Could Pilates Help You Live a Longer, Healthier Life? New Research Explores the Link

When people think about the benefits of Pilates, improved core strength, mobility, flexibility and posture often come to mind.

But fascinating new research has raised a much bigger question:

Could regularly practising Pilates also be associated with living a longer life? A large US study involving more than 55,000 adults examined 21 different complementary health practices and their relationship with mortality.

Of all the individual practices studied, only Pilates and yoga were significantly associated with a lower risk of death after the researchers made their full statistical adjustments.

Pilates participation was associated with a 36% lower risk of all-cause mortality, while yoga was associated with a 27% lower risk. It’s a striking finding but it’s important to understand exactly what the research does, and doesn’t, tell us.

What did the Pilates research find?

Researchers from Arizona State University and the University of Washington analysed data from 55,023 adults who participated in the US National Health Interview Survey. Participants’ survey information was linked with mortality records through 2019, providing an average follow-up period of approximately nine years.

The researchers investigated 21 complementary and alternative health practices, including Pilates, yoga, massage, acupuncture and chiropractic care. After adjusting for a wide range of demographic, lifestyle and health factors, Pilates and yoga stood out.

The results showed:

Pilates was associated with a 36% lower risk of all-cause mortality

Yoga was associated with a 27% lower risk of all-cause mortality

Most of the other individual practices studied showed no significant association with mortality after adjustment

These associations also remained statistically significant after the researchers applied additional corrections to reduce the likelihood of false-positive findings.

Does Pilates really make you live 36% longer? No, and this distinction is extremely important.

The study found an association between Pilates participation and lower mortality. It did not prove that practising Pilates directly caused people to live longer. This was an observational study rather than a randomised controlled trial. People who practise Pilates may differ from non-participants in many other ways.

In fact, the researchers found that users of complementary health practices tended to be younger, better educated, have higher incomes, smoke less, exercise more and report better overall health. The researchers statistically adjusted for many of these differences, including physical activity, smoking and health status, but it is impossible for this type of research to eliminate every potential influence.

The researchers themselves therefore conclude that further investigation is needed to determine whether the findings represent specific benefits from activities such as Pilates and yoga, or whether they partly reflect the generally healthier lifestyles of people who participate in them.

So this isn’t evidence that joining a Pilates class will automatically extend your life. It is however, an intriguing finding that adds to a much broader conversation about exercise, strength, mobility and healthy ageing.

Why could Pilates be valuable as we get older? There is unlikely to be one single explanation. One of the attractions of Pilates is that it brings together several elements of physical fitness within the same form of exercise.

Building and maintaining strength

Maintaining muscular strength becomes increasingly important as we age.

Pilates uses controlled movements to challenge muscles throughout the body, while Reformer Pilates adds adjustable spring resistance that allows exercises to be adapted and progressively challenged.

Strength isn’t simply about appearance.

Being sufficiently strong to comfortably climb stairs, get up from the floor, carry shopping and continue enjoying everyday activities can become increasingly important later in life.

Balance, stability and movement control

Pilates places considerable emphasis on stability, coordination and controlled movement. Rather than simply completing as many repetitions as possible, participants learn to move with precision and control. Developing these qualities can form an important part of maintaining physical capability throughout life.

Maintaining mobility

Strength and mobility don’t have to be competing goals. Pilates frequently requires the body to move through controlled ranges of motion while maintaining stability elsewhere. For many people, that combination makes Pilates an enjoyable way to work on both strength and mobility.

Creating a sustainable exercise habit

Perhaps one of the most important characteristics of any exercise programme is also one of the simplest:

Will you actually continue doing it?

The theoretical benefits of the perfect exercise programme mean very little if someone doesn’t enjoy it enough to remain consistent. Finding movement that is challenging, enjoyable and sustainable can therefore be an important part of building a healthier lifestyle.

Could the social side of Pilates matter too?

Healthy ageing isn’t purely about muscles, joints and cardiovascular fitness.

Our relationships and social connections matter too.

The researchers discuss several possible explanations for the associations identified in the study, including physical activity, stress management and the wider health behaviours associated with participation in these types of activities.

For people attending Pilates in a studio environment, there may also be another benefit that is harder to measure: community. Regularly leaving the house, meeting familiar faces, interacting with an instructor and exercising alongside other people creates a very different experience from exercising alone.

At Lock and Flow Studio in Woodplumpton, Preston, our Reformer Pilates classes are intentionally small. That allows instructors to provide individual attention, but it also helps create the friendly, welcoming environment that has become an important part of the studio.

Movement may bring people through the door, but the routine, relationships and sense of belonging can be valuable too.

Pilates isn’t a longevity shortcut

The wellness industry is increasingly filled with products and interventions promising to help us live longer. But there is unlikely to be one exercise, supplement, diet or treatment that provides a shortcut to longevity.

Instead, healthy ageing is likely to involve a combination of familiar fundamentals:

regular physical activity, maintaining strength, good nutrition, sufficient sleep, avoiding smoking, managing stress and maintaining meaningful relationships.

Pilates can potentially sit very comfortably within that bigger picture.

It doesn’t need to replace walking, cardiovascular exercise, resistance training or other activities you enjoy. Instead, it can become one component of a varied and sustainable approach to remaining active.

Reformer Pilates in Preston: investing in what your body can do

At Lock and Flow Studio in Woodplumpton, Preston, we believe exercise shouldn’t only be about changing how your body looks. It can also be an investment in what your body remains capable of doing in the years ahead.

Our Reformer Pilates classes in Preston focus on controlled, purposeful movement, helping clients develop strength, mobility, balance and confidence.

Whether you’re completely new to Pilates, returning to exercise after a break or looking for something to complement your existing training, Reformer Pilates can be adapted and progressed according to your experience and ability.

And you don’t need to wait until later life to start thinking about healthy ageing.

The strength, movement habits and relationships we develop today may help shape how well we live in the future.

The bigger message from the research

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this study isn’t the headline figure of 36% lower mortality associated with Pilates. It’s what the findings encourage us to think about.

In a world increasingly interested in complicated longevity interventions and expensive wellness treatments, activities centred around something as fundamental as regular movement continue to deserve our attention.

The researchers are rightly cautious. More research is needed before anyone can say that Pilates itself contributes directly to a longer lifespan.

But we don’t need to wait for that research to recognise the established value of being active, becoming stronger, maintaining our mobility and finding forms of exercise we genuinely enjoy.

For us, that’s the most important message.

Keep moving. Keep building strength. And choose movement that you enjoy enough to make part of your life.

Read the research

The study, “Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use and All-Cause Mortality Among US Adults: A National Prospective Cohort Study,” was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in June 2026.

Authors: Connor M. Sheehan, Hyungmin Cha, Paul Espinoza and Yuan Xie.

Research paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2026.108461

Arizona State University subsequently published an accessible explanation of the findings:

ASU research summary: https://news.asu.edu/20260904-health-and-medicine-asu-researchers-find-yoga-and-pilates-associated-longer-lifespans

Interested in trying Reformer Pilates in Preston?

Lock and Flow Studio is a boutique Reformer and Mat Pilates studio in Woodplumpton, Preston, Lancashire.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to develop your existing Pilates practice, our small-group classes provide expert instruction in a welcoming environment.

Move with precision. Flow with purpose.