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 (51–60)
Kyphosis prevention training using a resistance band
This is a training exercise where you use a resistance tube to add load to your movements, engaging your muscles while stretching your body.
It’s a simple motion—holding each end of the tube in your hands and stretching it—but depending on the position at which you pull, you can train different parts of the body.
A key point is to slowly stretch the tube and maintain that position, while staying mindful of your posture.
If you focus on opening your chest and engaging your shoulder blades, it can help improve your posture and lead to smoother movement.
Exercises to improve kyphotic posture
A hunched back is commonly called a “cat back,” but the technical term is kyphosis.
When your back is rounded, it affects your whole body.
While walking, you may start shuffling your feet, increasing the risk of falls, and your chin naturally tilts upward, which can lead to aspiration.
So let’s try a simple exercise to improve kyphotic posture.
Place both hands on your ribcage and inhale.
The key point is to check that your ribs lift upward.
Then, open your arms out to the sides and raise your head and neck upward.
Keep breathing slowly and hold this position for 10 seconds.
Just this alone can help bring a rounded, backward-leaning posture back toward neutral.
Exercises using a wall to prevent slouching
A slouched posture gradually develops unconsciously as we seek a comfortable position, but recalling proper posture can help trigger improvement.
This training helps you remember what a correct back shape looks like while strengthening the muscles that support it.
First, place your arms against a wall and take one step back.
In that stance, look upward and bend and straighten your knees to arch your back properly.
For people with a hunched posture, this applies force in the opposite direction, so be sure to proceed within a comfortable range.
indoor fast walking
Walking is considered good for health, and many older adults are already practicing it.
However, some may feel that outdoor walking is a hassle.
For those who find it difficult to go outside or aren’t comfortable with physical activity, walking outdoors might be challenging.
In that case, how about brisk walking indoors? March in place while swinging your legs backward.
If you swing your arms quickly, you’ll work not only your lower body but also your upper body.
It’s said that moving your hands as if to grab the leg that swings back can also strengthen your back muscles.
It’s easy to do, so give it a try.
[For Seniors] Recommended Indoor Exercises (61–70)
Just-sleep stretching
If you can incorporate training into ordinary everyday movements, you can work on it whenever you notice and easily improve your body.
This is a perfect training method for those who aren’t good at focusing on workouts: simply changing the way you lie down will benefit your back muscles.
All you do is place a pillow under your shoulder blades when you lie down, raise your arms, and gently sway them—this alone helps loosen the muscles in your back.
By directing your attention to arching your back, it also seems likely to lead to better posture and improvements in rounded shoulders.
Seated back-strengthening exercise
If you’re an older adult with lower back pain, be sure to strengthen your back muscles.
When the back muscles weaken, they can’t support your posture, which can lead to a rounded back and back pain.
Sit in a chair and reach one hand upward from near the toes on the opposite side.
Then lift your hand as if turning your chest up toward the ceiling.
Do this on both sides, but adjust the number of repetitions according to the individual’s condition.
You can also try stretching your back while raising both arms overhead.
Since these exercises are done while seated, it should be easier to keep up with the training consistently.
Balloon volleyball with newspaper-stick bats
Balloon volleyball played using rolled-up newspaper sticks lets you reach farther with the tool, while also challenging more delicate control of force.
It’s also important to treat the table like a volleyball court: set up a proper net in the middle so you can enjoy the volleyball atmosphere.
The higher the net, the more it encourages players to hit the balloon upward, which naturally directs their gaze up and can help improve posture.
Rather than focusing on winning, encouraging players to keep the rally going will likely help them enjoy it for longer.