Stay flexible and strengthen your core: That’s the promise of Pilates, and there’s nothing stopping older people from getting started on this exercise regime. — dpa
“My oldest client is 83, and he started Pilates three quarters of a year ago at age 82.”
So says Natalia Cichos-Terrero, who operates a Pilates studio in the south-west German municipality of Bad Herrenalb.
She believes the exercise regimen is suitable for people of all ages when practised in accordance with their fitness level.
Are you curious?
Have you discovered a Pilates course at a nearby adult education centre, sport club or gym, and would like to know what it entails and whether it might be for you?
If so, here are answers to some questions you may have:
Pilates is a system of exercises using specialised apparatus developed by gymnast, bodybuilder, boxer and self-defence instructor Joseph Pilates, who was born in Germany in 1883 and emigrated to the United States in the mid-1920s.
He and his wife, a nurse, operated a physical training studio in New York City frequented by many performers, particularly dancers.
“The goal is to strengthen the entire core musculature – the body’s powerhouse – comprising the abdominal, back and pelvic floor muscles,” explains Uschi Moriabadi, an instructor at the German University of Applied Sciences for Prevention and Health Management (DHfPG) in Saarbrücken, Germany.
Many Pilates exercises are not only felt in your core musculature, but throughout your whole body, she adds.
“If you do Pilates regularly, you’ll notice changes in your everyday life,” says Cichos-Terrero.
“For example, that all of a sudden you’ve got to adjust your car’s rearview mirror because you’re sitting up straighter.
“Or that you can move more freely.”
Strengthening your core musculature protects your spine and gives you a more upright posture.
Pilates also improves agility, which can particularly pay off in old age.
“In dangerous everyday situations, such as when you stumble, you can react more quickly,” Moriabadi says.
Moriabadi recommends one or two Pilates workouts a week.
It’s important that they be under professional supervision, she says, e.g. a course at an adult education centre, sport club, gym or Pilates studio.
If you’d be more comfortable with focused, one-on-one guidance, especially as a beginner, then individual training may be an option for you.
You’ve to be prepared to pay a higher price though for such personal classes.
Although Pilates is seen as easy on the joints, it’s best not to do it if you have certain physical limitations.
“You should rule out potential contraindications with your GP [general practiitoner] ahead of time, such as advanced osteoporosis, an artificial hip joint, spinal disease or other acute medical condition,” remarks Moriabadi.
It’s a good idea to always discuss your physical problems or peculiarities with the instructor before the Pilates course begins.
“He or she can then point out any exercises you should leave out and alternatives to them,” Cichos-Terrero says.
Moriabadi suggests the bridge exercise, which she says is very beneficial to the spine.
It’s also a component in many yoga classes.
Here’s how: Lie on your back, knees bent, legs parallel, feet flat on the floor and hip-width apart, arms resting at your side. Inhale.
When you exhale, activate your abs and raise your pelvis, lifting from the pubic bone, squeezing your thighs inward and rolling your spine upward “until your knees, hips, torso and shoulders are diagonal – forming a bridge,” Moriabadi says.
Inhale in this position, then slowly roll your spine back down to the floor, beginning with its middle section and ending with your pelvis.
Repeat the exercise four or five times.
“This exercise,” she says, “is effective in mobilising your spine, strengthening your core musculature and improving the interplay between muscles and nerves.” – By Ricarda Dieckmann/dpa
