15-Minute Workout For Seniors

We’ve always been told that physical exercise is paramount for a healthy body. But when you reach the age of 60, it becomes even more important because now, your body needs an extra push to stay healthy.

With age, it’s easier to become senile and less active throughout the day. Your body also takes more time to recover from any activity—so you think that exercising can be too strenuous. That doesn’t mean you stop exercising altogether; instead, try out some age-appropriate exercises to keep you healthy. 15-minute workouts are the best option.

For seniors, the benefits of working out are much different from those below 60 years old, so their workouts are also different. This article will look at the benefits of working out and a list of 15-minute workouts for seniors.

Why do seniors need to work out?

The main benefit of working out is that it helps seniors live an extended and healthy life. Some other granular benefits include:

• Increased engagement/alertness: Exercise energizes you over time and releases endorphins — giving you more energy and keeping you alert throughout the day

• Better physical health: In general, you tend to build a stronger core and a toned body. It ensures that you don’t have to rely on other people to do basic activities

• Improved balance: Exercise improves strength and flexibility, which in turn improves balance — preventing the risk of falls and severe injuries

• Improved brain function: Physical activity improves motor skills, which improves cognitive health. It reduces the risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, etc.

• Decreased disease risk: With regular exercise, you can reduce your risk of severe illnesses like heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, etc. If you’re already affected, it could reduce the severity of your symptoms.

3-day 15-minute workout for seniors

• Aerobics (Day 1): This could include any form of aerobics — walking, water aerobics, cycling, or dancing. The idea is to start small and give your body the needed movement. It doesn’t have to be high intensity necessarily. All these activities are considered suitable cardio activities. The individual can use some form of support — a walking cane, a dancing partner, floaters (water aerobics), etc.

• Chair Yoga + Balancing Boosters (Day 2): Chair Yoga focuses on building muscle strength and balance over time. It’s a low-intensity exercise that focuses on improving mobility and strength without straining the body too much. Examples include seated cow stretch, seated mountain pose, seated twist, etc. Those who practice this daily tend to sleep better and have reduced instances of depressive episodes.

Balancing boosters are targeted explicitly towards balance improvement — examples include sifting weight exercise and single-leg balance. When combined, both of these exercises could help you increase your range of motion and flexibility over time.

• Resistance band workout + Dumbbell Strength Training (Day 3): Resistance bands are specifically used to remove any extra stress on the body while working out. They’re readily available as long strips of rubber and can be done at home too. Examples include leg press, triceps press, bicep curl, band pull apart, and more.

Dumbbell strength training strengthens specific parts of the body and improves metabolism. They need to be done with a bit of precaution. Still, they are quite helpful in preventing severe diseases like osteoporosis, diabetes, depression, etc. Examples include bent-over row, overhead press, front raise, and the like. Always use lower weights (0.5 to 1.5 kg) to get started.

Start today

Building a comprehensive exercise plan is hard, so we’ve listed out a few low-intensity exercises that take only 15 minutes each day. They’re great to keep your body in shape along with a healthy diet. While the initial push is hard, you’ll be more motivated to keep going with time. You’ll feel less sluggish and more engaged in your daily life.