Pilates After 60: Core Strength, Balance, and Healthy Aging

What does sexy mean to you now, in this season of life?

For me, it has less to do with how things look and much more to do with how things feel. How steady I feel in my body. How capable I feel moving through my day. How willing I am to stay engaged with my life as it changes.

That is the space Dana Kramer and I stepped into in Episode 13 of the Sexy in Your 60s podcast, titled Motion Is Lotion.

Dana has spent more than 45 years in the fitness world. She holds certifications through the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise, along with comprehensive Pilates training. She has worked with professional athletes and with beginners in their 60s, 70s, and 80s rebuilding after injury or surgery.

But what struck me most is not her résumé. It is the way she relates to the aging body. There is no drama in it. No chasing. Just steadiness.

After recently becoming a widow, Dana entered a new season. It brought emptiness and grief, of course. It also brought a kind of freedom she had not expected. Movement became more than fitness. It became structure. Orientation. A way to stay grounded in the middle of change.

Calibrating “Enough”

As I was writing this, I kept thinking about something that does not get talked about enough.

For women 50 and above, especially those of us in our mid-60s and beyond, there is this ongoing question:

What is the right level of fitness for me now?

We are constantly exposed to images of beautifully styled younger women and also older women in their 60s, 70s, even 80s doing somersaults, hiking high peaks, twerking on dance floors, and lifting heavy weights. It can be inspiring. It can also be quietly intimidating.

Even for me, with decades in health care, a Peloton at home, regular walking, Pilates training, online yoga, and a year of physical therapy after spinal fusion surgery, I still wake up negotiating with a new body at a new age.

Every day the body is slightly different.

The question is not perfection.

The question is relationship.

Motion Is Lotion

After being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, Dana’s rheumatologist told her something simple: “Motion is lotion.”

For someone who had always been fit, that diagnosis could have shut things down. Instead, it shifted how she approached her mornings. She does not leap out of bed. She begins with heat, breath, and gentle range of motion. She honors the body she has now.

That feels relevant to me.

We are learning so much about strength training after 60, muscle mass, bone density, and metabolic health. We know progressive overload matters. We know resistance training supports longevity and independence. We know adequate protein becomes more important as we age.

At the same time, the messaging can feel loud and overwhelming.

Dana’s guidance is much quieter.

Start with breath.
Engage the trunk.
Take small steps.
Increase gradually.
Be consistent.
Stop comparing.

What Is the Core and How Do We Keep It Strong?

The word “core” gets thrown around constantly. It is often reduced to abs.

In reality, the core includes the deep abdominal muscles, spinal stabilizers, diaphragm, pelvic floor, and glutes. It is an integrated system that stabilizes the spine and transfers force between the upper and lower body.

Research shows that strong trunk musculature supports balance, reduces fall risk, protects against low back pain, and improves functional independence as we age.

We keep it strong through breath-based engagement, progressive resistance training, functional movements such as squats and carries, balance work, and gradual overload over time.

The goal is not visible abs.

The goal is structural integrity.

And structural integrity supports independence.

Capability Over Aesthetics

Dana said something that stayed with me.

“Fit at my age is not necessarily looking fit. It is looking capable.”

Capable of getting up from the floor.
Capable of carrying groceries.
Capable of traveling independently.
Capable of catching yourself if you trip.

That feels like a better metric.

When my physical therapist tells me I have gained muscle strength and increased my range of motion, even if I cannot see it, that is progress.

When I lift slightly heavier than I did a few months ago, that is progress.

When I walk with a friend instead of isolating at home, that is progress.

None of it photographs well, even though I still post some of it.

All of it matters.

Freedom Needs Structure

After loss, Dana found herself with more time. More autonomy. More open space in her days.

She realized something important.

Freedom without structure can easily become isolation.

Movement gives shape to the day.

A walk.
A Pilates session.
Ten minutes of strength work.
A plane ticket to see family.

In this stage of life, many of us have more discretionary time than we once did. How we fill that time has real consequences for our health and our sense of connection.

Strength is not only physical. It is structural, in the body and in life.

The Ongoing Relationship

None of this is new information to me. I coach women in healthy aging. I follow the science. I eat a whole food plant-based diet with attention to adequate protein. I understand the importance of progressive overload and bone density.

And still, every day is a negotiation.

What does this body need today?
Is today a heavier day or a lighter day?
Do I need support or can I work independently?
Am I honoring recovery as much as effort?

There is no finish line.

There is only relationship.

Relationship with your body.
With your breath.
With movement.
With change.

What Sexy Means Now

At the end of every episode, I ask the same question.

What does sexy mean to you now, in this season of life?

Dana’s answer was simple.

Confident. Comfortable in my own skin. Capable.

Not proving.
Not performing.
Not comparing.

Capable.

If you are in your 50s, 60s, or beyond and quietly trying to figure out what “enough” looks like for you, I hope this conversation feels grounding.

You do not need Olympic lifts in perfect lighting.

You need consistency.
Progressive challenge.
Adequate nourishment.
Support.

And the willingness to keep showing up.

Motion is lotion.

Independence is built one intentional movement at a time.

If you would like to hear the full conversation, you can listen to Episode 13 of the Sexy in Your 60s podcast, Motion Is Lotion, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music,  and you can watch the YouTube.