Staying fit doesn't have to end when you hit retirement age. Being a senior shouldn't mean embracing a sedentary lifestyle. There are many exercises you can perform to ensure your muscles and joints function properly. Keeping your legs strong is a vital part of that process -- leg lifting exercises will help prevent injury and allow you to remain active throughout your golden years.
Seated Calf Raises
Sit in a chair with both feet on the floor and your hands resting on your thighs. Use the muscles of your calf to lift your leg off the ground while keeping your toes in contact with the floor. Lift your heel as high as possible and hold this position for a second or two. If your health condition allows, you can also increase the resistance and effectiveness of this exercise by pressing down on your thigh with your hands or by holding a dumbbell on your knee to add weight.
Seated Knee Raises
This exercise can be performed using your body weight as resistance, or you can use a resistance band to help make it a little tougher. To use a resistance band, you need to loop one end around the heel of the leg you're not exercising. The other end should be placed around the knee of the leg you want to exercise. Lift the leg with the resistance band around your knee straight up while keeping your knee bent at a 90-degree angle. Lift your leg as high as your knee will go and hold this position for a second or two. Lower your leg using a slow, controlled motion and repeat until you can't perform another repetition. Try to perform an equal number of knee raises on each side.
Seated Knee Extension
Sit in a chair with your back straight and both feet flat on the floor. Lift your right foot off the floor slightly and straighten your knee until your toes are pointing toward the ceiling. Hold this position for a second or two and tighten the muscles on the front of your thigh. Relax and slowly return to the starting position. To add resistance to this exercise you can loop one end of a resistance band around the leg of your chair and the other end around your ankle. Repeat for an equal number of repetitions using each leg.
Seated Toe Taps
Sit with both feet on the floor and your hands resting on your thighs. Lift your toes off the ground as high as they will go and hold this position for a couple of seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat. Try to perform four repetitions with each foot, or continue until you can't perform another repetition.
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