Getting older is something none of us can avoid, but the changes that come with age are not entirely out of our hands. Our bodies are remarkably adaptable, and regular movement can help maintain many of the physical abilities that naturally become harder to preserve over time. From strength and balance to cardiovascular fitness, mobility and even aspects of brain health, exercise can influence how well we function as the years go by. So rather than asking whether exercise can literally turn back the clock, perhaps the more useful question is: can movement help us age better? Increasingly, research suggests that it can.
Aging is more than what you see in the mirror
When we talk about aging, it’s easy to focus on visible changes: skin, hair or body composition. But some of the most important changes happen beneath the surface. With age, maintaining muscle and strength becomes increasingly important. Balance can become less reliable. Bone health can change, cardiovascular fitness may decline and everyday movements can become more difficult. This is why healthy aging isn’t simply about looking younger. It’s also about preserving the ability to do the things that make life enjoyable and independent.
The World Health Organization recommends regular physical activity throughout adulthood and specifically highlights muscle strengthening, balance and functional activity for older adults. Its guidelines associate physical activity with better cardiovascular, cognitive and mental health, as well as a lower risk of falls and declines in physical function. That gives us a different way to think about exercise: not as a battle against getting older, but as a way of helping the body adapt to the demands of getting older.
Your muscles respond to being used
One of the biggest reasons movement matters as we age is muscle. Muscle strength is important for far more than exercise itself. It helps us climb stairs, carry grocery bags, get out of a chair, maintain balance and perform countless movements without having to think about them.
The good news is that muscle remains responsive to exercise throughout life. The WHO recommends that adults aged 65 and over include muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week, alongside aerobic activity. It also recommends activities combining strength and balance to help maintain functional capacity and reduce falls.
But you don’t have to wait until your 60s or 70s to start thinking about maintaining muscle. Building and maintaining strength throughout adulthood gives your future self more to work with. Muscle naturally becomes harder to maintain as we get older, so developing strength now can help create a stronger foundation for the years ahead. This is one area where a consistent movement practice can make a meaningful difference.
Exercise benefits the brain too
Healthy aging isn’t only physical.Research has increasingly examined the relationship between physical activity and cognitive health. Michael Greger, M.D., has discussed research suggesting that exercise may help preserve cognitive function as we age.
Research has shown that older adults who participate in regular aerobic exercise can actually grow the hippocampus area in the brain, while individuals who do not engage in regular aerobic activities show shrinkage in the brain typically associated with aging. Greger notes that research has not established one universally “best” form, amount or intensity of exercise for cognitive health. The important takeaway isn’t that one particular workout can “reverse brain aging.” Rather, physical activity appears to be one of the lifestyle factors that can support brain health as we get older.
Exercise and your cardiovascular system
Your heart and blood vessels also benefit from regular movement. The cardiovascular system has to work continuously throughout our lives, and maintaining cardiovascular fitness is an important part of healthy aging. Greger’s review of exercise research discusses evidence that regular physical activity can improve cardiovascular health and may counter several processes associated with aging. He also highlights research showing improvements in arterial elasticity following endurance training.
The WHO similarly identifies cardiovascular health as one of the areas in which regular physical activity provides substantial benefits. This is one reason exercise should be viewed as something we do for our future selves, not simply for how we feel immediately after a workout.
Could exercise affect cellular aging?
Michael Greger has also discussed research into telomeres, the protective structures at the ends of chromosomes that tend to shorten over time. Think of telomeres as the protective caps on the ends of shoelaces: they help protect our chromosomes and keep them from becoming damaged or frayed. As we age, telomeres generally become shorter, but keeping them in the best condition possible is important.
In one of Greger’s articles on telomeres, he describes observational research in which people who exercised more tended to have longer telomeres than less active participants. He presents this as one possible connection between lifestyle and cellular aging, while also discussing the influence of diet and other factors.
While telomeres are only one small piece of the much bigger picture of aging, this research adds another interesting reason to think about movement as an investment in our long-term health.
You don’t need to exercise like an athlete
When people hear about exercise and longevity, they may imagine intense workouts, long runs or demanding strength sessions. But healthy aging isn’t about constantly pushing your body to its limits. The WHO recommends that adults accumulate regular physical activity and that older adults adapt activity to their abilities and circumstances. It also specifically notes that doing some physical activity is better than doing none. That being said, the best exercise routine is one that you’ll actually stick to!
Where Pilates fits into healthy aging
Pilates isn’t a magic solution to aging and it doesn’t need to be. Its value lies in the qualities it can help develop: controlled strength, mobility, balance, coordination, stability and body awareness. These qualities become increasingly useful as we get older. Being able to control your movement matters when you are exercising, but it also matters when you’re reaching for something on a high shelf, stepping off a kerb, getting up from the floor or carrying something through the house. A Pilates practice can therefore be viewed as part of a wider approach to staying physically capable throughout life. It doesn’t have to be about chasing a younger-looking body. It can be about building a body that continues to support the life you want to live.
Sources
World Health Organization WHO Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour
PubMed Effects of Exercise on DNA Methylation
Michael Greger / NutritionFacts.org How Much Exercise Does It Take to Improve Aging Cognitive Function?
Michael Greger / NutritionFacts.org Does Exercise Extend Your Lifespan or Just Your Healthspan?