No! End of blog…
Actually, it does essentially boil down to just that but there’s a bit more to it. If you’re thinking about starting Pilates now you’re older you’ve probably either had an active lifestyle and are looking for the next thing, or you’ve noticed you might be ‘feeling your age’ a bit and are looking for a way to limber up and recapture your vitality. Am I close?
You’ve probably read that the fitness and exercise routine of your 20 and 30s won’t cut it now you’re middle aged (sorry!) and it’s true. For most of us we can no longer take high impact, long sessions, but also as we age our bodies tend to dehydrate quicker, connective tissues like ligaments and tendons stiffen with a lack of collagen and our bones are at risk of becoming less dense. Getting older means a change in sensory elements and a natural depletion of muscle mass can lead to a change of balance, but that’s where Pilates comes in.
5 reasons why it’s not too late to start Pilates…
As long as you can get up from the floor, you can practice mat Pilates, that’s the style I teach at Ad Astra. There’s no complicated equipment, just our own body weight working through range of motion and balance moves to support our bodies as we age. How does Pilates do that..?
1 Improve posture and balance
The focus of mat Pilates is on core strength and postural alignment. Simply standing in a tall posture, with equal weight and even pressure on each foot, and holding our shoulders away from our ears is an exercise in itself. Improving balance always starts with the ‘perfect Pilates pose’, and we attempt to maintain that control of equal balance throughout practise, so we can continue to move with balanced posture in the day to day.
2 Build core strength
Every exercise in mat Pilates increases power from the core. We often maintain position with the core and move our limbs away from it to increase strength in that area. And remember, the core isn’t just your abdominals, but includes your back and sides too – balance!
3 Leaner muscles
Pilates moves can be quite tough – it’s not just about lying down and lifting an arm up and down! We use body weight for resistance moves, making precise movements that involve pinpointing muscle groups or chains. Your muscles can increase in length and strength, without building mass.
4 Reduce back pain
The muscles targeted in the core are the deeper muscles as well as the surface ones. Through strengthening the core and improving balance of posture, our backs are relieved of tension. If you learn to stand tall and straight, move by engaging the core and supportive muscles, the pressure is off the back.
And incidentally, strengthening those deeper core muscles helps with controlling stress incontinence and improves sex too.
5 Build stronger bones
You might have been used to doing high impact exercise in your younger years, knowing that impact protects bone density, but now it’s not necessary to put yourself through that! Walking is actually high enough impact to make a difference, and if you add in mat Pilates too, you’ll be bearing weight in moves such as plank, squats and lunges to further reduce the risk of osteoporosis (great if you’re menopausal).
Have you tried mat Pilates yet?
I teach mat Pilates twice a week. Both classes are suitable for any age, but Tuesday mornings are geared more towards an older group. It’s called Pilates for All and is a gentler class for seniors and beginners. Posture, balance, flexibility and functional strength training is the focus, and we have a light-hearted outlook to exercise and aging!
Senior citizens get a discount, so get in touch with me to book and have a chat about Pilates for you.