[Care Facility] Exercise activities everyone can enjoy: improve physical function, relieve stress, and help prevent dementia
Because exercise activities are a staple in care facilities, it can be hard to decide what content to include.
In this article, we introduce a variety of exercises that involve moving the body to familiar music for older adults, using props, and incorporating brain-training elements.
All activities can be enjoyed safely while seated, making them accessible to everyone and full of ideas that promote mental and physical refreshment and help maintain health.
Please make use of these ideas when planning exercise activities that older adults can enjoy comfortably and without strain!
- Summary of exercises for seniors: introducing preventative care movements by body part.
- Recommended simple exercises for recreational activities for the elderly
- For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
- [Seated] Fun Health Exercises for Older Adults and Seniors
- [For Seniors] Simple Rhythm Exercises: Recommended Songs and Routines
- [For Seniors] A Collection of Fun Classic Caregiving Activities
- [Elder Care Facility] Move Your Body to Relieve Stress! Exercise Activities You Can’t Help but Get Absorbed In
- [For Seniors] Fun Exercises You Can Do While Seated
- [For Seniors] Rehabilitation exercises targeting each body part: Introducing easy routines you can incorporate without strain
- [Care Facilities] A Sports Day Activity Guaranteed to Get Everyone Excited! Classic Events and Seated-Participation Activities
- For seniors: Enjoyable exercises done while seated, accessible for wheelchair users.
- [For Seniors] Stretching Exercises: Easy and Safe to Do
- [For Seniors] Exercises to maintain and improve lower-limb strength. Ideas that can be enjoyed by both large and small groups
[Nursing Care Facility] Exercise activities anyone can enjoy: also for improving physical function, relieving stress, and preventing dementia (21–30)
Plastic Bottle Dumbbell ExercisesNEW!
Prepare two dumbbells made from plastic bottles filled with water, and try exercising to music! We recommend songs with a slow tempo or a steady rhythm.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand, press forward from your chest, then return.
If you add a motion where you kick up one leg at a time, it can stimulate not only your body but also your brain.
Marching music may make it easier to keep the tempo.
Adjust the amount of water and give it a try.
Ogaki Anywhere Locomo ExercisesNEW!
The “Ogaki Anywhere Locomotive Exercise,” set to friendly calls and music, is full of ideas that make moving your body fun.
Upbeat phrases like “Live long and enjoy life,” “Build your muscle savings,” “Stand up on your own,” and “Let’s walk” flow with the rhythm, getting both body and mind moving.
Centered on simple movements you can do while seated, it’s easy to keep up without strain.
Moving the arms and legs can help maintain muscle strength and improve joint flexibility, positively affecting everyday activities.
Powered by music, it fosters a sense of unity and brings more smiles to participants—an exercise program that connects people.
[Elderly Care Facility] Exercise activities anyone can enjoy: improve physical function, relieve stress, and help prevent dementia (31–40)
Breathing-Easy StretchNEW!
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♬ 90 seconds to a scene full of healing and emotion(1391238) – motofuji
How about trying a “chest stretch” that can bring surprising benefits like easier breathing and a balanced autonomic nervous system? In fact, shallow breathing often stems from stiffness in the shoulder blades and imbalances in the autonomic nervous system.
Doing this simple stretch can deepen your breathing, so give it a try! Place your fingertips under your ears and move your head up and down.
Continue for 10 seconds, remembering to breathe.
Next, raise your left hand and take 3 breaths, then raise your right hand and take 3 breaths to finish.
It’s a very simple movement, so why not try continuing it for a week to start?
Yoga that changes your body in 5 minutes a dayNEW!
If even those who aren’t good at exercise could change their body’s condition with just five minutes a day, wouldn’t you want to give it a try? First, take deep breaths while stretching and curling your body.
Next, clasp your hands behind your head and lean to the left and right, then press your palms firmly together while lifting one leg at a time.
After that, hinge forward with one leg extended.
With your legs crossed, twist your torso, then clasp your hands behind your back and stretch, followed by raising and lowering your shoulders.
Finally, finish with an inversion pose by spreading your legs and folding your body forward.
Towel exercises: breathing trainingNEW!
Let’s try a towel-assisted breathing exercise! It’s an easy routine even for older adults who feel their breathing has become shallow or difficult due to illness or aging.
Poor posture leads to shallow breathing, so we’ll use a towel to help maintain good posture.
Extend your hands forward and hold the towel slightly wider than shoulder-width, then raise your arms as you inhale.
Focus on opening your chest fully.
Next, lower your arms as you exhale deeply, and lean your upper body forward.
Here, concentrate on lengthening your back.
Opening the chest and taking deep breaths is key, so keep your attention on both posture and breathing as you practice.
Medical YogaNEW!
Medical yoga that you can do without putting too much strain on your body.
You can do it either in a chair or on the floor! First, focus on your breathing.
Clasp your hands and stretch your body forward and backward, then extend your arms and stretch along your sides.
After that, if you’re able to stand, stand up and do small knee bends.
If you’re seated, lightly lift each heel one at a time.
Next, step your feet apart, spread your arms, and do Warrior Pose.
If you’re seated, try the same pose while sitting.
Then extend one arm at a time to stretch your sides, and finish with palms together in prayer.
Rhythmic Gymnastics: 365-Step MarchNEW!
We’ll get moving to the famous song many of you may know, Kiyoko Suizenji’s classic “365-Step March.” It’s an exercise you can do while seated, so it’s recommended for those who feel unsteady on their feet.
Let’s enjoy moving within a comfortable range by marching in place and raising our hands alternately up at a diagonal.
The lyric “Happiness doesn’t come walking to you, so you have to walk toward it” lifts the spirit and keeps us positive.
Give this smile-inducing exercise a try!
