Exercises for the Elderly

There are a wide variety of exercises for the elderly. Many of the elderly avoid doing exercises as they fear of getting hurt or going through pain. However, the fact is that if a regular exercise program is maintained, it will help you not only to get rid of age related health problems but also enhance the flexibility of your body. There are some balance exercises for the elderly which improve body balance and coordination. One such simple exercise is just trying to get up from the sitting position without any support, and also without leaning the body on any side to gather some support.

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. All the exercises that we have discussed in this section can be carried out sitting in one place on an armchair or a park bench.

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. Imagine that your hands are wet and you have to dry them up and shake your hands in that manner.

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. This exercise will stretch the legs muscles very well. Squeezing the knees while keeping them together will help in stretching the muscles of upper legs. It is also considered as one of the best hip exercises for the elderly.

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. This type of exercise is helpful in stretching up the entire upper portion of the body.

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. These movements helps to increase the flexibility down the neck to the spine.

Swimming can be undertaken by those that are in perfect health and fitness conditions. The exercises given here can be termed as strengthening exercises for the elderly, and are of very light kind, and are suitable for one and all. However, you can consult your doctor before you start doing any of these exercises, who will also be in a position to give you a few other fitness tips according to your health history that may prove very beneficial to you.