6 Exercises All Seniors Should Do

Today, we'll discuss five exercises that seniors should perform every day. After the age of 50 these exercises are a must to incorporate into your daily active lifestyle.

The first exercise we will look at is a posture exercise. Almost everyone is struggling with posture. It’s something we deal with throughout the day. It’s something that we should always keep in mind and monitor. If your posture gets worsens, your balance will almost certainly gets worse. They work together. Your breathing, your pain levels are also effected by poor posture.

This exercise helps to reverse your curved posture, forward shoulders, and forward neck which are all too common with many people. Start by taking your hands and placing them behind your neck. With your elbows pointing forward go ahead and open them apart like a butterfly opening its wings. Try to open them as far out as you are able to do comfortably. You might feel a stretch in your shoulders and chest. As you are opening your arms press your head and neck back into your hands so that your head slides back into the proper upright position over your shoulders. This exercise will also help you to strengthen the muscles of your back and neck so that it becomes easier to hold this position with better posture. Do this exercise 3 times with a 10 second hold on a daily basis or even 2-3 times throughout the day to get stronger and prevent tightness.

The next exercise is helpful if you have tight or arthritic shoulders. Keeping the range of motion and flexibility in your shoulder is important as you age. Start by standing with your back against the wall, If you can’t get your head back against the its absolutely ok, Just do your best to get as much of your back and body against the wall as you can. As your posture improves you may be able to in the future. Start with your arms down at your sides and press them against the walk. Like you are making snow angels bring them out and up over your head slowly and then back down. If you feel any sort of sharp pain or discomfort while doing these make the movement smaller to where there is no pain or skip it. The goal is to feel a stretch and keep your range of motion as normal as possible. Do these slowly 10 or so times each day or multiple times per day if you are prone to stiffness.

Often as we get older sitting and standing up from chairs or low seats can become difficult. This exercise is a great way to practice and improve that skill while also helping our legs to be stronger in general. Start by sitting in a chair. Being closer to the edge of the chair with your feet pulled back closer to the chair will make this exercise more manageable. From this position we will stand up until our body is completely upright and tall. Then we will sit back down in a slow and controlled manner. You don’t want to flop down because then your legs aren’t working as you are sitting down. We will repeat this exercise 8-10 times. If you can try to do 2-3 sets of 10 if possible. If you need to you can use a chair with arms or use your hands to push off from the chair. The higher the chair the easier it is and the lower it is the more difficult. Find the proper level of assistance to where the exercise is doable but gives you a challenge. Try to do this exercise every 48 hours. So you can get the most out of your exercise it’s best not to do this exercise back to back days. Giving your body a chance to recover is how it gets stronger.

One of the areas where people are often weak is moving laterally. The small muscles in the sides of the legs that control this movement are often not as strong as they should be and can lead to balance issues and pain. This is a great exercise to do next to your kitchen counter or against a wall for stability if you need help with balance. Facing one way step to the side along the length of the space you have with your feet pointing forward and your legs going straight to the sides. Once you reach one end reverse and go the other direction facing the same direction so both sides are exercised. Try to complete 2-3 lengths back and forth of about 10 steps to either side.

This next exercise is very import for balance and ankle strength. You can use a chair, table, countertop or something sturdy to help make sure you are safe and balanced for this one. While holding on shift your weight back so that your toes lift and you rock back on your heels. Then slowly shift your weight forward so that your weight moves towards your toes and your heels lift up. Practice rocking back and forth 10 times for 2-3 sets if possible. Try to feel how you control your balance and learn to control the movement smoothly. Having good strength and control in your ankle can help keep you upright if you lose your balance. Practicing and building strength is the best guard against falls. This is an exercise you can practice daily.

For a lot of people the thought of doing a regular push up is daunting or impossible. This next exercise is a great way to strengthen your chest and triceps without too much difficulty. Using the wall, countertop, or a sturdy surface that can bear your body-weight. Place your hands flat on the surface in front of you with your arms straight out. Slowly walk your feet backwards so that your body is at an angle. Slowly lower yourself towards the wall by bending your arms and then push back into the original position with arms straight. Make sure that you keep your body straight like a board and don’t let your hips bend forward or back as you do this exercise. Try to do this for 8-10 reps and 2-3 sets if possible. The more you walk your feet back the more challenging the exercise is. Start easier at first and work your way up to more of an angle as your strength improves. This exercise is most helpful when done at least 48 hours apart. So that your body has a chance to recover and get stronger.