It is critical for older adults to maintain a healthy level of physical activity throughout their life. But as they age, it may be harder for them to perform daily tasks well. Did you know that functional fitness is still a great form of exercise for people who are aging? Let’s find out what it is, its categories, its function and advantages.
Definition of Functional Exercise
Functional exercise is a type of training that focuses on strengthening and conditioning the body for daily tasks and can be done by anyone of any age, gender, or impairment. Moreover, a physical therapist also uses these programs for rehabilitation after surgery or sickness because they are essential for injury healing.
Functional exercises are physical activities that train the body to perform daily movements safely and efficiently. Performing functional exercises regularly can help seniors improve their balance, flexibility, strength, and coordination. Consider adding bursitis exercises to your routine to reduce pain and inflammation in affected joints.
11 Functional Exercises for Seniors
The exercises listed below are 11 examples of functional exercises that seniors should be able to perform.
1. Dead Bug
Dead Bug is one of the most popular core exercises for seniors looking to tone their lower abdominals, hip flexors, and external obliques.
To perform this exercise:
- Step 1: Lie down on your back, knees bent at 90 degrees.
- Step 2: To balance yourself, place both hands behind your head.
- Step 3: Begin by taking a deep breath in and gently exhaling through pursed lips, relaxing as much as possible.
- Step 4: Inhale and then curl up into a ball, stretching yourself into a straight line from your feet to your head without crushing or leaning backward in any way.
Switch sides and repeat with each arm and leg until you’ve completed 10 reps of each move per side.
2. Seated Tummy Twist
Seated Tummy Twist The seated twist is one of the best exercises for seniors, primarily because it can be done sitting comfortably in a chair. It requires only partial range of motion and typically has no impact on bone density. Seated Tummy Twist is an excellent exercise to help maintain good posture.
To perform this exercise:
- Step 1: Wrap both body belts around the chair
- Step 2: Place your hands behind your head
- Step 3: Twist to the right side of your chair as you exhale
- Step 4: Twist to the left side of your chair as you inhale
Continue twisting back and forth for an additional 8 repetitions. Then switch sides.
To target upper belly fat in seniors, try the seated tummy twist exercise. This move can strengthen the core and engage the obliques. Take a look at the article on upper belly fat for more exercises and dietary tips to reduce belly fat.
3. Stair Climbs
Using the significant muscles of the legs and buttocks to climb up and downstairs, stair climbs are a fantastic low-impact exercise for seniors because they don’t demand much athleticism.
To perform this exercise:
- Step 1: Look for a stairwell that is free of obstructions (either outdoors or at your office building)
- Step 2: Step up onto the first stair, then step into a high plank position with the right leg extended out in front of you and toes pointed down, then move forward onto the next stair.
- Step 3: Repeat five times.
Then switch sides with each repetition by moving from left to right without pausing between each step.
4. Chair Squats
Chair squats are a valuable exercise for seniors that helps them keep their balance while also engaging the muscles in their lower body. The following stages described below can be completed at home or in a gym.
To perform this exercise:
- Step 1: Find a chair with an armrest.
- Step 2: Stand with your back to the chair, feet shoulder-width apart or wider
- Step 3: Place your hands on the armrests, palms down
- Step 4: Bend your knees and lower your hips until they are just above the height of the seat height of the chair.
- Step 5: Slowly stand back up again by straightening your legs and keep doing this for 15 reps.
5. Wall Push-Ups
Instead of doing push-ups on the floor, do wall push-ups against a wall. This works your entire body independently and with different muscles. There is also less stress on your joints and back associated with performing these exercises on the floor.
To perform this exercise:
- Step 1: Place your hands directly in front of your shoulders against the wall.
- Step 2: Lean in close to the wall by keeping your torso straight and bending your elbows.
- Step 3: Stop with your face against the wall and straighten your arms to push your body away from it.
While this is an essential exercise, it is often the one that challenges seniors the most. If your body can’t handle much more than this move, don’t worry. Just stop when you are comfortable with these movements and start over again in less time.
To take your wall push-ups to the next level, try incorporating some of the 10 simple exercises in this article. These exercises will help improve your overall strength and coordination, which can make wall push-ups easier and more effective in strengthening your upper body muscles.
6. Dumbbell Row
Dumbbell Row is an essential exercise for reinforcing the integrity of the back and abdominal muscles. When performed correctly, this exercise strengthens these muscles and promotes flexibility. For best results, it should be performed with good form and light weight. Dumbbell Row can be done on any surface without equipment, including goblets of water or cans of soda for an added challenge.
