Pilates for the Older Adult

Pilates for the Older AdultWhy Use Pilates?Pilates is a perfect form of exercise for older adultsbecause it is low impact compared to other forms ofexercise, which means it is not as severe on the joints asmost workouts. It focuses on breathing andquality-controlled movements, not repetitions.Conventional workouts focus on how many repetitions you cando and how much weight you can lift, which tends to buildshort, bulky muscles, which are more prone to injury especially in older adults.Pilates works the "Core", elongates and strengthens themuscles at the same time, which, in turn, improves jointmobility and elasticity. In effect it is a kinder andgentler way to exercise for the older adult who doesn'tneed to be beaten down.How Pilates Works?"Pilates develops the body uniformly, corrects wrongpostures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mindand elevates the spirit." - Joseph Pilates.Pilates is unique in that it systematically exercises allthe muscle groups in the body, the weak as well as thestrong. The exercises make you stronger, more flexible,and less likely to fall because they re-educate your bodyto use all of your muscles, not just the superficial ones.By strengthening both your large muscles and the deep,smaller endurance muscles that are responsible for yourstrength, they take the strain off the larger muscles andgive them added support.Concentration and correct breathing are added to theexercises to teach you to recruit the smaller, supportivemuscles. Bottom line: less pain, greater range of motion,and fewer falls.How Pilates Helps to Improve Walking Posture, Balance, andGait Speed?What does Pilates have to do with walking? Well, let'sfirst look at how we walk. We stand upright with;hopefully, good posture and then we balance ourselves as wereach out with one leg to take a step shifting our weightonto the forward leg.Unfortunately, as we age and the core gets weaker weoverwork our hip flexors to lift the leg as we walk, theseare the muscles that shorten and tighten and, in effect,start to pull us forward until we fall over. Strongabdominal muscles are the key to your body working as aunit.With Pilates the "Core" or the center of your body is yourfocus. This is the place from which all motion originatesand then proceeds to the extremities, all working in unisonnot as separate parts. Ultimately every movement,especially walking, should be initiated by firststabilizing the core of the body which involves contractingthe deep abdominal muscles.The Form and Principles involved with Walking directlycorresponds to Pilates Principles:Form is your body's plumb line: head over shoulders, overhips, over knees, over ankles. It is an aligned body. Thegoal is to organize the body so that the spine is stableand the abdominal muscles are engaged, the limbs are activeand supported, the feet are mobile and the breath isconscious, even and regular. This form will helpcontribute to an improved, relaxed, and more fluid gaitspeed while walking.The bridges to this form include our proprioception, orsense of body in space such as width, length, space, anddepth. Without space between the ribs and pubic bone, thebelly muscles pooch out rather than remain hollow,activating the superficial rectus abdominis muscles ratherthan the deeper transversus abdominis and pelvic floormuscles.Without width in the sacral area, our movement is narrowand becomes constricted; it compresses the sacrum by overengaging the gluteal muscles. This is why most people walkwith very narrow constricted steps instead of stretchingand reaching forward as they walk.If your form is currently not in this perfect plumb line itwill affect your posture, which, in turn, affects yourbalance and walking. Pilates exercises helps to correctthis unnatural length/tension relationship in the body. Inessence, it stretches muscles that are tight andstrengthens those that are weak to help realign your bodyto its natural form.Pilates Exercises Can and Should be Modified for the OlderAdult.The classwork and apparatus training is very individualizedin that all the students can adopt variations andmodifications of the exercises to their own abilities. Itcombines the suppleness and flexibility you find in yoga aswell as the strength building you find in weight trainingin the gym.Modifications such as using pillows for the head when lyingon the back, or using pillows under the pelvis when lyingon the stomach can alleviate neck and back pain andtension. If the student has a hard time sitting on thefloor they can do the exercises on a raised table orplatform.About the Author:Jennifer Adolfs is a certified Pilates Mat and EquipmentSpecialist who works with musculoskeletal injuries. Hernew Pilates Ebook outlines special considerations for thoseaffected by back and joint conditions. Find more greatarticles and free tips by going to her web site athttp://www.Pilates-Back-Joint-Exercise.com