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 the elderly: introduction to preventive care exercises by body part (51–60)
Sit-to-stand rehabilitationNEW!
This is an exercise aimed at improving daily life by training the pelvic movements and leg strength needed to stand up.
While seated in a chair, you’ll mainly move your upper body, but how you sit is also important—be mindful of a posture that engages your whole body.
Then simply go through the movements in order: leaning your torso forward, extending your arms, and grasping your ankles, while paying attention to where you’re engaging your muscles.
Rather than moving with momentum, start by applying gentle, controlled effort within your comfortable range and gradually work to improve your movements.
Improve swallowing with foot stretchesNEW!
Many people may wonder, “How does training the legs, which are far from the mouth, help with swallowing?” In fact, when the legs—specifically the hamstrings—become tight, your back ends up pressed against the chair back and your head juts slightly forward, creating poor posture.
Poor posture can negatively affect swallowing.
To improve this, first sit shallowly on a chair and extend one leg with your toes pointing upward.
Then tilt your body forward as if you’re trying to touch your chin to your toes.
Hold this position for 30 seconds.
When you’re done, do the same on the other leg.
The effect is temporary, so be sure to do it every day!
Energetic Stepping ExerciseNEW!
When you want a full-body workout, walking is an easy option, but there are times when it’s difficult for those with mobility issues or due to the weather.
In that case, let’s do a seated marching exercise that moves your whole body while staying in a chair.
First, take deep breaths and do some warm-up stretches.
After the warm-up, march your feet while counting out loud and add movements like raising your hands, opening both hands, and rolling your shoulders.
Finally, cool down to relax your body and finish.
Let’s move the whole body to maintain and improve muscle strength.
Ankle exercisesNEW!
To make walking easier, incorporate ankle exercises into your daily routine.
You can do them easily while seated, so give them a try.
First, sit back deeply in a chair with a backrest, extend your legs hip-width apart, and gently sway your ankles from side to side.
Next, with your knees at a 90-degree angle and your soles firmly on the floor, lift your heels alternately as if going up on tiptoes.
We’ll also loosen and strengthen the ankles with various other movements.
Taking care of your feet can help prevent falls and swelling.
Summary of exercises for seniors: Introducing preventive care exercises by body part (61–70)
Dishcloth wringing exerciseNEW!
A training exercise that’s easy to incorporate into everyday life is the “wringing-a-cloth” drill.
It’s very simple: imagine a towel as a cleaning rag and wring it tightly with both hands.
This strengthens your grip and wrist movements.
The key is to avoid overexertion, keep your elbows close to your sides, and move slowly while focusing on the muscles in your palms and fingers.
Little by little, your hand strength will improve, making your grip and finger movements smoother.
It’s easy to keep up since you can do it while watching TV or alongside your laundry, and it also boosts blood flow to your hands, warming them up.
It’s a fun way to build healthy, lively hands, so give it a try!
Neck and shoulder exercisesNEW!
Here are some recommended exercises that can also help relieve stiff shoulders.
Start by stretching the muscles at the front and back of your neck, then the sides, followed by the muscles around your shoulders, chest, and back.
After relaxing your body this way, move on to shoulder exercises.
The first is lifting and lowering your shoulders; the second is shoulder rolls.
Moving every day improves circulation and helps ease shoulder stiffness.
Key points for this routine are to avoid using momentum and not to hold your breath.
Doing it before bed may also improve your sleep quality.
Yoga to Strengthen the Pelvic Floor MusclesNEW!
Let’s strengthen the pelvic floor with simple yoga.
It can help with urinary leakage, pelvic alignment, and reducing a bloated lower belly.
In the first half, lie on your back, bend your knees and open/close them, and move your extended legs up and down.
In the second half, sit with your knees up and open them wide to each side.
Next, cross both legs and fold your upper body forward.
Finish with Child’s Pose to release the lower back and spine.
Since it’s yoga, be mindful of your breathing throughout.
One set takes about 8 minutes.