[For Seniors] Enjoyable While Seated! Ball Exercises and Recreation
Many senior care facilities include exercise in their recreation programs and daily routines.
Are your sessions ending up with the same or similar exercises every time? This time, we’d like to share ideas for “seated exercises using a ball.” Using a ball—something familiar to many older adults—may make it easier for those who are reluctant to participate to get involved.
Because the exercises are done while seated, they’re gentler on the body and can be done safely.
Rubber balls or balloons sold at 100-yen shops are fine as long as they’re an easy-to-grip size.
These activities help build muscle strength and coordination, and can also contribute to dementia prevention.
Please make good use of them during exercise time!
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[For Seniors] Enjoy While Seated! Ball Exercises and Recreation (11–20)
Relaxation exercise
We’d like to introduce a relaxing exercise that uses a ball against your back.
Many older adults feel anxiety or loneliness in their daily lives.
These feelings may stem from worries about age-related declines in physical and cognitive abilities, or from having fewer opportunities to spend time with family.
In that case, how about trying a relaxation exercise to help ease anxiety and loneliness? Sit in a chair and place a ball between your back and the backrest, then gently roll side to side.
Taking deep breaths will help you feel refreshed.
If you do this with a few people, it may spark conversation and provide a nice change of pace.
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.
Lower-body exercises with a rubber ball
Older adults often have difficulty lifting their feet while walking, so make a conscious effort to lift your feet to prevent falls.
This time, we’re using a rubber ball that you can get at a 100-yen shop.
Prepare a ball about the size of a dodgeball or volleyball.
While seated in a chair, hold the ball in front of your body and lift your thigh to tap the ball with your knee.
Another exercise is to place the ball on the floor, rest one foot on it, and rotate it in circles without letting your foot come off.
These exercises help you consciously practice lifting your feet.
Rhythmic exercises to the beat of “365-Step March”
This is an exercise where you move a ball to the rhythm of Kiyoko Suizenji’s song “365-Step March.” The rhythm is easy to follow, so encourage participants to be mindful of it and move their bodies firmly.
In line with the song’s forward-moving feel, the exercise focuses on moving the ball with the feet.
Incorporate solid marching steps to develop the ability to lift the legs and to move the knee joints smoothly.
Using a ball also helps clarify which muscles to engage, which is another key point to emphasize.
A great conversation starter! Ball exercises perfect for recreational activities
This is a recreation activity that uses a ball to facilitate smooth communication.
Decide on a topic, and the person holding the ball says a word or phrase that matches the prompt, then passes the ball to the next person.
If everyone keeps up the pace while thinking of words that fit the prompt, it can also serve as brain training.
You can make it more exciting by adding various twists, such as using quiz-style prompts to add a thinking element or getting creative with how the ball is passed.
Starting with self-introductions and gradually moving to more difficult prompts can also help build teamwork among the group.
Brain Training Ball Exercises
This exercise focuses on how you move the ball, training not only the body but also stimulating the brain.
You start by alternately repeating the motion of grasping the ball from above and from below, then add movements of the hand without the ball and the feet.
Changing the position where you grasp the ball requires quickness and grip strength, so if that part is difficult, it may be better to switch to a different motion, such as simply squeezing the ball.
What’s most important is performing different movements with both hands and both feet, so proceed in a way that doesn’t place strain on the body.
[For Seniors] Enjoy While Seated! Ball Exercises and Recreation (21–30)
Foot training using a ball
These are lower-body exercises performed while sitting in a chair using a ball.
A major advantage of using a ball is that it makes it easier to understand how to engage your muscles.
In the exercise where you hold the ball between your knees and slowly squeeze it, you can help improve bow legs (O-legs) and strengthen the pelvic muscles.
In the exercise where you place the ball on the front of your thigh from above and slowly lift your leg, it promotes pelvic stability and can also improve walking.
If you can’t apply enough force to compress the ball, it’s recommended to switch the ball for something with less rebound, such as a floor cushion, and perform the exercises.