You might be happy to find out that there are a lot of exercises for seniors’ bones your loved ones might benefit from. Some of these exercises can be done safely at home or in retirement communities through health and wellness programs. Strengthening the bones through regular exercise can alleviate pains and reduce the likelihood of developing osteoporosis and fractures.
At the same time, you don’t need to hire a personal instructor to practice some of these exercises. They are easy to perform by people in their golden years and your loved ones just need to be consistent with them to reap the benefits. Here are a few of these exercises.
Biceps Curls
These are some of the simplest exercises your family members can do to strengthen their bones. They only need to use dumbbells weighing from one to five pounds, so no need to go for heavy weights that are difficult to handle. It’s important for the elbow to be connected to the rib cage when lifting the dumbbells, so that the hand and arm bones carry the load, not the shoulder. Doing easy biceps curls a few times per week will improve bone density as the body will adapt to the new lifestyle.
Foot Stomps
Stomping on one foot at a time can provide major benefits for the bones in the legs. More specifically, this simple exercise strengthens the hip region, an area that’s very vulnerable for people in their golden years. To perform this exercise, your loved ones should hold on to a wall or a table for safety and balance. Stomp several times on the floor with one foot at a time. Your family members should go for light stomps at first until they get used to the exercise. Repeating this routine for 10 minutes a day several times a week is sufficient to reap the benefits.
Standing on One Leg
This exercise is similar to foot stomps, but it works the muscles and bones in the legs in a different way. Your loved ones should hold on to a wall or table for support and stand on one leg at a time. This can be done for 15 seconds up to one minute per leg. The exercise strengthens the bones and works the muscles in the hip area to prevent accidents and injuries.
Squats
Squats have always been a great exercise to improve leg strength. Studies show that they also increase bone density and this means that your loved ones are less predisposed to fractures and osteoporosis. Make sure that they begin with just a few squats per day and that they are assisted by a trained professional to avoid injuries when doing squats.
We are aware that different types of simple exercises can increase bone density in people in their golden years and reduce the likelihood of developing fractures. If you want the best for your loved ones, get in touch with one of our team members to find out what types of exercises, activities and health programs we offer in our retirement community.
