Summary of exercises for seniors: introducing preventative care movements by body part.
To stay healthy in both body and mind for as long as possible, preventive care is essential.
Whole-body training is effective for preventive care.
In this article, we introduce exercises for older adults, organized by body part.
Since there are exercises that work the entire body from the neck to the toes, we recommend doing different body parts on different days.
Be careful not to try doing everything at once, as it may tire you out.
Use this article to help maintain the health of older adults.
- [For Seniors] Easy and Fun Core Training
- [For Seniors] Fun Exercises You Can Do While Seated
- [For Seniors] Recommended Easy Strength Training
- For seniors: Enjoyable exercises done while seated, accessible for wheelchair users.
- For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
- Energetic and Lively! Sing-and-Exercise Program for Seniors
- [Seated] Fun Health Exercises for Older Adults and Seniors
- [Recommended for seniors] Rejuvenating Rock-Paper-Scissors Exercise
- Let's extend our healthy lifespan! Care exercises to stay active and energetic forever
- [Today's Recommendation] Gentle Health Exercises for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Hand and finger play roundup: Finger exercises that lead to brain training
- [For Seniors] Recreational activities and games that let you have fun while strengthening your legs
- [For Seniors] Have Fun and Relieve Stress! Introducing Dances Everyone Can Enjoy Together
Summary of exercises for older adults: region-specific movements for preventing the need for long-term care (21–30)
Ball exercises: lower limbs
Here’s a ball exercise focused on the lower limbs that you can do while sitting in a chair.
First, place one foot on the ball to stimulate the sensations on the sole of your foot.
Next, slowly roll the ball forward, backward, and side to side to improve flexibility in your ankles, calves, hips, and more.
Then place the ball between your inner thighs, lengthen your spine, and slowly alternate squeezing and releasing.
This is effective for strengthening the inner thighs and stabilizing posture.
Because the movements are simple, you can continue without strain, and it also helps improve blood flow, prevent falls, and even support dementia prevention.
Try incorporating it into your daily routine with ease.
Ball Large-Circle Exercise
Here’s a ball exercise that makes overhead movements in daily life easier.
It can help with activities like getting dressed or washing your body in the bath.
Hold a ball and rotate it near your face in the direction that feels easiest.
As you do this, raise your opposite arm so it becomes horizontal.
Of course, if raising your arm is difficult, you can keep it as it is.
Try switching the direction of the rotation, and alternate the hand that rotates the ball between right and left.
It’s an easy exercise to do, so give it a try!
Ball exercises to the rhythm
We’d like to introduce “ball exercises to the rhythm,” which help you move your body with a steady beat, expand your shoulder and arm range of motion, and gently raise your heart rate.
Start with a simple move: hold the ball with both hands and extend it straight out in front of you.
As you shift it rhythmically from side to side and add elbow bends and extensions, your body will gradually loosen up.
Finally, increase the variety of movements and move your whole body in time with the rhythm, which can also help stimulate brain activity.
You can start easily with a ball from a 100-yen shop, making this a fun, refreshing exercise routine.
Core and hip exercises
Here’s an exercise for the core and hip joints using a ball that can be done while seated.
Older adults can roll an easy-to-handle ball using both hands.
Have the older adult sit in a chair and, using both hands, roll the ball from around the belly area down to the toes.
While slowly rolling the ball forward, gently bend the body forward.
Because it’s a slow-paced activity, it should be easy for older adults to try.
It may also help spark communication with those around them through doing the exercise together.
Full-body cold prevention exercises
When blood circulation worsens, your body tends to get cold more easily.
So this time, we’ll introduce a “whole-body cold-prevention exercise” using a ball that you can do while sitting in a chair.
First, keep marching your feet to a rhythm and add the motion of lifting a ball held with both hands up and diagonally up.
Next, while marching, extend one foot forward and simultaneously thrust the ball forward.
By coordinating the ball-thrusting with your leg movements, you promote hand–foot coordination, which helps activate the brain.
It’s a simple exercise you can do without strain that not only improves whole-body chilliness but also helps prevent dementia and maintain muscle strength.
Highly recommended.
Summer children’s songs – sing-and-dance medley
Let’s try doing sing-along exercises with summer children’s songs like “Hamabe no Uta,” “Natsu wa Kinu,” and “Ware wa Umi no Ko.” Many older adults may have sung these songs during their school days or with their own children, don’t you think? Exercises based on familiar songs may be easier for seniors to take part in.
Accompanied by music, we’ll do movements such as raising arms and legs while seated in a chair, as well as clapping along.
Singing together while exercising can also be a refreshing change of pace for older adults.
Singing and exercise medley of summer children’s songs
As an indoor exercise activity, seated calisthenics are a classic choice.
Even while sitting, you can move your body well and refresh your mood, so give it a try and dance along.
You can use any music you like, but if you want something widely recognized that everyone can hum to, summer children’s songs are recommended.
There are plenty of summer-themed nursery songs such as “Kamome no Suiheisan” (Seagull Sailor), “Fujinoyama” (Mount Fuji), and “Ware wa Umi no Ko” (Child of the Sea), so pick some popular tunes.
Loosen up your body by spreading your arms and marching your feet to the rhythm!
