When it comes to our aging bodies, “use it or lose it” is a good mantra to live by. At a time in life when most people are focused on rest, retirement and relaxation, our bodies need activity, exercise, and flexibility. While aging is a natural process, the more you move your body and use it, the more you guard and prolong your physical abilities. For seniors, mobility exercises done correctly can help build strength, increase balance, promote general fitness, increase our range of motion, and lead to more pain-free movement.
Mobility Exercises for Seniors
Mobility exercises become increasingly important as we age, so establishing a regular exercise and wellness program is the first step to improving quality of life for seniors. Don’t overthink it! The most important thing is to move.
Start in a standing position, with both feet flat on the floor. Stand tall, with good posture and palms facing down. Take a deep breath and get a feeling for where your body feels open and free, and where you might feel some tightness or aching.
Start slowly, lifting your arms out on both sides while pulling your shoulder blades back. Feel the chest stretch. Keep breathing through the stretch. Opening up the chest can ease breathing and improve posture throughout the day.
Now try the opposite stretch, bringing your arms together in front of you, stretching out your back. Learn to listen to your body and to pair every stretch with its opposite range of motion.
Next, try bending over at the waist and reaching for your toes. While so many of us live sedentary lifestyles, the more we move our hips and torso, the more we strengthen our core, which holds up our whole body. To that end, mobility exercises can help seniors maintain good posture.
To support your mobility exercises, you can try our Active Body Comfort Capsules. These capsules are created with CBD & Boswellia to help relieve muscle soreness after activity, support healthy joint function, and reduce inflammation associated with exercise.
Stretching Exercises
Follow this same pattern for all your other stretching exercises. Start in a resting position, breathing evenly, then move your limb or joint slowly through its full range of motion. Once you’ve reached the furthest point of that stretch, breathe deeply and enjoy the point of expanded motion.
Remember not to push anything too hard. Also, remember to respect the difference between different sides of the body. For example, you may find it easy to rotate your right shoulder all the way around, while you have much lower range of motion in your left arm. That comes down to which limb we use most, or any past injuries we might have.
As we age, our joints stiffen and may ache. This is a natural part of life, but we can delay the process by warming and lengthening our muscles, as well as flexing our joints .
Remember that you’re never too old to develop a yoga practice, and that you don’t have to be an athlete to be flexible. What’s important is to find an exercise program that works for you, and one that you can stick to regularly. Make sure that whatever exercises you add to your practice include both the upper and lower body. With every mobility exercise, focus on making clean and gentle motions, then return to the starting position.
In addition to your new yoga practice, including Active Omega Turmeric Capsules in your daily wellness routine can help you return consistently to your mat. This capsule has CBD, Turmeric, and Omega-3 DHA to help reduce inflammation after exercise and support antioxidant activity.
Balancing Exercises
Unlike more youthful fitness programs that aim for greater physical achievement, mobility exercises for seniors lead to greater balance and flexibility.
Strengthening our core and testing our balance helps the entire body work in sync towards greater overall movement. For example, every day when you wake up, start in a standing position. Stand as tall as you can, with the best posture. Then, while keeping one bare foot on the ground, with toes spread out, slowly lift the other foot. Keep the lifted leg straight while remembering to breathe. Slowly lower the leg and stand on both feet, then repeat with the opposite side. Over time, you will find that your legs are stronger, your core straighter, and that you wobble a little less, improving balance as you go.
If you ever experience soreness after your balancing exercises, try our Sports Gel. This CBD gel includes capsaicin, arnica and camphor and is designed to be applied directly to any sore area. You will receive a hydrating, warming sensation right where you need it.
Mobility for older adults
For those seniors with more limited range of motion, focus on doing what you can. For example, sit down in a chair with your legs bent at a 90-degree angle. Sit up straight, managing a good posture, then, listing hands overhead, bend forward at the waist. If you can touch your toes, great—but if not, just reach forward as far as you can.
Remember that this is not a contest, nor is it the Olympic Games. Mobility exercises are a gift you give yourself to improve your own quality of life and preserve your own range of motion and mobility for years to come.
