Embrace physical activities as a long-term investment in your physical wellbeing as you grow older; a Pilates instructor recommends these three exercises for maintaining strength and flexibility.
Pilates, the low-impact mind-body practice, is a great way to support healthy aging. Paola Di Lanzo, the founder of Paola's Body Barre, recommends three Pilates exercises for building lasting strength and mobility, essential for future-proofing the body.
The first exercise on Di Lanzo's list is the Glute Bridge. This move strengthens and maintains the bones and joints, encouraging proper posture through alignment and core stability. To perform the Glute Bridge, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Push through your heels to lift your hips off the ground, forming a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Lower back down to the starting position, and repeat for 8-10 repetitions.
The second exercise is the Roll Down to Plank. Starting in a seated position, extend your arms out to the sides at shoulder height, palms facing forward. Inhale, and as you exhale, roll down one vertebra at a time until your hands reach the floor. From there, walk your hands forward into a high plank position with your body in a straight line and core engaged. Hold for a moment, then walk your hands back toward your feet and roll up to the starting position.
Lastly, the Seated Spine Twist rounds out Di Lanzo's list. Sit tall with your feet flat on the floor, and twist your torso to one side and then the other, rotating from your lower back. This exercise helps keep the spine and hips moving freely.
These exercises aim to build and maintain strength to support bones and joints, keep the spine and hips moving freely, and encourage proper posture through alignment and core stability. By following Di Lanzo's recommendations, you can protect your joints, promote balanced muscle development, and improve balance and efficient movement, all of which are crucial for healthy aging.
In addition to the physical benefits, Di Lanzo emphasizes the importance of maintaining both physical and mental well-being for future-proofing the body. By incorporating these Pilates moves into your routine, you're not only investing in your physical health but also setting yourself up for a healthier, more active future.
[1] Di Lanzo, P. (2021). The Future-Proof Body: A 30-Day Program to Strengthen, Mobilize, and Revitalize Your Body. New York: Avery.
Engaging in these Pilates workouts can help enhance overall fitness, particularly focusing on strengthening the bones and joints, improving spine and hip mobility, and promoting proper posture through alignment and core stability. This science-backed fitness routine, as recommended by Paola Di Lanzo, is essential for maintaining health-and-wellness and future-proofing the body. Moreover, by incorporating these exercises into your fitness-and-exercise regimen, you're not only boosting your physical well-being but also fostering mental wellness for a healthier, more active future, as explained in Di Lanzo's book "The Future-Proof Body" (2021).
