Strength, mobility and flexibility are three attributes that typically fade as we age.
But act now, and you can slow this biological aging process in its tracks.
How? According to experienced Pilates teacher Brett Starkowitz it’s by lifting weights to build muscle and regularly mobilizing your body to stay limber.
As the head of education and master trainer at London’s Ten Health & Fitness, Starkowitz is a vocal advocate of incorporating Pilates into your weekly workouts.
“It’s such a good complementary form of exercise to anything else you’re doing,” he tells Fit&Well. “If you’re weightlifting, it’ll make your weightlifting better. If you’re running, it’ll make your running better. It’ll make everyday activities better, because you’re learning to use your body better.”
But if you can’t get to a Pilates studio and Reformer Pilates isn’t an option, Starkowitz has a four-move solution that he uses daily to keep his mobility and flexibility topped up.
“You have to keep introducing mobility drills into your day,” he says. “I’ve always done weightlifting and weight-bearing exercise, but I’ve started spending a lot more time on mobility, because you lose that as you get older.”
The 43-year-old says he refined this routine in his 30s, “because when you’re in your 20s you can just jump into the gym and go, but not so much anymore.” He now uses it after every workout.
All you need is your bodyweight to get started. You can perform it after your workouts, like Starkowitz does, or as a standalone mobility routine whenever you need to loosen up your body.
Boost your mobility with these four Pilates-inspired exercises
Starkowitz’s routine involves four Pilates-inspired stretches that will help unlock the most common pain points: the spine, the hips, the back of the legs, and the chest and shoulders.
It starts with a cat-cow stretch to gently articulate each vertebrae of the spine, then moves onto a deep hip flexor stretch, a downward-facing dog to lengthen the back body and child’s pose to release the lats and traps.
“As you get older you need to be mindful of dedicating a bit more time to warming up and mobility work and stretching,” he says. So take your time, enjoy each stretch and your future self will thank you later.
1 Cat-cow
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- Begin on your hands and knees with your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees.
- Inhale as you arch your back, lifting your head and tailbone (this is cow pose).
- Exhale as you round your spine, tucking your chin into your chest and your tailbone under (this is cat pose).
- Move slowly between the two poses, syncing your breath with each movement.
- Perform 8-10 slow cycles.
2 Hip flexor lunge
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- From kneeling, step one leg forward into the top of a lunge position.
- Tuck your tailbone under slightly and lightly engage your glutes to protect your lower back.
- Keeping your hands on your hips, gently ease your body forward to deepen the stretch into the hip flexor and quads on the rear leg.
- Perform two sets of 20-30 seconds per side.
3 Downward dog
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- Start on all fours, tuck your toes, and lift your hips up and back to form an inverted V-shape.
- Keep your spine long and legs as straight as comfortable.
- Spread your fingers wide and press your heels toward the ground.
- Option to pedal your feet, gently pressing one heel then the other toward the floor to loosen your calves.
- Perform three sets of 30 seconds, returning your knees to the floor between each set.
4 Child’s pose
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- Start on all fours with your knees wide and feet close together.
- Sit back onto your feet as far as you comfortably can.
- Keeping your chin tucked into your chest, reach your hands forward.
- Option to raise your hands so only your fingertips are in contact with the floor and press your chest further into the floor to stretch your pecs.
- Alternatively, shuffle your hands to one side to stretch the side of your back, then over to the other side.
- Hold for two sets of 30 seconds, or one set of 30 seconds each side.
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