As we age, our bodies go through a lot of changes. One thing that often becomes more difficult as we get older is staying in shape. This doesn’t mean, however, that it’s impossible to stay fit without going to the gym! In fact, there are plenty of great workouts you can do right at home that will help keep you toned and healthy. Here are just a few examples!
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Yoga
Yoga is becoming more and more popular with people over 60 years of age. But why? It’s a workout that helps people to stay fit and healthy and it doesn’t put too much strain on joints or muscles. And guess what: yoga can lead to weight loss as well!
Yoga isn’t only practiced by senior adults. Even children, teenagers, and young adults can benefit from yoga exercises! You’ll find below some yoga poses (i.e., positions) you can practice at home without any equipment (not even dumbbells). Practice them regularly and feel your body become stronger day after day!
Mountain Pose
Mountain pose If you’re looking for an important starting position, go for the mountain pose. Stand up straight, have your arms beside your body and have your toes grab the floor. Tighten up your knees. Pull your belly in. Head back, looking forward. Arms straight down, palms forward with fingers spread out. Now hold this for 60 seconds at a time.
Upward Salute Pose
Upward Salute This yoga pose is great for stretching out shoulders and legs at the same time. Start in mountain pose and stretch both of your hands upwards as high as you can, while being upright. Be careful not to bend from the hips! Pull in your belly, keep your shoulders down away from your ears. Hold that posture for about 10 seconds before returning to yoga’s starting position: Mountain pose. Repeat this yoga exercise 4-5 times.
Tree Pose
Tree yoga pose Standing next to a wall is the best position to practice yoga’s tree yoga pose. Start by placing one foot on the floor pointed straight ahead. Place the other foot up against your ankle/calf/knee/groin (depending on your flexibility). Put your hands on your hips to keep balance and to ensure you are keeping your hips pointing straight ahead. Hold this pose for 10 seconds to start and work your way up to holding it for 30-60 seconds.
Triangle Pose
Triangle yoga pose Yoga’s triangle yoga pose is great for stretching out your legs and shows off some nice yoga muscles around shoulders and stomach! Make sure to start in the mountain pose first! Place one leg more than shoulder-length apart with the foot pointing perpendicular to your body. Now stretch one of your arms up like in yoga’s upward salute. Bend sideways from your hips and reach towards the floor. To begin with you may only reach your thigh or knee and that’s okay.
As you progress in flexibility, you’ll be able to reach farther and farther towards the floor. There’s no rush to get there. After all, all we have is time, right. Stretch upwards again by rising back into starting yoga position: Mountain pose. Repeat yoga’s triangle yoga exercise 4-5 times.
That was only four out of many yoga poses you can practice to stay active and fit even as a yoga workout for people over 60! Yoga is great because it doesn’t require any special equipment (or yoga block) and your yoga workout at home will help you feel younger, reduce stress, and feel more confident about yourself. Keep these yoga poses in mind before giving up on exercising during your golden years.
I will be putting these poses and how to get into these poses on my Les Waller Workouts YouTube Channel. So, for free, you can watch and see how to get into these poses in your own living room.
However, I’m just an old fart trying to stay healthy and stay in shape. So, if you would like to see how the pros do it, I would recommend checking out some Yoga for Seniors videos on Amazon.
Tai Chi
Tai Chi is a workout that elderly people should include in their daily routine. It is easy to learn, even for elderly people who are not very athletic.
Tai-chi is an exercise that elderly people can perform in groups or individually in order to stay in good shape and to relieve stress and anxiety. Its different movements contribute to the overall strengthening of elderly muscles and bones, while its slow pace makes it easier for elderly people than most other physical activities. There’s no need for special equipment, such as dumbbells or exercise machines, although some elderly people get involved with Tai-chi using these tools.
Many elderly find relief from pain by practicing Tai-chi exercises on a regular basis. For example: if you suffer from osteoporosis, Tai-chi can help you strengthen your bones and avoid fractures as you age. If you suffer from arthritis, the movements of Tai Chi provide relief to those joints which are most affected by arthritis.
Tai-chi can be practiced for as little as 15 minutes per day or as much as 60 minutes per day. It is an easy workout to fit into your daily routine; elderly people will feel a difference just a few days after starting it.
Schedule a meeting with elderly members of your family and research together different workouts that elderly people could do at home, such as Tai-chi exercises. Demonstrate them what they have to do for their first session and encourage them to try it every day for a week or so in order to see whether they like it or not.
If elderly people feel well practicing Tai-chi, suggest them to continue and try to organize a group of elderly people in order to meet once a week and practice together Tai-chi for an hour.
Although I studied karate in Okinawa, Japan for two solid years I have no experience with Tai Chi. Therefore, at this time, I would have to defer you to videos like Paul Lam’s Tai Chi for Life found on Amazon. At least until I can get some experience with Tai Chi and pass on what I learn to you for free.
Pilates
Pilates has become a widely accepted form of toning muscles in elderly patients, thus making it an important form of exercise in elderly workout routines
Pilates exercises are done slowly and deliberately with control, including breathing to ensure that each movement is precisely executed. Pilates also benefits the elderly because it can be tailored to individual fitness levels while enabling seniors to safely increase their flexibility, muscle strength, endurance, coordination, and balance.
Here are some notable benefits when elderly individuals engage in Pilates for old people:
- Improved posture
- Strengthened core
- Improved flexibility
- Improved balance and coordination
With Pilates, elderly individuals can strengthen their core muscles, which is often a weak area for older adults. The elderly often experience postural changes that put extra stress on the back and hips which causes chronic pain. Pilates effectively focuses on strengthening the abdominal, lower back, and deep hip flexor muscles while also improving endurance to reduce pressure on joints.
