If you are starting mat Pilates in your fifties after the menopause, here are 3 small equipment essentials to help you tailor your workouts and get the most out of them
Head pad
A head pad or small towel helps with alignment. It can improve you posture and may reduce tension around your head and neck area. Many people these days have a what’s called ‘forward head position’ which may be exasperated by working on a computer all day or looking at a small screen. A good indicator is how many pillows you sleep with. In supine (lying on your back), having a head pad, can improve your head alignment and take a lot of tension of your neck area. When in prone (lying on your tum) it’s a soft place for your forehead to rest. It’s useful side lying, to fold over and place between ear and arm. Your head pad can also be used under your knees in four-point kneeling to help reduce joint discomfort, if you do Pilates in a studio with a hard floor.
Mat
Pilates mats tend to be thicker than yoga mats, as they have quite different purposes. In Pilates, you typically will spend more time on the floor. Ideally in different alignments. A thicker mat helps cushion your spine and joints. I notice a massive difference between doing Pilates at home on my living room rug and a hard gym floor. Definitely more noticeable as I get older and worth investing in. When I’m teaching and see tension in a client’s joints, it can often be from the lack of cushioning rather than effort of exercising. Investing in a thicker mat for your Pilates workouts can instantly improve your alignment and posture.
Small ball
A small ball is a versatile piece of equipment that can add a wee bit of novelty to the same exercises. Instability to make an exercise more challenging. Increasing space around a joint which changes the movement and can reduce tension. Or it can provide feedback in an exercise. There is a big difference performing beginners exercises when you are a beginner and when you are experienced exerciser. A small ball enables you to reach back to your beginner exerciser and experience them differently.
If you are starting mat Pilates in your fifties after the menopause, taking a different perspective on what may help you tailor your workouts and get the most out of them for today and healthy ever after.
Samantha Valand is a Pilates teacher, Yoga Instructor and Personal Trainer turned online Coach. Who helps over fifties women fall in love with exercising again after the menopause. You can find some inspiration on my blog. Over on my YouTube channel, you can find my Intuitive Exercise Energy Readings. A tool I created to help build intuition and the mind-body connection when you start to exercise again after the menopause. Sign up for my free monthly newsletter to help you live healthy ever after
