For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
Doesn’t a natural smile come to your face when you move along to nostalgic children’s songs and traditional tunes? A popular choice for recreation in senior care facilities is fun exercises that incorporate these familiar songs.
With easy movements you can enjoy while seated and simple choreography you can do while singing, these activities gently support both the mind and body of older adults.
Today, we’ll introduce joyful singing exercises that help stimulate the brain and maintain physical fitness.
Enjoy a smile-filled exercise time with seasonal songs and tunes full of memories.
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Exercises to nostalgic Showa-era kayōkyoku (1–10)
Iki-iki Exercises: Tokyo Boogie-Woogie
It’s a routine designed to move and train various parts of the body in time with Shizuko Kasagi’s classic song “Tokyo Boogie-Woogie.” The key point is that the song’s tempo is light yet unhurried, so let’s proceed while carefully checking each movement.
It’s important to perform the motions accurately, but if you focus too much on that, your movements can become stiff—so enjoying the music is also essential for smooth motion.
By keeping proper sitting posture in mind as you go, you can further enhance the effectiveness of the movements.
Mito Komon Exercise
This is an exercise routine that moves the whole body to the theme song of Mito Kōmon, a staple of period dramas.
Because it uses a song everyone knows, the music itself is enjoyable.
Despite its powerful feel, the song’s gentle tempo is another key point; moving your body while catching the rhythm helps you generate strength.
Once you get used to moving along with the music, doing it while singing is also recommended, as it is expected to help improve cognitive function.
Rhythmic gymnastics in the Blue Mountains
Doing rhythmic exercises to kayōkyoku (Japanese popular songs) is a wonderful activity, isn’t it? Moving your hands and feet to nostalgic kayōkyoku naturally brings a smile to your face.
Bright songs like “Aoi Sanmyaku” can put you in a cheerful mood.
It’s also nice to clap along or step your feet while singing.
Moving your body to the rhythm helps improve your physical fitness.
Singing while recalling the lyrics also helps stimulate the brain.
Enjoying it together deepens social connections, too.
Try some fun exercises to your favorite kayōkyoku!
Exercise to nostalgic Showa-era kayōkyoku (11–20)
The Longed-For Hawaii RouteHaruo Oka
A signature song by Haruo Oka, a singer active from before to after the war, is “Akogare no Hawaii Kōro” (The Longed-for Hawaii Route), which was released in 1948 and became a huge hit.
It was also made into a film starring Oka and Hibari Misora, so many older people are likely to know it.
The choreography—stretching your arms widely up, down, left, and right, and patting your shoulders—can be done using just the upper body, making it ideal for recreational activities in care facilities.
By all means, try singing along and give the dance a go together!
Finger exercises with kayōkyoku (Japanese pop songs)
Moving your fingers while listening to nostalgic pop songs is a wonderful recreation—fun and good for your body.
It might be difficult at first to move your fingers in time with the rhythm, but with repeated practice you’ll gradually get used to it.
I recommend starting with relaxed tunes like Kyu Sakamoto’s “Ue o Muite Arukō (Sukiyaki)” or Hibari Misora’s “Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni.” If you move your fingers while humming the lyrics, you’ll find it even more enjoyable to keep up the habit.
Using your fingertips also helps stimulate the brain, so why not try making it part of your daily routine?
Apple Song Exercise
We’ll be doing exercises to the hugely popular song that every senior knows, “Ringo no Uta” (The Apple Song).
In the video, the recreation instructor jokingly teases the grandmas with sharp-tongued banter worthy of Santayū Tokumatsu (Dokumamushi), which is pretty funny.
Without playing the original audio, they sing together at a tempo that makes it easy for seniors to move, so fewer people get left behind.
And because they move their bodies while singing, it seems like both the body and the brain can get refreshed.
The Bride of Seto
This is an exercise routine performed to “Seto no Hanayome,” a signature song by Rumiko Koyanagi that depicts the beautiful scenery of the Seto Inland Sea.
Set to a gentle sound, it strengthens the body through simple movements.
A key point is that the large motions can be done even while seated.
It’s a unique routine that incorporates elements like the calm waves of the Seto Inland Sea and the motion of rowing a boat.
If you explain the meaning behind the motions, participants may become more conscious of making larger movements.
For those who know the song, doing the exercises while singing along makes training more enjoyable, so it’s highly recommended.