• FLEXIBILITY
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• BALANCE
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• STRENGTH
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• ENDURANCE

Senior and Elderly Exercises

Lower Body Stretches

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1. Seated Lifts

• Improve the range of motion in your hips and legs.
• Help stabilize  your low back and pelvis.
• Learn what is flexibility.

2. Standing Quadricep Stretch

• Will improve your hip and knee range of motion with these exercises to increase flexibility.
• Can improve your standing posture by allowing you to stand up straighter.

3. Back Stretch

• Improves the range of motion in your spine and trunk with lower back stretching.
• Increases your ability to bend and reach low or high.

4. Inner Thigh  Stretch

• Improve your hip and thigh range of motion with stretching legs exercises.
• Increase your functional ability in standing, walking and stepping.

5. Calf Stretch

• Targets the flexibilty of your calf muscle and heel cord. with calf muscle stretches.
• Increases your ability to straighten your knee

6. Hip Side Stretch

• This is a good stretch for the side hip area.
• Improve the range of motion of our hips.
• These stretching techniques also can help with balance.

7.  Hip Rotation Stretch

• Increase the range of motion of your hips with these flexibility stretches.
• Improve the functional use of your legs as in getting out of a car or stepping over the side of your bath tub.

8. Soleus Stretch

• Increases the flexibility of the deep calf muscle with flexibility stretching exercises.
• Generally improves your lower body flexibility and functional use of your legs.

9. Ankle Circles

• Improve the range of motion of the ankle and foot with warming up stretching.
• Can help with ankle swelling.

10. Hamstring Stretch

• Increases your abilty to lean forward and reach your feet with hamstring stretching.
• Improves the flexibilty of your low back and legs.

11. Knee To Chest

• Stretches your knee and hip joints with flexibility importance exercises.
• Improves low back flexibility.

12. Ankle Stretch

• Helps maintain good ankle flexibility which will assist with walking and standing with ankle stretching exercises.
• Also helps with knee and hip stiffness.

Do you like these exercises? Did you know you can download the exercises along with a 4 week exercise program?.

Upper Body Stretches

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1. Shoulder And Upper Back Stretch

• Shoulder stretches to increases your shoulder and scapular range of motion.
• Stretches your chest and shoulder.
• Will make it easier to reach to that high shelf in your kitchen.

2. Shoulder Rolls

• Improve the range of motion in your shoulder and upper back region with these stretching routines.
• Will assist in keeping your rib muscles flexible.
• Help in activities like reaching up to a high shelf or across the table at dinner.

3. Neck Side Stretch

• Improve the range of motion in your neck and upper back with these good stretching exercises.
• Helps with those everyday movements you need to do like looking under the bed for that other shoe!

4.Neck Rotation

• Improve the range of motion in our neck with these neck stretches.
• Help stretch the upper back and scapular muscles.

5. Shoulder Circles

• Improve the range of motion of your shoulders and upper back with these types of stretching.
• Helps increase flexibility in your chest and lungs.

6. Shoulder Stretch

• Helps stretch our shoulder, scapula and supporting muscles and joints.
• Improves our reaching ability especially across the body for these benefits of stretching.

7. Chest Stretch

• Stretches the chest and shoulders with these chest exercises.
• Improves posture and lung functioning.

8. Overhead Reach

• Increase the range of motion in your shoulder and upper back with these arm stretches.
• Help improve your ability to reach, as in getting a pan out of the cabinet or ice cream out of the freezer.

9. Reach Back

• Improve your ability to reach behind as in reaching back to hold on to an armrest before sitting down.
  
• Increase the range of motion of your shoulders and stretches your chest muscles with these arm exercises.

10. Triceps Stretch

• Stretches the shoulder and tricep with these stretches before exercise.
• Improves the mobility of your upper arm and shoulder.

11. Hand Stretch

• Increase the flexibility and range of motion of your hand and fingers with these hand exercises.
• Warms up your hand to prepare for the activity of the day.

12. Arm Raises

• Improves the range of motion of your shoulders with these muscle stretching exercises.
• Strengthens your arm for activities that require overhead reach like up to a shelf or pulling the light cord in the basement.

Do you like these exercises? Did you know you can download the exercises along with a 4 week exercise program?.

Lower Body Strengthening

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1. Ankle Circles

• This exercise improves your ankle flexibility and ability to move your ankle upward and downward.
• This is a great warm up exercise for the lower leg and feet.

2. Hip Marching

• This exercise will strengthen your hip flexor and thighs.
• With correct seated posture it will also help your abdominal muscles.

3. Knee Extension

• Strengthening your knees wdith knee strengthening exercises will improve your ability to stand and balance.
• This exercise will improve your available knee range of motion.

4. Calf Raises

• Strenghening your calf muscles with calf exercises will give your more power to step forward on level surfaces or carry you up hills on uneven terrain.
• Helps pump blood up from your legs to your upperbody and brain.

5. Standing Knee Flexion

• These knee exercises strengthens your hamstring muscles.
• Also helps with your standing balance.

