What Is Functional Movement and Why Do You Need To Practice It?

Recently, I shared a social media post on Instagram featuring a 63-year-old woman being interviewed on a podcast about her weekly exercise regimen.  She does Pilates 3 times per week and then also does weights, hanging, and jumping.  She revealed what drives her to do this each week: she doesn't want anyone to take her to the bathroom when she is old. She wants to be able to walk. This is a perfect example of how the functional movement in Pilates can help you maintain independence as you age. Simply put, functional movement is any movement that helps you perform everyday activities more easily, safely, and confidently. Getting out of a chair. Walking upstairs. Reaching into a cupboard. Picking up your grandchildren. Getting in and out of the car and carrying the shopping.

The goal of Pilates isn't simply to create stronger muscles or improve flexibility. It's to help your body move more efficiently so that everyday life becomes easier and less painful well into your retirement years.

Why Functional Movement Matters

As we get older, or if we've been living with chronic pain for a long time, we often begin to avoid certain movements. We sit more. We become cautious. Our bodies naturally become less strong, less mobile, and less confident. Unfortunately, avoiding movement can actually make everyday tasks harder. Practising functional movements helps to reverse that cycle. They improve strength where you actually need it, balance and stability, coordination, joint mobility, and confidence in movement, all of which contribute to independence as you age. Perhaps most importantly, they help your nervous system realise that movement is safe again.

Functional Exercises In Pilates

Many people associate Pilates with core strengthening and improving flexibility. While these aspects are certainly important, Pilates also includes movements that prepare you for daily life. Here are 3 examples:
Squats - A squat is one of the most functional movements we perform every day.  Every time you sit down or stand up from a chair, you're squatting.  They also help you sit on the toilet and get back up again, which is what the woman in the social media post above was referring to. Once you have lost the ability to sit down and stand up unaided, you have lost the ability to go to the toilet by yourself. Notice how many times you squat down to a chair each day. See if you can increase the challenge without using your arms to help you. (Only if this is safe for you to do so) This is the same movement you do in a Pilates class, so maintain this vital skill as you age.

Reaching and Rotating - Life rarely happens in straight lines. We twist to reverse the car, reach into cupboards, turn to talk to someone, or carry shopping on one side. We reach up to the top shelf in the supermarket for an item we need, or reach up to trim the hedges in our garden with clippers.  Pilates helps prepare us to execute these movements safely without injury. Pilates movements that prepare us for daily reaching and rotation are Arm Openings, Saw, and Mermaid.

Glute Strengthening Exercises -  Strengthening your glutes is highly functional because they act as your body’s primary engine for daily movement, pelvic stability, and weight distribution. Strong glutes power basic actions like climbing stairs, standing up, and lifting objects while protecting your lower back and knees from overcompensation and causing pain. By securing proper pelvic alignment, they also enhance your balance and overall posture. In Pilates, I ensure my clients strengthen their glutes at every session, with a wide variety of different exercises in different positions - side lying, prone, 4 Point Kneeling and standing. Strong glutes are essential at all stages of life, but particularly in your later years.

The Bigger Picture

Functional movement isn't about becoming an athlete. It's about preserving your independence, so you won't rely on someone else to take you to the toilet. It's about being able to get down onto the floor—and get back up again. It's about walking with confidence, carrying your groceries, gardening, travelling and enjoying time with family without your body holding you back. That's why we practise these movements in Pilates. We're not just exercising.

We're preparing your body for life.

Because moving well today is one of the best investments you can make in how you'll move tomorrow.

If you are ready to start your Pilates journey to maintain strength and condition as you age, email me at [email protected] .  Alternatively, you can book an Initial Assessment with me here or  take the free 10 day trial of JS Mind Body Pilates, my online studio, which is a library of on-demand videos, and start straight away.  It would be my pleasure to assist you in enjoying a happy, healthy retirement!