Think Pilates Is Just For “Ladies That Lunch”. Think Again!… Everyone Should Be Doing Pilates In Their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s And Beyond And Here’s Why….

Mar 3, 2018

 

 

We all know as we get older we get stiffer and things that used to be easy to do takes more effort and the problem is this will only get worse if we don’t do anything to prevent it.

 

So many of us nowadays spend a lot of our time sitting – at work, at home watching tv or on the computer, driving to and from work and the shops. It’s no wonder so many of us end up with a back “that goes”, stiff necks and shoulders and sore hips and knees.

 

 

So, would you know like to know what you can do about it?

 

Here’s my top tip and what’s even better about my tip is that you get to tone up at the same time and get a stronger, more flexible and leaner looking body and who wouldn’t want that?!!!!!!

 

So, what I’m about to tell you is top advice especially if you are fed up of living a life of taking an hour to get moving in the morning or having to sit down frequently for a rest as you back, hips or knees hurt when standing or walking or you are having to pop pills just to get through the day.

 

And my advice is Pilates! It will make a big difference to your body, leaving you feeling more flexible, able to do things easier with less pain and you will feel more relaxed and less stressed.

 

I’m such a fan of Pilates that I trained as an instructor 10 years ago and now all my therapy team have to be Pilates trained. I believe people should do Pilates at least once a week, two to three times a week if you want to get results and get them fast!

 

Joseph Pilates himself said: “Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. If at the age of 30 you are stiff and out of shape, you are old. If at 60 you are supple and strong then you are young.”

 

Just ask my therapy and admin team they will tell you the same thing. Some of my admin team come to our classes to help their back pain and have found it really has made a missive difference to their lives and feel it if they miss a week of class.

 

People who do regular Pilates find the following benefits:

  • Live with less back pain
  • They have less headaches
  • Their neck and shoulders are not as tense as they used to be
  • They are able to move so much easier

 

AND

 

  • They are able to bend better to get their socks and shoes on (no more sitting twisted in awkward positions to put shoes on and trust me I’ve done this one!)
  • They are able to walk and sit longer
  • They have better posture – lots of our clients say people say they looker younger and taller
  • Their clothes fit and feel better
  • They are able to kneel down on the floor easier which has made their relationships with their children/grandchildren more fun as they can join them playing with their toys with them instead of watching from the armchair as they are too stiff to get on the floor and too weak to get back up

 

We get lots of enquiries from people who think Pilates will be the magic cure for their aches and pains by just coming to one or two classes but like anything Pilates must be practiced regularly to see and feel the positive results. They will happen you just have to commit to it.

 

So, why else should people in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond do Pilates?

 

Build strength

 

Now this is another biggy for us all as we get past 40! Fact is we hit our strength peak in our 30s, can’t change that. So, to be able to stay active, mobile and keep our independence we must work on our strength.

 

I know for me I can ease my aches and pains by daily stretching but I found that like a spring that is stretched I sprung straight back to square one by the next day.

 

So, what did I do about this? I worked on my strength. Stretching without strength is only dealing with the problem 50%. You need to strengthen the weak muscle groups so they can combat the overactive tight muscles taking over which keep your joints moving badly and creating the stiffness you feel.

 

Build strong bones

 

Another biggy for us all to work on as we get older. Want to stop broken hips and broken bones? Weight-bearing exercise is what you a must! Pilates does exactly this as we work exercises in standing and on all 4s which will stimulate the osteoblasts (bone builders) in your body to build new bone.

 

We have had so many people in their 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s shocked that after attending class for a few weeks to months that they are able to do exercises like the plank and press ups which they never dreamed of doing before coming to class.

 Make new friends

 

Now this is one area that we love to see in clinic. So many of our clients have formed friendships from coming to class regularly. Coming to class will allow you to meet like-minded people who value their health and that’s a health boost because if feel good you approach life with a more positive and happier outlook.

Related Posts