When you hit your 70s or late 60s, you might notice differences in the way your body moves and feels.
It’s normal to experience some stiffness and reduction in your sense of balance, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do about it.
Seventy-two-year-old Frank Alexander is a testament to this. He recently started doing Pilates once a week at his daughter’s studio, BODYBAR, and he’s feeling healthier than he has in a long time.
“Your balance definitely gets worse with age, but I’m noticing an upswing now since doing Pilates,” Alexander tells Fit&Well. “All of a sudden, I realized I can do things now that require balance that I wasn’t able to do before.”
“I’m not ready to walk tightropes, but my balance day-to-day feels better,” he says.
Frank’s daughter, Kamille McCollum, says that there are a few exercises she’s prescribed to her father to help improve his balance and day-to-day movement.
As well as actively challenging your balance, these moves improve your hip mobility, which will help you feel more stable on your feet and prevent injury.
“These exercises keep the hip joint strong and flexible, and stop it from becoming stiff, which is when you’d be prone to injury or start to lack mobility as you get older,” McCollum says.
Three Pilates moves to improve balance and mobility for people in their 70s
1. Standing kickback
Time: 1min each side
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold onto a stable surface for balance. You can use the backrest of a chair, a bar stool, a breakfast bar, or even a wall.
- Shift your weight onto your right leg and slightly bend your right knee.
- Extend your left leg behind you, bringing your foot a few inches off the floor, keeping it straight and squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement.
- If that’s too difficult, reduce the range of motion, lifting the foot a few centimetres off the floor and tapping it back down.
- Slowly move the leg up and down for time, then repeat on the other leg.
- To make this move more difficult, add a resistance band around your ankles.
2. Side-lying leg kick
Time: 1min each side
- Lie on your side with your legs extended, one stacked on top of the other.
- Support your head with your bottom arm and place your top hand on the floor in front of your chest for balance.
- Lift your top leg slightly and kick it forward so that it's one or two feet in front of your body. Keep your torso stable and try not to change the position of your hips.
- Pause briefly, then sweep the leg behind your body in a controlled motion.
- Continue for time, then repeat on the other side.
3. Side-lying leg circle
Time: 1min each side
- Lie on your side with legs straight, one stacked on top of the other, and support your head with your bottom arm.
- Engage your core and lift your top leg to about hip height.
- Begin drawing small, controlled circles in the air with your top leg. Keep your hips still, avoiding rocking or leaning back.
- Reverse the direction of the circles halfway through the minute, then repeat on the other side.
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