Aging eventually leads to chronic health conditions, which makes it harder for seniors and the elderly to exercise. According to the National Institutes of Health’s Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, everyone should strive to exercise at least three days each week, with about two and a half hours being moderate-to-intense aerobic exercise.

The best exercises for seniors—like walking, swimming, or biking—can be beneficial for many conditions and preferences. Other exercises may be a good choice for specific chronic conditions or diseases. Combining activities can be another good idea so that you’re focusing on four key types of exercise:

• Endurance – Increases your heart rate and breathing with activity such as jogging
• Balance – Exercises to prevent falls like standing on one foot
• Flexibility – Movements that are about stretching like bending to touch your toes
• Strength – Keeping muscles strong through resistance or weight training

Maintaining mobility, or the ability to move around, becomes an increasingly common issue for seniors over time. The number one risk due to poor mobility is falling. Seniors should be aware of how to prevent falls due to unsteadiness or general weakness.

Exercises that improve balance and increase muscle control can help seniors maintain better mobility and independence. Some of these exercises include a single-leg stance to improve balance or lifting weights for more muscle control.

Low-impact exercises for seniors are movements that result in less physical stress or pressure on the body, particularly on joints and muscles. Although the name might imply these exercises have less benefit than high-impact, aerobic exercise, these low-impact exercises offer as much value because they are less strenuous.

Swimming is an ideal low-impact activity that offers a safe, stress-free way to move. It’s also a good way to connect and socialize with friends or family. With access to an indoor pool, swimming can be a year-round exercise. Enjoy summer alone or as part of an organized water aerobics class. Swimming can improve flexibility, muscle strength, and mood.

More than just swimming, water aerobics focuses on specific exercises like jogging or leg lifts. A pool session of water aerobics may have a set repetition of exercises designed to move stiff joints associated with arthritis. 

Not enough can be said about the benefits of walking. This simple act is free, requires little equipment other than comfortable walking shoes, and can be done almost anywhere, even indoors if the weather isn’t ideal. If mobility is an issue, even just walking around the house with a walker or cane can help keep up strength. 

This type of low-impact exercise uses resistance or pressure to strengthen muscles. Seniors confined to a chair or bed can do these exercises because very little movement is involved. Clenching leg muscles, tightening the core, or using resistance bands can be effective.

Quiet, reflective, and powerful, both practices build emotional, mental, and physical strength. Safe and accessible, almost any senior can do either, no matter the age or ability. 

Arthritis is a common condition for many seniors, leading to stiff or painful joints and limited movement. Moving more helps this condition, and even small motions can reap big returns. Set a certain number of repetitions for a chosen exercise which can be done anytime during a day. 

From a sitting position, stretch your foot in front. Make small circular motion with your foot, repeating in the opposite direction. For the wrist, extend the arm and repeat the rotation for each wrist.

Sit in a chair. Lift your heels while keeping your toes on the floor. Then lift your toes to stretch the back of your heel. Hold this position for several seconds.

Sit on the edge of a chair. Life the knee as high as possible without bending the back. Use your hands if needed. Keep your abdominals tight. Slowly lower the leg.

Sit with your arms as your side and elbows bent. Stretch your arms overhead and hold. Release and lower your arms back to the original position.

Exercises for heart health are important for all ages, but particularly important in later years to stay strong. Whether you’ve been too sedentary or hope to increase your activity, here are a few suggestions to get started.

1) Talk to your doctor first about your current health and any risks involved in starting a new exercise program.

2) Think about the activities that interest you most. Do you enjoy walking, gardening, or swimming? Choose one that inspires you most.

3) Think about what’s available around you or fits into your daily schedule. Consider time of day, resources, accessibility, and costs. Is there a fitness facility nearby? Are there options for walking or exercising indoors during inclement weather?

When designing an exercise program, doctors suggest splitting time between moderate activity and resistance exercises. Moderate exercise might include yard work, yoga, tennis, or a brisk walk. Intense exercise involves more rigorous movement like jogging or cycling, resulting in a higher heart rate. You will breathing harder but should still be able to talk.

Whatever the activity, the benefits of moving at any pace far outweigh being sedentary, even at the lowest level of exercise. If you just started an exercise program, immediate benefits can be seen with:

• Blood pressure – Over time, exercise may lower your systolic blood pressure number by an average of 5 to 8 points.

• Anxiety and depression – Being active can help ease symptoms of anxiety and depression.

• Blood sugar levels – Exercise can help your body’s response to insulin, which controls blood sugar.

