Home » Sleep Blog » A Guide to Exercise for Seniors

You don’t need us to tell you that exercise is good for one’s health. Public health campaigns and high school gym teachers have been hammering home that message for years. But fewer people realize exercise can offer distinct perks at different stages of life.

Regular physical activity offers people in their golden years a host of benefits, from stronger bones to improved cognition and better sleep. You don’t need to pound the pavement or spend hours in the gym each day to reap these benefits. The perks of exercise can be found via a huge range of activities including cycling, swimming, walking, strength training, stretching, and more.

Below, we’ve detailed everything you need to know about exercise for seniors. We’ll walk you through the many benefits of exercise at this life stage plus a range of accessible activities. We’ve also rounded up several experts’ best recommendations for exercises that relieve aches and pains all over the body.

Finally, we’ll outline some safety tips for exercise so you can stay fit and active for years to come. Let’s get to it!

Edie Dolan (aged 70+), featured in the clips below, has been working with personal trainer Kate Meier for over 2 years. Meier says, “When we started working together, Edie’s osteoporosis was progressing rapidly. After just six months, they found that her osteoporosis progression had stopped and it has not progressed again since we started working together.” This is a true testament to the benefits of resistance training in older adults!

Here’s one good reason to get a move on: Research routinely finds links between physical activity and quality Zzzs. Per Johns Hopkins Medicine, regular physical activity could support sleep in several ways.

Put all these benefits together, and you’ll see why exercise can have a powerful impact on sleep. It’s why the Cleveland Clinic states that “physical activity can be as effective as prescription sleep meds.” Indeed, a 2020 study found exercise is associated with reduced use of sleep medications.

Better sleep isn’t the only perk associated with regular physical activity. Per the National Council on Aging, there are several more benefits of exercise for seniors. For example, exercise could help:

These aerobic exercises are ideal for morning activity because they involve more physical exertion than some of the mellower activities described later on. Few people want to save the most challenging part of their day for the evening. Get it over with and give yourself a jolt of energy to start each day off right.

For a bedtime routine that gets your body ready for sleep, try incorporating the following stretches and wind-down exercises into your evening. Compared to the morning exercises outlined above, these activities require less exertion and are gentler on the body.

A 2019 study found yoga is particularly well suited to seniors. It’s a low-impact activity that simultaneously strengthens muscles, enhances flexibility, and promotes balance and coordination. Additional research has found yoga could reduce hypertension, strengthen bones, boost mood, and offer a calming effect that helps practitioners lay down their worries before bed.

Try these poses as part of a nighttime wind-down routine. 

Resistance bands come in a variety of strengths, lengths, and sizes, but they all have several things in common: They’re ribbons of stretchy material that are affordable, foldable, portable, and offer several health benefits.

A 2017 meta-analysis of 19 studies found resistance bands can improve seniors’ flexibility and balance, while a smaller 2021 study found training with resistance bands improved balance, physical function, and mental health. Meanwhile, a 2020 study found people with degenerative knee arthritis who used resistance bands three times a week for four weeks experienced less pain and greater knee function.

Ready to get started with resistance bands? Put together a mellow pre-bedtime workout with these exercises.

Pilates has been around since the early 1900s. This style of exercise and body conditioning was originally designed for dancers, but its benefits extend to people of all stripes. Pilates emphasizes strengthening the core muscle groups; practicing precise, balanced movements; and breathing intentionally. The practice promotes proper alignment throughout the body, which can ease aches and pains.

There are many pilates routines and exercises, some of which require props and some that don’t. A quick YouTube search should yield an at-home routine that’s suited to your experience level.

Otherwise known as “abdominal twists,” tummy twists strengthen the core while strengthening and mobilizing the spine. The move is performed on the floor:

Stretching your sides helps loosen up the body while strengthening the intercostal muscles, or the muscles between the ribs. You can target these muscles from a seated or standing position. Here’s how the seated version works:

If you are limited in mobility or don’t have access to a gym (or you’re avoiding gyms due to Covid), that doesn’t mean physical activity is off-limits. Here are some simple exercises you can do from the comfort of your own home.

The classic push up is a very challenging exercise, while modified push ups are more accessible to people of all fitness levels. Just like a regular push up, modified push ups work the pectoral, core, and triceps muscles. Perform this exercise with the aid of a sturdy chair or wall:

Want to strengthen your core and create more flexibility in the hips without even standing up? Give lying leg raises a try:

Strength training with dumbbells can increase upper body strength, enhance joint health, improve balance and stability, and even increase bone density. There are tons of dumbbell exercises and routines, each of which targets different muscles or works toward a different goal, such as increasing strength or improving balance.

No matter which move(s) you choose, remember that proper form is key to avoiding injuries and pain. Begin with lightweight dumbbells and gradually increase the weight as your strength grows. To get started, check out this 15-minute dumbbell routine for seniors from SilverSneakers.

Step-ups were all the rage back in the 1980s, and they’ve since made a comeback. This resistance exercise strengthens the glutes and legs (especially the quadriceps and hamstrings). All you need to perform it at home is a couple of stairs or a step stool.

This simple stretch helps relieve tension in the lower back while improving range of motion, strengthening the abs, and boosting circulation.

This pilates-inspired exercise offers a low-impact way to stretch the quads while improving balance and strengthening the core, glutes, and hamstrings. Start with beginner-friendly single-leg kicks and gradually work your way up to double-leg kicks.

To perform a single-leg kick:

We spoke with several experts to get their recommendations for the best low-impact exercises that help alleviate different types of pain. Whether you’re dealing with hip, neck, knee, back, leg, wrist, or shoulder pain, these moves have got you covered.

