Over 50? Try This 6-Move Standing Pilates Workout for Better Balance

In addition to hearing difficulties and poor dental health, you might notice yourself struggling with your balance as you get older. If so, you're not alone. This issue that affects 13 percent of 65- to 69-year-olds and has been linked with an increased risk of falling, according to a February 2019 review in ‌Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology‌.

But there's one workout method that could help you stay steady as the years go by: Pilates. This exercise style helps build strength, stability and, importantly, balance — even when your entire training session is performed standing on your two feet, says Laura Fielding, NETA-CPT, AFAA-GFI, a certified Pilates instructor and master trainer at Club Pilates.

Ahead, learn more about the benefits of practicing standing Pilates exercises — including how they can boost your balance — and how to combine them into an expert-approved workout.

Pilates has long been shown to enhance balance, particularly in older adults. In an April 2015 meta-analysis in ‌Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation,‌ researchers found that Pilates was linked to improved balance and a reduced the number of falls among seniors. What's more, a small April 2021 study in the ‌International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health‌ of 50 women over age 60 found that twice-weekly Pilates sessions improved balance in just three months.

The workout's balance-boosting effect may stem from a few factors. Practically every mat, reformer or standing Pilates exercise utilizes your core, Fielding tells LIVESTRONG.com. Located throughout your trunk, this group of muscles helps to keep your spine stable and protected from injury. Strengthening your core muscles can improve weight distribution and stability (and, in turn, balance) in older individuals, according to an October 2015 study in the ‌Journal of Physical Therapy Scienc‌e. Another perk: A strong core may prevent back aches and pains as you age, Fielding adds.

Pilates also targets your "stabilizer" muscles, according to Fielding. These are the muscles that co-contract during a movement to protect the joint and maintain proper alignment, according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE). During a properly performed standing oblique crunch, for instance, your entire core — including the muscles along your anterior (the muscles along the front of your body) and posterior chains (the muscles along the back of your body) — will engage to stabilize your spine and keep you from toppling over.

On the same token, "your ankle [muscles] are big stabilizing muscles, especially with some of the standing work," Fielding says. "As people get older, they lose a little bit of strength and stability through their legs and ankles. So, strengthening them [helps to] stabilize, and that's going to prevent falls as people get older."

Aside from improving balance, standing Pilates exercises can also make the movements you carry out in your daily life easier. "Being more stable and strong is going to help you with your everyday [activities]: getting in and out of chairs, getting on and off the toilet bowl, reaching up into a cabinet. You're focusing on what you're [doing] — you're not going to stumble and fall over," Fielding says.

If getting down on the floor for a mat Pilates session is a challenge, consider a balance-focused standing Pilates workout, such as Fielding's circuit, which she demonstrates below. These six standing Pilates exercises utilize just your body weight and can be modified to match your fitness level and accommodate any fatigue.

Ready to get started? Perform 10 to 15 reps of each balance Pilates exercise, taking a 30-second rest in between each move, and repeat the circuit for a total of three rounds, Fielding suggests. For the plank, hold your position for 15 to 20 seconds, she recommends.

Once you've built up your strength and balance and are looking to progress, you can perform the squats, step-ups and heel raises while holding light weights, lower your plank closer to the floor (think: rest your hands on your couch cushion rather than on your kitchen table) or work up to a 1-minute plank hold, she says.

Air squats mimic movements you perform daily, including standing up from your couch and crouching down to pet your dog, Fielding says. Plus, they help keep you strong and stable as you age.

"Bodyweight squats are a great exercise for building strength in the legs and glutes while promoting flexibility and strength at the ankle joint," she explains. "The stronger and more flexible we are, the better our balance will be."

Step-ups improve your balance by building strength and stability throughout your lower body, Fielding says. "The older population tends to fall, usually on a staircase, so step-ups help keep the quads and glutes really strong and also help with ankle stability," she explains. As you progress, continue increasing the height of your box, she recommends.

The plank helps build strength throughout your entire core, which provides stability and reduces the odds that you tip over when you lose your footing, Fielding says. You can start with your feet close to the chair. As you get stronger, you can walk your feet back and then ultimately progress the exercise down to the ground.

This standing Pilates exercise not only helps to improve balance, as you're supporting all of your body weight on one leg, but it also helps open up your hip flexors and strengthen your hamstrings and glutes, Fielding says.

This exercise helps to build the ankle strength and stability that supports better balance, Fielding says. When you're ready to progress, try Pilates prances, lifting just one heel at a time and alternating sides, she suggests.

"This is a great balance exercise because it builds core strength, and it also has you standing on one foot which will help strengthen the ankles and [allow you] to work on the stability of the ankles," Fielding says. Once you're confident performing the standing oblique crunch with good form, try the movement while balancing on one leg, she recommends.