Reformer Pilates & Menopause
HOW PILATES CAN SUPPORT YOUR BODY THROUGH PERIMENOPAUSE AND BEYOND
If your body suddenly feels different in your 40s or 50s, you’re not imagining it.
Perimenopause and menopause can bring changes to muscle strength, bone health,
body composition, sleep, energy, mood and joint comfort. For many women, it can also mean that the type of exercise they enjoyed in their 20s and 30s no longer feels quite right.
This is where Reformer Pilates can be particularly useful.
At Dream Body Pilates in Halifax, West Yorkshire, we believe exercise during this stage of life shouldn’t simply be about burning calories or trying to make your body smaller. It should help you build a body that feels strong, capable and supported for the years ahead.
WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY DURING PERIMENOPAUSE AND MENOPAUSE?
Perimenopause is the transition leading up to menopause and can begin several years before your periods stop completely.
As hormone levels fluctuate and eventually decline, women may experience a wide range of physical and emotional changes. These can include:
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Loss of muscle mass and strength
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Changes in where body fat is stored
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Reduced bone density
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Increased stiffness, aches or joint discomfort
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Changes in balance and mobility
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Poorer sleep
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fatigue
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Changes in mood
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Reduced confidence in your body
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Pelvic-floor changes
Not every woman will experience all of these, and symptoms vary considerably from person to person.
One particularly important change, is what happens to our muscles and bones.
A 2025 systematic review examining women during perimenopause and early
post-menopause highlighted that the menopause transition is a period in which bone and muscle loss can accelerate. The review also found evidence that strength-based exercise may help support bone health during early post-menopause, although researchers emphasised that more high-quality studies specifically involving perimenopausal women are needed. (PubMed)
WHY STRENGTH MATTERS MORE AS WE GET OLDER
Strength isn’t just about how heavy you can lift.Strong muscles help us to:
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Get up and down from the floor
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Climb stairs comfortably
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Carry shopping
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Maintain good posture
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Support our joints
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Remain mobile and independent
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Maintain balance and reduce our risk of falls
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Continue doing the things we enjoy as we age
So, how can Reformer Pilates help during menopause?
01 Building and maintaining strength
The Reformer uses a system of springs to provide resistance as you move. Rather than simply stretching, you're working against resistance through controlled movements.
Exercises can target the:
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Legs and glutes
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Core
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Back
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Arms and shoulders
The resistance can also be adjusted, allowing exercises to become progressively more challenging as you get stronger.This is particularly relevant during and after menopause, when maintaining muscle and physical function becomes increasingly important.
02 Supporting bone health
Bone health becomes particularly important around menopause because declining oestrogen levels are associated with accelerated bone loss.
Research into exercise and postmenopausal bone health suggests that exercise can play an important role, particularly when resistance and weight-bearing activity are included. A large meta-analysis of resistance exercise in postmenopausal women found positive effects on bone mineral density at the lumbar spine, femoral neck and total hip.
03 Improving balance and stability
Balance isn't something we tend to think about until it starts to become more difficult.
Reformer Pilates combines strength, coordination, body awareness and controlled movement. Many exercises require you to stabilise one part of your body while another part moves. Over time, this can help develop the strength and control that underpin good balance and everyday movement.
In a randomised controlled study of women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, a supervised Pilates programme produced improvements in physical function and quality-of-life measures.
04 Supporting mobility without relying on high-impact exercise
If running, jumping or intense workouts no longer appeal to you, that doesn’t mean your exercise has to be easy or ineffective.
One of the benefits of Reformer Pilates is that exercises can be challenging without necessarily being high impact.
The springs, carriage and straps allow movements to be adapted to different abilities while still providing resistance.
This can make Reformer Pilates an approachable option for women who want to become stronger but don’t enjoy a traditional gym environment.
05 Helping with sleep, mood and wellbeing
Menopause isn’t only about physical changes.
Sleep disruption, fatigue and changes in mood can have a significant effect on how you feel day to day.
Exercise more broadly is associated with numerous physical and psychological benefits, and Pilates has also been studied specifically in postmenopausal women.
In a randomised controlled trial involving 110 postmenopausal women, a Pilates-based exercise programme was associated with improvements in measures of sleep quality, anxiety, depression and fatigue.
More recent research has also compared Clinical Pilates with aerobic exercise in postmenopausal women. Both groups showed improvements in sleep, psychological outcomes and aspects of quality of life following an eight-week programme.
These studies don’t mean Pilates is a treatment for menopause symptoms, but they do add to the evidence supporting regular movement as part of looking after your overall wellbeing through menopause.
Is Reformer Pilates suitable if you’ve never exercised before?
Absolutely — you don’t need to already be fit, flexible or experienced at Pilates to begin.
In fact, this is one of the biggest misconceptions we hear.
YOU DON'T NEED TO:
Be able to touch your toes
Have a strong core already
Know any Pilates terminology
Look a certain way
Keep up with somebody who has been exercising for years
The Reformer can be adjusted to suit different levels of strength and experience, and you can gradually progress as your confidence and ability improve.
At Dream Body Pilates, our Halifax Reformer Pilates classes include different class styles and intensities, so Pilates doesn’t have to mean being thrown straight into an advanced workout.
CONSISTENCY
How often should you do Reformer Pilates?
Consistency matters more than doing everything at once.
For many women, two or three sessions per week can provide a realistic routine that allows you to work on strength, mobility and control while
still allowing recovery between sessions.
However, there isn’t a single perfect amount of Pilates for every woman. Your current activity levels, health, goals and other forms of exercise all matter.
And Pilates doesn’t have to be the only exercise you do.
Walking, resistance training and appropriate weight-bearing activity can complement Reformer Pilates particularly well during midlife.
MINDSET
Reformer Pilates isn’t about fighting ageing
There is a lot of pressure on women to treat menopause, and ageing generally, as something that needs fixing.
We see exercise differently.
The goal isn’t to have the same body you had at 25.
It’s to build a body that can carry you confidently through your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond.
That Means Prioritising:
Strength
Mobility
Balance
Bone Health
Confidence
Consistency
Feeling Capable in Everyday life
And you don’t have to wait until you’ve already lost strength to start working
on it.
Looking for Reformer Pilates in Halifax?
Dream Body Pilates is a dedicated Reformer Pilates studio in Halifax, West Yorkshire,
offering small-group classes on our 10 Reformers.
Our classes are designed to make Reformer Pilates approachable whether you’re completely new to Pilates, returning to exercise or already experienced.
We work with women across Halifax and the surrounding West Yorkshire area who want
to feel stronger, more mobile and more confident in their bodies , without the anxiety many feel when attending a traditional gym.
If you’re approaching perimenopause, currently going through menopause or simply thinking more seriously about staying strong as you get older, now is the perfect time to start investing in your future strength.
Your body may be changing, but it doesn't have to change for the worse.