Functional Strength for Ageing Populations

Happy to share that I have completed some really beneficial CPD training, 'Functional Strength for Ageing Populations', to enhance my Pilates Classes.

The course highlights that if we hope to maintain functionality and independence into later years, we need to ‘exercise effectively’ and make a start as soon as possible, and that we cannot just do walking. It seems that “Much of what is typically attributed to getting older has as much, if not more, to do with habitual inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle over many years."

One example of this is that our stride tends to get shorter as we get older. We may think it's age, but it is more due to lack of flexibility in the hip flexors and the Achilles tendon at the ankle - perhaps due to the lack of effort in terms of maintaining range of movement around these joints.

Plus, to help maintain bone density and joint strength, we need to apply sufficient load and practice moving in a variety of ways that mirror the real world.

The training, which highlights the links between Musculoskeletal Function (muscle, bone, and joint health), Neuromuscular Function (motor control, balance, power, speed, and agility), Cognitive Function, and Cardiometabolic Function, also includes Falls Prevention. By improving our balance, power, speed, and agility skills, we can significantly reduce the likelihood of falling and the disabling consequences that this can bring.

The good news is that the course provides many examples of practical exercises and drills that I can build into my Pilates classes. I know it sounds corny, but it does feel like a great investment into all our futures.

Hope to see you soon.

#pilatesexeter #functionalfitness #pilatesclassexeter