5 gentle exercises for seniors
3 October 2019
When spending a lot of time at home, sitting back and relaxing can seem like an easy option. However, in this blog post, we will discuss the top 5 gentle exercises that you can do in your rise and recline chair to help keep you active at home.
Our top five gentle exercises include:
- Ankle and wrist rolls
- Calf raises
- Sit and stand
- Neck rotation
- Chest stretch
Exercises
Ankle and wrist rolls
As we become older, we often face challenges with our balance and mobility. This is often contributed through extremities that create poor circulation. By introducing ankle and wrist rolls into your daily routine, this can help improve circulation and prevent other health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes from forming.
- Sit on your rise and recline chair with your back tall away from the chair back
- Before you begin with the wrist rolling exercises, first open and close your wrists several times before making fists and rolling your wrists 10 times in each direction
- Repeat the exercise again but this time using your feet. Flex and point each foot independently as you simultaneously curl and straighten your toes. Roll each ankle one at a time clockwise, then, repeat again anti-clockwise
Calf Raises
This is another simple exercise which you can do and can be easily done with the aid of your rise and recline chair.
- Standing behind the chair, place both hands on the headrest for stability
- Repeating the exercise five times, lifting both heels off the floor (slow and controlled) as if standing on your tiptoes, then lower yourself back down so your feet are firmly touching the floor
Sit-and-Stands
When sitting down after long periods of time, it’s often a struggle getting in and out of your chair. Incorporating this exercise into your daily routine can help solve this problem by helping you gain or maintain the ability to get in and out of chairs independently, improving leg strength and balance.
- Begin in the seated position of your rise and recline chair, feet planted on the floor, hip-distance apart
- Using as little assistance as possible, engage your core, and tip forward with the hips. If you need more assistance, place your hands on the arms of the chair. Push yourself to stand, extending your knees and hips fully.
- Finally, once you are fully standing, lower your body back down into the chair in the seating position and repeat the process again
Neck Rotation
This is a great exercise for warming the muscles and reducing aches and pains in the neck. This is something that can become quite common in seniors and can be prevented from reoccurring if the exercises are done correctly.
- Sitting in your rise and recline chair, begin sat upright with your shoulders down looking straight ahead
- Slowly turn your head to the left to a position that is comfortable and hold for five seconds, then return to your original position.
- Repeat this movement again, turning your head to the right.
- Repeat the movements again on each side 3x times
- Once returned to the front-facing position, tilt your head towards your chest and hold for five seconds
- Bring the head back to the front-facing position and tilt your head towards the ceiling. Again hold for five seconds. Repeat this exercise again another 3x times
Chest Stretch
Finally, the chest stretch exercise is perfect for reducing discomfort in the back, neck and shoulders. This routine should be practised between 5 and 10 times a day.
- Begin by sitting up straight with your back away from the chair.
- Pulling the shoulders back, extend your arms out to the side and gently push your chest forwards and up until you feel a stretch across your chest. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat a further 3 times.
Ready to practice?
All of the exercises that we have listed above can be practised in any of our rise and recline chairs. You can browse our range of riser recliner chairs online.