Elderly Chair Exercise

Exercise is essential for elderly people and others with limited mobility. Simple exercises can be performed while seated in a chair, even in a wheelchair. Always consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program. Stop immediately if you experience chest pain, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat or dizziness. Start each exercise with eight repetitions and increase as you gain strength. For the arm exercises, use 1-pound dumbbells, filled water bottles or soup cans.

Three Arm-Lift Exercises

• Sit straight up in your chair with your back straight and your feet flat on the floor. Hold the weights straight down with your palms facing toward your body. Raise your arms straight out to the side, to shoulder height, hold for 1 second and then lower them.

  Continue sitting straight in your chair with your hands together in your lap. Bring your arms slowly overhead and then lower them to the starting position.

  Begin with arms together in front of you, then stretch them out to the side and slowly return to the starting position.

Bicep Curls

• Still seated with your feet flat on the floor, hold your arms down with the weights facing your body. Bend the elbow of one arm, raising the weight toward your chest, turning the palm of your hand inward toward your shoulder. Hold the position for 1 second and then return to the starting position. Repeat with the other arm. Continue, alternating arms, for 10 repetitions on each side.

Raised Bicep Curls

• Sitting with your arms at shoulder height, palms facing upward, bend your elbows and slowly bring your hands in toward your shoulders, and then return them to the original position.

Tricep Press

• Sit with your hands against your chest and your palms facing outwards. Using a breaststroke motion, push your hands outwards until they are straight with your palms facing out, then return your arms to the starting position.

Shoulder Press

• With your elbows bent and your hands at your shoulders, slowly raise the weights straight up above the shoulders with your elbows close to your head. Return to the starting position.

Leg Exercises

• Seated with your feet together, bring one knee up toward the chest and hold for several seconds. Repeat with the other leg. Repeat, alternating legs, 10 times.

  Extend one leg and hold it, straight out, for several seconds. Alternate legs for 10 repetitions.

  March in place. With feet together, flat on the floor, lift heels alternately.

  Sit far enough forward in your chair that you can extend your legs straight out. Move them out to the side as far as you can, then bring them together and cross them, extend them to the side again, and then lower them.