Pilates is a great option for anyone looking to start a safe, effective and fun form of exercise. If you’re not used to exercising, it’s never too late to start. Pilates can be done at any age, and it can help prevent falls and improve joint health.
Pilates is a low-impact exercise that improves flexibility, balance, coordination and overall strength while focusing on the core muscles. You can do Pilates at home on an exercise mat and reformer, at a Pilates studio with a certified trainer or at your local gym. Joining a studio gives you access to all the equipment, including the reformer. The reformer is the best-known Pilates equipment that uses a system of springs and pulleys to build muscle mass. Many studios, gyms and streaming platforms offer online mat and reformer classes that you can join from the comfort of your own home.
“Research shows that exercise and staying active is the best way to improve overall mobility as we age,” says Karin Staples, owner of ProHealth Physical Therapy & Pilates Studio in Peachtree City, Georgia.
A 2022 systematic review of Pilates in older adults detailed benefits including strengthening lower limb strength, improving core stability, preventing falls, improving sleep, and promoting mental health.
Here are 6 reasons why Pilates can improve your health and wellness at any age, plus 3 tips to get started.
1. Improved back
Back pain can affect people of all ages, but can become more of a problem as we get older. Pilates can help relieve back pain by strengthening your core, increasing your flexibility, and improving your posture and spinal alignment.
As a mind-body exercise, Pilates improves core strength, posture and balance. Before starting Pilates, you may go through your day without paying much attention to how you sit, stand and move, only to feel pain when you go to bed. Pilates increases your body awareness, so you can more easily notice when you are slouching when you are tired and correct yourself. This can go a long way in reducing chronic back pain.
“I think that if, on an anatomical level, you can achieve a posture where your eyes are looking up and your head is tucked behind your shoulders, rib cage and hips, that solves a lot of problems,” says Madeline Hackney, associate professor at Emory University School of Medicine and a research scientist at the Atlanta Department of Veterans Affairs. “If your posture is right, and your back and spine aren’t strong, then you’re carrying everything on those two legs, and that creates a lot of problems.”
Posture also improves respiratory function, digestion and blood circulation. Postural training with Pilates reduces the risk of herniated discs and falls, which is reason number two to roll out your Pilates mat.
2. Balance and fall prevention
Most falls occur early or late in life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 39,000 seniors died from falls in 2020-2021, which equates to more than 100 deaths per day. Pilates can help reduce your risk of falls, especially as you get older.
