Easy to get tired and limited mobility makes seniors or the elder not do much in their old days. While of course, it depends on the health situation, you can always do some simple leg exercises for seniors to keep yourself healthy. The following exercise is not too intense, instead, it works as a regular quick workout to make your leg stronger.
Quick, Simple, and Inexpensive! What Is the Best Leg Exerciser for Seniors?
1. Sit and stands
Referencing the very basic movement and activities of setting and standing, this exercise can help increase your bone and leg strength. The idea is pretty basic, considering the action of sitting and standing constantly also improves the back and abdominal area muscles. But be careful of standing up too fast, since it is bad for your balance.
The key to doing this exercise is to flex your back and abdominal muscle. To ensure you can do it, you can put your hand on your hip and make sure it is shoulder width apart. From there, get on your hands and knees slowly. As you stand up, slowly draw yourself to the sitting position while maintaining the same posture as before.
2. Lunges
Lunges is still among the best exercise to target the lower body area. It helps exercise the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps. It is the common exercise routine which you can find for young to leg exercises for seniors. One thing that you need to do as a senior is to do it slowly to ensure you can maintain balance.
To do it, stand while putting your hands on your hips. Start to take a step forward with one of your legs. Keep the other leg standing on the ground. Slowly bend both knees while also keeping them in line with one another. It can be a bit of a challenge to go as far forward as possible. So, start slowly. If you see you can do further, do it.
3. Knee extension
Another basic movement you can do is knee extension with the help of a chair. Simply said the key to the workout is to strengthen the hamstrings and quadriceps. The movement is pretty simple. You can do it by sitting down on a chair and raising your foot slowly. As you do it, lift one of your legs and let the other sit down. Raise it to 90 degrees to your body’s ankles.
4. Calf raises
Calf raises are among many simple leg exercises for seniors to do. It is good to strengthen the leg and also exercise your balance. You can do it by standing straight and rising on your toes as high as possible. Believe it or not, it can be a bit harder to do since it keeps your heel off the ground. As you raise your calf, slowly go down and walk a little bit on uneven ground.
While other demand the person to either stands up and move quite a lot, ankle circle is the opposite. As the name says, the circle motion help tones up your ankles and increase the range of motion for your feet. The act is also very simple, which is perfect for elder or senior who has difficulty moving their leg.
5. Ankle circles
The exercise allows the person to sit on the floor (preferably using a yoga mat). But you can also sit on the bed or couch which allows you to stretch your leg straight. Keep your legs out in front of you. After that, make a circle motion with your foot by pointing the toes down, front, side, and back. Repeat several times for each foot to help warm up your leg.
6. Walking heel to toe
Heel-to-toe walking can be a bit of a challenge for seniors, but at the same time, it is one of the easiest leg exercises for seniors. As the name implies, you need to walk by putting one foot in front of your other leg. Make sure the front leg’s heel touches the other leg’s toe. Do it alternatively and walk around 20-25 steps. While it sounds easy, it challenges your balance.
7. Marching in place
Another good balance training is marching in place. As the name says you need to keep marching around 20-25 times. While doing the march, you should try standing straight and light your knee as high as you can. Many see it as an easy exercise. But if you have a bad balance, you are likely to fall. So do the leg exercises for seniors in front of a counter or table for you to hold.
8. Wall pushup
The normal floor pushup can be a bit too much for some seniors. That is why use the wall as your prop. The idea is to stand arm’s length in front of a wall and lean forward slowly. Slightly doing so and imitating the motion of push up. It is also best to put your arm flat with the weight and height of your shoulder.
9. Side leg raise
To do this exercise, you can stand behind a chair and start to do side leg raise. As you stand keep your feet slightly apart. You need to lift your leg to the side while also keeping your back straight. Remember that you need to keep your balance. Don’t force yourself to get the perfect leg raise. Do it slowly and lower your leg without too much force. Do it around 10-15 times per leg to improve your balance.
The Key to Seniors’ Exercises to Strengthen Leg Muscles
When it comes to leg exercises for seniors, the best key to keep and make it work is not about intensity but the routine. The idea is that every exercise help improves mobility, and balance, and avoid fall. Thus, focus on doing the exercise in a routine. You can start probably two times per day, 3 sets of 10-15 reps, and do it around 15-20 minutes each day. With that 10 different exercises, you can get the best condition to increase leg strength. Do it as a routine, not push yourself. Remember that being a senior does not mean you should give up on activities. You are the one the captain of your body. Keep on moving and exercise to help keep up to your best health.
- Is Shea Butter For Scars Recommended? Get To Know The Super Ingredient For A Better Skin - December 23, 2023
- Best Face Mask For Blackheads, Be Clean, Healthy, And Beauty - December 6, 2023
- Best Conditioner For Oily Hair Recommendations! Nourish And Flatter Your Crown - November 20, 2023
