It starts with small things.
You notice it’s harder to turn your head when trying to park.
You feel stiff getting out of a chair.
You reach for the bannister on the stairs without thinking.
None of this means you’re doing anything wrong. It’s just how the body changes as we age. And most of us aren’t taught how to adapt.
But here’s the part I always come back to: mobility isn’t just about flexibility or fitness. It’s about freedom.
Freedom to move without pain.
Freedom to stay active and independent in your everyday life.
Freedom to keep saying yes to the things you enjoy.
If you’ve been wondering how to stay active and independent as you get older, this is where to start.
What Is Mobility, Really?
Mobility is your body’s ability to move freely and comfortably through its full range of motion.
It’s different from flexibility. Flexibility is passive, like touching your toes. Mobility is active, like squatting down to reach a low cupboard, or turning your neck to check traffic.
Good mobility relies on a few key things:
- Healthy joints that can move without pain
- Strong, supportive muscles that guide your movement
- Stable balance and coordination
- And importantly, the confidence to keep moving even when things feel a bit stiff or uncertain
When mobility declines, so does confidence and independence. And the changes can be sneaky. You might start avoiding certain routes because of uneven ground. Or need to sit more often when you’re out and about. Or hesitate before getting on a bus, or reaching overhead.
Over time, these micro-adjustments shrink your world. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Why Mobility Matters More Than Ever After 60
From our 60s onward, joint stiffness becomes more common. Muscles naturally weaken. And many women experience a drop in confidence around movement, especially after a fall, injury, or period of inactivity.
But staying active isn’t just good for your health. It’s essential for your independence.
The better your mobility, the more easily you can:
- Get in and out of cars, chairs, and bed
- Walk longer distances without discomfort
- Use public transport without needing help
- Travel, garden, shop, and socialise on your own terms
That’s what real freedom looks like, and it starts with movement.
How to Stay Active and Independent As You Get Older
Staying active and independent as we age is about learning to work smart with the body you have now. And, at first, that might mean small adjustments in how we move, strengthen, and care for our joints and muscles.
Here’s how you can get started:
1. Strengthen the Muscles That Support Your Joints
From your 60s onwards, muscle mass naturally declines, particularly in the legs, hips, and core. This means your joints, especially knees and hips, end up carrying more of the load.
When the muscles around those joints are weak, it increases your risk of pain, instability, and even falls. That’s why targeted, low-impact strength work is so important.
You will want to focus on exercises like:
- Sit-to-stands (to build leg strength and mimic real-life movements like getting off the sofa)
- Wall push-ups (to support shoulder stability without straining joints)
- Supported squats or step-ups (to strengthen the hips, knees and ankles)
Done consistently, these movements help your joints work less, because your muscles are working more.
2. Maintain Daily Mobility to Keep Joints Moving Freely
Joint stiffness is often a result of disuse, not just ageing. When joints don’t move regularly through their full range of motion, they lose some of their natural lubrication and elasticity.
Mobility exercises help keep your joints supple, improve circulation, and reduce the kind of tightness that makes everyday movements, like turning your neck to reverse the car, or reaching into a cupboard, feel harder than they should.
Even five minutes a day can make a real difference. Try:
- Gentle joint circles (especially for shoulders, wrists and ankles)
- Towel stretches (to release the upper back and improve posture)
- Hip openers and spinal twists (to ease stiffness in the lower back and pelvis)
3. Train Your Balance to Prevent Falls and Build Confidence
Good balance is one of the most overlooked, but most essential, components of independent living.
As we age, the systems that control balance (like our inner ear, eyesight, and muscle reflexes) can become less responsive. That’s why it’s so important to actively train balance, just like you would train strength.
Simple drills like single-leg stands, weight shifting, and heel-to-toe walking done near a counter or wall can improve balance and coordination in a matter of weeks.
Try our free balance challenge to get started!
4. Focus on Movement Patterns You Actually Use
There’s a big difference between doing exercises that look good and those that help you move better in everyday life.
This is where functional movement training comes in—movements that mimic daily tasks so your body becomes more efficient, confident, and adaptable.
Examples include:
- Reaching and twisting (like getting a tin from a cupboard)
- Stepping up and down (like climbing stairs or curbs)
- Turning and bending (to load the washing machine or put on socks)
The more you practise these patterns in a controlled environment, the safer and easier they become in real-world settings, which is exactly what helps you stay active and independent longer.
Read our guide: A Gentle Mobility Plan for Women Over 65 here [link when blog is live].
Your Mobility Is Your Independence
“I feel that I’ll be independent and mobile for longer than I might have been had I not done it.”—Sandra, [insert age]
When you can move well, everything opens up. You say yes to the things you love, and you stop avoiding the ones that used to feel hard.
Mobility doesn’t mean pushing yourself to the limit. It means making your body work for you, not against you. It means staying active and independent, not because you ‘should,’ but because you can.
And that’s a goal worth working toward.
Want to move more freely and confidently?