6. Side Hip Raise

• Safely strengthens your side hip muscles to help with hip arthritis.
• Helps maintain your lower body endurance to better walk and side step around objects.

7.Sit to Stand

• Excellent hip exercises to maintain your leg and hip strength.
• One of the most important exercises used daily to keep your independence and confidence.

8. Heel Stand

• Strengthens the front part of the lower leg with ankle stretches.
• You will become better able to raise your toes to avoid tripping. 

9. Lunges

• To strengthen your quadriceps and hips with leg toning exercises.
• Improve your ability to get out of a chair and balance.
• Help you with lifting chores around the house.

10. Straight Leg Raise

• To increase your quadricep and hip flexor strength with this leg workout.
• To strengthen your abdominals.
• Allow you to advance your leg during walking with greater ease.

11. Partial Squats

• Increase your hip flexibility, quadricep strength and hip flexor strength.
• Improve your ability to get up from a chair and walk.
• Steady your body for bettter balance and safety.

12. Hip Extension

• This exercise will help with strengthening the hip joint and muscles.
• This will improve the ability to walk and propel  yourself forward or up stairs.

Do you like these exercises? Did you know you can download the exercises along with a 4 week exercise program?.

UpperBody Strengthening

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1. Bicep Curls

• Strengthens the upper part of your arm with elbow exercises.
• Will make lifting activities easier.

2. Overhead Elbow Extension

• Strengthens your upper arm muscles with this arm workout.
• Improves your ability to lift your arms above your shoulders when reaching high to a shelf.

3. Tricep Kickbacks

• Strengthening and toning arm workouts.
• Improves your ability to rise from a chair.
• Makes reaching to a high shelf easier.

4. Diagonal Inward Shoulder Raise

• Build the strength in your upper arm and back with arm training.
• Increase the mobility of your shoulder for better arm swing while walking.
• Add to your ability to reach overhead.

5.Diagonal Outward Shoulder Raise

• Strengthens the upper arm, back and shoulders with arm toning.
• Improves your shoulder mobility.
• Increases your ability to comfortably reach overhead.

6. Shoulder Rolls

• Improves the mobility with shoulder shrug.
• Stabilizes your shoulder blades for heavier lifting.

7. Overhead Press

• Improve the ability to safely reach overhead
• Stabilizes the back muscles shoulder rehab exercises.
• Increases the mobility of the shoulder joint.

8. Shoulder Press Lying Down

• Improve the mobility of your shoulder and chest with shoulder rehabilitation exercises.
• Increase your strength when reaching forward or lifting with two hands. 

9. Upright Rows

• Increase the strength in your upper arms and back with upper arm exercises.
• Improve your ability to lift heavier objects around the house.
• Assist in the mobility of your shoulder and elbow joints.

10.  Bent Over Rows

• Strengthens your upper arm and back with shoulder workout.
• Improves your ability to pull and lift.
• Increase shoulder range of motion.

11. Side Shoulder Raises

• Strengthen your upper arms, shoulders and chest with these best shoulder exercises.
• Improve your daily activities like opening doors or pushing a shopping cart.

12. Elbow Side Extensions

• Help strengthen your upper arm and shoulders with shoulder muscle workout.
• Improve your ability to grip and pull as in opening a stuck refridgerator, moving a chair to vacuum,  or opening a sliding glass door. 

Do you like these exercises? Did you know you can download the exercises along with a 4 week exercise program?.

Back Exercises

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1. Eccentric Straight Leg Raise

• This exercise works your abdominal and hip flexor muscles which will improve your ability to get out of bed, get out of a chair and maintain your posture and help back muscle pain.

2. Bent Knee Raise

• This back pain help exercise works your abdominal and hip flexor muscles which will improve your ability to get out of bed, rise up from a chair and maintain your standing posture.

3. Curl Ups

• Abdomial back pain symptoms exercises help with posture and balance by strengthening your core muscles. Simple things like getting out of bed or up from a chair can become easier when your
•  abdominals are strong. 

4. Cat and Camel

• To stretch and extend the lower back and mid back muscles. Exercises for back pain and losening up the pelvic area and learning the pelvic tilt.

5 Back Extension

• To stretch and extend the lower back and mid back muscles. It can also help with mid back pain associated with postural strain. This will make it  easier to maintain good posture with sitting and
•  standing.

6. Leg Extensions

• To stretch and extend the lower back and hip pain muscles. It can also help with strengthening the pelvis and leg muscles reducing symptoms.

7. Bridging

• These lower back pain exercises help strengthen the hip extensors, buttock muscles and hamstrings. It also helps strengthen the low back and sacroiliac. This can improve your ability to stand and maintain your balance.

8. Pelvic Tilt

• To stretch the lower back and hip muscles. This is a great treatment for back pain exercise for tired or sore backs after a long day of walking!

9. Sit Backs

• This back strengthening exercise will firm your abdominal muscles.
• It will help your ability to get out of bed or up from a chair. 

