[For Seniors] Fun Exercises You Can Do While Seated
When it comes to recreation essential for the physical and mental health of older adults, exercise is at the top of the list.
Not only does it help prevent declines in stamina and muscle strength, but it’s also effective for preventing falls.
However, some seniors may find vigorous exercise difficult.
For those individuals, we recommend chair exercises that can be done while seated.
Moving rhythmically to music makes it enjoyable and easy to stick with.
What’s more, by stimulating the muscles and brain, these exercises can improve circulation and may help prevent conditions such as dementia.
Even those who aren’t confident about physical activity can enjoy these simple exercises, so please use them as a helpful reference.
- [For Seniors] Recommended Rhythm Play and Exercises
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable and Healthy Chair Stretches!
- [For Seniors] Easy and Fun Core Training
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
- [For Seniors] Guaranteed to Liven Things Up! A Collection of Brain Training Activities That Will Spark Laughter
- [Recommended for seniors] Rejuvenating Rock-Paper-Scissors Exercise
- For seniors: Leg-strengthening exercises you can do without overexertion.
- Cognicise you can do while seated. Simple dementia prevention.
- [Today's Recommendation] Gentle Health Exercises for Seniors
- Energetic and Lively! Sing-and-Exercise Program for Seniors
- [Seated] Fun Health Exercises for Older Adults and Seniors
- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
[For Seniors] Fun Chair Exercises (21–30)
Core strengthening: Exercises and stretches for older adults
Here are upper-body exercises you can do while seated that help strengthen your core.
Standing exercises can cause unsteadiness, falls, or even fractures, so please try these seated exercises instead.
The key points to watch out for are explained in detail, so follow along with the video as you do them.
If you prefer a slower pace, reducing the playback speed is a good option.
Also, even if two exercises look similar, whether you’re moving in a closing direction or an opening direction changes their purpose, so please pay attention to that.
Preventing falls by strengthening the lower abdomen
The iliopsoas is a key inner muscle that connects the spine to the hip joint.
Exercises that strengthen this important muscle—which helps support the body and lift the legs—are essential for core strengthening and maintaining health in older adults.
It’s very simple: while sitting on a chair or bed, lift your leg as high as you comfortably can.
Engage your abdominal muscles, and if you feel wobbly, place both hands on either side of your hips for support.
Focus on lifting and lowering the leg straight in front of you so it doesn’t drift to the side—this will better stimulate your core.
[For Seniors] Fun Chair Exercises (31–40)
OK finger exercise
Consciously moving your fingers helps activate the brain, improve circulation, and support smoother daily life.
This simple exercise strengthens and improves finger movement by intentionally engaging your fingers.
You’ll alternately perform a clenching-and-opening motion and a wrist-twisting motion, while also checking that you’re moving properly.
It’s also recommended to do the same with your toes, not just your hands, to help promote circulation throughout your entire body.
Hometown: A song-and-exercise routine that livens things up with three movements
Move your hands to the melody of the children’s song “Furusato,” and stimulate your brain not only through the hand movements but also by visualizing your hometown.
The flow is two claps followed by forming a number with your hands, thinking ahead to the next number while keeping the rhythm of the song in mind.
After making a 5 with both hands, the count returns to 1, so this is where you should focus carefully and aim for smoother movements.
Once you get used to it, we also recommend increasing the speed to further improve concentration.
Ball exercises: upper limbs
Here is a seated, upper-limb-focused ball exercise routine.
First, strengthen the muscles of the hands and fingers by firmly squeezing the ball with both hands, as well as by squeezing it using only your fingertips.
Next, while holding the ball, slowly twist your wrists to improve flexibility.
Squeezing the ball tucked against your side engages your core, and slowly rotating the ball with one hand can help increase shoulder range of motion.
These gentle, sustainable movements can enhance function from the fingertips to the shoulders.
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 hip rotation exercise
As we age, muscle mass decreases, making us more prone to chronic stiff shoulders.
It’s also said that shoulder stiffness can put strain on the lower back and lead to back pain.
So let’s loosen the shoulders and arms with an exercise that circles a ball around the waist.
Releasing muscle tension can help improve shoulder stiffness.
While seated, hold a ball and pass it around your waist at about waist height for one full circle.
Do this five times in each direction, and once you’re used to it, widen your arms to make larger circles.
If you don’t have a ball, you can use a towel instead.