Fit some fitness into your day with these movements.
The idea of starting a workout routine can be intimidating. Some days, it’s tough just to find enough time to dedicate to exercise. Fortunately, you don’t have to add hours to your schedule! It can be much easier (physically and psychologically) to do bite-sized workouts whenever you have a few extra minutes
In honor of Active Aging Week, which runs October 3-9, we’re highlighting some great five-minute exercises for seniors and how to easily fit them into your day:
- Commercial-break bodyweight exercises
- Walking during phone calls
- Five-minute morning yoga
- Hallway lunges
- Doing laps around the house
- Quick dumbbell exercises
- Jumping rope
Even though these exercises are short and mostly low-impact, it’s still a good idea to check in with your doctor before trying any new type of physical activity.
Let’s check out these five-minute exercises for seniors!
Commercial-break bodyweight exercises
Looking for a way to make TV watching healthy? Turn commercial breaks into exercise opportunities! You can do push-ups (including knee push-ups, wall push-ups, or couch push-ups), sit-ups or crunches, squats, or planks. These are all exercises that allow you to do as many or as few as you have the time and energy for.
Walking during phone calls
When you take a call on your mobile or cordless phone, use it as a reminder to start strolling! You don’t have to walk so quickly that you get out of breath and it’s hard to talk, of course. Just walking between rooms or down the sidewalk gets your blood moving. If you look for any possible opportunity to walk more each day, you’ll start noticing the health benefits of walking.
Five-minute morning yoga
Mornings and yoga go together like peanut butter and jelly! Find a few simple stretches that make your body feel amazing, and take five minutes after you wake up to start your day on the right foot (maybe you’ll literally be balancing on your right foot!). Check out the benefits of yoga and some yoga moves that promote better hearing.
Hallway lunges
A nice long hallway is a perfect spot to do some lunge laps! There are a few different variations of the walking lunge, but the basic idea is pretty consistent. You take wide steps and lower your body with each one, which simultaneously stretches out the leg in the back and engages the muscles in the front leg. If you like, you can carry dumbbells to engage the arms as well.
Doing laps around the house
Here’s another way to increase your walking! If you have five minutes and want to move a little, do a couple of power-walking laps of your house. On nice days, you can do it outside and maybe take a lap around the block. For an interior challenge, make it a goal to pass each room of your house as many times as you can in five minutes! Just remain aware of tripping hazards while you’re at it.
Quick dumbbell exercises
Dumbbell workouts are one of our top ways to stay active indoors. It’s easy to just grab them when you have a few minutes and feel like pumping some iron. Try a five-minute dumbbell routine like this, incorporating a variety of different exercises to engage all your muscles.
Jumping rope
Jump ropes aren’t just for kids anymore! If you have good balance and your doctor clears you for jumping exercises, five minutes is more than enough to get your heart rate pumping. Here’s a workout video guiding beginners through a five-minute jump rope workout.
Looking for more ways to add extra movement to your lifestyle? Check out these exercises that improve posture and some ways to make exercise fun!