To perform this exercise:
- Step 1: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Step 2: Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms straight and palms facing each other.
- Step 3: Pull the weight up, bending at the elbow, until it touches your rib cage (or chest), then slowly lower it to starting position without touching the floor.
7. Multi-Directional Lunge Exercise
The purpose of this exercise is to improve your coordination, mobility, and stability. It also benefits the lower back region by reducing pain and stiffness.
To perform this exercise:
- Step 1: Stand with your knees slightly bent.
- Step 2: Hold arms out at shoulder height or cross arms in front of you for increased difficulty. Step forward, so one foot directly faces the other leg’s knee, keeping feet about 3-4 inches apart.
- Step 3: Alternate stepping forward into a lunge with each leg by bending your front knee while keeping the back leg straightened out behind you – do not allow either side to touch the ground during any part of the exercise. Alternate left and right legs for 15 reps on each side (30 reps total).
8. Supine Bridge
A terrific functional exercise for seniors is the Supine Bridge. It works all of your leg muscles while activating the deep abdominal muscles to support the lower back. It also aids in core strength and balance.
To perform this exercise:
- Step 1: Lie on your stomach with your arms at your sides and hands palms down flat on the floor behind you.
- Step 2: Bend both knees, so they are resting on top of one another.
- Step 3: Lift hips off the floor so that your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
- Step 4:Keep elbows wider than shoulder-width apart and pull hips up towards chest until you get a good hip stretch in front of you.
9. Hip Extension
Hip Extension is an exercise class that focuses on increasing strength and flexibility in the spine, leg joints, and hips. The goal is to increase range of motion so that people can walk upright without pain or discomfort, sit upright while keeping good posture, bend down without difficulty, and stand up with confidence in their everyday activities.
To perform this exercise:
- Step 1: Lie face down on the floor, arms by your side at shoulder length, palms of your hand on the floor. Legs are straight ahead. Relax your head, neck, and upper body.
- Step 2: Begin with slow abdominal breathing while you begin to lift one foot off the floor midway between knee and toes. Keep it level with the rest of your body as you lift it off the floor. Move only one foot at a time when lifting, not both feet at once
- Step 3: To lift more easily, try to place a small pillow or folded towel under the lifted foot to help support that leg, if need be.
- Step 4: Slowly return your foot to the floor while keeping it level with the rest of your body.
- Step 5: Continue to work gently on both legs, repeating this step for about 5 minutes or until you are comfortable with the movement.
- Step 6: Rest during break time between sets of 1 minute by relaxing, closing your eyes, and taking a few slow breaths through the nose.
- Step 7: Repeat steps 1-5 three times or as many times as comfortable. Be careful not to overdo the exercise.
Once you are comfortable performing the exercise, gradually increase your time in the exercise progressively by 10% each time until you can do it correctly for 1 minute without stopping. The critical point is that this workout should be started slowly because any injury or pain can be avoided by slowly and steadily exercising.
Performing hip extension exercises can greatly benefit seniors by helping to improve their balance, mobility, and overall leg strength. Combine this move with knee strengthening exercises to get maximum benefits for your lower body. Try incorporating both of these exercises into your workout routine to help improve your overall health and reduce the risk of falls and injuries.
10. Single-Leg
Standing is a fantastic exercise that targets the glutes, hamstrings, and quads. It’s a great functional exercise for seniors because it is easy to do and modified to suit your needs.
To perform this exercise:
- Step 1: Stand with your hands on your hips.
- Step 2: Bend one knee out to the side, so the foot is in front of you.
- Step 3: Keep this leg straight and lift the other leg, bending it at the knee so that you are weight-bearing only on one foot.
- Step 4: Lift onto toes for 30 seconds.
- Step 5: Return to standing position, then repeat with opposite side (left lift leg).
- Step 6: Perform five times or until feeling fatigued.
11. Hop Step
Hop Step is a delightful exercise for seniors because it is easy to do, doesn’t require any equipment, and can be done by anyone.
To perform this exercise:
- Step 1: Stand up and place your hands on your hips.
- Step 2: Hop to the right with both feet and touch the ground with your right toes.
- Step 3: Hop back so that both feet are together.
- Step 4: Hop to the left with both feet, staying on your toes. Next, touch the ground with your left toes and hop back so that both legs are together.
