[For Seniors] Leg and lower-back training: Fall prevention
As we age, the muscles in our legs and lower back can weaken, making us more prone to stumbling or falling.
However, by continuing with simple training, you can better support your lower body and aim for a body that’s less likely to fall.
Incorporating easy, low-impact exercises into your daily routine will also help you gain confidence in walking.
This time, we’ll introduce leg and lower-back strengthening exercises that are safe for older adults.
You can start them easily at home, so why not enjoy moving your body while you do them? Keep at it a little each day, and let’s keep walking energetically for years to come!
- [For Seniors] Recreational activities and games that let you have fun while strengthening your legs
- For Seniors: How to Strengthen Your Inner Muscles. Fall Prevention
- For seniors: Leg-strengthening exercises you can do without overexertion.
- [For Seniors] Fun and Easy! Fall-Prevention Exercises for Older Adults
- [For Seniors] Exercises to Walk Again. Fall Prevention
- [For Seniors] Strengthen Your Legs! Recommended Training Items
- [With Video] Lower-limb strength training for seniors that can be done in bed
- [For Seniors] Recommended Easy Strength Training
- [For Seniors] Balance-Training Exercises: Preventing Falls
- Summary of exercises for seniors: introducing preventative care movements by body part.
- [For Seniors] Core Training: Recommended Simple Rehabilitation
- [For Seniors] Easy and Fun Core Training
- [For Seniors] Improve Your Body Concerns! A Summary of Exercises for Urinary Leakage
[For Seniors] Leg and hip training. Fall prevention (21–30)
Leg raise exercise you can do while lying down
Here is an easy leg exercise you can do at home while lying down.
By strengthening their leg muscles, older adults can maintain and improve their walking ability and help prevent falls.
Falls can lead to injuries such as fractures and, in some cases, result in becoming bedridden.
Let’s make good use of exercises you can practice regularly to strengthen your legs and hips.
While lying down, bend one knee with your foot flat, and lift the other leg.
Start by aiming for 10 repetitions.
As you get used to it, try increasing the number of reps.
Balance training using a chair
For older adults, being able to maintain balance is important because it helps prevent falls.
The chair-based balance training introduced here is valuable for preventing falls and improving walking stability.
Many older adults feel uneasy about exercising while standing.
In such cases, chair-based balance training is recommended! Not only is it safe, but it also lets you strengthen your core and lower body muscles without strain.
In fact, improving core flexibility helps maintain balance more than simply walking with your feet on the ground.
Give it a try and feel the difference.
[For Seniors] Leg and lower-back training. Fall prevention (31–40)
Glute exercises performed while lying down
To perform daily activities such as walking, standing, and sitting smoothly, it’s important to strengthen the gluteal muscles.
What happens when the glute muscles become weak? The glutes also help absorb impact when one foot strikes the ground during walking.
Weakening of these muscles can lead to poor body balance.
Glute exercises that can be done while lying down are a convenient way for older adults to train.
Try lying on your side, lifting one leg, and moving it backward.
Balance training in a walking posture
Walking is very important for your health, isn’t it? For older adults to maintain their balance, it’s essential to strengthen the core.
The key is to train using the whole body so you’re not walking with just your legs.
Since this movement activates muscles you don’t usually use, make sure to hold on firmly with both hands to a chair or something stable for safety when you do it.
Even if you usually walk without thinking, simply paying attention to your hip movement and posture can help improve your balance.
Why not incorporate this movement into your daily walks?
One-Leg Balance Exercise
In everyday life, don’t you sometimes suddenly lose your balance? This is especially something to watch out for among older adults, as losing balance and falling can lead to injuries.
A recommended way for seniors to train their balance is the one-leg balance exercise.
Since it’s done one leg at a time, use a chair or wall for support.
It strengthens the lower body, making it effective for preventing falls.
The movements are all slow and controlled, so it’s nice that you can keep it up without overexerting yourself.
Standing butt workout
By strengthening your glute muscles, you can support your body weight with your entire legs.
This stabilizes your balance and helps prevent falls.
For seniors who can stand, a recommended exercise is standing glute training.
Slide one leg out to the side or move it backward to work the glute muscles.
In addition to improving walking, strengthening the glutes can also help prevent urinary leakage.
When the group of muscles around the pelvis weakens, it can cause leakage.
Since the glute muscles are connected to these pelvic muscles, training the glutes may help prevent urinary leakage as well.
Exercises to strengthen the hip area
We often walk on autopilot, and without realizing it we make our movements smaller to reduce effort.
This exercise aims to improve balance by consciously focusing on the muscles and joints you use when walking.
The key here is hip movement: by getting the hips to move properly, your posture becomes more stable.
Because these are supported exercises—like side-to-side movements while holding onto a chair—they place little strain on the body, so it’s recommended to pay attention to which muscles you’re using as you go.