Jennifer Perry, physical therapist, DPT, says stretching the piriformis (a muscle in the hip/buttock area that supports hip mobility) “improves flexibility and mobility in the hip and can assist with decreasing pain in the back and/or hip.”

Here are Perry’s tips for stretching the piriformis:

Brett Edmunds, a chiropractor at Paramount Health, says hip flexor stretches help “improve flexibility and reduce pain in the hip area.” The hip flexors are a group of muscles located near the front of the hip. They allow people to move their legs and knees up toward the upper body.

Follow Edmunds’ tips to stretch your hip flexors:

Simple neck rotations can ease neck pain and stiffness, Edmunds says. Here’s how to safely perform this exercise:

Dr. Kristina Hendija, a medical doctor and medical advisor at Beardoholic, also recommends neck stretches as a strategy for relieving neck pain. While Edmunds’ neck stretch involves rotating the head side to side, Hendija’s calls for tilting the head forward and back. This “helps to alleviate pain and stiffness from poor posture,” she says.

Here’s how to perform this neck stretch:

For best results, combine this neck stretch with the neck rotations described above. Hendija also recommends making circles with your head–”about 10 in each direction.”

Dr. Jacob Hascalovici, MD, PhD, says side leg raises help strengthen the hips, which creates greater mobility in the knees and helps alleviate knee pain. He explains: “When your hips, thighs, and knees aren’t well-aligned, your knees end up bearing additional weight and pressure. This is why hip-strengthening exercises are helpful for knee pain.”

Here are Hascalovici’s instructions for performing side leg raises:

Cat-Cow Pose Hascalovici says the cat-cow yoga pose is especially “useful for warming up the spine and relieving muscle tension in the back.” He explains: “Having a strong and flexible central spine can help decrease lower back pain. … In fact, studies have shown that regular yoga practice can lead to statistically significant improvements in flexibility and strength.”

To perform cat-cow pose, follow Hascalovici’s instructions:

Kent Probst, a kinesiotherapist, says “low back pain that is caused by muscle tightness can be alleviated by stretching the paraspinal muscles of the low back.” The paraspinal muscles make up three muscle groups whose job it is to support the back. When these muscles get tight and stiff, they can cause lower back pain.

Stretching out the paraspinal muscles is easy. Here are Probst’s tips:

Sherry McAllister, DC, president of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, says this stretch can loosen up the lower back, thereby reducing pain.

Here are McAllister’s instructions:

Po-Chang Hsu, M.D., M.S., and Medical Content Expert at Sleepingocean.com, recommends a seated hamstring stretch to ease leg pain. “This exercise targets the leg muscles and works well to relieve sciatica pain,” Hsu says. “It may also help seniors keep their legs flexible and prevent pain.”

Follow Hsu’s instructions to perform this stretch:

Dr. Brittany Ferri, PhD, MS, Medical Advisor at Medical Solutions BCN says “many falls come from tight calf muscles, which prevent people from fully straightening their legs when walking.” For that reason, it’s critical to loosen up the calf muscles with regular calf stretching.

Ferri recommends this simple stretch:

Hendija says leg swings help “promote circulation in the lower extremities and help stretch the hip muscles, which may be tight or painful from prolonged sitting.”

Here are Hendija’s tips for performing this move:

“This exercise can relieve pressure and tightness around the ankles from prolonged periods of… standing or using tight footwear,” Hendija says.

Here’s how it works:

Hsu says wrist bends are especially helpful for people with arthritis in their hands, because they promote flexibility in the hands and wrists. This stretch “targets the wrist joints that often become immobile due to arthritis,” Hsu says.

Follow Hsu’s tips for performing this stretch:

Belina Calderon Nernberg, CEO at 1Heart Caregiver Services LLC and 1Heart Franchise, recommends this exercise to anyone with arthritis or stiffness in the wrists.

Here’s how it works:

“Shoulder rolls help to warm up the shoulder girdle,” Hendija says. “Proper form helps to maintain flexibility and mobility in a full range of motion.”

Follow Hendija’s tips to perform this exercise:

“This exercise helps to warm up the upper and middle back muscles, alleviating tightness that may be present from poor posture,” Hendija says. This can ease pain in the shoulders as well as the chest and back.

Here are Hendija’s instructions for this exercise:

Safety is always an important consideration when exercising. That’s doubly true for anyone who’s getting along in years, since falls, breaks, and sprains are more common with age. To reap the benefits of physical activity while minimizing the risks, keep these tips for exercise safety in mind.

Exercise is good for you at any age, but it offers extra benefits to seniors. Regular physical activity can support cognitive health, prevent bone loss, ease pain, boost immunity, improve mood, and help prevent or manage chronic disease. Additionally, there’s a direct link between exercise and better sleep, which is essential for overall well being.

No matter your activity level or your mobility, there’s an exercise program for you. Depending on your personal situation, that program could include higher-intensity exercise such as cycling or swimming or lower-intensity activities like walking, yoga, and stretching. You can tailor your exercises to the time of day or create a routine designed to alleviate particular pains. If you’re not sure about the best routine for you, consult a physical trainer or a medical professional.

Always keep safety in mind when exercising. Wear appropriate shoes and clothing, be sure to warm up and cool down, stay alert, drink plenty of water, stop if you’re feeling pain, and prioritize recovery after each workout. A balanced exercise routine will keep you healthy over the long-term and empower you to enjoy your golden years with greater strength, mobility, and independence.

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