Active Aging with Pilates

As we age, it’s important to take advantage of movement and fitness modalities that can help us stay active, strong and mobile. Pilates is one of those modalities!

Pilates can meet us where we are and increase our strength, endurance, flexibility and balance. It’s equally effective for those of us who aren’t active, are recovering from injury, have chronic conditions, or want to add Pilates to an already active lifestyle. At the studios I teach at, the majority of our clients are men and women aged 50+. Some of our clients have chronic back pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and other chronic conditions. Others come to us to stay in shape for pickleball, golf, cross country skiing or crew. The things that clients say they want to work on most are: feeling pain free, improving stamina in everyday activities such as playing with grandkids or gardening, and improving strength and balance.

When was the last time you stood on one leg? Can you do it for at least 10 seconds? If so, can you stand steady for 30 seconds to 1 minute? In one study that lasted two years, 487 subjects aged 60+ were asked about their fear of falling. 32% who experienced a fall within those two years reported a fear of falling! Subjects who reported a fear of falling experienced a greater increase in balance, gait and cognitive disorders over time, resulting in a decrease in mobility levels.

In another study that lasted 10 weeks with 55 subjects aged 65+, Pilates reformer classes performed once per week for just 10 weeks resulted in reduced fall risk and significant improvements in static and dynamic balance, functional mobility, balance self efficacy, and ankle range of motion in adults with risk for falling.

So the good news is that Pilates is a great way to increase strength, endurance, flexibility and improve balance. In other words, it helps with active aging!

References

Fear of falling and restriction of mobility in elderly fallers. BJ Vellas, SJ Wayne, RN Baumgartner, PJ Garry in Age Aging. 1997 May; 26(3); pp. 189-93.

Pilates reformer exercises for fall risk reduction in older adults: a randomized control trial. M. Roller, A Kachingwe, J Beling, D-M Ickes, A Cabot, G Schrier in Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies 22(2018); pp. 983-998.