Keep moving this Autumn with these simple indoor exercises for the elderly

Exercises for the elderly, lounge of care home.

Keep moving this Autumn with these simple indoor exercises for the elderly

As the seasons start to change, it might become less appealing to get outside or go for gentle walks. In our latest blog we’re sharing some exercises and stretches you can do from the comfort of indoors and all you need is a chair.

Physical activity and movement become even more important as we get older. Many adults aged 65 and over spend on average 10 hours or more every day sitting or lying down, making them the most sedentary age group. Many older people start to suffer from aches and pains with less energy to keep moving.

Recent evidence has shown that regular exercise can reduce the risk of falling in older adults. There’s also strong evidence that people who are active have a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, some cancers, depression and dementia. (Source: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/). The NHS have lots of information and guidelines about exercise for the elderly, including how much exercise we should all be doing. It is suggested that older adults should do some form of exercise every day (even getting up and making a cup of tea counts).

Before you start, please ensure you are feeling well and if you have any concerns you should always speak to your GP first.

Here are some simple exercises for the elderly you can do whilst sitting down:

1. Chest Stretch
2. Upper Body Twist
3. Hip Marching
4. Ankle Stretch
5. Arm Raises
6. Neck Rotation
7. Neck Stretch

Full instructions for each of these exercises can be found here.

Using your chair, you could also try these simple exercises:

1. Sit to stand
2. Mini squats
3. Calf raises
4. Sideways leg lift
5. Leg extension

Full instructions for each of these exercises for the elderly can be found here.

We are encouraging all of our residents to keep moving this Autumn. If you have any questions or would like to find out more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.