Senior-Friendly: 9 Balance Exercises To Do On a Chair

e learnt how to walk and balance our bodies by a lot of trial and error during the time we were kids. There are cycles in life and as we grow older, it again becomes hard to maintain balance.

Old age demands that one is active, eats healthy, and does some exercise to maintain balance.

The belief that ‘it’s too late to start exercising’ will stop most seniors from taking care of their fitness. Moreover, conditions like arthritis, and osteoporosis that are generally set in old age can make exercise seem daunting for seniors.

Maintaining good balance can help prevent falls, improve mobility, enhance stability, and boost mood and confidence in daily activities among seniors.

An appeal to seniors is that they should alter their mindset about exercising and attempt the thinking of ‘It’s never too late to prioritize one’s health’. So, ‘it’s never too late to start exercising’ and one can make great progress even with little changes.

In this blog, we have compiled a few of the simple, low-impact, easy-to-perform balancing exercises that seniors can easily perform without any special equipment while staying at home.

For seniors with limited mobility, chair exercises are incredibly beneficial to improve their strength, body balance, mobility, flexibility, and reduce muscle tension and cardiovascular health.

All you need to do is grab a sturdy chair, put on some comfortable clothing, and start reaping the rewards of chair exercise…let’s get going…

Note: Choose a sturdy chair, and make sure it is placed on a flat surface.

Also Read: Low-Impact Cardio & Strength Training For Seniors

CHAIR MARCH

1. Sit on the edge of a solid chair keep your shoulder relaxed, spine as straight as possible and your feet flat on the ground.

2. You can clutch the sides of the chair to ensure stability.

3. Lift the right knee as much as you can manage without straining it.

4. Carefully lower your right foot back to the floor.

5. Then, lift your left knee as high as you are comfortable with it being lifted.

6. Lower your left foot back to the starting position steadily but gently.

7. Repeat this process for one minute at a constant pace while continuing to march with legs in an alternating manner.

8. You may start moving slowly and then increase repetitions gradually.

ARM SWINGS

1. Sit up comfortably on a chair with your back straight, shoulders relaxed, feet flat on the floor, and your arms hung out at the sides.

2. With your abs held tight, swing your right arm forward up to shoulder height.

3. At the same time, swing your left arm backwards.

4. Then swing your arms in the opposite direction, your right arm backwards and your left arm forward.

5. Continue the swinging motion of arms for 1-2 minutes at a gentle pace.

CHEST STRETCH

1. Sit straight on a chair with your back upright, your shoulders relaxed and your arms hung out at your sides.

2. Slowly, bring your arms behind your back, and gently lift them away from your back.

3. When lifting your arms, open your chest by pulling together your shoulder blades together.

4. Don’t tense up your neck muscles or raise your chin.

5. Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds, and lower them back to the starting position.

6. Slowly relax your arms and release the stretch.

7. Perform stretching motion 8-10 times so that chest flexibility improves. *Stretch only to a comfortable range.

8. Take short breaks between the stretches, letting your shoulders relax.

ARM REACHES        

1. Sit comfortably on the chair with your back straight, your shoulders at ease and your arms hanging down.

2. Raise your right arm straight overhead to reach up towards the ceiling.

3. Hold the stretch for a moment and lower your arms back to the start. Perform the same action with your left arm.

4. Extend your left arm straight up as high as you comfortably can.

5. Hold for a moment before returning to the starting position.

6. Try to perform 6-8 repetitions on each arm, gradually increasing the reps as you become comfortable doing them.

BODY TWIST

1. Sit upright with good posture with your feet flat on the floor, back straight, head level above the torso and shoulders relaxed.

2. Have your hands fall by your sides or place them on your sides as you sit in an upright position.

3. Engaging your core, slowly twist your upper body to one side.

4. Hold the twist for 30 seconds and come back to the center.

5. Perform the twist on the opposite side by holding the twist for 15-30 seconds on each side to improve spinal mobility.

LEG STRETCH

1. Sit comfortably on the edge of a strong chair placing your feet firmly on the ground, keeping your back straight and keeping your shoulders relaxed.

2. Extend your right leg out in front of you placing your heel on the floor while pointing your toes upward. Place the heel of your left foot on the ground to enable you to maintain balance. You can put your hand on your left thigh for support.

3. You should feel a gentle stretch along the back of your right leg and across your upper shoulders.

4. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds and then swap to the opposite side of the body.

5. Perform the stretch 2-3 times to improve flexibility in the hamstrings and calf muscles.

KNEE TAPS

1. Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair with both feet touching the ground.

2. Your back should be straight, your core muscles should be engaged, raise your right foot a few inches off the ground and tap the tip of your right knee with your left arm.

3. Return your right foot flat on the ground and put your left hand back to the starting position.

4. Next, lift your left knee as high as you can comfortably lift, and tap your left knee extending your right hand.

5. Lower the left foot back to the floor and return your right hand to the starting position.

6. Continue alternating the pumping of right and left knees and try tapping them with opposite hands.

7. Try to perform 10 repetitions on each leg to get a full range of muscular targeting.

LEG EXTEND

1. Sit erect with your spine straight and both feet flat on the floor.

2. Raise your right foot off the floor, and extend it forward in front of you as straight as possible.

3. Hold the extension for a moment feeling the contraction in your thigh muscles.

4. Slowly bring the right leg back to the starting position while maintaining balance.

5. With your right pressed on the ground, lift your left leg and straighten it in front of you until it is parallel to the ground.

6. Feel the contraction in the thigh muscles, and slowly bring your left foot back to the starting position.

7. Perform leg extensions by alternating between the right and left leg.

8. Perform 6-8 extensions on each leg to improve flexibility and leg strength.

LEG CIRCLES

1. Sit comfortably on the edge of a sturdy chair with your back spine erect and feet placed firmly on the ground.

2. Hold the sides of the chair for support.

3. Raise one leg slightly off the chair, rotate your foot in a clockwise manner for a few reps, then switch to anticlockwise circles.

4. Perform 10 clockwise rotations and 10 anticlockwise rotations on each leg.

5. Slowly bring down the leg and rest for a moment.

Perform the exercises in a controlled and smooth manner to avoid straining your muscles and causing discomfort…

Chair exercise provides a convenient and accessible way for seniors to stay active and maintain their body balance and independence…

Also Read: Benefits of Strength Training For Women Over 50

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