The exercise program is designed for home training and does not require any other equipment than what you find around the house.
Training and activities for the elderly – why it is important
Everyday activities
If you are active on a daily basis, and particularly around the house or garden, this is a golden opportunity to turn these activities into a kind of training session.
Many people go for a daily walk, which is an excellent practice. You should walk at a brisk pace, as fast as you can, for about half an hour each time. The walks can of course be divided into two, if you want to walk both morning and afternoon. You should also try to do your errands within walking distance or get off public transportation and other means of transport at points where you can walk the last distance. Using the stairs instead of the elevator is also a great exercising opportunity.
Think of house cleaning, vacuuming, lawn mowing, hedge trimming, snow shovelling, sweeping and raking, window cleaning and carrying the shopping bags as physical activities. Put on some music when possible and get your body moving!
Cardio exercises
Cardio exercises are also important and several of the abovementioned activities fall under this type of training. Aerobics, biking, skiing, dancing, golf without a golf cart, gardening such as raking and lawn mowing, swimming, tennis, vacuuming and jogging are all examples of cardiovascular exercises.
Cardio training should be done once or twice weekly and you can swap you daily walk for half an hour of one of the above activities if you prefer.
Strength exercise program
Strength training should be performed at least twice weekly and the sessions should cover legs, back, abdomen, chest, shoulder and arms. We have designed three different full body workouts, to ensure you work out all muscle groups during one week’s training.
Warm up
It is important to warm up the muscles before doing strength exercises. Do the following warm up exercises:
- Squat jumps 3 sets x10 repetitions
- Jumping jacks 30 repetitions
Remember to increase the repetitions as you gain strength, or reduce them if the exercise is too heavy.
Session 1: The full body
Take a short break (1-2 minutes) in between each set and each exercise.
- Lunge 3×10 repetitions on each leg
- Squat 3×10 – with or without a chair
- Barbell deadlift 3×10 – use a filled bag or water bottles as weights
- Push ups 3×10 – against a wall, on your knees or on your toes
- Lateral raise 3×10 – with resistance band or filled water bottles
- Shoulder press 3×10 – with resistance band or filled water bottles
- Bent over row 3×10 – with resistance band or filled water bottles – 10 repetitions for each arm
- Sit ups 3×10
Session 2: The full body
Take a short break (1-2 minutes) in between each set and each exercise.
- Chest fly 3×10 with resistance band
- Bicep face pull 3×10 with resistance band
- Bicep curl 3×10 per each arm with resistance band or filled water bottles
- Tricep kickback 3×10 per each arm with filled water bottles
- Shoulder diagonal lift 3×10 per each side
- Squat 3×10 – with or without a chair
- Hip thrust 3×10
Session 3: The full body
Take a short break (1-2 minutes) in between each set and each exercise.
- Seated rowing 3×10 with resistance band
- Tricep pulldown 3×10 per each arm with resistance band
- Lunge 3×10 repetitions on each leg
- Squat 3×10 – with or without a chair
- Toe lift standing 3×20
- The plank 3×1 minutes
All exercises in the program can also be done at the gym if you prefer, and then be replaced with machines and weights when possible.
Stretching and balance exercises
It is important to keep the body flexible, which can be done by doing stretches. You don’t necessarily need to stretch when you do strength exercises, but remember to warm up before you begin. Stretch each large muscle group for 10 minutes, i.e. legs, back abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms.
Try to do a five-minute stretch each morning, focusing on the chest, back, hamstrings, quadriceps and the Achilles tendons.
Balance exercises are also incredibly important as the body ages, particularly as it helps with fall prevention. Your balance should be maintained if you perform balance exercises three days a week, especially if you are at high risk of having falls and fall injuries. Your balance exercises should last for about 10 minutes, and here are some exercise suggestions:
- Stand on one foot for as long as you can. Lean on something in the beginning if you need to, but eventually you will be able to stand without support. Change foot and repeat. Make notes of how long you can stand on each foot and monitor your progress over time.
- When you feel comfortable with the exercise above, try it with your eyes closed.
- If you are good at keeping your balance, try standing on one leg and lift the other leg straight in front of you, then to the side and behind you – all without support if you can. Repeat on the other leg.
Support yourself against a wall or chair when you need to.
Plan your week
To ensure your body recovers well, you may want to do a different type of exercise between the days you do your strength exercises. Here is a suggestion on how you can plan your workout week:
- Monday: Strength training and stretching
- Tuesday: Cardio and balance training
- Wednesday: Strength training
- Thursday: Balance training and cardio
- Friday: Strength training
- Saturday: Normal daily activities and stretching
- Sunday: Balance training
If you choose to do strength training more than three times a week, it’s a good idea to do leg and upper body exercises separately like this:
- Monday: Legs
- Tuesday: Upper body
- Wednesday: Rest or cardio, balance training, stretching
- Thursday: Legs
- Friday: Upper body
- Saturday: Rest or cardio, balance training, stretching
- Sunday: Rest or cardio, balance training, stretching
You can then select the leg and upper body exercises from the sessions above, and do it like this:
- Leg session 1: Choose exercises for quadriceps and hamstrings
- Leg session 2: Choose exercises for hamstrings and glutes
- Upper body session 1: Choose exercises for chest, biceps and triceps
- Upper body session 2: Choose exercises for shoulders and back
Good luck with your exercises!