11 Seated Chair Exercises For Seniors
It’s never too late to begin exercising, even if you’re well into your golden years. If you’re physically able, exercise will help improve your strength and endurance, as well as help prevent serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. With this in mind, take advantage of the time you spend in your chair each day to do seated chair exercises to build muscle and bone strength and improve flexibility and balance. Check out these 11 seated chair exercises for seniors that you can perform at home or at work without any special equipment!
Chair Push-Ups
A lot of people are intimidated by push-ups because they think they have to get into a perfect plank position. But while push-ups on your hands can be hard, push-ups with your feet on a chair are much easier to perform. From your normal sitting position, place your hands flat on a sturdy chair. Press up using only one arm at a time until you’re in an upright position. Repeat as many times as possible and then switch arms. If it gets too easy, try putting your feet up on another chair instead of just resting them on the floor. This will make things more challenging.
Chair Dips
A great way to work your triceps and chest is by doing dips. Chair dips are a classic exercise that can be done in any chair that has armrests. To do them, place yourself on top of a solid armchair with your hands gripping behind you. This will position your body in a vertical line over your hips. Then slowly lower yourself down until your elbows reach a 90-degree angle. Be sure not to let go of your arms while performing these dips as it could cause injury. Also, try to make sure that your elbows are positioned directly below your shoulders during each repetition. Once you’ve reached a full dip, push yourself back up into starting position and repeat for as many repetitions as possible before fatiguing.
Standing Leg Lifts
This exercise may seem deceptively simple, but it’s one of the best ways to work your abdominal muscles, and you don’t even need any weights or equipment. Simply stand with your back straight, feet together, and arms at your sides. Slowly lift one leg up behind you as high as you can go, hold for a second, and slowly lower it to start position. Repeat five times on each side before moving on to step two. For an added challenge, extend your arms out in front of you during each repetition.
Chair Bicep Curls
It’s a good idea to include bicep curls in your seated workout routine. This exercise can be done either sitting up straight in a high-backed chair or in an office-style chair with armrests and wheels. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and rest your arms on your thighs. Slowly raise your arms forward as far as you can, but only as far as is comfortable. Pause at full extension, then slowly lower back down. Do three sets of 10 repetitions per set. If you don’t have access to weights, simply use cans of food. If that isn’t heavy enough, fill up a plastic bag with sand or rocks.
Chair Squats
Squats are an excellent exercise that strengthens and tones your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, hips, and core. The strength gained from squats helps improve balance and stability as you age. Squatting also improves circulation in your lower extremities, which can be a plus as you age. Simply place a sturdy chair in front of you. Stand with your feet just wider than hip-width apart and parallel to each other. Place your hands on your hips or hold onto something for support. Hold your head up high and pull in your abdominal muscles to keep them tight throughout the exercise. Make sure that you keep both knees behind or over your toes at all times during squatting. As you slowly bend down into a squat position, make sure that both knees remain behind or over your toes at all times during squatting. You should feel pressure on both heels as well as on both buttocks when you’re in a full squat position.
Chair Lunges
Lunges are a powerful way to engage your lower body while staying in place. Chair lunges can be done without added weight, which means they’re perfect if you want to build muscle and stretch while you’re watching TV. Step out of your chair onto one leg, keeping that knee bent at a 90-degree angle. For balance, hold on to your chair or table. Once you feel stable, walk forward with your other leg as far as you can go before stepping back into your original position. Repeat 10 times on each side. If you want more resistance, try holding dumbbells.
Arm Circles While Seated
To get that upper-body blood flowing and to keep your muscles engaged, try doing arm circles while seated. Start with small, controlled movements, and then gradually increase your range of motion as you get comfortable with it. Work up to making wider circles, try doing 10 in each direction. To challenge yourself, even more, pick a spot in front of you and try tracing letters on your desk like C or O while you do arm circles. This is an easy way to mix things up and make sure you’re getting all angles covered.
Reverse Crunches
If you don’t have an abdominal exercise machine, you can still perform reverse crunches in a chair. To do them properly, sit in a sturdy chair with your hands behind your head. Tilt your upper body back slightly and lift one leg at a time off of the floor. Repeat 20 times with each leg. Reverse crunches work by engaging not only your abs but also your lower back muscles and glutes.
Knee Tucks
In a seated position, bring one knee to your chest and use your hands to grab onto it. Pull it in as close as you can and slowly release. Repeat with both knees. Work up to doing 20 reps on each leg in a single set of knee tucks. Increase that number over time by adding more sets or doing them twice a day, every day.
Pelvic Tilts
This exercise is excellent for developing flexibility and strength in your lower back and hamstrings. To perform it, sit in a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor and arms resting on your thighs. Tighten your abs, tilt your pelvis under, tuck your tailbone under, then contract your glutes and hamstrings as you pull yourself up into a sitting position. Do not push yourself up by extending at your waist; instead, pull up with your abdominal muscles.
Abdominal Curls
The abdominal curl is designed to strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Raise your head and shoulders off of the floor, keeping hands next to your ears, palms facing down. Keeping shoulder blades on the floor, contract stomach muscles by raising your upper body upward so that you form a straight line from shoulders to knees. Hold briefly, then slowly lower yourself back to the start position. Repeat 10 times.
Conclusion
It’s never too late to improve your physical fitness. In fact, exercise is one of life’s greatest gifts. It allows us to keep our minds sharp, bodies active, and hearts healthy. To maintain good health as we age, it is important to incorporate daily exercise into our lifestyle. As you get older and face a changing physical condition, it may be harder to stay fit than when you were younger. Learn how you can maximize fitness with these 11 seated chair exercises for seniors.