Daily exercise is a crucial part of any healthy living routine. It’s especially important for senior citizens who are trying to maintain a clean bill of health in their golden years. Diet is important, but regular exercise helps keep you strong, flexible, and mobile.
Seniors with mobility issues may feel like exercise is impossible. Certain exercises can be challenging for healthier individuals, but for those with mobility issues, they can cause extreme pain or lasting injuries. These fears are valid, but this doesn’t mean that there aren’t certain exercises that make working out much easier for seniors who have lost some or most of their mobility.
Today, our friends at MedicareInsurance.com have helped us compile a list of five great exercises for seniors with mobility issues. These exercises are not only easier for seniors who have lost mobility to perform, they can also help you regain mobility.
So, let’s dive right into today’s list!
1: Chair Yoga
When you think of yoga, it’s easy to conjure images of twisting yourself into painful knots. However, not all yoga routines are built the same! Seniors with mobility issues may find plenty of benefit in a form of yoga known as “chair yoga”. The exercises in a chair yoga session can all be performed comfortably from a seated position, hence the name.
Chair yoga is low-impact, and can yield positive results in the following areas:
- Muscle strength
- Mobility
- Balance
- Overall flexibility
Maintaining positive results in each of these areas is very important to your overall health. Chair yoga allows you to build on each of them while putting very little stress on your bones, joints, muscles, and ligaments.
Some of the exercises you can expect to perform during a regular chair yoga session include:
- Overhead stretch
- Seated cat stretch
- Seated twist
- Seated mountain pose
After performing a chair yoga session, you may find that you feel happier and refreshed. This isn’t a coincidence. Studies have shown that chair yoga improves mental health in senior adults. In fact, regular participants in chair yoga report better sleep, lower instances of depression, and a greater sense of well-being overall.
2: Water Aerobics
There’s a reason that water aerobics has quickly become one of the most popular forms of exercise with seniors. Who wouldn’t love a low-impact exercise routine that lets you play in the water for an hour or more? This enjoyable form of exercise is perfect for senior citizens who lack the mobility to take part in traditional exercise classes.
Conventional exercise can put a lot of stress on joints and bones. This isn’t ideal for individuals who live with arthritis or osteoporosis. Water aerobics reduces that stress considerably, as moving in water puts far less stress on the body than performing repetitive exercises on dry land. Water also poses natural resistance, which reduces the need for free weights for strength training.
Some of the exercises that you can expect to perform during a water aerobics session include:
- Flutter kicking
- Leg lifts
- Arm curls
- Aqua jogging
These may sound intense, but these exercises that would be a challenge on land are far easier to perform in water. Water aerobics can help you rebuild strength, mobility, and balance with little agony. That’s a great benefit for those suffering from decreased mobility!
3: Resistance Band Workouts
Not all strength and resistance exercises require heavy weights. If you’ve never used resistance bands before, you’re missing out on utilizing an efficient tool that can help you get a great full-body workout.
Resistance bands can help you get in key strength and endurance training without the added stress of heavy weight. This makes them ideal for beginners and seniors who have issues with their mobility. Resistance bands are also inexpensive, which is a definite plus for seniors who want to get a good workout, but live on fixed incomes.
A huge plus of using resistance bands is that they’ll essentially help you perform any kind of move you could perform with heavy weights. Some of the best resistance band exercises you can do to improve your mobility include:
- Leg presses
- Pull-aparts
- Lateral raises
- Side-to-side squats
Most of the exercises you’ll perform with a resistance band will help build your core strength. Good core strength is ideal for great posture, mobility, and balance. Even better? You don’t even have to be able to stand for long periods of time to work with resistance bands. You can perform most of these exercises from a seated position.
4: Dumbbell Training
Similar to resistance bands, dumbbells can help you rebuild your strength and mobility in key areas. You may think that you need to work with heavy weight to get in a good workout with dumbbells, but this isn’t the case.
A good strength training routine is key to helping you manage many of the issues that come with age. It can help you manage the effects of:
- Osteoporosis
- Arthritis
- Back pain
- Depression
- Diabetes
If you practice proper precautions when working with dumbbells, such as not lifting more than you can handle, dumbbell training is great for seniors with mobility issues. It’s especially beneficial as many dumbbell exercises can be performed while sitting down.
Interested in taking part in light dumbbell training? Give these moves a try:
- Overhead press
- Front raise
- Bent-over row
- Bicep curls
5: Walking
Walking can be a key exercise in any senior workout routine. It’s a great full-body workout that causes low impact on the body, and can help you maintain a social life, which is great for your mental health. So, why does it come in last on the list?
Of course, coming in last doesn’t underscore the importance of walking to senior exercise routines. Walking can still be an excellent workout for seniors who suffer from mobility issues. However, seniors with extreme mobility issues may not be able to enjoy such a workout.
Like any exercise, it’s important to know your limitations. Stick to light to moderate trails and keep an even, moderate pace. Even the smallest actions yield great results!
If you’re looking for similar tips related to senior health and wellness, or you’re looking to explore Medicare plans and options, MedicareInsurance.com is here to help! Visit their website today to start comparing quality Medicare plans in your area. When you’re ready to discuss options, give their friendly, licensed agents a call at (800) 950-0608.
