[For Seniors] Recreational activities and games that let you have fun while strengthening your legs

Flutter kicks only! Core training you can do while doing something else

Core Training While Flutter Kicking [Senior Exercise TV]

This is a flutter-kick exercise you can do while relaxing in a chair or on a sofa, or even lying in bed! By moving your legs up and down in big motions, you can work not only your leg muscles but also your abs and back at the same time.

If you can’t move your legs up and down very much, your ankles might be stiff.

Interlace your fingers with your toes and make large circular motions with your ankles to loosen the muscles and tendons around them, then try the flutter kicks again—you should find it much easier to move.

Strengthen your core with this “while-doing-something-else” exercise that you can do while watching TV or chatting.

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yuri

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Preventing falls by strengthening the lower abdomen

Effective for the lower abdomen: Core training that even seniors can do!

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.

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yuri

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Seated leg training

Seated leg strength training [14-minute leg health exercises]. Simple and effective exercises for seniors. You can play this as-is at home, in senior care facilities, or during day service programs.

In many senior and welfare facilities, exercise is part of the daily routine, isn’t it? Among older adults, there are some who don’t join in, saying things like, “I get tired after just a little movement,” or “My body doesn’t move the way I want it to.” The seated leg training we’re introducing this time can be done during casual conversation, in small pockets of free time, and even without joining the main exercise group.

Stay seated in a chair and lift or open one leg at a time.

It can be done at the pace that suits each older adult, so please use this as a reference.

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Nakajima Junko

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365-Step March: Singing Exercise

I tried making an exercise routine for Kiyoko Suizenji’s “365-Step March.”

This is about moving your body energetically to the tune of Kiyoko Suizenji’s classic song “365-Step March.” The lyrics, which give the impression of walking forward with vigor, are striking, so let’s proceed with a special focus on marching-in-place movements.

Overall, the routine emphasizes clear rhythm, so feel the beat of the music and make large, dynamic movements.

Whether you’re standing or sitting in a chair, maintaining proper posture is important for loosening up your body.

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kappamaki

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Hand and mouth Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra exercises

Activate your brain with full-body exercise and oral gymnastics [Hands and Feet Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra Exercise, 10 minutes] — simple and gentle exercises for seniors and older adults.

We would like to introduce ideas for the Patakara exercises, which allow you to care for your mouth and get some exercise while seated in a chair.

By pronouncing “pa,” “ta,” “ka,” and “ra” while performing full-body movements, these exercises are highly efficient, benefiting not only your physical function but also helping to maintain and improve oral function.

In addition, because you perform two actions simultaneously—movement and pronunciation—the increased positive stimulation to the brain is expected to help prevent cognitive decline.

It may feel complicated at first, but please try it slowly at your own pace.

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kojifumi

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High knee raises, knee extensions, and ball squeezes

[Senior Exercise #3] Seated Exercises: Knee Lifts, Knee Extensions, and Ball Squeezes

These seated exercises are perfect for strengthening your lower body! With simple movements—like knee lifts and knee extensions that focus on your thighs and core, and ball squeezes where you place a ball or cushion between your legs to work the inner thighs—you can combat everyday inactivity without any complicated motions.

Start knee lifts and knee extensions with one leg, and once you’re comfortable, try the two-leg versions, which require more core strength.

They’re also great as a warm-up for recreational activities!

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yuri

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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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