For the last decade, Animal Flow has been a central part of my life as a coach, but my journey into movement began long before that. I have spent nearly 40 years teaching movement, supported by a degree in Sports Science and a long career as a Physical Education teacher spanning 16 years. My background is rooted in a wide range of sports and physical disciplines: gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, martial arts, pilates, yoga, functional training, and team sports, all of which shaped my creativity, adaptability and understanding of human movement across the lifespan.
This diverse experience is what allows me to work so effectively with mature adults. I understand how bodies change, how fear develops, how confidence is rebuilt, and how movement can become joyful again — even after decades of inactivity. I’ve coached elite athletes as a national trainer for the Portuguese Kickboxing Federation, built a martial arts school, and guided thousands of people through transformative physical journeys.
But four years ago, I made a decisive shift:
I chose to dedicate my entire practice exclusively to mature adults, including clients well into their 80s and approaching 90. This work has become my calling. It combines every skill I’ve gained over nearly four decades — teaching, coaching, rehabilitation, creativity, psychology, and motivation — to help older adults move with strength, confidence, and joy.
Today, at Empowered Ageing, we have real flows, real community, and an entire system that makes ground-based movement possible and joyful for people who once believed they were too old or too stiff for this kind of training.
But this reality took years to build.
This article is designed for trainers who want to work with older adults in a safe, structured and deeply impactful way. I also included direct video examples from my YouTube channel so trainers can see exactly how I work, how I progress clients, and how the system looks in real life.
•••
1. My clients do not come for Animal Flow
They come for solutions
Not a single client ever came to me asking to join Animal Flow.
They come because they:
- fear falling
- feel weak or unbalanced
- have chronic pain or injuries
- want to regain independence
- want to feel alive again
Animal Flow is not the product I sell.
It is one of the tools inside my Healthy Ageing system.
To understand the fears and needs older adults have, here is a powerful example:
Fall Prevention & Safe Landing Seminar>
Clients do not initially need Animal Flow. They need confidence, safety and clarity about what their body requires at this stage of life.
•••
2. The system begins with education
Mindset first, movement later
When someone joins Empowered Ageing, we always start with education. I use simple slides and conversations to help them understand:
- what happens to strength and power as we age
- why balance and coordination decline
- why the brain says "no" to exercise
- why the floor is so important for mobility and longevity
- why we must retrain natural movement
These talks reflect what I teach new clients during their first weeks:
Why does our brain say NO to exercise?
Motivation and Discipline Towards Exercise
The Best Types of Exercise for Healthy Ageing
Older adults need knowledge before they need movement.
Without this education, any complex movement practice will feel overwhelming.
•••
3. Step One: Private sessions - The foundation for older adults
This is the most important part of my system.
Every older adult begins with private one-to-one work.
Why?
Because most of them have:
- mobility restrictions
- fear of falling
- low confidence
- difficulty learning new sequences
- pain or joint limitations
- anxiety about the floor
Older adults need:
- assessment
- adaptation
- safety
- repetition
- trust
- time
This is the foundation that makes everything else possible.
•••
4. Step Two: Tiny private groups, 2 to 4 people only
Only when clients can:
- go to the floor
- get up safely
- coordinate simple transitions
- stay calm in ground positions
- memorise movement patterns
I invite them into tiny private groups.
This is not a typical group class. It is a continuation of the private foundation.
Many clients eventually join my Vital Flow group classes, which combine:
- Animal Flow elements
- strength
- mobility
- balance
- breathing and nervous system work
- speed reaction.
This is where they start to feel joy and confidence in movement.
•••
5. Step Three: A private Animal Flow group - Invitation only
Only after years of refinement did I finally open a dedicated Animal Flow group.
This group is:
- private
- invitation only
- not open to the public
- composed only of clients with the full foundation
Here are real examples from our Animal Flow Day in November 2025:
Beginner Flow 1
Beginner Flow 2
Intermediate Animal Flow
Advanced Animal Flow with Janice (70 years old)
These videos show a clear message:
Older adults can perform complex ground-based patterns safely, beautifully and confidently... when the system is right.
•••
6. Why it took 4 years to organise the first Animal Flow Day
Trainers sometimes ask me why I waited four years before organising a performance day.
Simple: my clients needed to feel ready.
They needed:
- confidence
- emotional safety
- community
- strength
- mobility
- nervous system conditioning
This video 8song) represents the heart of the Empowered Ageing method:
Empowered Ageing - Live Long, Live Strong
Movement is only part of the process.
Community is the true magic.
•••
7. Why most trainers fail with older adults
Many trainers approach older adults with a fitness-studio mindset:
- open group classes
- mixed levels
- fast progressions
- little or no assessment
- no education
- no private foundation
- lack of creativity to adapted each exercise to each body needs and limitations
This approach fails because older adults need:
- regressions (tailoerd to each person)
- safety
- repetition
- psychology
- emotional connection
- nervous system protection
Animal Flow is extremely powerful for healthy ageing, but only when integrated into a long-term system.
•••
8. Practical Guidelines for Trainers
If you want to train older adults effectively:
- Think in years, not weeks
- Educate before you train
- Build the base with private sessions
- Introduce Animal Flow gradually
- Use tiny private groups before normal groups
- Protect your Animal Flow class with invitation-only entry
- Measure success differently
- Build a community, not just a class
Success for older adults is not a perfect Kickthrough.
Success is getting off the floor with confidence and joy.
•••
9. Why this method works
After many years teaching Animal Flow and working exclusively with older adults, I can say this with confidence:
I do not just teach movement.
I teach people how to age with strength, courage and joy.
My clients:
- move better
- feel better
- become stronger
- increase confidence
- reconnect with their bodies
- surprise themselves
They succeed because the method is clear:
- education
- progression
- safety
- patience
- community
- consistency
This is my method and it´s a great way for older adults unlock their physical and emotional potential.
