The aging process is involuntary and inevitable and brings with it a progressive deterioration of the elderly’s body systems. We can consider this process as a limiting factor for the elderly to be able to carry out their daily activities independently.
When observing the possible functional losses in the elderly, we have in the practice of the Pilates method the opportunity to delay the inevitable progression of aging.
The increase in life expectancy has made health professionals’ attention more focused on the quality of life of this portion of the population.
Awareness today about the need to maintain regular physical activity in a guided and monitored manner leads us to meet a population of active and aware elderly people than younger individuals.
Pilates provides strength gain and global conditioning, increased bone mineral density, positive changes in terms of coordination, balance and mobility, favoring functional independence of active elderly people.
When we talk about sedentary lifestyle, in all age groups, there is a significant functional loss in sedentary individuals.
The difference between physical activity and physical exercise, so that a person is not considered sedentary, is the periodicity of execution and adequate guidance for the practice of physical exercise. This is because as our body is prepared, with regard to muscle strength, flexibility and mobility, its functional capacity also improves.
Physiological Changes in Aging
The organic composition in the elderly also undergoes changes such as increased body fat and decreased lean muscle mass, in addition to the change in metabolism. As the expenditure of daily energy tends to decrease with age, fat deposition occurs gradually.
Dehydration is also common in the elderly, which ends up affecting the composition and functioning of the organs, making water intake extremely important.
The cardiac muscle of the elderly has decreased autonomic tone, as well as the ability to vary heart rate. There is a greater dependence on the supply of oxygen and energy for adequate ventricular relaxation.
Changes in the respiratory system are, among others:
Decreased Chest Wall Distension Capacity
Decreased Respiratory Muscle Strength
Loss of Pulmonary Elasticity
Inequality in the Ventilation / Perfusion Ratio
The anatomical changes referring to the central nervous system occur noticeably in the decrease of the cortical volume and widening of the cerebral sulci. These structural changes cause a very important loss with the decrease in brain plasticity.
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Decreased Postural Control
Decreased Tactile Sensation
Decline of Vibration Sensation
Decreased Visual Acuity and Notion of Depth
Decline in Perception of Different Sounds
Proprioceptive Commitment
Adaptation Difficulty in Different Environments
Risks of Falls and Delirium
The immune system is affected by the decline in immune competence, increasing the chances of the elderly being affected by infections that can even leave them bedridden and inactive.
In the osteomioarticular system, we find a decrease in bone mineral density, a reduction in muscle mass, resulting in a decrease in strength and a reduction in the amount of water inside the joints, such as ligaments and tendons, causing rigidity.
Each individual has a biological individuality and the aging process will also accompany that individuality. Thus, the progressive degeneration caused in the body systems will reach all individuals, however, for some these changes will be more accentuated than in others.
Physical aptitude
As the years go by, there is a decline in organic functions that affects all body systems differently. With this functional loss, the likelihood of developing chronic-degenerative diseases also increases, as do various harmful emotional states such as depression.
Physical fitness refers to the body’s ability to adapt to the demands of physical effort that a given activity needs for moderate to vigorous levels, without reaching the individual in complete exhaustion.
One of the components of physical fitness is body flexibility, which is important for a better performance of movements, whether simple or more complex.
Thus, a low level of flexibility can have a direct relationship in the loss of balance, since the lack of mobility and/or a shortening of important muscle groups such as the muscles of the trunk, neck, and lower limbs, influence the increase in the number falls even when carrying out simple day-to-day activities.
Pilates and Active Seniors
The most recent studies [2] show that the regular practice of a physical activity is a factor that contributes significantly to a longer life expectancy, allowing elderly people to reduce the consumption of medications, reduce cognitive decline, as well as showing an important evolution from the biopsychosocial point of view.
The Pilates Method has been much sought after by active elderly people, as it is a differentiated activity and offers numerous benefits in a playful and attractive way, promoting social interaction, composing a healthy life routine, adapting to each age group.
Many elderly people are referred by their responsible physicians to practice Pilates and enjoy the benefits of the method. The correct application of Pilates principles is crucial for the acquisition of these countless benefits.
And the different proposals for innovation in the area are gaining space and captivating a diverse audience, such as the use of unstable bases, suspension modes (the famous aerial exercises) and application of the principles of functional training.
These are modifications that, when applied safely and scientifically, optimize the results of the practice in the short term, also for the elderly population.
A job that encompasses the body and the mind and stimulates body awareness, increasing control, strength and balance provides many benefits for active seniors.
It is possible to work with a perspective focused on functionality, integrating the elderly person into daily activities, working the body as a whole, correcting posture, strengthening muscles, improving breathing capacity, developing the mobility necessary for a healthier life.
The concentration and precision with which Pilates exercises are performed require total control and body perception from the practitioner, which function as proprioceptive stimuli of great importance.
These are responsible for making the body aware in which the student gets to know his own body better, seeking the harmony of the structures and promoting a better use of them.
The practice of Pilates by active elderly people, when performed regularly, enhances the gain in body mobility, both to perform the requested exercises and to perform their daily activities.
The exercises are divided into exercises performed on the ground, which are practiced using the body’s own weight and the force of gravity as a form of resistance, as well as can be associated with the use of devices that use springs with different resistance.
Degree of Difficulty of Exercises for the Elderly
During a Pilates class it is possible to increase the degree of difficulty in exercises oriented to the elderly in very varied and playful ways.
There is an arsenal of resources and accessories that can be used in order to provide a greater stimulation of body perception, aiming to prepare the elderly to better adapt to the social environment in which they are inserted.
Several aspects will differentiate the physical fitness of an elderly individual to another, such as:
Pre-existing diseases
Continuous Use Medications
Time that Started Regular Practice of Physical Activity
Works You Performed During Your Life
It is possible to find active elderly people in Pilates studios and to work with this audience more focused on functionality, stimulating sensations lost during the aging process.
Tactile stimulation can be achieved through features that have different textures, handgrip and plantar grip strength can also be stimulated using various accessories, balance can be optimized in countless ways, with changes in decubitus and variations in bipedal weight transfer , unipodal, bilateral and unilateral, using crossed chains, among others.
The fact that we work with an audience that sometimes has more severe functional limitations and in other cases less impacting limitations culminates in classes that cannot fall into sameness, as this would not be stimulating.
The relationship of trust established between the instructor and the elderly student is also essential, especially given the degree of difficulty of the exercises.
Keeping this growing line of progress among active elderly students is also a way of recording their improvement, exceeding their expectations, often improving their clinical condition, recovering important functions, improving their mood and emotional state as a whole; proving how well they can do in activities that challenge them.
Concluding …
Not only because their professional activities are reduced in this age group – because they often dedicate themselves to other forms of activities to occupy their time in a profitable way – the active elderly, when they have their first contact with Pilates, identify themselves, and follow faithfully .
We hear a lot from the media talking about the benefits of Pilates for the mind and body, which in fact it is and in the elderly population the classes in small groups promote better socialization and this for the emotional state of the elderly is very good.
Part of the motivation and loyalty of this age group would be lost if they were carried out individually and without proper guidance.
The assiduity and motivation in the practices of the exercises also happen, because when they acquire more resistance and improve the quality of life they start to have better health conditions.
The benefits of regular Pilates practice in the life of this growing portion of the population must be encouraged and disseminated, as the main objective of the method is to enable the elderly to be inserted in the most active way, with more functional independence in today’s society.