• FLEXIBILITY
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• BALANCE
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• STRENGTH
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• ENDURANCE

Leg Exercises For Seniors And The Elderly

Leg exercises are a vital part of senior and elderly fitness.

Strengthening the lower body is one of the most effective and efficient methods of preserving your independence and improving your health as you age.

Strengthening exercise has many health related benefits which reduce disease and improve your functional quality of life including:

• Improving your lean muscle mass.
• Reducing your blood pressure which reduces your risk of stroke and coronary heart disease.
• Improving your bone health to reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
• Improve your glucose tolerance and insulin resistance.
• Increase the strength of your low back reducing lower back pain.
• Providing beneficial effects on lowering your total cholesterol.

Below you will find 12 great lower body strenghening exercises to try. Have a chair handy for some of the standing exercises to help with balance.

Pick two or three to perform when you exercise during the week. Strengthening exercises for seniors should be done at least twice a week.

Three times per week is even better. So give some a try. Remember it takes 4 to 6 weeks for your body to become used to any new demands placed upon it.

If you need a daily log to record your progress you can download yours for free and also get all the exercises in a convenient e-book when you join our email list. Good luck!

FREE ebook for every visitor Do you like the exercises on this site? After many requests to have these exercises in a convenient form, I have created an ebook. The ebook is free and can be downloaded by signing up for my email list. This list is used only to send out my senior fitness newsletter. With thousands of downloads, this is one of the most popular Senior ebooks in the world. Click here for details....

Watch These Exercise Videos

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?.