Author: James Ritter Photo courtesy of https://pixabay.com/
For seniors who spend most of their time at home, getting a healthy amount of regular exercise can be difficult. Particularly if you’re no longer able to get out and about on your own, you may need to get creative when it comes to maintaining your physical fitness.
According to research, 1.4 billion adults around the world are considered insufficiently active. Fortunately, there are so many things you can do from the comfort of your home to help keep you mobile, and stave off certain health conditions. Here are three simple ways you can stay active without having to leave your home.
Chair exercises
Whilst it may not sound like it, sitting in a chair gives you an opportunity to get some of your daily exercise done. Even just making simple changes to the way you sit, like focusing on maintaining a good posture, can help to engage your abdominal muscles. Beyond that, you can work muscles in other areas of your body by performing specific exercises.
For example, slow ankle rotations will help to improve lower body flexibility, and can even help to reduce the risk of developing blood clots. Also, standing up without assistance is a great way to get your body moving, particularly when you’ve been sedentary for an extended period of time. Ensure your arms are folded across your chest, lean forward and stand up by straightening your knees. Make sure you’re strong enough to perform this exercise on your own without putting yourself at risk.
Walking around the home
When walking around your home, be it with the help of a walking frame or unassisted, there are lots of quick exercises you can do on your way. Take ten seconds to stand and march on the spot, alternating between lifting your right and left leg up as high as you can without going above hip height – ensure that your thigh stays parallel to the ground.
You can work the muscles in your lower leg by performing controlled heel raises whilst either standing still or walking around. Lift your heels into the air so you’re balancing on the balls of your feet before slowly returning back to normal. To increase the intensity of this exercise, stand and raise one foot at a time, or hold the raises for a longer time.
Housework
If you’re fit and able enough to do it, housework presents another opportunity to work on your physical fitness whilst keeping your house spic and span. There are so many exercises you can incorporate into your housework routine. For example, when wiping down windows or surfaces, be sure to do big circles, switching arms as you go, until you start to feel the burn in your muscles.
Alternatively, doing a bit of gardening can not only provide some fresh air, but it’s also great exercise. One study suggests that gardening, weeding and cultivating can burn on average 272 calories per hour, so it’s beneficial to both your mental and physical health.
To sum up
Spending more time at home shouldn’t mean your physical health has to suffer. Whilst it can be frustrating when our bodies are no longer able to do the things they used to, doing whatever exercise you can will go a long way to helping maintain your fitness levels. Keeping fit in old age is vital to helping stave off serious health conditions, so make a conscious effort to do little and often to continue living a happy and healthy life.
James Ritter is a freelance writer with a particular interest in senior welfare. James has created content for established companies based all around the world. He has a degree in creative writing and is always eager to expand his knowledge of different subjects.
