Body & beauty

How Movement Keeps Us Young

Want to grow older with grace and dignity? Fall in love with movement, according to our experts…

While we might not relish grey hairs and lines on our faces, ageing is a natural part of life and it’s one to be celebrated. We spoke to five women who are keeping a spring in their step as they age through their love of movement.

Sarah Highfield

Leading international yoga teacher, writer and founder of yoga platform Yogagise.com

“Our bodies and minds need different things at different stages of our lives, so we should identify what we need and when. Keeping fit, healthy and well-informed will help us age smoothly and live longer. At the same time, we should try not to become fixated on ageing because there are more important things to focus on, like family, friends, and life experiences.

Yoga has helped me to remain youthful over the years by keeping my mind present and my body supple. By simply moving my body and stretching out, I feel alive. Yoga is proven to reduce cortisol and stress levels; this alone helps a lot. One of my favourite aspects of yoga is the way it allows me to switch off and go inward. It frees me of distractions and brings me into the present moment. When I’m present, I feel engaged and alert, which makes me happy, and ultimately, that happiness keeps me youthful.

When it comes to ageing, everyone is in the same boat, and as a society, we should stop fighting it and start to embrace it more. If we continue to shine a negative light on ageing, it’s only going to serve to make us more unhappy when we see ourselves getting older. Furthermore, we should remember that ageing isn’t just a physical change, it’s also a mental and emotional process, because with age also comes wisdom, understanding yourself better, and valuable life experience. One of my favourite quotes about ageing is from Mark Twain: ‘Do not complain about growing old. It is a privilege denied to many.’”

Vicki Anstey

Leading fitness expert and co-founder of The Barre Collective thebarrecollective.co.uk

I’m 43, so I definitely don’t (yet) feel ‘old’. I’m also fitter and stronger and feel more empowered than I ever have in my life. The benefit of getting older is that you feel more liberated from the kinds of pressures you might put on yourself during your teens and twenties. I’m far more focused on what my body can do than what it looks like as I age. If that continues, I’ll be happy!

I often call barre ‘the glue that holds my body together’. It’s not just about building or maintaining strength, but it takes care of your ligament, tendon and bone health too – all of which contribute to more youthful movement and keep you injury-free. The feel-good hormones, serotonin and endorphins that you get from a barre class are off the scale, and the release of these hormones has a proven effect on skin, too, delaying the breakdown of collagen. A far better investment than expensive anti-ageing creams and serums as far as I’m concerned!”

Paola Langella

Pilates instructor, nutrition health coach and founder of Shapesstudio.co

“Ageing well means working towards being mentally and physically in shape to face the delicate years ahead. My goal is that at 90 years old, I will be able to practise Pilates and tie my shoe laces myself. Pilates has helped my body stay flexible, as well as giving me the strength and stability to stay pain and injury-free. When the body is strong, there’s a natural boost to your mental energy, too. For me, being mentally and physically active and in balance is the secret of youth.

There are also numerous benefits of having a strong core and back, as well as good balance and coordination, for ageing well and remaining youthful. This feeling of youthfulness generates a ripple effect on our lives, we feel more motivated to live life to its fullest, and enjoy travelling, going out, seeing friends, having fun, trying new clothes or learning a new sport. I love a quote from Joseph Pilates that says: ‘You are as young as your spine’.”

Angela Jones

Wild swim specialist and outdoor adventure expert

“To me, ageing means being content in your own skin and happy in your heart; it’s something I don’t overthink and I’m totally comfortable with. The most important thing to remember is it’s inevitable and every chapter in life is an adventure that you have no control over, so why not just relax, embrace and enjoy? Wild swimming brings total peace of character, peace of mind and peaceful breath. Being in the water is a big part of who I am; wild swimming makes me, me. Water is part of the cycle of life, after all, and is forever flowing.

If you’re struggling with ageing, think of your body as having to remain strong to live an active, enviable life. We’re all capable of taking control of how we maintain our bodies and minds, and knowing how to enhance our life experience. Nature has big arms to embrace every one of us, and for this I’m so truly grateful. The third chapter in my life is all about being in tune and loving every single day.”

Marcella Carrara

Feldenkrais® practitioner, marcellacarrara.com Wellness Collective @mindwalkyoga

“From the moment we are in the womb we start a process of growing which will accompany us for the rest of our lives.

As adults we can become rigid in our thinking and in the way we move. This slows the process of learning and the possibility to grow as human beings. Many of us will not even try to learn something new because we are not interested or we feel pain. This can have repercussion on our physiological body.

The ingredients that allow us to age well, especially in adulthood, are physical activities, like walking every day, moving with variations, without freezing our self into habitual postures; having a good rest in order to hydrate tissues and gain elasticity. The Feldenkrais Method is designed to break mental patterns through new movement exploration to keep the mind flexible and to restore the body.

Through The Feldenkrais Method I learnt to connect with my movements from within and to observe my habits. The hardest thing is to recognise our bad habits and bring awareness to the tensions they create. Encourage yourself to be amazed by the small daily successes, feed your curiosity, ask questions without giving yourself an answer, learn new languages, welcome the unknown with gratitude, enjoy the learning process without judging yourself. This is a beautiful way to nourish a youthful state of being.”