Hello! I am a very active 50 year old. I have worked out my whole adult life (cardio, step, kickbox, heavy weight training, P90X, etc.) and typically workout at least 5 days/week. (I actually enjoy it!)

Unfortunately, my body is not keeping up with me anymore and I have had a rotator cuff tear (surgery last year) and more recently been diagnosed with arthritis in my knees and fat pad impingement. So needless to say, my doctor says no more high intensity, knee pounding workouts, so I'm looking at Pilates.

Forgive my ignorance, but is it possible to do only Pilates to stay fit or do I also need to add in some type of cardio (bike, eliptical) to keep the weight off? I'm not looking to be bulked up, just long, lean and fit. I have done some yoga in the past and enjoy that, however, it is a bit more difficult due to my shoulder.

I appreciate any advise you can give as I am totally redifining this important part of my life. Thank you!

Hi Laura,
I love your question and I think you're touching on a very important and often occuring situation...."what to do when you've been directed to slow down and/or change your fitness approach". I will keep my response a little brief, only because I could go on and on, but in a nutshell.........I think you should add some light cardio into your Pilates routine. It's not only good for calorie burning, but great for the lungs too!! Eliptical is great but if you have some knee issues of course you may need to modify resistance. How about a good, brisk walk? Coming from the intensity you've been used to, this might seem too easy, but along with Pilates, it's a great combo. Swimming is fantastic, but with the rotator cuff tear....again, it may be too difficult. You'll find quite a bit of challenge in Pilates and a solid matwork program will give you quite an invigorating workout too. Hope this helps a little bit!!