Recommended Indoor Exercises for Seniors
Some older adults may find it difficult to exercise outdoors.
For some, going out is challenging, and weather-related reasons like heat or cold can also be factors.
When physical activity decreases, fitness declines, which can lead to falls or increased susceptibility to illness.
With that in mind, here are recommended exercises for seniors that can be done indoors.
We’ve gathered seated exercises that are easy for anyone to participate in, as well as simple routines you can start right away.
Exercising can help increase muscle strength and bone density, and it’s also said to help relieve stress.
We want older adults to continue enjoying their hobbies and favorite activities and to live vibrantly.
Please make use of indoor exercises to help address lack of physical activity.
- [For Seniors] Refresh Your Mood! Lively, Get-Moving Games
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] A Collection of Simple Exercise Programs Suitable for Beginners
- [Seated] Fun Health Exercises for Older Adults and Seniors
- [For Seniors] Recreational activities and games that let you have fun while strengthening your legs
- [For Seniors] Balance-Training Exercises: Preventing Falls
- For seniors: Leg-strengthening exercises you can do without overexertion.
- For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
- Energetic and Lively! Sing-and-Exercise Program for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Let's Enjoy Exercising with a Towel!
- [For Seniors] Build a Healthy Body Indoors! Recommended Exercise Equipment
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable While Seated! Ball Exercises and Recreation
- [For Seniors] Exercises to Walk Again. Fall Prevention
[For Seniors] Recommended Indoor Exercises (1–10)
Iliopsoas training
This is a training exercise to strengthen the iliopsoas, an important inner muscle that connects the upper and lower body.
Lie on your back and place your hands on your stomach.
Make sure your lower back is pressed firmly against the floor, as a gap between your lower back and the floor can cause back pain.
From this position, lift your right leg, touch your right heel to your left knee, and return.
Do the same on the left side.
Another effective core-strengthening move is to start with your knees bent and lift your legs as if bringing your knees closer to your body.
These exercises can help prevent unsteadiness while walking and may also improve sensitivity to cold.
Try incorporating them into your daily training routine.
Improve side-to-side wobbling! Core exercises
When you sway from side to side while walking, it not only puts a strain on your lower back but also increases the risk of falling.
So let’s strengthen your core to reduce the swaying.
The muscles of the lower back play a role like a set of supports for the upper body, so we’ll focus on training that area thoroughly.
Move your lower back muscles with exercises such as shifting your upper body horizontally while seated in a chair and lifting your legs.
The key is to proceed while checking that your lower back muscles are engaged and making sure your body doesn’t lean.
Towel exercises
How about incorporating simple towel exercises that can be done while seated into recreational activities for gatherings of older adults? Holding a towel in your hands and moving your arms and legs helps loosen up the body.
There are many variations, such as rotating the towel like a handle or threading it under the feet and opening the legs.
It’s also easy to give clear instructions—for example, “Hold the towel steady around your stomach and lift your knees up to that point.” Try adding these easy, movement-friendly exercises to your morning routines or stretching sessions.
[For Seniors] Recommended Indoor Exercises (11–20)
Behind-the-knee exercise with a ball
Even if you’re not very confident with exercise, the “behind-the-knee ball exercise” is highly recommended.
It’s simple: while sitting in a chair, place a ball behind your knee, and just lift and lower your thigh.
This motion alone gently warms the thighs and hips, and can help boost circulation and reduce swelling.
Because it doesn’t require large movements of the legs and lower back, it’s safe even for older adults who aren’t confident in their stamina.
All you need is a soft ball from a 100-yen shop (dollar store).
With consistency, your posture will improve and your steps will gradually become smoother.
Try making it part of your daily routine and enjoy a refreshing break while seated.
Ball exercises: lower limbs
Here’s a ball exercise focused on the lower limbs that you can do while sitting in a chair.
First, place one foot on the ball to stimulate the sensations on the sole of your foot.
Next, slowly roll the ball forward, backward, and side to side to improve flexibility in your ankles, calves, hips, and more.
Then place the ball between your inner thighs, lengthen your spine, and slowly alternate squeezing and releasing.
This is effective for strengthening the inner thighs and stabilizing posture.
Because the movements are simple, you can continue without strain, and it also helps improve blood flow, prevent falls, and even support dementia prevention.
Try incorporating it into your daily routine with ease.
Ball exercises to the rhythm
We’d like to introduce “ball exercises to the rhythm,” which help you move your body with a steady beat, expand your shoulder and arm range of motion, and gently raise your heart rate.
Start with a simple move: hold the ball with both hands and extend it straight out in front of you.
As you shift it rhythmically from side to side and add elbow bends and extensions, your body will gradually loosen up.
Finally, increase the variety of movements and move your whole body in time with the rhythm, which can also help stimulate brain activity.
You can start easily with a ball from a 100-yen shop, making this a fun, refreshing exercise routine.
Core and hip exercises
Here’s an exercise for the core and hip joints using a ball that can be done while seated.
Older adults can roll an easy-to-handle ball using both hands.
Have the older adult sit in a chair and, using both hands, roll the ball from around the belly area down to the toes.
While slowly rolling the ball forward, gently bend the body forward.
Because it’s a slow-paced activity, it should be easy for older adults to try.
It may also help spark communication with those around them through doing the exercise together.
