What's quietly changing that most of us never get to see? Our bones.
Unlike our skin, muscles or waistline, we don't notice our bones changing. They don't ache as they gradually lose density, and most of us won't have a bone density scan until much later in life, if at all.
When I first started Pilates, I thought I'd found the perfect form of exercise. I enjoyed it, I felt stronger, I knew it was something I could keep improving at, and it quickly became part of my routine.
Then, one evening, someone asked me a simple question: "Is Pilates enough for muscle and bone health?" I realised I didn't actually know the answer.
That question sent me down a rabbit hole of research, and what I discovered genuinely surprised me. It's one of the questions that changed the way I think about exercise.
Like most people, I'd always assumed bone health was mostly about calcium. It's the advice we've all grown up with: drink milk, eat yoghurt and make sure you're getting enough calcium. Calcium certainly matters, but it's only part of the story. Bones don't just need nutrients, they need a reason to stay strong.
Bone might feel like the most solid, unchanging part of your body, but it's actually living tissue, constantly being broken down and rebuilt throughout your life. Around menopause, that balance begins to shift, bone is lost a little faster than it's replaced, so density gradually declines.
The encouraging news is that bones respond remarkably well to challenge. Once you understand what they need, there's plenty you can do to support them.
There isn't a perfect form of exercise. Different types of movement support different aspects of our health. Pilates is genuinely excellent for core strength, balance, mobility and body awareness. Reformer Pilates can also help build strength, particularly for beginners, but it doesn't usually provide the kind of progressive loading that bones respond to best. Walking is fantastic for your heart, mood and overall health too, but on its own it has little effect on bone density. Running, because it's a weight-bearing impact activity, can help maintain bone health, especially in the lower body, but the strongest evidence for improving bone density still points to progressive resistance training.
Just like muscles, bones respond when they're challenged. If an exercise always feels easy, your bones have little reason to adapt. Gradually making it a little more challenging is what sends the signal for them to stay strong. That might mean lifting a slightly heavier weight, using a stronger resistance band, or progressing to a more challenging exercise as you get stronger.
This isn't just an opinion. Research pooling results across many separate studies has consistently found that moderate-intensity resistance training, done around three times a week, meaningfully improves bone mineral density at the spine and hip in postmenopausal women.
You don't need an extreme routine to see the benefit here, just consistency, challenging your muscles and bones regularly over months and years. Real life isn't a research study, though, many women are juggling work, children, ageing parents, or managing back pain or health conditions that make exercise feel daunting. If you have pain or a diagnosed condition, it's worth working with a physiotherapist or doctor to find the safest approach for you. If you're simply short on time, doing something consistently beats waiting until life is less busy.
If adding regular strength training feels overwhelming, start here:
Complete a 10–15-minute beginner resistance band workout twice a week, following guidance from a reputable online resource or qualified trainer.
Add a few simple strength exercises twice a week, such as pushing away from a wall, stepping onto a low step, or standing on your tiptoes.
Practice standing up from a chair 10–15 times, using your hands for support if needed.
Find one small way to challenge your muscles this week, such as doing one extra repetition or adding one more set than last week.
It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be something you can keep doing.
The more I learn, the less I believe there's a single perfect form of exercise. Instead, I think it's about building a toolkit, different types of movement that each support a different part of our health.
The challenge, of course, is that most of us don't have unlimited time. So perhaps the better question isn't, "What's the best exercise?" It's, "How can we get the greatest return from the time we have?"
That's the question I'm exploring through the Evessa Journal, translating the science into practical, realistic advice for women who want to age well, but also have busy lives.
More soon.
Next time: how much exercise is actually enough?
