Staying mobile as the years go by can be critical for maintaining independence and a high quality of life. For older adults, there’s much evidence that keeping joints supple and muscles strong can help with balance, reducing the risk of falls, and alleviating some chronic conditions. Therefore, the following article is dedicated to showing you five simple exercises you can incorporate into your daily life or enhance your current physical workout to improve your mobility.
1. Chair Stands
Benefits: Chair stands are a good exercise to improve leg strength and stability. Seniors with strong legs were less likely to fall over.
How to Do It:
- Sit on the edge of a chair that has a firm back and keeps your feet flat on the floor with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Stand straight with your arms by your sides or across your body.
- Dig your heels in and push upwards with your legs.
- Stand up completely, then slowly lower yourself back down to the chair.
- Aim to complete 10-15 repetitions, taking breaks as needed.
- How to do it: If needed, make this easier by starting with a higher chair that allows a full range of movement, and use armrests for support. As you build strength, move on to a lower chair.
2. Seated Marches
Benefits: Sitting marches increase circulation, strengthen the hip flexors, and enhance the range of motion of the legs without potential damage to the joints.
How to Do It:
- Being seated, let yourself feel comfortable in a chair with your feet firmly placed on the floor and your back supported.
- Lift your left knee as high up in the air as you can – never letting your foot touch the ground – then lower it back down.
- Alternate legs, marching in place while seated.
- Perform 20-30 marches on each leg, or as many as you can comfortably do.
Tip: It’ll make things a little more challenging to use hand weights or resistance bands as you march or do your leg lifts. Make sure your chair stays stationary. Keep your grip steady, too.
3. Standing Side Leg Raises
Benefits: The workout strengthens the hip muscle and increases balance. Strong hip muscles can help support stability and reduce fall risk.
How to Do It:
- Stand behind a chair, holding onto the back for support.
- Keep your feet hip-width apart and your body straight.
- Lift up one leg out to the side, straight up. Toes point forward.
- Hold for a few seconds, then lower your leg back down.
- Repeat 10-15 times on each leg.
A note on the routine above: If you want to make the exercise difficult, simply increase the number of repetitions, or you could wear ankle weights. Hold on to the chair tightly, so you don’t lose your balance.
4. Toe and Heel Raises
Benefits: (standing on toes and heels, alternatively) calms the nerves, assists the lungs in increasing their capacity, strengthens the calves and the front of the lower legs, and improves balance, and guards against falls.
How to Do It:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and hold on to a chair or counter if you need to.
- Rise onto your toes, pushing down through the heels to lift them as high as you can.
- Hold for a few seconds, then lower your heels back down.
- Now raise your toes for a count of 10, keeping the heels on the ground as you flex the feet upward.
- Hold for a few seconds, then lower your toes back down.
- Perform 10-15 repetitions of each movement.
Tips: Do these raises close to a wall or other sturdy surface in case of loss of balance. If you are new to this exercise, start with fewer repetitions and add more as you get more comfortable.
5. Seated Arm Circles
What’s good tightness and weakness can quickly develop in the shoulders of many people. Seated arm circles are an ideal option to improve the shoulder’s mobility and bulk up the muscles. A simpler exercise is seated on the knees and rising on the toes.
How to Do It:
- Sit upright in a chair. Your feet should be flat on the floor and your back should be straight.
- Extend your arms straight out to the sides at shoulder height.
- Make small circles with your arms, moving them clockwise for 15-20 seconds.
- Switch directions and make circles counterclockwise for another 15-20 seconds.
- Repeat the circles 2-3 times in each direction.
Tips:
Keep the circles small and controlled to avoid straining your shoulders. If you are uncomfortable, stop and rest.
These five simple exercises, if practiced every day, can increase your daily mobility, improve core strength and leg strength, and balance, and help you maintain a good quality of life as you grow older. Different joints or parts of the body are targeted by the different exercises. For example, the calf raises improve leg strength while the shoulder shrug exercises improve the flexibility of your arms. Practice, practice, and practice to experience the best results and lead an independent life.
If you have a health issue, get your provider’s input before you even consider starting any new exercise program. Ask for guidance that’s tailored to you.
