02/14/2026
Across health and longevity research, movement-based measures are increasingly used as indicators of healthy aging — even though how movement quality develops and is learned remains largely underexplored.
In practice, this means that longevity tests can tell us that movement matters, without necessarily explaining how to cultivate efficient, adaptable, and sustainable movement throughout life.
Chronic stiffness doesn’t come from “getting older.” (If you didn’t attend my webinar on sensorimotor amnesia and would like to watch it, you can reply to this email and I’ll send you the link).
More often, rigidity develops from inefficient movement patterns, excessive effort, or missing key stages in how we learn to move. It can also arise from repetitive habits without enough variation, where your repertoire of movement gradually shrinks — and with it, your range of motion.
In other words: if you don’t use it, you lose it.
These patterns frequently emerge as compensations following injury, chronic stress, or even neurological challenges. If we do nothing, rigidity can indeed increase over time. As we age, we do need more maintenance to prevent it — but the outcome, if you ask my students, is absolutely worth the extra time and attention.
What Longevity Tests Are Really Measuring
In the New York Times article “Are You Ageing Well?” by Dana G. Smith (Jan. 22, 2026), several simple physical tests are highlighted as predictors of longevity and long-term health.
Among them:
🔹The sitting–rising test (your ability to sit down and stand up from the floor with minimal support)
🔹Walking speed
🔹Balance
🔹Grip strength
“These tests evaluate strength, power, balance, and flexibility.
According to Dr. Claudio Gil Araújo, they are also predictors of mortality. In one of his studies involving more than 4,000 adults aged 46 to 75, those who scored 4 or below on the sitting–rising test had death rates nearly four times higher than those who scored a 10 over a 12‑year period — primarily because lower scores were linked to a higher risk of falls.”
So, longevity isn’t just about being strong or flexible.
It’s about coordination, adaptability, and ease of movement.
Passing a Test vs. Learning How to Move Well
While these tests can predict health outcomes, they don’t teach you how to improve them.
Many people try to “train for the test” by doing more repetitions, stretching harder, or forcing strength — often reinforcing compensations, joint stress, or long-standing movement habits.
This is where many programs fall short.
And this is why I created a Course that Goes Further
This ✨ New 10-week online series doesn’t just tell you what to do — it teaches you how to move and to trust your sensation so you move from the inside out.
Build strength that supports longevity — not wear and tear
Write “Happy Valentine’s Day” in the comments, and I’ll send you the link.
Contemporary pilates lessons improve muscle strength, balance, stabilization, and organization of the body, for better functioning. It is a way of improving the state of being of the whole person
