Chair Exercises To Ensure The Well Being of Seniors

But this is not it. Exercises come with several benefits, like:

• Exercise will help you manage arthritis.

• It will help improve your body balance.

• It will help you feel lighter – physically and mentally.

• It will help you prevent age-related stiffness.

Moreover, with old age, the role of exercise increases by many folds. And you don't even need to own heavy equipment to get started. In this article, all you need is a chair. Let's have a look at these exercises you can try right now!

Stretches

These involve stretching the muscles of your body to relieve the stiffness. Let's see the various types of stretches.

Side Stretching

Here's how to do it:

• Start by sitting up straight in the chair. 

• Pull the shoulder blades towards each other. 

• Slowly move the head from one side to another. 

• Look in the left as much as possible, then move the head to the right as much as possible. 

• You should experience a gentle stretch. 

• Avoid extra stretching to avoid hurting yourself. 

Up and Down Stretching

Here's how to do it:

• Start by putting both your hands on the chest and holding down. 

• This will help you do the isolated movement of the neck and prevent you from leaning backward. 

• Then, lean upon your hand and look into the sky. 

• You will feel some stretching in your neck. 

• Followed by this, look down gently, and rotate your neck from the base of the skull. While you are looking down, tuck the chin. 

Cross Arm-Stretching

Here's how to do it:

• You can start with your left arm. 

• Stretch your arm across the upper body towards your right shoulder. Then, you can either hold to your right shoulder or use your right arm for support by keeping the arm straight. 

• Hold for a few seconds until you experience some stretch in your shoulder blade. 

• Then, repeat the same with the opposite arm. 

Read also: Why should you quit smoking?

Arm Exercises 

As the name suggests, these exercises improve the flexibility and agility of your biceps and triceps. Let's see some of the simple arm exercises.

Upper Arm Curls

Here's how to do it:

• Start by sitting in a chair. 

• Keep your arms on the sides, and your feet should be flat to the floor. Bend the arm from the elbow up in the direction of your shoulder. 

• Tense the upper arm muscles while doing this.

• Do ten repeats of the same with both the arms.

Back of the Arm Curls

Here's how to do it:

• Start by holding your arm on the side. 

• Reach your hand behind the head, and then lift a fist in the air. 

• You shall feel it in the back of both the arms. 

• Do ten repeats with both arms. 

Hand Flips

Here's how to do it:

• Start by holding your arms out with the palms up. 

• Then, move the arms from palm up to palm facing down. 

• Followed by that, turn your palm up and down. 

• Do ten repeats with both arms.

Knee and Leg Exercises

These exercises work on your calf muscles. Below the are popular ones:

Marching

Here's how to do it:

• Stand straight using a chair. 

• Lift the knees in a slow marching type of movement. 

• Lift your knees as much as possible alternatively between both legs. 

• Do ten repeats of lifting each leg.

Hip Stretching

Here's how to do it:

• Stand straight using a chair. 

• Lift your left leg out in the side, and straighten it as much as possible. Your leg should be kept straight. 

• Avoid twisting the foot or leaning in the leg. 

• Lift your leg as much as possible by keeping the torso as straight as possible. 

• Do ten repeats with each leg. 

• The hips tend to loosen up with regular exercise.

Foot and Ankle Stretching

Here's how to do it:

• Start by sitting in a chair. 

• Then, cross one of your legs in such a way that you can hold the foot. Following that, hold your foot and flex the foot in an upward and downward direction. 

• Then, move your toes up and down. Do ten repeats for the same. 

• Then, hold the foot and move it gently from one side to another. 

• Repeat the same with the other foot. 

Final Word

Health is one life aspect you can't take for granted. Remember, if you think your illness is severe, don't rely only on these exercises. 

First, consult your doctor. If you're a senior and haven't enrolled in Medicaid yet, we'd highly recommend applying for emergency Medicaid, as only after that you'll be able to get personal assistance for your medical condition. 

It would help if you only did these exercises after consulting with your doctor. 

We hope you start feeling better soon! 

Cheers!