Can you still do the things that you need want and love to do with ease? For example ๏ฟผgetting down and up from the floor, lifting your leg over a style whilst out on one of your favorite walks๏ฟผ, going down stairs without having a fear of falling, having the strength to climb up stairsโฆ
One of the main activities that enables me to carry on doing the things that I need, want and love to do as I enter my 70โs is Pilates.
I fell in love with Pilates whilst attending an international fitness convention in California in the late 90s. I was already teaching several high intensity classes at the time, but thought it was a good idea to start teaching some gentler classes as I was entering my 60โs, as were a lot of my clients.
Iโve now been teaching Pilates full-time for over 10 years, and I canโt believe the difference it has made to my life. Not just in my posture, flexibility, and mobility, but it has also changed the way I strength train, run, swim and go about activities in my daily life.
Are you worried about losing the ability to do things as you get older? I know I have beenโฆ.until I took up Pilates.
One of my main passions is taking off on my Ducati motorbike, loaded up with full camping gear, for weekends and for longer touring trips around Britain and Europe.
Ten years ago I started to find it difficult to get in and out of my small tent and was devastated at the thought of having to give up my style of camping. However, I quickly noticed that Pilates gave me the flexibility which enabled me to crawl through small spaces and still, one decade on, I continue to get in and out of my little Hilleberg tent with ease. I also doubt Iโd still be able to get my leg over my motorbike without the hip mobility that my Pilates practice gives me.
These are just some of the ways that Pilates has helped me to carry on doing the things that I need to do in my life like the ADLโs (activities of daily living), things that I want to do like ๏ฟผgoing for long hilly walks with friends and things that I love to do like managing my 200kg motorbike.
Are there things that you are beginning to find difficult? Movement in daily activities? Hobbies that you have had to give up or are thinking of giving up?
The saying โuse it or lose itโ really is very true.
I teach Functional Pilates which addresses the physical โ and mental โ challenges you start to face as you get over 60. I omit exercises which will not serve you in living your life, and modify others to make Pilates a more relevant choice of exercise for the over 60โs.
In addition to mobility and flexibility, Pilates teaches you good movement technique, provides a good base level of strength, improves balance and helps to build a strong core to help guard against back pain and injury.
Itโs better not to wait until you find it difficult to do things as you get older, but to take preventative measures as early as possible. Itโs never too late to start, and itโs never too early to start.
Start taking preventative measures TODAY or learn how to change the movement patterns which may be causing you pain and injury.
If you haven’t done Pilates before and would like to improve the quality of your life then sign up to one of my Pilates Beginners Courses. ย The next course starts on Wednesday 6th July. This is a face to face, small group course which will ensure maximum safety, benefits and interaction between instructor and participants.
Click here for more information about my upcoming courses: