Recommended simple exercises for recreational activities for the elderly

Foot and brain training with numbers

I’ve created a new item that lets you do ‘foot exercises + brain training’ at home!

Walking is said to be good exercise for your legs and to help activate the brain.

Here’s an excellent way to get both benefits.

It’s an exercise that uses a 60-centimeter square cardboard board called a “step board.” To make the board, simply divide the cardboard surface into eight sections and write the numbers 1 through 8.

Place the board on the floor, put your feet on it, and try stepping with one foot at a time in order from number 1.

It’s even more effective if you increase the difficulty by trying patterns like “odd to even, even to odd” or “random numbers.”

Number Game! Odd and Even

Brain Training Exercise 12: Odd and Even Exercise

This is an exercise performed while seated, moving the hands and feet in two patterns in response to cues.

In the odd-number pattern, you raise your left hand and right leg; in the even-number pattern, you raise your right hand and left leg.

Participants switch based on the cue.

Start with simple cues of “odd” and “even,” then progress to having participants determine whether a spoken number is odd or even.

Moving opposite hand and foot, and quickly identifying numbers to form the correct body shape, helps activate the brain.

It’s also recommended to add variety with simple arithmetic like addition and subtraction to increase the thinking component.

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kappamaki

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Exercises related to spring

Recommended for April and May: A 35-minute spring-themed exercise routine! A collection of exercises popular at day-service centers.

Did you know that people with declining cognitive function often show signs such as lower leg muscle mass, fewer red blood cells, and reduced agility? This time, we’ll introduce exercises with a spring-themed twist that can help address these issues.

The flutter-and-stop hand movement trains agility, and the leg-raising movement strengthens everything from the legs to the abdominal muscles.

Using onomatopoeia—like “pika-pika” (sparkling) for a shiny entrance ceremony and “goku-goku” (gulping) for cherry-blossom viewing—stimulates brain activity, and expressing them with the body adds exercise benefits.

The content is bound to make you chuckle whether you do it or watch it, making it perfect for recreational activities in senior care facilities.

Spring Song Exercise

[Singing Brain-Training Exercises] For Seniors, Simple, Preventive Care, Care Facility Recreation, Health Exercises

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.

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Nakajima Junko

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Strengthen your core with chair Pilates

[Healthy Chair Exercises Vol. 40] Support Your Core! Senior Pilates ♫

Pilates combines strength training and stretching with deep breathing.

It’s considered effective for core training and is popular especially among young women, but by doing it while seated in a chair, even older adults can safely strengthen their core.

Tilt the pelvis back and return it, move it side to side, and hinge forward from the hips while keeping your back long—above all, move slowly and only within a range that feels comfortable.

Keep encouraging deep breathing at all times, and enjoy gentle, unhurried movements as you exercise.

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yuri

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Aiube exercises while singing

AIUEBE mouth exercise (Aoba Family Dental version)

Here is an introduction to the “Ai-U-Be Exercise,” which comes with lyrics and hand movements.

The Ai-U-Be Exercise is designed to improve breathing from mouth breathing to nasal breathing.

You can do it while seated and practically anywhere, so many senior care facilities may have adopted it.

By switching to nasal breathing, germs can be trapped in the nose, and moistened air can be sent into the body.

Repeating a set—such as 10 repetitions—several times helps strengthen the tongue and enables the mouth to stay closed.

For older adults, an exercise that includes simple lyrics and hand choreography makes it easier to try several times to music.

The movements can be done while seated, helping to move the body and promote overall blood circulation.

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Nakajima Junko

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Exercises while singing

Kinta-kun Healthy Exercise: Fall-Prevention Fun Workout You Can Do While Singing

For preventing falls when elderly people walk, it’s important to make sure the toes are lifted.

If you straighten your back and take long strides, your toes naturally point upward when you land, and your heel touches the ground first.

This time, we’ll do a healthy exercise routine while singing the well-known children’s song “Tenohira ni Taiyo wo,” which was also featured on NHK’s Minna no Uta.

It’s a full-body exercise that uses the arms, shoulders, hips, and from the ankles to the toes, but it can be done while sitting in a chair, so you can take it slow and enjoy it along with the song.