Pilates

Pilates, done properly, stretches and strengthens muscles at the same time. Unlike traditional strength training—weight lifting machines—which may shorten and tighten muscles, Pilates lengthens muscles, increasing strength and flexibility.
Pilates focuses on the core muscles of the body, which both Shore and Mindlin quickly explain are not the stomach muscles everyone thinks of when they hear the popular fitness term “core strength.”

Core strength is important for everyone but especially for older people. One reason people fall forward, collapsing in on themselves, is that gravity is winning. When you strengthen your core, you’re fighting gravity. Pilates can help counteract these changes in posture and the loss of height that can occur with age by strengthening the smaller stabilizing muscles of the trunk that are weak or out of balance.

Pilates, properly practiced, also improves alignment, balance and body awareness, all of which are crucial, not only to helping seniors look and feel better, but also to preventing injuries and falls. The muscles in our bodies can become out of balance from age and improper use, explains Shore. Some muscles are overused and others are underused. When the underused muscles are strengthened, the balance and alignment of the whole body is corrected. And when the body is aligned, movement becomes easier.

Correcting muscle imbalances also improves joint movement. When the muscles surrounding and supporting a joint are out of balance—one set is stronger than the opposing set—the joint doesn’t move properly or easily, and may be compressed. Retraining and rebalancing those muscles increases space in the joint, improves joint function and stability, and can help reduce pain, even where osteoarthritis is already present. Better balance and alignment create better body awareness—a better understanding of where the body is and how it moves in space.