Flexibility Exercises for Seniors

Flexibility exercises are highly beneficial for seniors. As most elderly are not quite physically active, their muscles tend to become taut and inflexible. Flexibility exercises stretches out these muscles and reduce the tension from them. Thus they can move around and feel more confident about themselves. Another advantage of a flexibility workout is that it improves the blood flow to the painful joints of the body and thus bring down the inflammation. As a result, the range of motion of the joints affected by arthritis or osteoporosis increases.

Flexibility Exercises for Seniors

The exercises should focus on all the major muscle groups of the body. Here are a few stretching exercises, based on body part:

Leg
Sit on a chair that does not have any arms support. Extend your legs in the front. Place the heels on the ground and bend your ankles in such a way that the toes are pointed in the upward direction. Hold it for 20-30 seconds and place your feet back on the ground. Then bend the ankles on the other side so that the toes are pointed away from your body and hold on for 20-30 seconds. These leg stretches should be repeated 3-5 times.

Neck
Many elderly people feel stiffness in the neck after sitting for a while at a desk. A neck stretching exercise can reduce this stiffness almost instantly. Sit on a chair keeping your head straight and holding your chin up. Now, bend your head slowly on the right side and hold this position for about 15-20 seconds. Then move your head slowly back to the upright position. Then again tilt it to the left side in the same manner for same time and get back to the original position. This should be repeated for 3-5 times as per your convenience.

Shoulder
Stiffness in shoulder and upper back region often make hand movements for performing any activities painful. Shoulder stretches can bring about improvement in the condition. Stand in the upright position. Take a towel and hold its one end at the back of the head with your left hand. Use the right hand to hold the other end of the towel near the lower back region. Now, pull both the ends of the towel gently with your hands. Thus you can feel a slight stretch. Maintain this position for few seconds and then relax. Repeat the stretching on the opposite side where you use your right hand to hold the upper end of the towel.

Chest
Sit on a chair with your feet rested flat on the floor and shoulder width apart. Lift both your arms at the sides up to the height of your shoulder. Now, try to move the arms gradually in the backward direction in such a way that the shoulder blades get squeezed up. You can feel the stretch in chest muscles. Hold this stretch for 15-30 seconds and release the muscle. It should be repeated 3 to 5 times. If you feel uncomfortable while doing this chest stretch, then you should stop immediately. You can perform the exercises with standing position as well. The advantage of chair exercises for seniors is that you can do it even if you have difficulty in maintaining body balance.

Back and Hip
Lie flat on your back with your arms on your sides. Bend the knees keeping the feet on the ground. Now, pull your knees near your chest and then let them fall on any one side of the body. Then turn your head on the opposite direction. This position should be held for 30 seconds and then get back to the original position. Again move your knees up to the chest and then let it fall on the other side of the body in the same manner. This will stretch out back muscles that lies in between the neck and hip.

Flexibility Activities

Most seniors avoid any kind of exercises simply because they do not like to do it alone. In that case, they can do some fun activities with a partner which can improve flexibility for seniors. Both you and your partner have to sit on the ground facing each other. Stretch your legs so that your feet touches your partner's feet. Take a towel or resistance band and each one of you have to hold its one end. Now, both of you should pull the towel slowly towards your side. While pulling both of you can feel a stretch which should be held for 10-30 seconds. It should be repeated 4-5 times. As your flexibility increases, you can take a small size towel.

The exercises given in this article can be done without taking help from a personal trainer. However, any strength exercises for seniors like leg extensions or leg curls should be performed under the supervision of a trainer only. If you have undergone a hip replacement surgery or any other joint replacement surgery, then doctors recommend therapy for seniors to improve the mobility of the specific joint. In such cases, the stretching exercises should be done under the guidance of a physical therapist only.