Maintaining a healthy lifestyle involves more than just eating a balanced diet; staying physically active is just as important. In fact, studies show that seniors who exercise regularly enjoy a wealth of health benefits. If you feel like you may have lost some of your youthful athleticism, adding low-impact exercises to your routine can help you stay fit without straining your joints and muscles.
Our experts have curated the 10 best exercises for seniors to help you live a healthy and fulfilling life. If you haven’t exercised in a while, don’t worry. We’ve included easy-to-follow instructions and a beginner-friendly exercise routine to help you kickstart your fitness journey.
The Importance of Exercise for Seniors
Staying active is essential for people of all ages, including seniors. Here are some key reasons why exercise is especially beneficial for older adults:
- Better mobility and independence: Adding exercises for older adults to your routine can help improve strength and flexibility and make it easier to perform activities of daily living (ADLs).
- Improved balance and coordination: Falls are a common concern for seniors. Physical activity may help enhance balance and coordination, reducing the risk of falls and injuries.
- Mental wellness: Studies show that some exercises for seniors, like yoga and light strength training, can help combat feelings of depression and anxiety.
- Reduced risk of chronic diseases: Regular exercise can lower the risk of developing chronic conditions, like heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis.
- Stronger bones and muscles: Low-impact strength training exercises, such as walking or lifting light weights, can help maintain bone density and muscle strength, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
- Better sleep quality: Research suggests that physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and enjoy deeper sleep, which is essential for overall health and well-being.
What Type of Exercise Should Seniors Do?
Choosing the right type of exercise can help you stay active without the risk of overexerting yourself. Here’s a simple guide to help you understand which exercises can benefit you the most:
- Strength training: Maintaining muscle strength can help support your joints, improve your balance, and make everyday tasks, like lifting groceries or climbing stairs, easier and safer. The good news is, you don’t need to lift heavy weights to experience the many benefits of strength training. Strength training exercises for seniors, like chair squats, wall push-ups, or light dumbbell exercises can make a big difference.
- Cardiovascular training: Enjoying light cardio exercises, such as walking, swimming, or cycling, is good for the overall cardiovascular system and can make it easier for seniors to perform daily activities. Doctors recommend about 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio exercises for seniors per week. But, you don’t have to do them all at once. Consider breaking your cardio workouts into shorter sessions or spreading them out over several days.
7 Best Exercises for Seniors
It’s never too late to begin your fitness journey. After all, the earliest you can start is now! To help reduce the risk of injury, it’s generally advisable to start slow and incorporate the more complex routines when your body is ready. Here are some fun workouts for seniors that you can enjoy:
1. Walking
Walking is one of the simplest and most effective exercises for seniors. It’s an excellent way to improve your cardiovascular health, strengthen muscles, and even boost your mood. Walking can also help seniors maintain their mobility and independence as they age.
To get started, choose a safe and comfortable place to walk, like your neighborhood or a local park. Remember to wear comfortable shoes and start at a pace that feels comfortable to you. If you’re just starting out, begin with shorter walks and gradually increase your time and distance.
2. Swimming
Swimming is an excellent low-impact exercise that provides a full-body workout. It’s particularly beneficial for seniors because it’s easy on the joints while effectively building cardiovascular health, flexibility, and muscle strength.
It’s important to drink water before and after your swim, even if you don’t feel thirsty. If you’re unsure about your swimming ability or haven’t exercised in a while, fun water aerobic exercises, like water walking, flutter kicks, and leg lifts can help you stay active without putting pressure on your joints.
3. Cycling
Cycling can significantly improve your cardiovascular health, leg strength, and overall endurance. It’s also more gentle on the joints than other exercises, making it an ideal choice for seniors looking to stay active and healthy. You can choose to cycle on a stationary bike indoors or use a regular bicycle outdoors. If you’re new to cycling or have balance concerns, a stationary bike or a three-wheeled bicycle can be a safer option.
4. Dancing
Dancing can provide numerous wellness benefits, including improved cardiovascular health, increased flexibility, and better balance. Additionally, dancing can be a fun way to reduce stress and connect with others.
To get started, you can join a dance class specifically designed for seniors, such as ballroom, line dancing, or even Zumba Gold, which is a lower-intensity version of Zumba. Alternatively, you can dance at home to your favorite music.
5. Chair Squats
Chair squats and other chair exercises for seniors are a fantastic way to improve and enhance muscle strength, balance, and overall mobility. They are especially beneficial for seniors as they mimic the natural motion of sitting down and standing up, which is an important daily activity.
Instructions:
- Stand in front of a sturdy chair with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Extend your arms out in front of you for balance while keeping your back straight and your chest up.
- Slowly bend your knees and lower your body towards the chair as if you are going to sit down.
- Press through your heels and straighten your legs to return to the standing position.
- Repeat and take breaks between sets if needed.
6. Wall Push-Ups
Wall push-ups are a great way to strengthen your upper body without the strain of traditional push-ups. They’re perfect for seniors because they are gentle on the wrists and shoulders while effectively working your chest, shoulders, and arms.
Instructions:
- Stand facing a wall that is about an arm’s length away.
- Place your hands on the wall at shoulder height and shoulder-width apart, with your fingers pointing upward.
- Slowly bend your elbows and lean your body towards the wall until your nose nearly touches it.
- Push away from the wall to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
- Try to accomplish two to five reps and take breaks if needed.
7. Seated Leg Lifts
Seated leg lifts target your lower body, helping to strengthen your thighs, hips, and core muscles. Like the sit-to-stand exercise, seated leg lifts can be especially beneficial for seniors with mobility challenges.
Instructions:
- Sit in a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor and your back straight. It’s important to ensure the chair provides good support and doesn’t wobble.
- Slowly extend one leg out in front of you, keeping it straight. Raise it to a comfortable height, ideally until it is level with your hip.
- Gently lower your leg back down to the floor.
- Perform one to two sets of four to seven repetitions for each leg. Rest for a minute between sets if needed.
Exercise Routine for Seniors
If you’re new to fitness, we’ve curated a gentle, beginner-friendly routine to help you get started. Feel free to modify the exercises and repetitions based on your comfort level and progress.
Before starting your workout routine, it’s best to begin with a gentle warm-up to get your body ready for exercise. This helps to increase your heart rate gradually and prepare your muscles.
- Walking (Five minutes)
- Chair squats (two sets of eight to 12 repetitions)
- Wall push-ups (two sets of eight to 12 repetitions)
- Cycling or swimming (Five to 10 minutes)
- Finish your workout with gentle stretches to help your body cool down
Wellness at StoryPoint Group Communities
At StoryPoint Group communities, we consider it a privilege to serve our residents. That’s why we prioritize their mental and physical well-being — to help them live happy and healthy lives. Our vibrant communities offer a wide variety of fun and enriching physical activities for everyone to enjoy. We understand that each person has unique abilities and fitness levels, so there’s something for everyone.
To learn more about StoryPoint Group communities, call us today at 1-844-275-9990 or schedule a tour of your local community.