10. Arm Raises On Back

• This back muscle exercise improves the range of motion in your upper back and shoulders.
• When correctly stabilizing the lower back, this exercise will  help strengthen your postural muscles including the abdominals.

11. Arm Raises On Knees

• This back pain and exercise movement will improve your upper back and shoulder stability.
• It is also  helpful in reaching to a high shelf, opening the refrigerator door or even combing your hair.

12. Hip Flexion

• This lower back exercise will improve your lower back range of motion and flexibility.
• It will help with activities such as doing the laundry, sweeping up with a dust pan or reaching to a low cupboard.

Do you like these exercises? Did you know you can download the exercises along with a 4 week exercise program?.

Balance Exercises

Watch These Balance Exercise Videos

1. Single limb stance: 
   
   • A great place to begin with fall prevention in the elderly is with the simplest standing balance exercise. Hold on to a chair and balance on one leg. 
   • This is a great place to begin to feel your center of gravity over your ankles. This is your goal, maintaining your center over your ankles.
   • Try a few seconds balancing on each foot. Work up to a minute if you can. Then begin to hold on with one hand, then one finger and finally try to let go completely.
   
   
2. Eye tracking:
   
   • Move on to the other exercises for balance with static standing exercises as you gain confidence including this exercise which targets your vision and vestibular system.
   • This exercise can sometimes make you dizzy. If this happens, stop the exercise. Try it again with smaller head movements next time.
   • Gradually you will learn to do it correctly.
   
   
3. Clock reach:
   
   • Make sure to hold on to a chair when attempting this exercise to prevent falls in the elderly. Don't reach back too far if you have pain in your shoulder.
   • (Use your one pound wrist weight here to increase your workout.)
   
   
4. Staggered stance:
   
   • Also hold on to a chair when trying this exercise for elderly balance problems. Let go of the chair for a few seconds at a time if you feel comfortable.  
   
   
5. Single limb with arm:
   
   • Look up from your feet when balancing and pick a spot at eye level in front of you to improve falls in elderly. Lift your chest and bring your shoulders back.
   • Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth
   
   
6. Balancing wand:
   
   • This is a fun exercise and easy to do. Use a cane, broom or even an umbrella.  Don't have too much fun with these balance exercises for elderly!
   
   
7. Knee marching:
   
   • Try this one next to a counter so you can hold on when performing knee marching. This is also a great cardio exercise and for leg muscle weakness.
   
   
8. Body circles:
   
   • This exercise for improving balance can be a little tricky. Keep a chair nearby if you are uncomfortable without one.  Make sure your knees and hips are kept straight when you circle.
   
   
9. Heel to toe:
   
   • The moving exercises are the most difficult. Only try this balance exercise when you have become good at the preceding exercises.
   • (If you have masking or painters tape, place an 8 to 12 foot piece in a straight line on the carpet or floor. This will allow you to maintain a straighter line when performing the walking exercises.)
   
   
10. Grapevine:
    
    • Seniors who dance will be more familiar with these balance exercises. Try it in your kitchen holding on to the counter.
    • Walk several steps in one direction, turn around and walk back. Continue for several minutes. Gradually hold on less and less until you can take a few steps without holding on.
    • It may take a while, but keep practicing...you'll get it sooner or later!


11. Stepping:
    
    • This series of stepping exercises for falls and the elderly are very challenging. You may have a stable family member demonstrate these for you first.
    
    
12. Dynamic walking:
    
    • Try these exercises to improve balance only when you feel confident and have a helper in the home. 
    • Give them a try when you are stronger and more sure of yourself. These exercises are great to do with someone else.
    • Holding hands with a stable family member will make these exercises easier and safer. (This is where you may use your pad of paper or a small book when walking.)

Do you like these exercises? Did you know you can download the exercises along with a 4 week exercise program?.

Posture Exercises

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1. Arm Ups

• Improve the flexibility of your ribs to assist in breathing.
• Increase your ability to lift the ribs and bring the shoulders back into proper position.

2. Spine Extensions

• Helps correct faulty posture by bringing the spine into neutral, shoulders and chin back.
• Assists in the flexibility of the chest, improving respiration and lung functioning.

3. Chin Tuck And Jut

• Provides good feedback on correcting faulty posture habits.
• Strengthens the cervical retracting muscles for better support of good posture.

4.Shoulder Circles

• Improve the flexibility of your shoulders and rib cage.
• Helps bring your spine into a better erect posture.
• This is a great exercise to do to "set" your spine and shoulders during the day.

5. Shoulder Blade Squeeze

• Helps position your spine in a comfortable neutral position.
• Corrects faulty posture by positioning your shoulders below your ears.

6. Wall Tilts

• Helps bring your lower back into correct posture.
• Strengthens your pelvis and buttock muscles.

Do you like these exercises? Did you know you can download the exercises along with a 4 week exercise program?.

Breathing Exercises

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Breathing Exercises

Do you like these exercises? Did you know you can download the exercises along with a 4 week exercise program?.