Don’t Let Age Hold You Back From Living

There’s something pretty special about my 80s crew. 🥳

These exceptional humans understand that movement isn’t simply about exercise. It’s about maintaining the ability to live your life.

They come to Pilates twice a week. They invest in their bodies, their health and their ability to move well. But Pilates isn’t the end goal.

The goal is everything they get to do outside the studio.

They play tennis. They snow ski. They walk — and some even run — up mountains. They walk along beaches and through Europe. They actively participate in grand-parenting. They cycle daily, drive cars and tractors, mow lawns and get on with the business of living.

And, of course, they drink coffee and eat cake. ☕️🍰

Because this is what healthy ageing should look like.

It isn’t about trying to stop the clock or pretending that our bodies don’t change as we get older. They do. Our strength, balance, mobility, coordination, reaction times and recovery can all change with age.

But getting older doesn’t mean we should stop challenging those things.

In fact, maintaining our physical capacity becomes increasingly important as we age.

So what do we work on in the studio?

We move all parts of the body. I firmly believe in a holistic approach to everything - but especially movement.

We work through the ranges that are available to each individual’s joints. Because not all bodies are equal.

We challenge coordination, balance, strength, agility and mobility.

We pay attention to form, but we also consider function.

• Can you get down to the floor and back up again?

• Can you reach, rotate, bend and extend?

• Can you balance when the surface beneath you changes?

• Can you react when something unexpected happens?

• Can you carry something?

• Can you get in and out of a car?

• Can you walk comfortably for several hours while exploring a new city?

• Can you play with your grandchildren?

These are the things that matter. Because the measure of a successful movement practice isn’t necessarily how perfectly you can perform an exercise in the studio.

It’s what that movement allows you to do in your life.

And there’s another element of healthy ageing that I think is just as important — connection.

My 80s crew don’t just come to Pilates to exercise. They come to share, laugh, encourage and support one another. They have created a community around movement.

That social connection matters.

We often talk about healthy ageing as though it’s simply a physical equation: strength + balance + mobility = independence. But humans are more complicated than that.

We need connection. We need purpose. We need challenge. We need enjoyment. We need to feel capable.

And sometimes we need someone to laugh with while we’re attempting something that feels a little bit outside our comfort zone!

Movement for Life — not just Pilates for Pilates sake

This is something I try to remember with all of my clients, regardless of their age.

We’re not training bodies simply to become better at Pilates.

We’re training movement capacity so people can continue participating in the activities, relationships and experiences that make their lives meaningful.

For some people that might mean returning to tennis. For someone else, it might mean being able to walk around the shops without needing to sit down. It might mean travelling, gardening, skiing, playing with grandchildren, carrying the groceries or simply getting out of a chair with confidence.

The goal is individual because healthy ageing is individual.

And perhaps that’s the biggest lesson my 80s crew continue to teach me.

Age is not a reason to make our world smaller. It’s a reason to keep finding ways to keep it open.

Keep moving.

Keep challenging yourself.

Keep connecting with people.

Keep doing the things that make you feel alive.

And yes — keep drinking the coffee and eating the cake.

Don’t let age hold you back from living. 💚