![[For Seniors] Let's Enjoy Exercising with a Towel!](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/NvyYjNyKDGY/maxresdefault.webp)
Many nursing and care facilities incorporate simple exercises into their daily routine as a form of recreation.
Why not try adding the “towel exercises for seniors” we’re introducing this time?
With towel exercises, you can train the whole body—from the upper to the lower body—while remaining seated.
We’ve gathered exercises that are gentle and manageable for older adults.
It’s also easy to prepare since you can use towels already available at the facility.
By calling out rhythms or singing while exercising, the five senses are stimulated, which also supports brain training.
Please consider using “towel exercises” as a workout option for older adults!
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[For Seniors] Let's Enjoy Exercising with a Towel! (1–10)
Strengthen your legs and hips! Towel Drop
When you start being mindful of your lower back and legs and spend longer periods sitting, the ways you can move your feet become limited.
If you incorporate this towel drop activity at such times, you can train your lower body in a fun way by moving your feet quickly from various angles.
You start with a towel placed on your knees, and the rule is that the person who makes their towel fall first using only foot movements wins.
Once you try it, you might get so into it that before you know it, you’re out of breath from the intensity.
It’s a game that can help develop various abilities while having fun—like the quick motion of flicking the towel off your legs, the actual strength used to move your feet, and the thinking skills involved in figuring out how to move to make the towel fall.
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.
Brain Training! Towel Catch Exercise
Let’s add some brain training to our towel exercises to activate both body and mind! “Towel catch” refers to the movement of letting go of a towel from your hand and then catching it.
You can do a quick version where you release it for just a moment and catch it right away, or toss it a little higher and catch it.
You can also reverse the orientation of your hand between letting go and catching the towel.
If you do this alternately with the left and right hands in an irregular pattern, you’ll be thinking things like, “What’s the next move?” as you exercise, which makes it effective brain training.
For the quick release-and-catch movement, saying “pa-ta-ka-ra” rhythmically while you do it adds oral motor exercise on top of the physical and brain training!
Towel exercises to the tune of “Ii Yu Da na”
How about starting some exercises that even older adults can enjoy while seated in a chair? This time, we’ll use a towel and move along to the familiar Drifters’ song “Ii Yu Da Na.” Hold the towel at shoulder width and move it as if kneading hot spring water forward from your body, stretch upward from the shoulders to lengthen the body, and twist your torso to the left and right.
This should help you incorporate bending, stretching, and twisting of the upper body effectively.
The key point is to keep the lower body stable and both feet firmly on the floor while you do it.
Core training
Core training with a towel focuses on strengthening the torso, excluding the head and limbs.
It’s highly recommended for older adults, as it can help alleviate lower back pain and improve metabolism by promoting blood circulation.
While seated, hold a towel with both hands and lean your body forward, backward, and to both sides to stretch the muscles.
Be mindful to keep your back straight and avoid holding your breath.
Twisting your torso to the side to stretch your obliques is also effective.
For older adults who often experience pain or fatigue due to muscle weakness, this is a workout we definitely encourage you to try!
Towel exercises to the tune of Kiyoshi’s Zundoko-bushi
Kiyoshi Hikawa’s “Kiyoshi no Zundoko Bushi” is a song that many older adults are familiar with, so it’s likely to boost motivation for exercise! Let’s move energetically to the music.
In addition to movements like holding a towel and bending and stretching the arms, we also recommend moving your legs along with it.
For the easy-to-hum phrases, try singing while you move your body.
Because the song is very rhythmic, following the beat exactly can sometimes be challenging, so don’t push yourself—take a more relaxed tempo and move your body comfortably.
Get excited! Daily movements and upper-body exercises
While seated, use a towel to actively move your upper body! Even simple actions—like folding a towel or hooking it onto something—can effectively engage your upper body.
If you turn these movements into friendly competitions with peers at a day service, it can spark communication and reduce feelings of loneliness.
You can race to see who folds towels faster, or compete to see who can grab a towel placed on the lap more quickly at the signal “Ready, go!” Another fun option is a team game where two people hold a towel together, balance a beanbag on it, and try to carry and drop it into a box.
Consider incorporating these as part of your recreation activities.