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What Exercises Can Be Done to Strengthen Walking for a Senior Citizen?

No matter how old you are, your muscles have the ability to get stronger. Seniors face certain physiological changes due to aging. In his study, "Short-Term Heavy Resistance Training Eliminates Age-Related Deficits in Muscle Mass and Strength in Healthy Older Males," Dr. Darren Candow, PhD, performed studies comparing younger and older men. He concluded both groups experienced the same strength gains with resistance training and part of the decrease in function that comes with old age is simply due to inactivity. You can improve your walking ability with certain exercises.

  1. From the Chair

    • Prolonged sitting tightens the hip muscles, tendons and ligaments, thus making it harder to stand up straight. It's more difficult to walk when you are hunched over, so limbering up with stretches is a good idea. Take time to sit up straight. Push your shoulders back to touch the back of the chair. While sitting with both feet flat on the floor, keep your heels on the ground and lift your toes up, stretching your calves, ankles and Achilles tendons. Lift one foot at a time off the ground and draw a circle with your toes, creating flexibility in your ankles. While sitting with both feet on the floor, lift your right knee until your entire foot is off the ground as high as you can. Let it return to the floor and repeat with the other leg, lifting each 10 times.

    Hit the Wall

    • While facing a wall, put both hands on the wall and gently push your shoulders back and away from the wall, bringing your hips forward to the wall. While in this position, lift your right knee as high as you can in front of you and then lower it back down. Do this 20 times on each leg. When this becomes easy, add a knee lift and leg extension, pressing the working leg's foot behind you as far as you can, and then return it to the floor. Build up to 10 on each leg. The slower you do them, the more challenging they are to do.

    Find Your Balance

    • Do balance exercises near a chair or get help from an assistant for support. Progress from two hands on the chair first, then to one hand and then later down to a fingertip for balance. Stand behind a chair while holding it for support and lift one leg off the ground in front of you, holding your balance on one leg. Repeat with the other leg. Stop if you feel unsteady or dizzy. While holding onto a chair or assistant for support, roll forward onto your toes and then back onto your heels several times.This improves both your flexibility and your strength. Finally, place your feet flat on the floor and then go up high on the tips of your toes and back down again.

    Endurance

    • Whenever you can stand instead of sit, do so. Several physiological adaptations occur when you bear your own weight. Your posture straightens, your bones become stronger, your blood pressure decreases, your balance improves and your lungs can expand more. Whenever you can, stand with your back against a wall and pull your shoulders back. Lean against the wall and draw your right foot up behind you, so the bottom of your foot slides along the wall. This will strengthen your legs and increase your flexibility. When you walk, keep your head high and your shoulders back and pick your feet up off the floor. If necessary, use an assistant or walker, progressing as you get stronger to minimal or no assistance.

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