[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 (21–30)
Full-body health exercisesNEW!
Here is a health exercise you can do seated that moves your whole body.
First, loosen up areas that tend to get stiff—the neck, shoulders, and hands.
Then stretch your legs and hips before moving your upper body.
Next, work the lower body, and finally move all the way to your fingertips, finishing with deep breathing.
This routine helps strengthen your muscles and core, making it effective for improving stamina and preventing falls.
If you feel any pain, don’t push yourself—proceed one step at a time within your limits.
Take about 30 minutes and do it slowly.
Beginner-friendly seated leg exercisesNEW!
As we get older, our muscle strength declines, and walking can become difficult.
So here’s a simple seated exercise to help strengthen your legs.
With this routine, you can build the muscle strength and balance that are important for walking.
It also helps prevent tripping and falls beyond just improving walking.
The movements themselves are very simple: lift and lower your knees, open and close them to the sides, and extend your feet forward and bring them back.
Do about 10 repetitions, alternating left and right.
Finish with a deep breath to relax your body.
Pelvic floor exercises while lying down (2): Side-lying positionNEW!
This is a training method that makes it easier to stabilize your body and sense your muscles.
First, lie on your side and bend your knees toward your abdomen to create a relaxed position.
While applying gentle resistance with your hand, try consciously tightening your anus and lower abdomen with a firm “squeeze” as you slowly exhale.
The pelvic floor muscles form the base of the pelvis, supporting the internal organs and playing an important role in urination and defecation.
Repeating these intentional contractions can be expected to enhance their function.
As you inhale, relax the effort, and repeat the same movement about 10 times on each side; your inner thighs and deep abdominal muscles will work together, helping to stabilize your core.
Urinary leakage prevention: pelvic floor exercises you can do while sittingNEW!
The pelvic floor muscles are a hammock-like group of muscles that support the internal organs, including the bladder.
They play an important role in controlling urination, so let’s train them properly to prevent leakage.
In this pelvic floor exercise, while sitting in a chair, you’ll alternately lift your left and right buttocks to move your pelvis, and open/close and raise/lower your knees.
All of these are simple movements, but do them at your own pace without overexertion.
You might not notice much effect from a single session, but continuing every day should bring results.
Sit-to-stand training using parallel barsNEW!
This is a standing-up exercise using parallel bars for rehabilitation.
Hold the bars firmly with both hands and stand up on the count of three.
Then try to maintain a standing position for about 10 seconds.
If you can hold it, slowly sit back down.
Since you won’t always have support when standing up, practice repeatedly standing and sitting like this.
Doing so will strengthen your legs and lower back and help you learn a way of standing up that doesn’t put unnecessary strain on your body.
Parallel bars can also be purchased from online shops.
Seated Rhythm ExercisesNEW!
Let’s do rhythm exercises to classic Showa-era hits.
First, sit in a chair and make sure there’s nothing dangerous around you.
When the music starts, move your whole body by spreading and stretching your arms wide and marching in place.
There’s also a finger-counting exercise, so you’ll get to use even the tips of your fingers.
If you find plain exercise boring, doing it while listening to your favorite songs might make it fun.
While seated indoors, loosen up and strengthen your body to the rhythm.
Seated Stick ExercisesNEW!
This is a stick exercise designed by an occupational therapist.
It’s done while seated in a chair.
Hold both ends of the stick, extend your arms forward, and swing your arms left and right.
Raise your arms overhead and move your body side to side.
There are many other movements too—some build strength, others stretch your lower back and spine—there’s a variety.
It can help relieve shoulder stiffness, activate the brain, and improve explosiveness, among other benefits, so please give it a try if you like.
If you can’t do everything, it’s fine to proceed within your own limits.