Research has shown that elderly patients who consistently engage in either a regimen of cardiovascular exercises or a combination of cardiovascular workouts with weight training have not only improved physical health but mental well-being as well. These seniors have demonstrated significant improvement from brain scans measuring cognitive function before and after these regimens were established. This shows elderly people that you can improve brain function with exercises for elderly.
Even though I’ve had a few classes in Yoga, I have never really looked at Pilates until now. Once again I’ll have to defer to someone else who has more experience in this rather than try to blunder along.
Here is a decent DVD set found on Amazon; Pilates for Beginners DVD Set
Resistance Bands
You may not realize it, but elderly people can get in shape by using resistance bands. Resistance bands are a great workout for elderly people because they build strength and balance while walking, sitting, or standing up.
Resistance training is important for elderly people because seniors lose muscle mass as they age. One of the easiest ways to prevent that from happening is through regular resistance training. This type of workout will also help elderly people manage their weight.
You don’t need any complicated equipment or special knowledge to perform resistance band workouts. Another advantage of resistance band workouts for elderly people is that they don’t put as much strain on the joints, compared to using free weights or weight machines at a gym. Resistance bands are also lighter and take up very little space. With all this in mind, elderly people should easily be able to construct their home workout routine with resistance bands.
Resistance band workouts consist of six exercises, which tone your upper body while building stability and strength throughout your body. The beauty of resistance band training is that you can do it just about anywhere, which is great for elderly people who want to stick to their regular routines.
Resistance band workouts are a great way for elderly people to stay in shape. If you’re 60 or older, then give resistance bands a try today!
Stop by again and we’ll be sure to have a resistance band training page with videos available in the near future. We have the bands and we just need to flush out the best workout and put it on video.
Walking
The elderly population is rapidly growing, and this age group makes up the largest percentage of people who are unable to run or jog because it may put them at risk for injury. But walking can be a great workout option for elderly populations.
Walking is one of the simplest forms of exercise that you can do on your own without any equipment or training required. Researchers have found that walking requires no more than two average-sized city blocks to complete, making it an easily attainable goal for just about everyone – the elderly included. And while walking actually burns fewer calories than jogging or running at equivalent speeds, it has been shown to lower blood pressure and heart rate in elderly individuals when done consistently over long periods. To ensure safety, elderly adults should choose a walking path that has sidewalks and crosswalks to reduce the risk of collisions.
As a matter of fact, my wife and I are going for a nice walk out in the fields this afternoon to get some fresh air and exercise.
When we go for a walk we try to get a minimum of 30 minutes in to get the most benefit from this activity without overdoing it. If you haven’t walked much for a long time than slowly build up, getting out 3x a week and only adding a minute or two at the start of the next week.
Jogging
Exercise is very important for elderly people. It allows them to stay fit and healthy so they can live their lives more fully. While elderly adults may not be able to perform the same workout routines as they did when they were younger, there are many activities that elderly adults can do to keep up their physical conditioning.
One of these activities is jogging. Jogging is a great way for elderly adults to get some exercise while at the same time enjoying themselves outdoors in the fresh air.
Elderly adults should only jog if it feels comfortable, even though jogging has been recommended by doctors because it can help the elderly become healthier by working out the heart and muscles without putting too much stress on the joints or other parts of the elderly adults’ bodies.
But elderly people should take it easy when jogging. They are recommended to start with a slow jog, which can last for fifteen minutes. After a week or two, elderly adults should increase the time they spend jogging until they are jogging for thirty minutes.
Elderly adults who have never exercised much before should start out by walking briskly daily before starting their jogging routine. Jogging is very strenuous for elderly people because it requires them to work up their heart rate and keep it there, but elderly people must listen to their bodies carefully to avoid injuring themselves or feeling sick while exercising.
Some elderly people enjoy jogging at forest preserves or other parks where other elderly people go to socialize. This is a great way for elderly adults to get some exercise while also meeting new people and making friends.
Elderly people can also jog inside their own homes if they do not want to jog outside with the risk of the embarrassment of needing to stop due to feeling too tired or sick, or fear of becoming lost if elderly adults aren’t familiar with their surroundings. Some elderly adults find it easier and more comfortable to jog on carpeting inside and especially in front of television screens (to watch) as motivation and encouragement for them to jog faster.
Remember that elderly adults should try new ways to stay active during their retirement years so they can continue living their lives without becoming bored or inactive if elderly adults don’t have the energy to do strenuous workout routines that they did when they were younger. Jogging is just one way that elderly people can live more fully into their golden years, enjoying life as they please.
Be sure to get an okay from your doctor before starting on something like jogging. We want to prevent any injuries or problems beforehand. If you injure yourself in the process then because we are much older the healing process will also take longer. So, remember we have all the time in the world to get in better shape. Let’s get there the slow and sure way. There are no shortcuts at our age.
Dancing
Every elderly person should have a workout for people over 60 to keep their body healthy and promote better blood circulation.
One of the best workouts for elderly people is dancing because it helps them move freely and easily. It is very easy for elderly people to dance because they can choose any kind of song that they like while doing the workout.
Dancing is a great way to let elderly people relax their mind from work, school or any other problem in daily life because it makes them feel happy after the hard day working. Dancing has been proven as one of the effective workouts for the elderly because it can make their muscles stronger, increase flexibility and balance.
In addition, elderly dancers enjoy themselves when dancing with other elderly friends who come together every weekend to dance.
Well, I hope that this article has given you some ideas and actions that you can take to enjoy life more. These are just a few fit over 60 workouts that you can do.
Do you remember doing calisthenics? Well, there is a video showing some calisthenics you can do here at Easy Workouts to do at Home for Beginners.
Let’s get to it!