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 Seated Exercises (1–10) Accessible for Wheelchair Users
Exercise Song Collection: Masterpieces of the Showa Era
This is an exercise done while seated, moving your body slowly yet deliberately to various classic Showa-era songs.
For “March of 365 Steps,” use big hand movements and marching steps; for “North Country Spring,” switch to finger exercises—change the movements with each song.
As the songs change, the size of the movements will also change, so it’s important to stay mindful of which part of the body to focus on.
While enjoying the rhythm of the music, the most important thing is to concentrate on moving each specific part of your body.
Iki-iki Exercises: Tokyo Boogie-Woogie
It’s a routine designed to move and train various parts of the body in time with Shizuko Kasagi’s classic song “Tokyo Boogie-Woogie.” The key point is that the song’s tempo is light yet unhurried, so let’s proceed while carefully checking each movement.
It’s important to perform the motions accurately, but if you focus too much on that, your movements can become stiff—so enjoying the music is also essential for smooth motion.
By keeping proper sitting posture in mind as you go, you can further enhance the effectiveness of the movements.
Towel exercises to the tune of Kiyoshi’s Zundoko-bushi
Kiyoshi Hikawa’s “Kiyoshi no Zundoko Bushi” is a song that many older adults are familiar with, so it’s likely to boost motivation for exercise! Let’s move energetically to the music.
In addition to movements like holding a towel and bending and stretching the arms, we also recommend moving your legs along with it.
For the easy-to-hum phrases, try singing while you move your body.
Because the song is very rhythmic, following the beat exactly can sometimes be challenging, so don’t push yourself—take a more relaxed tempo and move your body comfortably.
Goo Choki Paa Laugh-Out-Loud Exercise
Simply doing rock-paper-scissors in the usual way doesn’t really make people laugh, does it? What we’re introducing here is a rock-paper-scissors exercise that’s essential for recreation and guaranteed to spark laughter.
There are methods like doing rock-paper-scissors quickly, or changing the order—such as scissors-paper-rock.
By adding variations, you can give your brain good stimulation and make the exercise more fun.
Another recommendation for older adults is a rock-paper-scissors exercise where you form animals with your fingers as you go.
More important than doing it perfectly is communicating and having fun together.
Spring Song Exercise
When we listen to songs like “Haru no Ogawa” and “Sakura Sakura,” we picture the warm, sunny weather of spring.
Let’s try doing some exercises to these spring songs.
As you sing, clap your hands and lift your legs.
Many children’s songs are likely familiar to older adults, too.
It’s said that recalling and singing the lyrics of songs you know can also serve as a workout for the brain.
For older adults who find it difficult to move their legs, just the hand motions are perfectly fine.
Please participate within the range you can manage.
365-Step March Exercise
This is about moving your body energetically to the rhythm of Kiyoko Suizenji’s song “365-Step March.” By matching the powerful yet steady tempo characteristic of a march, you can put real strength into the exercises.
The routine mainly involves moving the upper body while seated in a chair, and by keeping proper posture in mind, it can lead to a full-body workout.
Incorporating steps and hand claps, and even singing along as you go, will make it more enjoyable to move—highly recommended.
Kite-Flying Exercises
Here’s a perfect activity for chilly January days: the Kite-Flying Exercise.
Many seniors may have flown kites during the New Year holidays.
This routine incorporates kite-flying movements—such as pulling in the kite string by moving the hands and arms, and marching in place—into simple exercises.
All movements can be done while seated, making it easy for older adults to participate.
It may also bring back memories of flying kites in childhood or with your own children or grandchildren.
Looking back on past experiences can help stimulate the brain as well.