Five Pilates moves for women over 60 who want to build strength and correct their posture

Pilates is a fantastic way to move your body, especially if you don’t feel confident lifting heavy weights or doing high-impact cardio and are looking for a low-impact option.

Modern Pilates is a varied discipline, though, and some classes may be more suitable for younger bodies.

So I turned to Claire Seager, 51, a Pilates teacher and founder of Pilatify, which is designed with women over the age of 50 in mind, to ask what benefits Pilates can offer older women.

“Pilates brings the whole body into balance and once we’ve worked one set of muscles, we will stretch them,” Seager says. “Modern life, and age, often brings us into a head-forward and stooped posture, and Pilates aims to counteract this.

“It is low impact, keeps you strong, improves your balance and reduces stress,” she adds.

Below, she’s shared her top five beginner-friendly Pilates moves for women in their 60s and 70s. “The exercises I’ve chosen offer the perfect blend of strength, flexibility and posture correction,” Seager says.

The best Pilates moves for women in their 60s and 70s

1. Rocking cat and cow

Reps: 10

• Get on your hands and knees, pull your tummy in and up, and round your spine.
• Draw your pubic bone to your nose, rounding your back. This is cat.
• Keep that shape and move your butt to lightly touch your heels.
• Rock forward again so your shoulders are back above your hands.
• Arch your back, lifting your tailbone, head and chest. This is cow.

Make it easier: Omit the rocking motion and move between cat position and cow position.

2. Reverse tabletop

Reps: 10

• Sit on the floor with your legs together and extended, your hands on the floor slightly behind your butt, with your fingers facing forward and your chest open.
• Lift your butt so your body is in a straight line from head to feet.
• Lower slowly.

Make it easier: Start with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Then lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees.

3. Knee circles

Reps: 10 in each direction on each side

• Get on your hands and knees.
• Keeping your pelvis as still as possible, lift your left leg behind you, keeping your knee bent to 90°.
• Move your left leg out to the side then back to the start, drawing an imaginary circle with your knee.
• Once you have completed the reps on one direction, complete another set of reps in the opposite direction.
• Then repeat on the other side.

Make it easier: If you find your pelvis moves as you circle your knee, just lift and lower your knee.

4. Triceps push-up

Reps: 10

• Start in a plank position with your hands underneath your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Bend your elbows to lower your body, keeping your elbows tucked in by your sides and your head in line with your spine.
• Push through your hands to extend your arms and return to the starting position.

Make it easier: Keep your knees on the floor underneath your hips.

5. Thread the needle

Reps: 10 each side

• Get on your hands and knees, extend your right leg behind you and lift it to hip height.
• Move your right hand underneath your torso and thread it between your left hand and left knee, twisting your torso to the left and lowering the right side of your face.
• Reverse the movement and raise your right arm, twisting your torso to the right.
• Perform all the reps on one side, then switch sides.

Make it easier: Keep both knees on the floor.