Easy Stretching Routines for Better Mobility in Seniors

Summary: Improve your flexibility and confidence with three, simple stretching routines.

Your golden years might be your calmest, but you may not be at your most agile. All adults lose muscle mass and flexibility in later years, one of the most dramatic changes of aging. Tendons and ligaments become less elastic, which reduces your range of motion. One study found a steady decline in shoulder and hip flexibility after age 55, with stiffness increasing significantly after 70.

While stretching routines can’t suddenly turn you into your athletic 25-year-old self, they can help seniors become more limber. In fact, mobility exercises have been shown to improve flexibility among older adults to the point where their balance improves, and they’re able to perform strenuous daily tasks with ease.

However, despite the benefits of exercise for seniors, people over 50 are the most sedentary group of Americans, according to the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

But, as they say, it’s never too late to change. Those who want to start moving can begin with a daily stretching routine. Stretching is accessible to everyone, as many gentle mobility exercises can be done while seated or even lying down.

Here are three stretching routines for better mobility in seniors. Skip any of the exercises that you can’t do comfortably, whether standing or sitting.

1. Standing upper-body stretching routine

Neck roll

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms by your sides.
• Lower your chin toward your chest.
• Roll your right ear toward your right shoulder and keep rolling your head all the way back to the center.
• Rest for 5 seconds, then roll your head the other way.
• Repeat 3 times.

Shoulder roll

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms by your sides.
• Keeping your arms still, slowly raise your shoulders and then roll them back in a circle.
• Roll your shoulders backward 5 times and then reverse and roll them forward 5 times.
• Repeat 2 times.

Shoulder stretch

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms by your sides.
• Reach your right arm straight across your body and use your left hand to pull it toward your chest.
• Hold your arm close for 10 to 30 seconds, then release it.
• Switch arms and do the same on the other side.

Triceps stretch

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms by your sides.
• Raise your arms overhead, and bend your right arm so your upper arm is behind your head.
• Hold your right elbow with your left hand and draw your arm toward the left as far as you can.
• Hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds.
• Switch arms and do the same on the other side.

2. Standing lower-body stretching routine

Hamstring stretch

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms by your sides.
• Put your right heel on the ground in front of you with your leg straight and toes pointing up.
• With a straight lower back, hinge forward from your hips until you feel a stretch in the back of your right leg.
• Hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds.
• Switch legs and do the same on the other side.

Quadriceps stretch

• Hold onto the back of a chair or other stable furniture for support, as you will be balancing on one leg.
• Supporting yourself with your left hand, kick your right foot out backward and up toward your bottom.
• Grab your right leg by the ankle with your right hand, and pull your foot towards your bottom.
• Hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds.
• Switch legs and do the same on the other side.

Calf stretch

• Face a wall with your left foot about a foot from the wall.
• Putting both hands on the wall, slightly bend your left leg, and stretch your right leg out behind with you with your heel touching the floor.
• If you don’t feel a stretch in your calf, slide your right heel farther away from the wall until you do.
• Hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds.
• Switch legs and do the same on the other side.

Ankle roll

• Stand with your left foot on the ground and your right heel raised so you’re resting on your toes.
• With your toes on the ground, roll your right foot in one direction for 10 rotations.
• Repeat the motion the other direction.
• Switch feet and do the same on the other side.

3. Seated stretching routine

Overhead side stretch

• Sitting tall in a chair, raise your arms overhead.
• If you are able, interlace your fingers. If not, hold your arms as upright as you can.
• Lean to the left, and hold yourself there for 10 to 30 seconds.
• Return to center, then do the same on the other side.

Seated torso stretch

• Sitting tall in a chair, cross your arms over your chest.
• Twist towards your right as much as you can, trying to rotate only your torso while keeping your bottom on the chair.
• Hold this twist for 10 to 30 seconds.
• Return to center, then do the same on the other side.

Seated hamstring stretch

• Sit at the edge of your seat with your right foot flat on the ground.
• Extend your left leg so that your heel is on the ground and toes are pointing up.
• Fold forward from your hips with a straight back as far as you are able.
• Hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds.
• Switch feet and do the same on the other side.

Seated knee to chest

• Sit comfortably on your chair with your legs bent.
• Bring your right knee upward, grab it with both hands, and pull it slowly up toward your chest as far as it can comfortably go.
• Once you feel a stretch, hold the position for 10 to 30 seconds, then guide the leg back down to the floor.
• Switch feet and do the same on the other side.

These stretching exercises are great for improving flexibility from a sitting and standing position, but there are many more you can do as you gain confidence and feel more limber. If you are able to get down on and up from the floor, look online for stretches you can do while prone. You might also want to consider starting a gentle yoga practice.

Taking care of your body as you age is a good way to make sure your twilight years are active and comfortable. Mutual of Omaha offers a number of great resources on ways for older adults to stay mentally and physically fit. So find activities and practices that work for you and commit to them. Remember, the best exercise regimen is the one you actually do.