The best exercise program may not be the most conventional, structured one but it can certainly be more effective for you and your health, as evidenced in this study about the beneficial, gentle effect of Tai Chi on the knees of seniors.

Forty healthy seniors over age 65 with knee osteoarthritis were divided into two groups pursuing very different treatment options over the course of the 12-week study. One group participated in hour-long Tai Chi sessions twice a week, learning and practicing self-massage, movement, breathing and relaxation techniques while the control group attended classes that reviewed various ways (among them diet and nutrition) to treat knee osteoarthritis for 40 minutes followed by 20 minutes of stretching exercises.

Compared to the control group, seniors who practiced Tai Chi enjoyed a significant decrease in knee pain and, generally, better physical and mental health.

Before starting any exercise program, however, you'll want to review our 10 tips that will, not only, help you sidestep the inadvertent aches and pains that come with exercise and keep doing it long after the other 50 percent throw in the towel.

Arthritis Care & Research, Vol. 61, No. 11, pp. 1545-1553, November 15, 2009

ScienceDaily November 1, 2009

Yahoo News October 29, 2009