[For Seniors] A Collection of Simple Exercise Programs Suitable for Beginners
For those aged 65 and over, it is recommended to engage in at least 40 minutes of physical activity every day, regardless of intensity.
However, 70% of people aged 65 and over are not meeting the recommended amount of exercise.
Not exercising can shorten healthy life expectancy.
It also increases the risk of conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and depression.
That said, suddenly starting high-intensity exercise can be taxing on the body.
In this article, we’ll introduce an exercise program that even beginners can do without overexertion.
Use it as a guide to help you live a healthy and enjoyable life for years to come.
- Recommended Indoor Exercises for Seniors
- For seniors: Leg-strengthening exercises you can do without overexertion.
- [Today's Recommendation] Gentle Health Exercises for Seniors
- For seniors: Enjoyable exercises done while seated, accessible for wheelchair users.
- [For Seniors] Stretching Exercises: Easy and Safe to Do
- For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
- [For Seniors] Easy and Fun Core Training
- For Seniors: Back-Strengthening Exercises, Calisthenics, and Stretches—Workouts Women Can Do Without Strain
- [For Seniors] Balance-Training Exercises: Preventing Falls
- [For Seniors] Recommended Easy Strength Training
- [For Seniors] Core Training: Recommended Simple Rehabilitation
- [For Seniors] A Fun Sports Day! Recreational Activities You Can Do Safely
- [For Seniors] Improve Your Body Concerns! A Summary of Exercises for Urinary Leakage
[For Older Adults] A Collection of Simple Exercise Programs for Beginners (11–20)
Goo-Paa ExerciseNEW!
This “rock-paper” exercise is perfect for brain training and a great idea for preventing dementia.
First, sit in a chair and relax with deep breathing and stretches.
Then extend both arms in front of your body, make a “paper” with your right hand and a “rock” with your left.
Switch them to the rhythm.
Next, add marching in place and move the same way.
After that, add arm movements.
The difficulty will gradually increase, so your head might get confused, but do it at a pace that works for you.
Pelvic floor stretch with a towelNEW!
This is an exercise that makes it easier to feel where your pelvic floor muscles are and to focus on contracting and relaxing them—simply by sitting in a chair and placing a folded towel under your buttocks or between your knees.
As shown in this video, the sensation of the towel helps you understand “where to apply force,” so you can do it while watching TV or in small moments throughout your day.
Slowly tightening and releasing in sync with your breathing helps the muscles engage more easily, and as you continue, you may feel your pelvic floor strength improve.
Because it just involves sitting, it’s easy to keep up without strain and may also help improve your quality of daily life.
Pelvic floor muscle training with a towelNEW!
Here’s a seated strength exercise using a towel.
First, sit on a chair and roll the towel into a cylinder.
Place it lengthwise under your buttocks.
From here, you’ll train the pelvic floor with two movements.
First, squeeze the towel with your buttocks 10 times.
Second, keep squeezing for 10 seconds.
It’s important to focus on tightening your buttocks, so be mindful as you do it.
Strengthening the pelvic floor helps prevent and improve urinary leakage.
Continue within a comfortable range, and let’s work toward waking up feeling refreshed in the morning.
Grip-strengthening workout using a towelNEW!
Roll a long rectangular towel up tightly like a scroll, and you’re ready to go! First, hold each end of the rolled towel with both hands and squeeze firmly for 3 seconds, repeating about 10 times.
Next, while holding the same spots, twist one hand as if turning a doorknob.
Do this 10 times on each side.
Then, perform the doorknob-turning motion with both hands at the same time.
Be sure to keep your elbows tucked in as you do this.
Finally, put the towel down, grip both sides of the chair you’re sitting on, and do a motion that lifts your hips off the seat.
These exercises will strengthen not only your grip but also the muscles around your arms!
Grip strength training with a hand gripperNEW!
Hand grippers, which can be used to train and improve grip strength, are an easy training item you can even buy at 100-yen shops.
By repeatedly squeezing for five seconds and then releasing, you can build grip strength.
If you perform the exercise consistently, your grip strength numbers will increase.
Doing many repetitions is effective, but to avoid injuring your hands, it’s best to start with just a few reps rather than pushing yourself.
Hand grippers come in various resistance levels, so choose one that suits the condition of the older adult who will be using it.
Grip strength exercises using a ballNEW!
Hold a soft ball in each hand.
A rolled towel works too.
First, vary the strength of your grip: on the count of 1 and 2, squeeze the ball firmly; on 3, loosen your grip.
Be careful not to relax completely and drop the ball.
Once you get used to it, match the movements to a rhythm by opening and closing the hand holding the ball.
For example, open the left hand while closing the right, then alternate in rhythm and repeat.
After each round of training, set the balls down and gently shake out your wrists to cool down.
[For Older Adults] A Collection of Simple Exercise Programs for Beginners (21–30)
Rehabilitation Functional Training Exercises: Standing Up Movement Improvement EditionNEW!
Let’s do a rehabilitation exercise routine that helps improve the motion of standing up.
Start with marching in place, gradually increasing the speed.
Next, put a TheraBand just above the knee joint and march in place.
From there, change the position of the TheraBand and continue with hip abductions and knee extensions.
Then add toe raises and heel raises.
Finish with deep breathing.
You can strengthen your legs and hips while sitting in a chair, so try it within a comfortable range.