Revitalize Your Midlife with MOVE’s New Pilates Program
We are so excited to share our new six-week Pilates program, “MOVE Well in Midlife” with you. MOVE Co-Founder, Elaine Economou, has created this program to help women in midlife (ages 45-65) safely and efficiently build strength and mobility, learn mindfulness tools to relieve stress, and to be a part of a community of women with a shared experience of this time of life.
Our MOVE Well in Midlife Program allows you to join a small cohort of women and incorporates a daily, customized movement approach with additional coaching support. The goal of this program is to help you understand how to care for your unique body with an eye toward aging well and getting as strong as you want to live the life you love. Read on to learn about the program details.
I. Challenges Faced by Women in Midlife
Midlife is a time of change for women and is often accompanied by certain challenges. Some common issues women in midlife experience include:
- Surprising aches and pains
- Worries about bone health and aging posture
- Concerns about maintaining and practicing balance
- Struggles with incontinence
- Confusion about what exercises are safe and appropriate
We often think that aging is accompanied by a decline in health with certain unavoidable changes in our bodies, but this is not the case. It is true that midlife is a time of change in your body but by incorporating consistent and focused movement practices, you can make sure you’re building and maintaining strength and stability in your body. In addition to having a strong body, research suggests healthy lifestyle changes during midlife may also prevent illness from occurring later in life (site). Our team at MOVE feels passionately that midlife does not need to be a time of fear and anxiety, but rather a call to action to take ownership of your body and provide it with the tools it needs to support you.
II. The Program: A Solution to Midlife Challenges
The truth is that it is possible to keep doing all the things that you love as you age. The MOVE Well in Midlife Program is designed to directly address challenges of midlife. With slow and steady attention to your physical health, mobility and strength, the principles of Pilates and the GYROTONIC Expansion System will help you move well and feel your best.
Here’s how:
- By moving consistently and building strength, you’ll notice fewer aches and pains
- Your daily movement practice will also bring mobility and ease to your joints and spine
- You’ll have personalized exercises that are designed for your unique body that you can incorporate at home to keep your momentum going on days you don’t have a full class
- Your workouts are also designed to maintain healthy bone density
- You’ll also spend time on breathwork geared towards mitigating stress, supporting healthy digestion, and strengthening the muscles of your pelvic floor
And remember, you’ll be surrounded by a supportive community of women. As a group, you’ll build connection and community while you learn to care for your unique body.
III. What’s Included in the Program?
The MOVE Well in Midlife Program is organized into the following:
- (1) one on one coaching session
- (2) in-studio classes per week
- (1) at-home virtual workout per week
- (1) personalized homework exercise routine (to be done on non-class days)
Overall, the MOVE Well in Midlife Program is a custom-designed program for women in their late 40s, 50s and 60s. You’ll have two weekly in-studio classes and one weekly virtual class. These workouts will be Pilates or GYROTONIC-based movements. You’ll focus on low impact training and also incorporate certain props to help you get the most out of each workout. Each workout has been created from scratch by Elaine specifically for women in midlife, so you’ll know each exercise is targeted just for you.
Finally, as movement experts we know that consistent participation and practice at home and in the studio is going to allow you to see clear progress and strength gains over the six weeks of the program. In addition, you’ll exit the program with new (or renewed!) exercises habits that will carry forward into your daily routine.
IV. Get Lifestyle Support in Your Coaching Sessions
In addition to classes, you’ll also have one coaching session as well as weekly accountability check-ins. You’ll have one coaching session before the program begins. This session will allow you to establish where you are at the start of the program and we’ll be checking in regularly to see how you’re feeling and progressing during the program. The coaching session will also provide you with information to look back and reflect on.
In your initial coaching session, we will check in on the pillars of well-being including stress management, sleep, and nutrition and provide you with resources to support you in these areas if you are interested. Your mid-program call will give us a chance to work together to be sure you are getting the support you need and the most out of the program.
You’ll also have weekly accountability check-ins after your at-home workouts. We know it’s not always easy to workout at home without the accountability of having to show up to a studio at a set time. That’s why we’ve incorporated these mini check-ins. You’ll be expected to confirm you’ve completed your at home class and this will help make sure you’re completing all portions of the program. Research shows that setting goals and following up with a plan for where and when to exercise helps assure that you’ll actually end up following through on your workout (site). The MOVE Well in Midlife Program does all of the planning for you, all you need to do is show up.
V. Benefits of Enrolling in the MOVE Well in Midlife Program
We’ve already touched on many benefits of the program but to recap, you can expect:
- Improved pelvic floor health and decreased risk of incontinence
- Improved balance and coordination, meaning your risk of having a fall is also reduced
- Strengthened core muscles, which can improve posture
- Increased flexibility, reducing joint stiffness and improving range of motion
- Enhanced cardiovascular fitness, improving overall heart health
To review, the MOVE Well in Midlife Program includes three weekly classes, two in-person and one virtual, plus customized, daily movement homework for you to do on non-class days. You’ll also have two coaching sessions and weekly, accountability check-ins so you’re able to stay on track as well as monitor and measure your progress throughout the program.
The program will directly address common challenges in midlife and you’ll leave feeling confident about your movement practice with a clear plan post-program on how to maintain your achievements during the program. As we’ve noted above, midlife is an important time where it’s critical to prioritize self-care and health to create a strong and healthy body that will support you as you age. Our program is meant to encourage women in midlife to take control of their wellbeing with the support and guidance of our team of movement experts.
Interested in joining? The program is limited to six participants so don’t wait to enroll!
