Exercises For Geriatric Walking

Walking greatly contributes to overall health, especially in the senior population. As a low impact exercise, it is a good alternative to jogging or aerobic exercise, which may be intolerable for those with arthritis or muscular pain. Walking also is often the most appropriate exercise for cardiac patients whose hearts may be too weak for traditional exercise. Adding specific exercises to your daily routine can strengthen your muscles and increase your endurance, which will facilitate increased independence and participation with a geriatric walking program.

Endurance Exercise

Poor endurance and cardiac output can greatly hinder your ability to walk for exercise. Using a table-top cycling machine, build your endurance up to 25 minutes of continuous cycling, which will lead to increased endurance when walking. Place the machine on the floor and cycle to increase the exercise tolerance of your leg muscles. The opposing movement or your arms or legs on the cycling machine simulates the opposing movement of your limbs while walking and can improve your overall balance.

Leg Strengthening

Improve your leg strength with weighted or resisted exercises. While sitting in a chair, strap a weighted cuff around your ankle. Perform leg marches, lower leg kicks and toe lifts while wearing the cuffs. Place a ball in between your knees and squeeze to strengthen your inner thigh muscles. Wrap a resistance band around your lower thigh and separate your legs repeatedly to tone your outer thigh. Complete all of these exercises 30 times each, increasing the weight or resistance to further improve your strength.

Standing Exercise

Moving from sitting to standing and back again will strengthen your front thigh and hip muscles, especially if done five or 10 times in a row without resting. Perform mini-squats, while holding a walker or cane if necessary, to improve your buttocks and back thigh muscles. Lift your leg one at a time to either side, in front and in back of you to strengthen your hips. Stand up on your toes and then rest on your full foot at least 30 times to work your calf and ankle muscles. March in place while standing to increase your walking endurance.

Walking Exercises

Once you are physically able to walk, keep walking to improve your walking ability, safety, stability, balance and endurance. Challenge yourself with activities, such as maneuvering around cones placed on the floor and then picking up each cone as you return to your seat. Place weighted cuffs on your hands or feet while walking to increase the intensity of your walking program, or introduce mild to moderate hills in your walking route.