Staying active as you age is important for maintaining health and mobility, but if it’s been a while since you engaged in such activities, you could get started with some easy-going small exercise activities that are not too strenuous.

If required, your care giver could provide you with support whilst exercising or you could get involved with exercise classes in the community that are more independent.

Here at Premier Community, we care about our service user’s wellbeing and encourage you to keep active in any form, so we have put together some simple ways you can keep active at home.

Balance Exercises for Seniors

Balance exercises will help you keep your balance and build confidence within yourself. It is important to engage in balance exercises to keep your independence later in life as they can help prevent falls.

There are many simple ways you can practice balance exercises at home, we would recommend looking some of these up online as some might be more suited to your needs than others. Below are a couple to consider.

Practicing Tandem Stance Exercise: Stand with one foot directly in front of the other, with your heel touching your toe. Hold the position for 10- 30 seconds by using the support of a wall or chair, if necessary.

Heel-to-Toe-Walk: Walk in a straight line, placing the heel of one foot directly in front of the toes of the other and take 20- 30 steps. You can use a hallway way or your care giver for support

Backward leg Raises: Do this by standing behind a chair and holding onto it for support. Slowly lift one leg straight back without bending the knee, then lower it back down. It is recommended to repeat 10- 15 times on each leg.

With balance exercises we advise that you do these with the support or someone for instance your caregiver. Our Companionship care packages could benefit you or loved one and be present during exercising in case of the event of a fall.

Lower impact cardio ideas

Partaking in cardiovascular exercises is important for maintaining heart health and improving stamina and your overall well-being. Engaging with some form of physical activity everyday can prevent the risk of things such as heart disease and strokes. Below are a few forms of safe cardiovascular exercises to do at home.

Walking: Something as simple as walking is participating in cardiovascular exercise; this can be a walk at a comfortable pace around the house or in the back garden for anywhere in between 10- 30 minutes. If required use the support of a walking aid or care giver for more balance.

Marching: You could do this standing in one place and lifting your knees alternately as if you are marching, aim to do this for 1- 2 minutes at time. Alternatively, you could do a seated version by sitting in a chair and lifting your knees alternately as if you are marching, meanwhile try swimming your arms in a breaststroke style to increase the intensity of the exercise. If you do opt for the seated way to do this exercise aim to do this for 10-20 minutes.

Seated Star Jumps: To do this sit in a comfortable and study chair and move your legs out to the sides while raising your arms above your head, then bring them back to the centre. A seated exercise can still benefit your overall health but just require a bit more time for them to have an effect.

Cycling: Get all the benefits of being on a bike, with a Drive Pedal Exerciser, which is well suited to use around the house. This is perfect to sit with whilst you’re watching something on the TV, allowing you to keep active at the same time with some low impact exercise. https://www.premiercommunity.co.uk/product/drive-pedal-exerciser-with-digital-display/1171?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=44

Again, you can find more ways to participate in cardiovascular exercises online and find some small, simple ways to keep active. You could also find some videos online of low impact cardio workouts designed for those with limited mobility.

Keep in mind some safety tips before starting – don’t forget to warm up, start slow, stay hydrated and make sure to listen to your body. Once the activity has been completed, follow a gentle stretching routine to allow your body to cool down.

Where possible, you should always consult a doctor or healthcare professional, before starting any new exercise routines, and if you experience any dizziness or body pains, stop immediately and seek medical assistance if necessary.

Strength Training for the over 65s

You don’t have to get weaker with age, strength training will help you keep your independence with age and remain strong. With ageing comes with loss of muscle mass and strength, loss of bone density and other changes too that can lead to some huge consequences. To help avoid this consider a few of the following slow-paced exercises to keep or build your strength.

Wall Push-ups: If you stand facing a wall, extend your arms and place your hands on the wall at about shoulder height. Then simply bend your elbows to bring your chest towards the wall, then push back to the position you started in and do this 10- 15 times.

Bicep curls: Either with a very light weight or a water bottle in each hand, place your arms down by your sides and then simply bend your elbows to lift the weights towards your shoulders, and then lower them back down. Similarly to the wall push- ups you will want to repeat this about 10- 15 times.

Seated leg lifts: Another super simple exercise that is good for strength training. Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Straighten one of your legs and lift it off the ground and then hold it for a few seconds, and then lower it back down. After you’ve done it with one of your legs, repeat with the other and again repeat 10- 15 times per leg.

Similarly, the Over Door Exercise Pulley, is a perfect aid for strength training. This piece of equipment is specifically designed to help increase the range of motion and co-ordination in the shoulder, arm and hand following injury. https://www.premiercommunity.co.uk/product/over-door-exercise-pulley/784?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=44

Strength training comes in many different forms and whilst you could also do some strength training exercises with supportive aids such as resistance bands and different types of weights, it’s also possible to start slowly with a couple of tins of baked beans or small bottles of water in each hand to offer additional resistance.

If you’re looking for ways to help increase your strength and mobility in your later years and feel like you may need some additional assistance to take you to community classes, or just some extra support at home, then head over to our companionship care services page.