Exercise for Seniors Over 80 at Home: 5 Seated Moves That Build Strength

Seated movements, such as seated leg extensions and seated arm raises, offer a great form of exercise for seniors over 80 at home, helping improve balance and stability. Staying seated during exercise helps you with safety and reduces fatigue.

How much exercise are you getting in your advanced age? The CDC claims that older adults and seniors should have at least 150 minutes of light exercise every week. But as we age, getting those two and a half hours becomes much, much more difficult.

Salem, VA, is a great city to spend your golden years, no matter what you're passionate about. Sports enthusiasts are certain to love the Championship City's plentiful sports events, while history buffs will fall in love with the plentiful culture around us.

If you're curious about home exercises for seniors over 80, we're here to help. Read on to learn more about gentle movement over 80 and how you can encourage strength-building at home.

What Are Seated Exercises?

Seated exercises are delightfully easy to understand. Simply put, these are exercises that you'll complete while sitting down.

Typically, they're best while seated in a chair that has enough room for your legs to reach the floor. If you're cramped or if the chair is too small, you won't be able to perform all the movements.

In short, these exercises are perfect for strength-building at home. For strength-building with your community, be sure to browse our exclusive programs!

Why Stay Seated?

Falls are one of the most dangerous things for seniors. According to the National Council on Aging, about 1 in 4 Americans aged 65 or older falls a year. That adds up to about 14 million falls that could've been stopped if the senior had been sitting.

These falls can create enormous health risks or even cause complete immobility. Staying seated allows you to complete your exercises without having to risk such a thing.

Five Great Workouts

With a better understanding of seated exercises and their benefits, let's look at some chair workouts for seniors! Here are some great low-impact routines to get exercise for seniors over 80 at home.

1. Seated Marching

Seated marching is one of the best beginning exercises. For this exercise, you'll sit upright with your back against your chair or against a wall. Make sure you're sitting in a way you can comfortably move your legs.

While seated, raise your legs alternatively as if you were marching. These should be relatively high movements with one leg at a time.

It may sound like a small detail, but make sure you're only lifting one leg! Your muscles move differently when you lift both legs, which would be a different exercise -- leg lifts, to be precise.

Seated marching can feel like it doesn't do much, but after five or ten minutes, you'll certainly feel the burn. This exercise works out your lower body, from your hips to your calves.

2. Seated Knee Lifts

Seated knee lifts are similar to seated marching in their motion. For this exercise, set yourself up the same as you did before, keeping your back straight and sitting upright.

Raise one knee at a time toward your chest. Be sure not to let your back bend, and don't stretch to the point of discomfort or strain! Lower the leg back down to the floor and repeat for as many reps as is necessary.

They're ideal for improving your core stability and your balance.

3. Seated Leg Extensions

Leg extensions are an exercise that you'll feel is trivial at first, but the burn arrives much quicker than you'll expect.

Sitting upright, extend your leg out straight, not letting it bend at the knee. Many people also point their feet forward to stretch their calves.

Once you've extended your leg fully, lower it back down and repeat as many times as necessary. You'll enjoy feeling the soreness of this exercise in particular, as it works out nearly every muscle in your leg, hip, and core!

4. Seated Arm Raises

Need something upper-body? Seated arm raises are similar to stretches you undoubtedly remember from your childhood.

Sitting comfortably and upright, raise your arms as high as you can. Stretch them out and take the time to wiggle your fingers before lowering your arms.

The finger-wiggle isn't just for fun! Keeping your extremities moving helps with circulation.

5. Sit-to-Stand from Chair

A sit-to-stand is an exercise that begins in your chair but ends with you standing. Because of that, this is a risky exercise for seniors who are dealing with balance issues.

Moving slowly and deliberately, sit upright and move to stand. Once standing, give yourself time to adjust to the new position before moving to sit back down again. Repeat this motion.

You may not view sitting and standing to be an exercise, but a few reps will show you differently!

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Chair Exercises Effective?

According to Harvard Health, chair exercises can help with your strength, endurance, and flexibility. Chair exercises are highly effective and easy-to-tackle exercises that you can do comfortably at home.

One of the main things that makes these exercises more effective is how they motivate you to keep working. There's less pain, soreness, and overall fatigue. You'll work out harder knowing you're working out more comfortably.

Are Chair Exercises Safe?

Some chair exercises can present threats, such as the risk of falling during a sit-to-stand. It's always a good idea to work out with your local community instead of alone!

That said, chair exercises are considerably safer than other styles of exercise. They provide greater comfort and reduce the risk of nearly all injuries.

These exercises are core to a safe and stable assisted living experience. They'll provide you with balance, greater stability, and a stronger body overall.