As A Senior You Should Be Doing These 5 Types of Exercises.

As we age, we sometimes get more sedentary and need to stretch and/or strengthen muscles and joints.  The 5 best types of exercise you can perform are a Squat, a Balance exercise, a Hip Flexion exercise, a Grip exercise and a Vertical Jump.

For squats, you squat everyday – getting out of a chair or your car you squat, and the squat is a great exercise to perform to work multiple muscles in your lower body.  You can perform seated squats off a chair, standing squats or progress to a version of a dumbbell or barbell squat.  A squat will give you lower body strength in your thighs, hamstrings, glutes and core.

Also, as we age we may lose some of our balance, and balance exercises are a great way to improve stabilization as you stand or walk.  There are numerous balance exercises to choose from and a simple one is just standing on one leg and hold for :15.    Another great balance exercise is walking a tightrope.  Whichever type of balance exercise you choose, incorporate them into your weekly routine.

Hip flexion is so important for seniors to maintain.  You may have a weakness in your hips, and if so you need to strengthen them.  Or you may have a tightness, which then you would want an exercise to stretch them.   Two great exercises for strengthening them are lunges and hip abductions with a resistance band.  With the hip abductions you place a band around a sturdy fixture like a rack at a gym and place the other end of the band around one of your ankles.  Stand a few feet away and first extend your leg forward, then laterally and then crossways.  For tightness, where you want to stretch them, try the standing hip flexor stretch where you raise one knee above your hip with your hands to your chest and hold it for :15.  You can also do this exercise lying down.

Another exercise type you need to perform are grip exercises.  Many seniors lose strength in their grip to open jars for example.  Grip strength is also a good indicator of overall health, so you want a good grip.  One of the best is hanging from a bar or carrying a dumbbell in each hand by your side and walking.   You would want to work up to half your weight in each hand, but start out light at first and work your way up.

Finally, the vertical jump is a must for seniors to help prevent falls.  Having power in your feet is so important.  Seniors over 65 that fall and break a hip or femur, 15- 30% have a mortality rate within a year.  And of those that survive, 50% don’t return to normal functionality.  You may say, but I’m told not to do jumps as a senior, that is wrong.  You don’t have to start out jumping like a NBA basketball player.  Start out with small jumps or skipping.  But start to incorporate some form of a vertical jump to help strengthen your feet and help prevent falls.