What If Pilates Were A Key To Aging Well
Sometimes, life’s most beautiful lessons are hidden in the simplest moments: a pilates session, a breath, a repeated movement… or a meeting that, over the years, becomes much more than a professional relationship.
Some clients cross our paths and eventually come to hold a special place in our story.
Nicole is one of those people.
At 89, she is more than a client who has been practicing pilates with me for over 20 years. She is a woman who, at the age of 50, chose to take greater control of her life, explore new possibilities, push her own boundaries, and continue to grow.
Throughout all these years, she has also reminded me of something essential: taking care of our bodies is also a way of taking care of our lives.
Today, I wanted to share a little of her story and explore the positive impact pilates has had on her life.
A Brilliant Woman, a New Beginning at 50
During her career as an organizational psychologist, Nicole worked with various organizations to facilitate change, strengthen teamwork, and improve interpersonal relationships.
She was a brilliant woman, intellectually engaged and deeply committed to her work. At the time, however, physical activity played a relatively small role in her life. A little badminton here and there, but nothing particularly consistent.
Then, around the age of 50, she began experiencing shortness of breath when climbing stairs.
She decided to join the YMCA, initially to move more, but also for another, very simple reason:
“Going to the Y allowed me to get out of the office and stop working beyond regular business hours.”
It was at the YMCA, during a Tai Chi class in late 2004, that our paths crossed. I had just moved to Montreal after spending two and a half years in Asia. That October, I had begun my first STOTT PILATES Intensive Mat-Plus training at Studio Praxis in Westmount.
Nicole had already tried group Pilates classes at the Y, primarily to feel better in her lower back. She had quickly noticed some benefits, particularly in terms of abdominal strength and physical comfort.
Around 2005, in her mid-to-late sixties, she began taking private pilates sessions with me.
This period also marked another important turning point in her life: retirement.
For Nicole, retirement would mark the beginning of a new philosophy of life:
Enjoy life now.
Learning to Choose What Makes Us Feel Good
For Nicole, retirement was an opportunity to step away from her professional routine, discover new sides of herself, and make more room for the things that genuinely brought her joy.
She tried painting and yoga, but eventually realized that these activities were not giving her what she was looking for. So she stopped.
I love this anecdote because it reveals something very authentic about Nicole.
She is curious. She enjoys trying new things, discovering different worlds, and understanding how things work. But she also knows how to recognize what truly suits her.
She doesn’t do things simply because she thinks she should.
She chooses.
And pilates has remained part of her life for all these years.
“The More I Breathe, the More I Relax”
When I asked Nicole what had drawn her to pilates, she spontaneously spoke about breathing.
She discovered that the more she breathed, the more she relaxed.
Over the years, she came to understand that pilates offered her much more than a simple physical workout. She speaks of relaxation, mobility, energy, reduced pain, and a deeper transformation in her relationship with herself.
What touches me most is what she says she has gained on the inside:
A stronger connection with herself. A greater awareness of herself. A greater sense of self-mastery.
For Nicole, pilates has become a way to better understand herself and develop a more conscious relationship with her body.
Knowing Your Limits Is Also a Source of Empowerment
Nicole shared a reflection with me that deserves to be highlighted:
“Knowing my limits gives me more power.”
What a beautiful way to describe the relationship we can develop with our bodies.
Nicole reminds us how important it is to learn to listen to ourselves.
She continues to challenge herself, but she does so with greater awareness. During our sessions, she knows when to push herself, when to adapt a movement, and when to ask herself, “How can I do this differently?”
To me, that question represents an extraordinary form of body intelligence.
Movement does not have to be a battle against ourselves.
It can be a conversation.
An exploration.
A way to develop a gentler, more conscious, and more confident relationship with our own bodies.
The Body and the Mind: An Inseparable Relationship
With her master’s degree in psychology, Nicole has a particularly strong understanding of the connections between the body and the mind.
When asked whether pilates offers her something beyond the physical benefits, she replies:
“The body and the mind are connected. If I improve my body, of course it has an effect on my mental well-being: less anxiety, more confidence, and a greater sense of well-being.”
This reflection deeply resonates with my own vision of pilates.
The body and mind are not two separate entities. They are constantly communicating and influencing one another.
When we develop our strength, breathing, balance, and body awareness, we can also cultivate a sense of confidence, security, and well-being.
For Nicole, pilates has become a space where she can care for all these dimensions of herself.
A space to recenter.
To reconnect with herself.
