Exercises for the Elderly

Chair Exercises for the Elderly

Chair exercises are those which can be done sitting on a simple straight back chair. They are particularly good for those who find it difficult to move the body. It is also suitable for those elderly who still have active body movements.

Gentle Exercises for the Elderly
These exercises involve simple, light movements of the hands, legs, fingers, toes, etc. Let us start with the hands. Simply open and close the hands as quickly as possible. While opening the hands, try to stretch the fingers of the hands as much as you can, and when you close them, try to make the fist tight. Continue the opening and closing of the hands for 10 times. Now that your hands have done some exercises, your hand muscles must have become slightly taut now. So you should relax them by shaking both your hands together.

Next do some movements of the feet while in a sitting position. Raise both your feet together above the ground up to a few inches and then move your toes in any random direction. Move your feet back to the ground as soon as you find it uncomfortable to keep it in the raised condition. Another exercise for the leg is to lift both the legs as much as you can. Stop lifting them the moment you find that your knee joints have locked up. Bring down your legs. Repeat the process for 5 - 6 times. Do not overstretch yourself. Stop the moment you are not feeling fine.

Mobility Exercises for the Elderly
Raise your feet slightly above the ground and stretch your legs at the front and then try to make the toes pointed towards the forward direction first. Hold the position for a few seconds or till you can keep it that way easily. Then bring back the feet in its original position without touching the ground and point the toes in the upward direction. Hold this position for a few seconds. Put your feet back on the ground and relax.

Hold your hands together in the same way you hold them after clapping. Gradually lift up your elbows and push the hands as hard as you can and hold the position for around 10 seconds. You will feel the tension building up on the muscles of your arms, shoulders and chest.

Back Exercises for the Elderly

The backbone is a very delicate area of the body. Therefore, you have to be very careful while doing any back exercises. These exercises mainly involve the head and the neck. Make all the movements in a very slow and gentle manner. Do not try any movements that are difficult for you. Sit straight on the chair and slowly bend your head in the forward direction so that your chin touches the chest. Hold your head in that position for a few seconds and then get back to the original position. Similarly, try to tilt your head backwards and keep it in that position for few seconds. Then again gradually return to the original position.