At-Home Workouts for the Seniors: The life expectancy of seniors can greatly increase if they stay physically active.

Seniors may decrease their fall risk by staying physically active including exercises to build strength, balance and endurance. Regular exercises can also reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. Before starting a new exercise regimen ensure to consult your physician and get a checkup.

Low- Impact Exercise

1. Walking – is among the best low-impact exercise to maintain endurance. It is not difficult to begin walking and it does not put strain on the joints.  Many seniors can maintain a walking routine till quite late in their lives. Make sure to get right shoes and perform stretching exercises after walking for protecting the muscles and preventing injury. In case you are a beginner, walk short distances initially and increase gradually by few minutes every time until you can walk for 35-60 minutes.

Stretch Exercises

1. Neck Stretch  –  helps to relieve tension in upper back and neck.

• Stand with feet kept at shoulder width; hands relaxed at your sides.
• Turn the head to the right slowly without tipping it backward or forward; stop when you feel a little stretch.
• Hold in this position for 15-30 seconds.
• Now turn your head to left. Hold in this position for 15-30 seconds.
• Do 4-5 repetitions.

2. Upper Back – helps to relieve tension in upper back and shoulders.

• Sit in a chair placing your feet on ground at shoulders width.
• Raise your arms out and up in front of you; raise your arms above your head with palms facing outwards.
• The back of hands should be pressed together.
• Reach with your fingertips till you feel a stretch. Your back moves away from back of chair.
• Hold in this position for 15-30 seconds.
• Do 4-5 repetitions.

Strength Exercises

1. Abdominal Contractions – to increase strength in abdomen muscles.

• Take a deep breath, tighten the muscles of your abdomen.
• Hold in this position for three breaths. Release.
• Do 10 repetitions.

3. Pelvic Tilts – to stretch and strengthen lower back muscles.

• Take a deep breath, tighten the buttocks and tilt the hips forwards slightly.
• Hold in this position for 3 seconds.
• Now tilt the hips back. Hold for 3 seconds.
• Do 10-12 repetitions.

4. Shoulder Blade Squeeze – helps to stretch chest and strengthen the muscles to maintain posture.

• Sit straight in a chair. Rest your in your lap. Squeeze the shoulder blades towards each other.
• Make sure to keep your shoulders down.
• Hold in this position for three seconds. Release.
• Do 10-12 repetitions.

5. Toe Taps – to strengthen your lower legs and helps with blood circulation in the legs

• Sit in a chair.
• Keeping your heels on ground, lift your toes off the ground as high as you can.
• Do 20 repetitions.

6. Heel Raises – helps to strengthen the muscles of upper calves.

• Sit in a chair.
• Keeping your toes and the balls of feet on the ground, lift your heels.
• Do 20 repetitions.

7. Knee Lifts – to strengthen the muscles of thighs.

• Sit in a chair with armrest.
• Rest arms on armrests, squeeze your right quadriceps and lift your right leg.
• Your thigh and knee must be two or three inches above the chair.
• Hold in this position for three seconds. Lower the leg slowly.
• Do 10-12 repetitions on each leg.

9. Ankle Rotations – to strengthen the muscles of calves.

• Sit in a chair.
• Lift the right foot above the ground and rotate it gently five times to right and then to left.
• Repeat with left foot.
• Do 10-12 repetitions on each leg.