Pilates Gold
Fitness has no retirement age. It is never too late to start exercising, and reverse the years.
Consider a large-scale study in 2019 which examined the level of activity of over 315,000 participants, aged 50 to 71 years old. The study found participants who were previously inactive, but increased their physical activity in late adulthood (40 to 61 years old) to four to seven hours a week had a 32 to 35% decrease in mortality risk, compared to those who remained inactive.
Participants who were always active lowered their mortality risk by 29 to 36%. The fact that older adults who are new to exercise experience similar gains in life expectancy as older adults who have maintained their activity level throughout their lives suggests it is not too late to start exercising in mid-life.
WHAT IS YOUR BIOLOGICAL AGE
While you can’t change your chronological age, which is based on the number of birthdays you have had, you can lower your biological age with exercise.
For example, if you are 65 years old, and could climb up a flight of stairs like a 40-year old without feeling breathless, and without knee or ankle pain, your biological age is close to 40 years old. You have the fitness and mobility of a younger person.
WHY PILATES
Pilates is a good exercise for active aging. Aches and pain generally increase with age as our joints stiffen and we lose our range of motion. Stretching the body with the assistance of the springs from the reformer helps restore our range of motion and prevent injury. The Pilates reformer has been described as a “magic machine” for resolving pain and muscle imbalance in the body.
Pilates also strengthens core muscles. We don’t think too much about training the abdominal muscle as we aged, but the abdominal muscle helps us get out of bed every morning (trunk flexion), provides support for our back when we bend over to brush our teeth, or pick up an object from the floor.
The deep abdominal muscle, in particular keeps the lumbar spine stable, prevents low back and hip pain, and incontinence. Having trunk stability also translates to better standing balance and reduces the risk of falls. We are only beginning to understand the importance of strengthening the core muscles for active aging.
START TODAY
Research shows it’s never too late to start exercising. Pilates help you to stretch and improve your range of motion. The exercises also strengthen your arms and legs with a focus on maintaining trunk stability.
We have group classes for 65 years and above, known as our Gold Class. We also offer 1-to-1, as well as Duet, Trio and Quartet classes if you want to do Pilates with a group of friends at your preferred time. Don’t wait, book a session today!