[Seated] Fun Health Exercises for Older Adults and Seniors
More and more people are finding their bodies tire easily and feel they’re spending longer periods sitting in a chair.
Some of you may be wondering, “Is there any training I can do while seated?” In this article, we introduce enjoyable health exercises you can do while sitting! We’ve compiled easy activities for everyday life, including strength training you can do from a seated position and brain-training exercises.
Be sure to try incorporating them as recreational activities in nursing care facilities as well!
- [For Seniors] Fun Exercises You Can Do While Seated
- For seniors: Enjoyable exercises done while seated, accessible for wheelchair users.
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable and Healthy Chair Stretches!
- [For Seniors] Easy and Fun Core Training
- [Today's Recommendation] Gentle Health Exercises for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Fun Recreational Activities Without Equipment
- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
- Cognicise you can do while seated. Simple dementia prevention.
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable While Seated! Ball Exercises and Recreation
- [Enjoy Safely While Seated] Newspaper Activities Recommended for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Recommended Easy Strength Training
- [Brain Training for Seniors] Recommended Hand-Play Recreation for Dementia Prevention
- Recommended Indoor Exercises for Seniors
[Seated] Fun Health Exercises for Older Adults and Seniors (21–30)
Beat the summer heat: chair exercises
When it’s hot, we tend to go outside less, but let’s keep our bodies moving moderately to prevent summer fatigue and maintain our health.
Here, we’ll introduce simple exercises you can do while seated.
After loosening up by rolling your shoulders and twisting your upper body, add in marching in place and lifting your knees to touch your hands.
Finally, move your body while vocalizing to also strengthen the muscles around your mouth.
Do these within a comfortable range in a cool indoor environment, and be sure to stay well hydrated.
Heatstroke and summer fatigue prevention exercises
As July arrives, the heat really starts to set in.
Building physical stamina becomes important for preventing heatstroke.
With that in mind, here are some exercises you can do while seated.
Try making big circles with your shoulders and arms, and lifting both legs.
It’s also important to keep doing the exercises consistently.
Please make sure to exercise within a comfortable range for older adults.
Doing the exercises while speaking out loud may also help you refresh your mood.
In addition to exercise, remember that staying hydrated and getting enough sleep are also essential, so please keep those in mind.
[Can Be Done Seated] Fun Health Exercises for Older Adults and Seniors (31–40)
Preventing heatstroke with chair exercises
These days, we’re getting more and more hot days even before summer truly begins.
Heatstroke is a concern, and it seems some older adults have difficulty sensing heat.
As one way to prevent heatstroke, getting your body accustomed to heat can help reduce the risk.
With that in mind, here are some heatstroke-prevention exercises you can do while seated.
Let’s try movements that raise your heart rate and exercises that move the body rhythmically.
It’s said that it takes about two weeks for the body to acclimate to heat.
Let’s keep moving regularly at a pace suitable for older adults.
Summer children’s songs – sing-and-dance medley
Let’s try doing sing-along exercises with summer children’s songs like “Hamabe no Uta,” “Natsu wa Kinu,” and “Ware wa Umi no Ko.” Many older adults may have sung these songs during their school days or with their own children, don’t you think? Exercises based on familiar songs may be easier for seniors to take part in.
Accompanied by music, we’ll do movements such as raising arms and legs while seated in a chair, as well as clapping along.
Singing together while exercising can also be a refreshing change of pace for older adults.
Tankō Bushi danced while seated in a chair
You can also dance it as a Bon Odori to the music of “Tankō Bushi,” right? For many older adults, it may feel like a song that evokes summer.
We’ll move our bodies to the tune of “Tankō Bushi.” As they move, some seniors might remember dancing it in the past.
Since it can be done while seated, it’s safe to dance indoors even on hot days.
“Tankō Bushi” is also a representative song of the Showa era, so people might sing along as they dance.
It’s a recommended exercise for summer festival activities at facilities as well.
Hometown: A song-and-exercise routine that livens things up with three movements
Move your hands to the melody of the children’s song “Furusato,” and stimulate your brain not only through the hand movements but also by visualizing your hometown.
The flow is two claps followed by forming a number with your hands, thinking ahead to the next number while keeping the rhythm of the song in mind.
After making a 5 with both hands, the count returns to 1, so this is where you should focus carefully and aim for smoother movements.
Once you get used to it, we also recommend increasing the speed to further improve concentration.
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.