Repeat this motion for 10 hops each way.
Take your leg workouts to the next level with these exercises for basketball players. The hop step move, in particular, can help improve your explosiveness, agility, and coordination on the court. By practicing this and other basketball-specific exercises, you can become a better player and reduce your risk of injury.
Benefits of Functional Exercise
Functional exercise has a plethora of physical advantages. From the heart, blood vessels, lungs, circulation, and bone density to fighting off chronic conditions like osteoporosis. So, what are the advantages of doing functional exercises regularly?
Improved Flexibility and Endurance
As we get older, our bodies can no longer handle the same physical demands as they were younger. When our muscles are forced to work harder against gravity over time, our bones become thinner, resulting in pain or weariness when we stand or walk normally. Flexibility in our joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles is important for all of us to function well. Functional exercises are designed to improve the quality of our endurance and flexibility while simultaneously loading some muscles. Not only will you perform better on tasks that require stamina, but your recovery periods won’t take so long either.
Increased Muscle Strength
With age, your muscles lose some of their strength as well as tension and flexibility. Therefore, as you age, it gets harder to do all those things we take for granted, like opening a door or picking up an armful of groceries. However, seniors can grow and strengthen their muscles while also preventing or reducing the symptoms of osteoporosis through exercise.
If you want to improve your muscle strength, the article on leg exercises for seniors is worth a try. The article explains how to do some simple yet effective exercises that can help to strengthen your leg muscles at home. The exercises are safe and easy to do, and can be adjusted to your fitness level.
Better Muscle Memory
Because functional exercises remind your body of a real-life movement, you may discover that you can rapidly recover from hard physical labor or that you may better prepare yourself for these demanding jobs. Moreover, the more we practice what we’ve learned, the better that skill becomes ingrained into our brain.
Better Coordination
As our ability to coordinate movements deteriorates, we become more prone to falls because it impairs our balance and vision, both of which are critical for driving at night, which many seniors do daily. As a result, when you undertake exercises that involve multiple muscle groups at once, your coordination with those actions and movements improves automatically. This is due to the brain’s recognition of these patterns, which it stores in its official movement memory database.
To enhance your coordination, try exercises like water aerobics. The resistance of water helps to build strength and improve flexibility, while also supporting the joints. These low-impact exercises are perfect for seniors looking for a fun and effective way to improve their coordination.
Increased Independence
An additional benefit is its ability to increase independence amongst seniors. Functional exercise can be used as a strategy for rehabilitation and improving quality of life, especially for injured individuals. For this reason, functional exercises are commonly utilized in physical therapy, but they can also be done at home. Functional exercises increase strength and mobility in the low back, abdominals, hips, knees, ankles, and wrists if you have an injury or chronic discomfort.
FAQs
Is there any harm to seniors doing functional exercises?
This is a great question, and there are many different functional exercises that seniors can do, depending on the issues they may be dealing with. The main three things to look for when considering which exercise might be ideal for you are:
- If there is an injury or pain,
- Personal mobility level (can you do the exercise safely), and
- Your physical limitations- whether chronic disability, conditions like arthritis or back pain.
If you have these conditions, it’s crucial that you find an appropriate option that doesn’t exacerbate them.
Is it OK for seniors to do Squats?
The answer is yes, as long as you use the correct form and learn how to do them properly, there aren’t any problems. However, too much pressure on your back can cause spinal problems. This is why the best exercise for seniors is walking.
If you’re a senior looking to build your leg strength while avoiding excessive pressure on your back, try these 8 simple landmine exercises. By using a landmine attachment, you’ll be able to engage your leg muscles without compromising your lower back, making it easier to maintain a consistent routine of exercising.
How do I start an exercise program at the age of 65?
It is important to realize that the body has already been changing as we age. There are many things that you can do, such as walking, swimming, yoga, or going to a gym. You might also want to consider local classes that teach cardio dance or Pilates. Also, senior citizens have a lower risk of heart attacks without exercising too much, which helps them keep their weight down and allows them not only the opportunity to avoid heart disease but also diabetes and other complications.
What exercises should older adults not do?
Many people have this question in mind when they are getting older. The good news is that there are no exercises that a senior citizen should not do, but there are some specific activities which you need to avoid. One of them is running, which is a very strenuous activity that can end up causing a lot of damage to older people because their joints are already damaged by the burden of age.