• Sleep - Staying active can help with insomnia and sleep apnea. Exercising can help reduce stress, which often disrupts sleep.

For seniors with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), exercise is critical. Breathing requires strength and strong muscles, and with this disease, less activity directly results in less ability to breathe. Exercises for COPD can be as low-impact or as vigorous as you choose. 

Walk whenever possible, even if it’s just from room to room or down the driveway. 

Taking a bike ride can be as easy or hard as you make it. Find a level, flat area, and spend as much time as you can tolerate at first, even if just for 15 minutes.

Arm curls, leg extensions, forward arm raises, and calf raises are just a few exercises to consider.

Jogging, kayaking, and rowing may fit seniors with mild COPD.

Visit with your doctor before starting any strenuous activity, especially if you’re involved with any lung rehabilitation programs.

Along with physical health, seniors need to find ways to stay mentally fit and sharp. With today’s technology, the options are endless! Seniors who live alone can find plenty of games, puzzles, and interactive games to entertain or teach something new.

Whether in person with a friend or online, games are an ideal hobby to grow knowledge and intelligence. Chess, checkers, solitaire, and other card games can all be found online. Sudoku, a brain game that helps the brain recognize patterns and solve problems, can be worked from a print book or enjoyed online. Word games help hone language skills and stimulate the problem-solving parts of the brain. Crossword puzzles, word searches, Scrabble, and card games are just a few options.

One of life’s true gifts, music touches almost every life in countless ways, from playing music, listening, or dancing. Music not only improves mood, but it is also therapeutic for your brain and memory. Studies have shown music can increase intelligence, decrease depression, and even improve sleep. Even seniors who have dementia or Alzheimer’s connect with music when all other abilities seem to have faded.

Working in the yard or garden is an ideal way to get more physical, but it’s particularly beneficial for relieving anxiety. Gardening engages all the senses, involves problem solving, and requires some level of dexterity to use tools. For seniors especially, gardening can help support mobility and movement and reduce stress or depression. Gardening can be done alone or with friends through community gardens or public events. Digging in the garden and being close to the earth is shown to have holistic and healing properties. Maintaining a small vegetable garden cultivates a sense of accomplishment, whether from harvesting fresh foods or just enjoying the beauty of flowers.

Nothing is more fun than food and friends. Consider a cooking class to give your brain a boost. Cooking requires multiple skills including math, memory, logic, problem solving, and thought. You can find in-person or online classes for most every type of food or culture. For seniors who may find themselves alone and previously dependent on a spouse to cook, taking a basic cooking class can add to feelings of independence and confidence.

These quiet and reflective practices fit perfectly into any senior’s lifestyle. Whether pursued for pleasure or as a project, both have far-reaching benefits, including education, enlightenment, connection, or health. Reading regularly can lower the risk of developing cognitive diseases. Writing requires many levels of thinking, and for seniors, serves as a simple way to record history and family stories. With technology, plenty of options exist for pursuing this hobby either at home or while traveling.

Knitting, crocheting, painting, woodworking, and pottery are just a few examples of crafts that add a creative dimension to any life. The mind-hand connection is strong and picking up a craft can become a casual hobby or a new venture. Living a creative life can be an unexpected, yet enriching experience.

Dementia patients can find ways to stay mentally fit by exploring specific mental exercises or hobbies to engage the brain more. Games, puzzles, and word games can help slow memory loss while combatting boredom or free time.

Depending on ability, dementia patients can make a small change or try something entirely new. Here are a few ideas:

• Learn a new instrument
• Learn a new language
• Seek more time to socialize with friends or family
• Take advantage of technology to play games or puzzles
• Listen to new music

Seniors of all ages can still enjoy an active lifestyle by choosing the best exercises recommended for seniors with health conditions. Visit with your primary care doctor to talk about any concerns and discuss how to safely start an exercise program. 

Resources

• Top 10 Arthritis Exercises | Arthritis Society Canada
• Exercises to Keep Your Heart Healthy (webmd.com)
• Updated exercise guidelines showcase the benefits to your heart and beyond - Harvard Health
• The best heart healthy workouts for your 60s 70s and 80s - Harvard Health
• 10 Smart Exercises for People With COPD (webmd.com)
• 10 Best Brain Exercises for Seniors - Freedom Care
• How Older Adults Can Get Started With Exercise | National Institute on Aging (nih.gov)
• Caregiver Guide: Mobility Problems | HealthInAging.org
• Chair Exercises for Seniors - Senior Services of America