does not explain how missing data were handled or establish lasting changes in activity outside the sessions.
What researchers found
Exercise motivation and physical fitness
Mindfulness-enhanced program versus traditional Tai Chi at the end of 24 weeks; differences were reported as statistically significant.
What made the program different
The enhanced program began with a form of Tai Chi that emphasized mindfulness principles and foundational postures. It then moved to traditional practice to consolidate skills, so the trial compared complete programs rather than mindfulness alone.
What the abstract leaves unresolved
The abstract says every measured outcome favored the enhanced program, but it does not provide separate estimates and uncertainty for most outcomes. It also reports no serious adverse events during the study.
The original publication
Improving exercise motivation and physical fitness in college students through a long-term mindfulness-enhanced Tai Chi Chuan program: a randomized controlled trial.
Qu P, Zhu X, Zhu T et al.
PeerJ · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41531827
- Record checked
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