Best Chair Exercises for Seniors

Exercising benefits people of all ages, but even more so elderly adults.

As people age, certain limitations and mobility issues become more apparent, making exercise more essential for boosting their mind and body’s health.

As an old person, certain exercise routines may be difficult to perform. For this reason, using a Chair to perform exercise routines can aid with balance and accommodate certain mobility issues.

Why are Chair Exercise’s Good for Seniors

Going to a gym, taking a walk, or doing standing exercises is no longer an option for an older adult; chair exercises will certainly come in handy.

Exercising for seniors has some great benefits that are aimed especially at this age group;

• Exercise can lower the risk of certain health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and even type 2 Diabetes.
• Some exercises will help to improve bone health in older persons.
• Exercising also boosts brain health, lowering your risk of Dementia and Depression.
• Likewise, you can significantly improve your quality of life by regular exercise.

While exercise can benefit seniors, it’s crucial to exercise caution to prevent injuries. We’ve included safety precautions in our routines to ensure your well-being, so you can exercise with confidence and peace of mind.

By following our exercise routines and steps, you can safely and effectively perform exercises on a Chair in the comfort of your home.

Getting Started

Starting the exercise routine is simple. All you need is a comfortable chair or recliner and yourself in comfortable clothing with a slip-resistant or athletic shoe. It’s that easy to begin your journey to better health, and we’re here to guide you every step of the way.

The video below also provides some exercise routines that you can do on a Chair;

Now, we can get into a few other exercise routines that you can also perform at home on a Chair;

Seated Leg Exercises

The Following Seated Leg exercises mainly target all the areas in the lower body while you are seated. When Mobility is an issue, the lower body is usually neglected.

Before diving into the routines, it’s crucial to always start with a three-to-five-minute warm-up, whether sitting or standing. This prepares your body for the exercises ahead.

• Warm Up – Aletrante, marching your feet for three to five minutes, either sitting or standing. Rotate your arms in circles for a few minutes.
• Seated Knee Extensions – Sit in a Chair with your Back straight and your arms at your side. Extend and straighten your right knee; concentrate on squeezing your quadricep muscles on the front of your thigh, and hold for three seconds. Change your legs and repeat the process. You can perform this for ten to fifteen repetitions.
• Seated Pillow Squeezes – Sit in your Chair, Back straight, and arms at your sides. Place a pillow between your thighs or knees and squeeze the pillow by contracting your inner thigh muscles. Hold this position for three seconds, release, and repeat ten to twelve times.
• Straight Knee Ankle Pumps – Sit in your Chair with your Back straight and your arms relaxed beside you. Straighten your legs before you and pump your ankles downward as if you were pushing down a gas pedal. Keep your knees straight and try to move your ankles in the opposite direction, bringing the top of your feet inwards towards you. Hold every position for three seconds and repeat ten times.
• Marching – While sitting straight in your Chair, arms at the side, march with alternating legs. Bring your legs up as high as possible, and you can even pump your arms. Continue this for around thirty seconds and do ten marches.
• Seated Clamshells – You will also sit straight, arms at your side for this exercise. Bend your knees and place your hands on the outside of your knees to provide resistance for your legs. Contract the muscles outside your hips by moving your knees away from each other. Use your hands and arms for resistance, pushing your knees inward. Hold the contraction for three seconds, and repeat ten times.
• Ankle Rolls – The ankle roll is more of a warm-up or cool-down procedure. You sit up straight, lift your foot slightly from the floor, and roll your ankle inward and outward, repeating a few times for every foot. The videos will show how to perform ankle rolls effectively.

Seated Full Body Exercises

Before you start the full-body routine, make sure you have a sturdy chair for support. This routine will engage your entire body and provide a comprehensive exercise plan.
Repeat the warm-up exercises that we started with before you begin these routines;

• Standing Up Hip Extensions – Using your Chair as support, bend your right knee and push the leg backward while squeezing your glute muscle. Hold for three seconds, and repeat on the other leg. You can do ten repetitions on each leg.
• Heel Raises – Hold on to the chair. Stand tall, raise your heels, and stand on your toes. Come down slowly until flat on your feet, and repeat ten times.
• Standing Lateral Hip Raises – Using the Chair as support, stand tall and lift one leg to your side as far as possible. Try to keep a straight posture. Hold your leg three for three seconds and change to the other leg. Do ten repetitions.
• Chair Squats – Sit in your Chair back straight and arms at your sides. Drive your heels and the middle of your feet into the ground as you stand up tall, keeping your chest upright. Lower into a squat position, bending your hips, pushing them backward, and bending your knees until you have sat back down into the Chair. Do ten repetitions.
• Side Bend Holds – Sitting in your Chair, straighten your arms above your head. Squeeze the muscle at your sides as you bend from one side to the other, returning to your starting point after each being. Repeat this ten times.
• Dumbbell Press – If you have a small three or five-kilogram dumbbell, depending on what is comfortable for you, you can perform the following: Holding the dumbness in each hand, move your hands up to your shoulders, and then high over your head, and return slowly to your shoulders. Next, you can do Curls holding your dumbells with your palms facing your shoulder height, slowly push your arms down to your knees, and lift them to your shoulders again. Keep these movements slow and uniform, and repeat them ten times.
• Sitting Down Heel Raises – in the video below, you can do Heel raises sitting down if they are too difficult standing up.

In Conclusion

Following my recommended routines would be best to get a full-body workout safely and comfortably.

Remember that the repetitions and pace are guidelines, and you need to change them to suit your needs and according to what you can do.