To feel capable.
Continuing to Move Means Continuing to Live
When asked why it is important to keep moving, Nicole answers with the straightforward honesty that is so characteristic of her:
“To avoid becoming stiff, avoid needing a cane, and reduce pain.”
Sometimes, during the first two or three repetitions of an exercise, she feels a little uncomfortable. But she understands that, at her age, her joints may take a little longer to loosen up. She perseveres and gradually begins to feel better as she moves.
She knows that movement contributes to her quality of life, mobility, balance, and independence.
But behind these very practical answers lies something greater.
Nicole wants to continue living life to the fullest.
One movement at a time. One breath at a time.
Above all, Nicole deeply enjoys life and surrounding herself with people who stimulate and inspire her.
When we sat down to discuss this article, she had just celebrated her 89th birthday with friends… staying out until 2 a.m.!
She has energy, curiosity, and a genuine desire to discover new things. She is not afraid to enjoy life to the fullest while maintaining her balance and sense of moderation.
Her curiosity, in fact, has taken her well beyond pilates.
In 2007, she decided that painting wasn’t really for her after all. But theatre was!
Around 2017, driven by a desire to discover what happens behind the scenes and experience the artistic world from the inside, she took acting classes and even signed up with a talent agency.
Over the years, she participated in theatre productions, commercials, television series, and short films. And most recently, on the eve of her 89th birthday, she even landed a role in a Maxi commercial!
Aging Does Not Mean Giving Up
Talking with Nicole inevitably leads me to reflect on ageism—the sometimes subtle tendency to associate age with limitations, a gradual withdrawal from life, or an automatic reduction in possibilities.
As though, after reaching a certain age, we must inevitably slow down, give up certain activities, stop learning, or settle for watching others live.
But why?
Why assume that an older person no longer wants to discover, create, move, laugh, meet new people, or take on new challenges?
Nicole’s story reminds us that age never tells the whole story of a person. It tells us how many years someone has lived, but nothing about their curiosity, energy, dreams, sense of humour, or desire to participate fully in life.
At 89, Nicole continues to practice pilates, go out with friends, explore new projects, and discover worlds that intrigue her. She is not trying to deny her age. She embraces this stage of her life, with all its realities, adaptations, and possibilities.
Aging does not mean stopping living.
Sometimes, it means learning to do things differently.
Adapt rather than give up. Listen rather than force. Find new ways to keep participating, exploring, and experiencing joy.
And perhaps this is where movement becomes so important: not as a way to hold back time, but as a way to help us remain connected to life, to others, and to ourselves for as long as possible.
Her Message to Others Her Age
When asked what advice she would give someone her age who is hesitant to try pilates, her answer is simple:
“Movement, such as pilates, allows me to move safely and brings more life, mobility, balance, and control over my health.”
I find this statement beautiful.
Because it captures what movement can offer us.
Not perfection.
Not performance at all costs.
But more possibilities.
More confidence.
More freedom.
More life.
What Nicole Teaches Me
Nicole is much more than a client to me. She has become a friend and a great source of inspiration.
She is part of my journey, my story, and the relationships that give my work as an instructor such depth and meaning.
For over 20 years, I have had the privilege of accompanying her on her journey. But the truth is that she has accompanied me on mine, too.
She teaches me perseverance, curiosity, humour, and the ability to keep moving forward, even as the body changes and certain things become more difficult.
She reminds me that our work is not simply about teaching exercises.
It is also about creating a space where people can learn to trust themselves, understand themselves better, and discover that they still have so many possibilities.
I believe this is one of the greatest gifts of this profession: having the opportunity to accompany someone on their journey, watch them evolve, share their challenges and victories… and then realize that a deeply human connection has developed along the way.
Nicole is a window into my own future, reminding me of what may be possible when we prioritize our health.
Perhaps you have a “Nicole” in your life, too?
For me, Nicole is one of those people who reminds me why I love this profession so much.
Why I continue to learn.
Why I believe so deeply in the power of movement, breathing, and connection with ourselves.
Nicole has helped me understand that pilates cannot be measured solely in strength, flexibility, or balance. It can also be measured in regained confidence, reduced fears, preserved independence, personal pride, and the joy of continuing to live life to the fullest.
Thank you, Nicole, for reminding me that there is no age limit to learning, growing, and surprising ourselves.
And above all, thank you for showing me, time and time again, that taking care of our bodies is also a way of choosing life. ?
Breathe, grow and let go,
Brigitte x
