A Senior's Guide To Staying Active With At-Home Exercises

Adding exercises to your daily life is a great way to feel young again. Let us help you get it done the right way!

Sometimes it may be tough to get started with a workout routine – suddenly adding a lot of exercise to your life. Maybe you've led a more sedentary lifestyle, worked in an office, or perhaps you're more of a beach bum. Either way, that's alright – it's never too late to start (and maintain) an active lifestyle. 

Before we begin, there is one extraordinarily important thing we must mention: You must speak to your doctor or healthcare provider before beginning ANY workout routine or making changes to your daily life, such as those we'll discuss in this article. They'll likely be pleased to hear you want to make this type of change in your health journey, but they know your history and health conditions, and they need to have the final say on your limits to reduce the risk of something going wrong when you're trying to do something good for yourself. Your doctor needs to know your overall health and well-being, as well as any changes to your lifestyle choices. None of the following should be considered personal medical advice, and until you confirm with your doctor that you can do these things, do not try to do so. 

Now with that out of the way, let's talk about the ways to stay active! 

What does the CDC have to say about exercise for seniors? 

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other health organizations, such as the American Heart Association (AHA), American Medical Association (AMA), and National Institute on Aging (NIA), have a lot to say about seniors and offer tips to help older adults stay physically active. This becomes increasingly important as we age. Right away, the CDC recommends that adults 65 and older get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week. 

The types of exercises are mostly up to you, and this article will help you come up with some of those ideas. You can split this into your daily routine instead of trying to complete 150 minutes in one session. It could be 30 minutes of regular physical activity, 5 days a week, either at home or at a gym. There's no need to try to do all of this in 2 days with 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity workouts; spread it out. 

They also recommend dedicating two of those days to muscle-strengthening tasks. They also recommend exercise sessions that improve balance and flexibility. If this new exercise program is too much, start smaller and gradually increase the number of minutes you do each week.

We'll cover the benefits of staying active and tips for seniors to maintain an effective exercise regimen, with more detail and plenty of examples, including a range of exercises tailored to seniors' overall well-being. 

Types of at-home exercises: A senior's guide with examples 

The most important thing to focus on, whether you work out at home, in your neighborhood, at a gym, or on vacation, is finding ways to incorporate these five pillars: strength, balance, flexibility, cardio, and mobility. The goals are to increase your current fitness level if you don't already have one, help cognitive function, improve strength, introduce activity into your life that helps improve cardiovascular health (reducing the risk of heart disease), reduce the risk of falls, maintain bone density, and finally, since physical and mental health can go hand-in-hand, we'll help that too. Beyond physical health, exercise at home can boost mood when you're feeling down (especially in those winter months). You can make exercises like the ones listed below a little more challenging by adding elastic bands for resistance training. They're inexpensive and easy to find on Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Dick's Sporting Goods. 

Each has a recommended number of reps or sets. This is a recommendation that should cater to your needs. If you can't do this many, don’t. If you feel like doing a little more, proceed with caution. Pace yourself and don't overdo it. 

• The mountain climber. The name sounds a bit silly, but it's an easy way to strengthen muscles, improve balance, and safely exercise multiple muscles in one activity. This works by getting on the ground, facing down – you can use a workout mat to help keep it a low-impact exercise – then put your hands flat on the ground, shoulder-width apart, and bring one leg up toward your chest and back down. Then switch and bring the other leg up and back down. 

You can do this for about a minute at a time. Rest in between sets and do a total of three of those sets. It's a safe, effective way to raise your heart rate. You can find a video here as a visual example. Thewoman in the video does this workout very quickly. You don't need to go this fast. 

• Chair exercises are a fantastic way to add exercise into your daily routine. You can do them using something you already have at home. You can do a few different exercises in this scenario. Start by sitting in a chair; you can do several different types of workouts from a comfortable seated position. 

We first recommend seated marches. Sit up nice and tall with your back straight, lift one knee as high as you can, and then slowly lower it back down. Don't just drop your leg back down. Slow and steady wins the race here! Do ten reps at a time and take a 60-second break in between; three sets of ten reps in total.

• Next is the chair leg extension. Simply extend/straighten one leg until it's parallel to the floor. Hold for 3 seconds, slowly lower, then switch legs; do 10 reps per leg and take a break as needed. 

• The last chair exercise is a torso twist. With your bottom planted firmly on the seat of the chair and your hips face-forward, twist your upper body to one side, then the other. Do this slowly; 6 times on each side is enough. 

• Walking in place: Another great chair exercise. We recommend choosing one you can grip by the seat or one with armrests to hold onto. Begin marching. Try 10-20 steps and take a break. See how many you can do. With this exercise, you choose how long you'd like to continue the exercise. 

• Walking: Simple walking is always a great way to keep things moving. An object in motion stays in motion. A home treadmill is great! Walking indoors and outdoors are both good options.

•  If you live in a neighborhood with easy-access sidewalks, the fresh air is beneficial. Please make sure to do this when it's well lit. If you need assistance or are unsteady on your feet, do this at home or make sure someone is with you. 

Time-wise, walking is a great way to meet the recommended minutes per week. Lastly, if you do choose to walk outside, are stable, and feel you can walk alone, please take a mobile phone with you just in case there’s an unexpected issue and you need assistance. 

• Arm raises: This one can be done in all sorts of ways. You can do it seated after a leg exercise, standing, or lying on your back (as long as you can safely get back up). Start by gently making a fist, raising your arms over your head and lowering them again. This is a great way to stretch and loosen many muscles.

To take this even further, we recommend adding some sort of weight. You don't need to buy weights unless you really want something more challenging. You can use something as simple as Gatorade bottles. Anything around the house can be a weight as long as it's safe…. Different-sized paint cans (sample size works best to start), a medium-sized (non-valuable) tchotchke, or an inexpensive paperweight. Do 10 raises over the head on each arm, 3 reps per arm. Again, no need to rush, and don't let your arms flop back down, especially when using any sort of added weight, and of course, avoid hitting your head on the way back down! 

• Wall push-ups: While facing a sturdy wall in the house, lean forward with your hands planted firmly and flat on the wall about shoulder width apart, feet shoulder width apart as well; then lean toward the wall and push yourself back out with your arms. You can do this about ten times with breaks in between, and 3 sets is plenty. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Senior Exercise

• What is the best exercise for seniors older than 75? 

The above guide is appropriate for people of all ages. Still, speak to your doctor first and make changes that suit you. Keeping things low impact is key, and if you have serious balance issues, we recommend chair-based exercises or using a bed if you’re in one. Resistance workouts (using resistance bands or small weights) are a good way to have activity without having to stand up or worry about maintaining your balance. 

• How often should seniors exercise? 

The CDC recommends 150 minutes per week. How you choose to split that up is entirely up to you. 

• What exercises improve balance in older adults? 

A tightrope walk is a simple way to improve balance. It’s heel-to-toe walking, and if you need a little help, ask someone to spot you to make sure you don’t fall. Some medications and alcohol can affect balance, so consider that before starting this exercise. 

• How can seniors exercise if they have limited mobility?

Some easy ways to add exercise to your life when you’re limited in mobility are to adapt for those limitations. You can do this by exercising in a pool (which helps with low-impact needs), working out in a chair or bed, or joining a gym with specialty equipment, such as a bungee fitness class. These classes use a harness attached to bungee cords on the ceiling to prevent you from falling, and they offer lots of movement without the fear of falling or too much impact on your joints.