For seniors: Enjoyable exercises done while seated, accessible for wheelchair users.
In many senior care facilities, exercise is often incorporated as a form of physical recreation.
However, doing the same activity every day can become monotonous.
In this guide, we introduce exercises that older adults can enjoy and continue without getting bored.
We’ve also gathered safe, seated exercises for peace of mind.
These can be enjoyed by people who use wheelchairs or those who feel unsteady when standing.
From easy-to-start movements to exercises that offer a thorough workout, choose and practice according to the individual’s condition and specific concerns.
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable and Healthy Chair Stretches!
- [Seated] Fun Health Exercises for Older Adults and Seniors
- [For Seniors] Easy and Fun Core Training
- [For Seniors] Fun Exercises You Can Do While Seated
- [For Seniors] Recreational activities and games that let you have fun while strengthening your legs
- [For Seniors] Enjoy the Cold Winter! Seated Activities You Can Do
- [For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
- [For Seniors] Recommended Rhythm Play and Exercises
- [Recommended for seniors] Rejuvenating Rock-Paper-Scissors Exercise
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Indoor Activities! Recreations and Games That Engage the Mind and Body
- Cognicise you can do while seated. Simple dementia prevention.
- [For Seniors] Leg and lower-back training: Fall prevention
[For Seniors] Enjoyable Chair Exercises, Also Suitable for Wheelchair Users (161–170)
Neck and shoulder exercises
These are exercises performed while seated, focusing on moving the upper body—particularly the neck and shoulders.
It’s important to move the shoulders properly from the shoulder blades, so be mindful of correct posture to allow smooth movement.
The routine includes movements like raising your arms to shoulder height and pulling your elbows back to open the chest, as well as moving bent elbows up and down to thoroughly mobilize the shoulder area.
By maintaining proper posture and thoroughly loosening the area around the shoulder blades, you can improve everyday posture and help regulate your breathing.
Neck exercises
In recent years, with the widespread use of smartphones, not only shoulder stiffness but also neck stiffness has reportedly been on the rise.
Older adults who use smartphones—do you feel stiffness in your neck as well? When there’s stiffness around the neck, the autonomic nervous system, which regulates internal organ activity, can become less active, making you feel tired more easily.
So let’s loosen up the neck area with simple neck exercises that even older adults can do easily.
These exercises include simple movements you can do while seated.
They help balance the autonomic nervous system and provide a refreshing boost, so try to continue daily within a comfortable range!
[For Seniors] Enjoyable Seated Exercises for Wheelchair Users Too (171–180)
Toe raise exercise
Toe-raise exercises are perfect for short breaks, such as between recreational activities.
While sitting up straight in a chair, simply lift and lower your ankles repeatedly.
Don’t overdo it—limit yourself to about one round-trip × 20 repetitions for each foot (one set per side).
It’s very simple and easy to do, yet it offers many benefits, including reducing swelling, improving circulation, and strengthening the thighs.
However, be careful if you’re wearing shoes you’re not used to, as they may rub and cause discomfort.
Knee Extension Exercise
To keep standing and walking healthily for as long as possible, it’s important to strengthen the knees and the surrounding areas.
Here’s a seated exercise that helps you focus on and train the movement of the knee joints.
By paying close attention to joint movement, you can also help prevent falls.
It’s a simple routine where you sit in a chair and repeatedly extend your leg forward; key points include how you sit and the height of your leg.
If you sit toward the front edge of the chair, you’ll need to maintain your balance while extending your knee, which strengthens not only your legs but the entire lower body.
Because this requires more effort and places greater load on the body, it’s important to adjust appropriately based on your fitness level.
calf exercises
As overall muscle strength declines, many people develop a posture where the lower back bends forward.
You might focus on the bent lower back, but in this posture the ankles and calves are under heavy strain.
By strengthening and loosening these areas, you can promote blood circulation and improve posture.
For ankle and calf exercises, a simple movement of lifting and lowering the heels one leg at a time works well, and it’s easy to do even while seated.
It’s important to be aware of which parts are moving when you raise your heel and to perform the movement with deliberate, firm effort.
Bound cushion
To make walking smoother, it’s important to train both the ability to lift your feet and the power to step down.
Among foot training methods, this one focuses on developing your stepping power.
By repeatedly pressing down hard with both feet on a cushion that has a springy, rebounding structure, you can build that stepping strength.
The cushion’s size, which allows both feet to be placed on it, is also key—use it to pay attention to balancing the strength between your left and right foot.
If you concentrate on the instant of the step, you can train explosive foot power; if you let the compressed cushion return slowly, you can work on strength endurance.
Core training
Core training with a towel focuses on strengthening the torso, excluding the head and limbs.
It’s highly recommended for older adults, as it can help alleviate lower back pain and improve metabolism by promoting blood circulation.
While seated, hold a towel with both hands and lean your body forward, backward, and to both sides to stretch the muscles.
Be mindful to keep your back straight and avoid holding your breath.
Twisting your torso to the side to stretch your obliques is also effective.
For older adults who often experience pain or fatigue due to muscle weakness, this is a workout we definitely encourage you to try!
