5 Great Low-Impact Exercises For Seniors

For seniors, a low-impact exercise routine is very important for ongoing health and wellness for your body, muscles and overall mood. We’ve put together 5 great low-impact exercises that seniors over 65 years old can benefit from.

Yoga While Sitting On A Chair

A low-impact exercise like chair yoga improves muscle strength, mobility, balance, and flexibility, all of which are vital to seniors’ health. More conventional forms of yoga place more stress on joints, muscles, and bones than chair yoga does.

In addition, chair yoga has been shown to improve mental health in older adults. Chair yoga participants report better sleep, lower depression rates, and general well-being.

Great chair yoga exercises for seniors include:

• Seated overhead stretch
• Seated mountain pose
• Seated twist

Water Aerobics

Water aerobics has become extremely popular among all ages, but especially among seniors. Those with arthritis and other forms of joint pain benefit from exercising in the water, since the buoyancy of the water reduces joint stress. Water also provides natural resistance, so weights are not required in strength training. Water aerobics exercises improve your strength, flexibility, and balance with minimal stress on your body.

Great water aerobics exercises for seniors include:

• Leg lifts
• Aqua jogging
• Fluttering
• Leg lifts
• Water push-ups while standing
• Weightless arm curls

Resistance Band Workout

A resistance band is a stretchy rubber strip that adds resistance to workouts while reducing body stress. Beginners can easily use resistance bands for workouts. Due to the relatively low up-front cost of materials, resistance band workouts are becoming increasingly popular among seniors. Furthermore, these exercises improve posture, mobility, and balance by strengthening your core.

Some popular workouts with resistance bands for seniors include:

• Resistance band leg press
• Resistance band triceps press
• Resistance band lateral raise
• Resistance band bicep curl
• Resistance band pull apart

Pilates

Over a century ago, Pilates was developed as a low-impact exercise. As a result of pilates exercises, breathing, alignment, concentration, and core strength are emphasized. 

Most exercises involve mats, pilates balls, and other inflatable accessories that help build strength without the stress of higher-impact exercises. Among older adults, Pilates improves balance, strengthens the core, and increases flexibility.

A great Pilates studio in Coquitlam that I recommend is Vital Core Fitness Pilates.

Walking With Friends

Walking is one of the least stressful and most accessible forms of exercise. For some seniors, walking is a bigger challenge than others, so distance and step goals differ from person to person. Waling around 10,000 steps per day, or 90 minutes,  is great for your cardio-vascular health and body.

If you have difficulty walking or experience joint pain, reduce the steps and build your tolerance levels by setting goals. 

Ideas for walking exercises for seniors:

• Find a neighbourhood trail
• Call a family member or friend and plan a walk routine
• Walk briskly
• Listen to your favourite playlist or audiobook during your walk

To connect with a senior fitness training professional and build an exercise plan that works for you, contact us. We would love to work with you and help you achieve your fitness goals!