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 (131–140)
exercises you can do while sitting
Even if you can’t walk or stand for long periods, you still want to move your body, right? For both your health and a refreshing change of pace, try some simple, easy exercises you can do while sitting in a chair.
If you stay still for long periods without exercising, your body tends to stiffen up, so regular activity is recommended.
Let’s gently stretch and extend the body with exercises and stretches that are easy on older adults as well.
If sitting feels a bit unstable, having a helper nearby can provide reassurance.
Try doing stretching exercises in a circle with friends and enjoy it together.
Seated Leg Vitality Exercises
This exercise is a leg workout you can do while sitting.
It’s recommended not only for older adults but also for anyone who spends a lot of time seated.
As we get older, it becomes harder to lift our legs, doesn’t it? Injuries from falls among seniors might be closer to home than we think.
This routine is very simple and provides a moderate amount of activity.
Why not try it and work toward a body that’s less prone to injury?
Seated Balance Exercises
Some older adults may feel that training their balance is too challenging.
For those people, we recommend this seated balance exercise.
Because it’s done while sitting, it’s reassuring even for those who aren’t good at exercise.
Although it’s a seated workout, the key is to pay attention to your posture and how you sit.
Tilt your pelvis upright and stretch your back firmly as you perform the movements.
In addition to improving balance, it also promotes blood circulation, providing a refreshing effect for both body and mind.
Be mindful of your mental well-being as you incorporate it, too.
Exercises for the limbs and shoulder blades
Let’s try an exercise that moves everything from your hands to your shoulder blades, and all the way down to your feet.
For the hand exercises, we’ll use motions like neatly folding and unfolding a towel, and tying and untying a towel.
When moving the shoulder blades, bring the towel behind your back and move your shoulder blades forward and backward.
For the leg-involved towel exercise, hold the towel with both hands and rotate it all the way around your body.
When passing the towel under your feet, you’ll need to lift your feet a little, so be careful not to fall if you’re doing this standing.
If you’re seated, lift your hips slightly, pass the towel under your hips, and bring it around to your back.
Contracture prevention exercises
Contracture refers to a condition in which the movement of the skin, muscles, and joints becomes limited after a period of insufficient physical activity due to illness or injury.
Because it can interfere with daily life, it’s important to perform exercises that move the joints through a large range of motion within a pain-free range to loosen them up.
For example, while lying on your back, raise your clasped hands overhead and hold; spread your arms outward with your elbows bent at 90 degrees; or bend your elbows as far as you comfortably can.
These are very simple movements, so why not incorporate them into your pre-sleep or morning routine right away?
Finger-Tip Rec: Ball Exercises to Build Grip Strength
This is a recreational activity focused on gripping a ball to build grip strength.
In pairs, you will perform two movements: trying to pull out a fixed ball and passing the ball to each other.
While consciously gripping the ball firmly with one hand, add the pulling and passing movements to train other areas as well.
By carefully observing your partner’s movements, this exercise also helps you become more aware of dynamic vision, concentration, and force control.
Foot and brain training with numbers
Walking is said to be good exercise for your legs and to help activate the brain.
Here’s an excellent way to get both benefits.
It’s an exercise that uses a 60-centimeter square cardboard board called a “step board.” To make the board, simply divide the cardboard surface into eight sections and write the numbers 1 through 8.
Place the board on the floor, put your feet on it, and try stepping with one foot at a time in order from number 1.
It’s even more effective if you increase the difficulty by trying patterns like “odd to even, even to odd” or “random numbers.”