Senior Living News

Here are six exercise ideas for small spaces you can do in your own home or apartment.

1. Low-Impact Strength Training

These are simple exercises you can do in your assisted living apartment. They help reverse muscle loss, burn body fat, improve balance and boost metabolism.

• Wall push-ups: Face a wall and extend your arms until your palms are flat on the wall. Keeping your body straight, lean toward the wall by bending your elbows.
• Wall sit: Stand with your back against the wall. Slide down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Hold this position for a short time.
• Seated twists: Sit straight up in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. With arms outstretched, slowly twist your body one way and hold for a short time. Repeat by twisting your body the other way.

2. Exercises With a Resistance Band

Resistance band exercises are an excellent low-impact form of exercise for seniors. They help reduce age-related muscle loss and improve body strength. Before starting, warm up by taking a brisk walk. Choose resistance bands for seniors that suit your body strength and fitness level. Start with these four easy-to-perform exercises:

• Chest pull: Standing straight and holding the band with each hand, extend your arms outward.
• Lateral raise: Stand on the band with the ends in your hands. Extend your arms and raise them, aiming to reach just above shoulder height.
• Reverse fly: This is like the lateral raise, except you hold the band under one foot.
• Calf press: Sit on a bench or low chair with the band under your foot. Extend your leg until it's straight.

3. Yoga

Yoga is a minimal-impact activity that doesn't strain joints. A variety of exercises are available, some performed seated and others standing. Seated yoga positions are useful if you have mobility problems. Many Christians prefer to work with therapists who specifically practice Christian yoga. If you haven't practiced yoga before, it may be helpful to get a training video or subscribe to a yoga YouTube channel. Some beginner yoga exercises include:

• Mountain pose: Stand upright with your hands at your sides before squeezing your thighs and stretching your spine upward. It's an excellent exercise for seniors to improve balance.
• Downward dog: This pose replicates a dog stretching when they wake up. It stretches your calves and lower back muscles.
• Child's pose: This pose, performed by kneeling on the floor and stretching your arms forward onto the floor, exercises the spine, lower back and hips.
• Plank: Ideal for strengthening your upper body. Kneel on the floor with your hands in front of you and straighten your legs until your back is straight.

4. Weight Training

Weight training increases strength and improves joint health. Depending on your fitness level, start with a very light set of dumbbells. As a general guide, you should be able to lift the weights without arching your back. Typical exercises include the overhead press where you raise the dumbbells above your head, the front press where you lift the weights in front of you with outstretched arms and the bicep curl where you lift the arm next to your body until your arm touches your chest.

5. Joint Exercises

These exercises focus mainly on your wrists and fingers, but you can use them to exercise other joints as well. They're good for relieving sore joints and restoring flexibility for seniors with osteoarthritis. The principle is to exercise each joint by bending your fingers and wrist joints. For fingers, form a loose fist and use your thumb to touch each finger in turn. For wrists, simply bend and rotate the joints. You can also use this exercise for painful necks, ankles and knees.

6. Aerobic Exercises

These exercises focus primarily on your larger muscles. They help boost your cardiovascular activity and strengthen your lungs. Exercises suitable for small assisted living spaces and the grounds include:

• Exercise bikes
• Marching in place
• Climbing steps
• Walking

Getting Started

It's best to start slowly and not overdo it initially. If you have any health issues, speak to your doctor or therapist before you start. In any event, most seniors should start with a few low-intensity exercises and increase as they feel ready. Commit to exercising at least every few days at first, and build up to exercising daily to get the most benefit.

Always allow your body to warm up naturally. Choose exercises you enjoy and set short-term goals. Stop if you feel discomfort, pain or dizziness. Remember that even small exercises help.

Modifications for Different Levels of Fitness

Be careful to stay within your limits. Some exercises require a degree of agility and balance and may not be suitable if you have conditions like arthritis or serious cardiovascular disease. Listen to what your body is saying, and if necessary, go to a physical therapist until you feel comfortable exercising at home.

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