The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Mary Edwards leads a Pilates exercise in the Pilates for Over 50 class at Steamboat Pilates & Fitness Studio. Photo by Tyler Arroyo

Steamboat Springs — On a Friday morning at Steamboat Pilates & Fitness Studio, students use long foam rollers to balance carefully while alternating legs in the air.

Instructor Mary Edwards reminds students to breathe as she gently tweaks their positions so they get the most out of the slow, yet powerful exercise.

Several participants laugh, exasperated, as Edwards suggests they raise their arms while maintaining the leg motions.

The class is Pilates for Over 50, a joint program between the studio and the Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association. Edwards aims to help students improve their posture and tone with strength-building exercises that also make them more aware of their bodies and movements beyond the studio.

“Over the years we make adjustments — maybe because of an injury — and those adjustments can definitely skew us,” Edwards said. “(Pilates) is about finding correctiveness again.”

The class consists of a series of mat exercises that challenge students to concentrate on breathing while engaging core abdominal muscles to accomplish various moves.

As in yoga, cushions and supports help individuals modify exercises to accommodate injuries or back and knee problems common in the 50 and older class, Edwards said.

In addition to improving posture, Pilates also helps combat tight rigid backs, osteoporosis and other common aging issues.

Fifty-year-old Janice Bell of Steamboat practices Pilates to reduce the weakening effects of multiple sclerosis. She has been taking Edwards’s Pilates class at Colorado Mountain College for more than a year.

“It’s really helped – it’s made me stronger … I’ve also slimmed down and lost weight,” said Bell, who generally practices with the class twice a week.

She began to feel a difference in her strength and physique after several months, but progress – including push ups and other tough moves – did not come without determination.

“When I first started, I couldn’t do a lot of the exercises,” said Bell, who also has become more aware of her posture and breathing because of her practice.

There is no age limit for practicing Pilates, as long as individuals have a good energy level and modify their exercises, said Edwards, who has worked with students in their 70s.

She recommends individuals interested in trying Pilates start with a class and instructor to ensure correct technique and prevent injury.

The Pilates for over 50 class may provide a less intimidating environment for some beginners.

General feedback from students in the class is that they like practicing with others in their age group, she said.

Bell has enjoyed a sense of camaraderie among the mixed ages in the CMC class, which also is relaxed atmosphere because “everyone knows it’s hard,” she said.

“The biggest thing is just do what you can,” Bell said. “You will get stronger – it’s amazing.”