It is never too late in life to become physically active. For older adults, beginning an exercise program may feel daunting, especially if you have physical limitations. A common issue for older adults is trouble balancing; exercising with a chair helps to add stability and confidence to your workouts. Nonetheless, a study published in the "British Medical Journal" in 1997 found that home exercise programs can dramatically improve balance and strength in older adults. Thus, as you become stronger, try to work towards performing some of these exercises without the chair.
Chair Squat
This exercise strengthens nearly every muscle in your legs and also safely challenges your balance. To perform the chair squat, begin standing directly in front of a sturdy chair with feet hips distance apart and a slight bend in your knees. Hold your arms straight out in front of you for balance as you slowly bend your knees and lower your hips back toward the chair. Keep your weight on your heels so that your knees do not move forward of your toes. When you are seated on the chair, slowly straighten your knees and hips to come back up to standing, keeping your weight on your heels. Try to use only your leg muscles to stand, rather than assisting with momentum or your arms. Repeat 10 to 15 times. As you become stronger and better at balancing, try not to sit all the way on the chair before coming back to standing.
Rear Leg Raise
This exercise strengthens the back of the leg and low-back, including the glutes and hamstring muscles, which work to extend the leg at the hip. Stand behind a sturdy chair and place your hands on the back of the chair for support. Shift your weight onto your left leg, with a slight bend in your left knee. Keeping both hips facing forward, slowly extend your right leg back behind you from the hip. Your right leg should stay straight. When it can go no further back without arching your back or opening your hips, slowly lower your right leg until your toe touches the floor. Repeat 10 to 15 times on each leg.
Side Leg Raise
This exercise strengthens your outer thigh, including your glutes and abductor muscles, which stabilize your outer hip. Stand with your left side facing a sturdy chair and your left hand on the chair for balance. Shift your weight onto your left leg with a slight bend in your left knee. Without tilting your body, bring your right leg straight out to the side. When you feel tightness in your outer hip, hold one second and then lower your toe to the floor. Repeat 10 to 15 times on each leg.
Leg Extension
The leg extension strengthens the muscles on the front of the leg, including the quadriceps and hip flexor muscles, which function to straighten the knee and bend the hip, respectively. Begin standing with your left side facing a sturdy chair and left hand on the chair for balance. Shift your weight onto your left leg with a slight bend in your left knee. Keep your hips level as your draw your right knee upward until your right hip and knee are each bent about 90 degrees. Keep your hip bent as you extend your knee until your leg is straight out in front of you. Slowly bend the knee and bring it back to 90 degrees. Repeat 10 to 15 times on each leg.
Inner Thigh Squeeze
The inner thigh squeeze strengthens the muscle of the inner thigh, called the adductor muscles, which work to stabilize the inside of the hip. To begin the inner thigh squeeze, sit up tall on the front of a sturdy chair and place a small ball or a rolled up towel between your knees. Keeping your back straight, slowly attempt to draw your knees closer to one another. Hold 1 to 2 seconds, then slowly release. Repeat 10 to 15 times.
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