Exercise is important at every stage of life, but it can be challenging to maintain your fitness level as you age, especially if you’re recovering from an injury or living with a medical condition. Staying physically active and strong can increase energy, decrease illness, and improve mood, and you don’t have to join a gym or a sports team to reap these benefits. Here are the best home workouts for seniors to help you build strength, increase flexibility, and improve balance.
Making a Home Exercise Routine for Seniors
As an older adult, your home exercise routine should be varied to include movements and activities dedicated to these areas of physical health:
- Cardiovascular
- Muscle strengthening
- Flexibility
- Balance
Some activities can help in more than one area. Yoga is a good example because the movements require good muscle strength, flexibility, and balance.
Always speak to your healthcare provider and primary physician before starting a new fitness routine. Your doctor may recommend that you speak to an expert to learn the proper form for unfamiliar or new exercises such as pilates, Tai Chi, yoga, weight lifting, and more.
It’s important to start slow and only do what feels comfortable while getting used to a new form of exercise. Check your pulse regularly to ensure you’re not overexerting yourself. Trust that with time, you will build up stamina, strength, and flexibility. Getting fit takes time, and these quick senior home workouts can get you there.
Low-Impact Cardio
Cardio-focused exercises include any type of movement or activity that raises your heart rate. You can identify when an activity is making your heart beat faster by checking your breathing. If you’re breathing faster than normal but you’re still able to hold a conversation, that’s a good sign that you’re performing that exercise at a healthy pace.
As an older adult, low-impact cardio is a good choice because it is more comfortable on your joints while still providing health benefits. At-home cardio workouts include:
- Dancing
- Walking in place
- Strolling around the block
- Doing yard work
- Sit-to-stand movements
If you have access to a pool in your residential community or in your home, swimming and water aerobics are also great options for low-impact cardio.
Pilates
Pilates is a great at-home workout for older adults because it doesn’t require expensive equipment. The only thing you’ll need is a Pilates exercise ball.
This form of exercise focuses on improving core strength and balance. Having a strong core can help lessen lower back pain and reduce the chances of injury. Some popular exercises in a typical at-home Pilates workout include step-ups, leg circles, foot slides, and mermaid stretches.
Yin or Hatha Yoga
Yoga is an incredibly beneficial form of exercise for older adults, but you should choose the style of yoga carefully. While yoga has its roots in ancient India, different schools of yoga have developed over time, some of which are more energetic and acrobatic. Yin and hatha yoga are two forms that focus on gentle stretching, deep breathing, and balance.
You can perform yoga in your home by following online video tutorials or signing up with an app. All you need is a yoga mat. If you’re worried about losing your balance, start your yoga journey in a chair. Popular chair yoga exercises include overhead stretches, seated twists, seated cow-cat stretches, and seated mountain poses.
Strength Workouts
While cardio, balance, and flexibility workouts are important, don’t forget to include strength training in your routine. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn, making it easier to maintain a healthy weight. Plus, focusing on your muscles during exercise helps prevent age-related muscle loss. When your major muscle groups are strong, you have a reduced risk of falling.
You don’t need free weights or fancy machines to get a good workout. You can use your body weight to perform movements such as push-ups, leg raises, squats, and abdominal contractions.
Adjust each movement to your needs and abilities. You can do push-ups against a wall or do an entire strength training routine while sitting in a chair or lying on the floor.
Resistance Bands
If you are ready for a bit of a challenge to help you build muscle and increase strength and stamina, consider investing in resistance bands. They’re inexpensive, portable, easy to handle, and can help you gently build muscle strength. They can also help increase your flexibility and strengthen your core while you work out various muscle groups.
Resistance band training is a great at-home exercise. You can use the bands to perform traditional strength-focused exercises such as bicep curls, triceps presses, lateral raises, and leg presses.
What Exercise Burns the Most Fat for Seniors?
Managing weight in your golden years is not as simple as it seems. If you’re looking for an effective exercise routine that burns fat, focus on building muscle strength.
Choose resistance bands, free weights, or bodyweight exercises, depending on your fitness level. Using your muscles requires a lot of work, and once you have more muscle mass, your body will burn more calories every day.
What Is the Best Type of Exercise to Increase Balance for Seniors?
Many older adults worry about falling and experiencing an injury or fracture. The best exercise you can do to start working on your balance is the single-leg shift. Stand near a wall and lift one leg off the floor with your knee at a 90-degree angle. Keep this position for 10 seconds, and then switch legs.
Home Workouts for Seniors Improve Holistic Health
It’s never too late to get up and get moving. Home workouts for seniors are important to holistic health, the health of your body, mind, and spirit. Creating an exercise routine that you enjoy can increase your confidence, improve your mental health, and keep your body strong and resilient. Joining a community of active older adults can help you find new passions and interests while also giving you the opportunity to meet new friends. Schedule a visit to one of our communities to see the difference dignified care makes.
