Ready To Hit Your Fitness Goals in 2024? Here Are the 4 Areas Every Senior Should Focus on in their Fitness Routine

An older man and older woman lift hand weights in the gym

As you look forward to 2024, what are some of your goals? Do you want to travel more? Take up a new hobby? Or just continue doing what you’ve always been doing? Thanks to continued research, we’re learning how to live longer, healthier lives. At Freedom Square of Seminole, we believe one of the best ways to meet all your goals is by maintaining your physical wellness with senior workouts focused in the areas of mobility, balance, strength and stamina.

Mobility

Mobility is having a pain-free optimal range of motion. The more movements you incorporate into your routine, the more your connective tissues become elastic. Yoga and low-impact workouts with or without weights can help you incorporate mobility into your senior fitness routine. Proven mobility benefits include:

Better balance
Improved range of motion
Enhanced posture
Increased flexibility
Better blood circulation
Reduced risks of injury

Five Mobility Exercises

Arm and shoulder circles

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hips and shoulders should be square.
Relax your left arm by your left side as you circle your right arm forward 10 times.
Extend your arm as long as possible to make large circles without shifting hips.
Switch directions for another 10 repetitions.
Switch sides and repeat.

Hip circles

Lie on your back with legs extended.
Bend your right knee and bring it toward your chest so your knee is pointing toward the ceiling.
Draw circles, make them progressively bigger, with that knee in one direction 20 times.
Switch directions and repeat.
Switch sides and repeat.

Cat and cow

On all fours, place your hands underneath your shoulders, shoulder-width a-part.
Spread your fingers evenly, pointing forward.
Your knees should be directly below your hips, and the tops of your feet should be touching the mat.
Keep your neck in a neutral position with your eyes gazing down.
Inhale, drop your belly, open your chest, widen your shoulders, and look forward.
Tilt your buttocks up towards the ceiling.
Exhale, round your back towards the ceiling, drop your head down while hugging the abdominal muscles to your spine.
Push away from the ground.
Repeat six times.

Windshield wiper

Lie on your back pressing your shoulder blades flat against the floor.
Extend both arms straight out to the side.
Inhale, lift your legs, and keep your thighs perpendicular to the floor with your knees in the air. To avoid back pain or injury, press your lower back against the ground.
Exhale and lower your knees while keeping your shoulder blades firmly pressed to the floor .
Keep your core engaged as you twist your spine and drop both knees to the right side.
Bring both knees back to center, repeat the same steps for the left side.
Do this three times on each side.

Standing calf raise

Stand on your mat, feet hip-width apart, toes pointing forward.
Put your hands on your waist or alongside your body.
Tighten your core/stomach muscles.
Inhale, slowly raise your heels, while pressing the ball joints of your toes against the ground. Keep your knees extended with a slight bend, not locked.
Exhale, lower your heels back down.
Repeat six times.

Balance

Improved balance makes daily activities, such as walking on stairs, carrying heavy items and suddenly changing directions, easier. A strong, stable base will allow you to move with more coordination and ease. If you have severe balance problems or an orthopedic condition, talk with your health care professional before doing balance exercises.

Four Balance Exercises

These exercises keep your body active, improve balance and coordination, and prevent falls and injuries.

Tightrope walk

Put a 15-foot piece of tape on the floor in a straight line.
Hold your arms out wide to the sides.
Walk on the tape without stepping off to the side.
Walk at least 15 steps.

Flamingo stand

Stand with your left leg on the ground and your right leg lifted.
Use a chair or wall for support and stretch your right leg forward.
Maintain good posture by keeping your spine, neck and head in one line.
To increase the difficulty, extend your hand to reach for your right foot.
Hold for up to 15 seconds.
Switch sides.

Weight shifts

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your weight equally spread out over both legs.
Shift your weight to your right side, then lift your left foot off the floor.
Hold the position for up to 30 seconds, or as long as you can keep good form.
Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
As your balance improves, increase the number of repetitions.

Bicep curls for balance

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your weight equally spread out over both legs.
Hold the dumbbell in your left hand with your palm facing upward.
Lift your right leg off the floor and bend it back at the knee.
Hold the position for up to 30 seconds, or as long as you can keep good form.
Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
As your balance improves, increase the number of repetitions.

Strength

If your senior workouts don’t include strength training, you’re missing out. Strength training helps prevent age-related muscle loss, keep your bones strong, promote mobility, prevent falls, and combat depression and cognitive decline. Other benefits of strength training once a week include:

Reduced inflammation
Lower blood pressure
Lower blood sugar levels

Six Strength Exercises

Squat

Stand tall with your feet shoulder to hip width apart.
Hold your arms straight out in front of you at shoulder level and tighten your core.
This is your starting position.
Push your hips back and bend your knees to slowly lower your body into a squat.
Push through your heels to slowly return to starting position.
That’s one repetition.
Aim for 10 to 15 repetitions.

Incline pushup

Stand facing a table, dresser or wall. (The taller the object or more upright you are, the easier this move will be.)
Place your hands on the surface or edge, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Move your feet back until you are at a comfortable angle, keeping your arms straight and perpendicular to your body.
Bend your elbows to slowly lower your chest toward the object, pause and then press back up to straighten your arms.
Keep your body straight throughout the entire movement, making sure to engage your abs and squeeze your rear.
That’s one repetition.
Aim for 10 to 15 repetitions.

Stationary lunge

Stand tall with your arms down at your sides.
Step back with your right foot, placing your toes on the ground and keeping your heel lifted.
From this staggered stance, bend your front (left) knee to slowly lower your body as far as comfortable.
Allow your back knee to bend as well until it hovers a few inches above the floor, but keep your weight pressed into your front heel.
Draw your lower belly in and lift your chest.
Press through your front foot to raise your body back to standing.
That’s one repetition.
Aim for 10 to 15 repetitions on each side.

Dead bug

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Raise your bent legs up so that your knees are stacked over your hips, keeping a 90-degree bend in your knees.
Tighten your core to press your lower back into the floor. (Make sure to maintain this flat-back position throughout this entire exercise.)
With your palms facing each other, bring your arms up to point toward the ceiling.
Straighten your left leg and bring it toward the floor (try not to let it touch). At the same time, bring your right arm back toward the floor (try not to let it touch).
Bring your arm and leg back to the starting position.
Repeat on the opposite side with right leg and left arm extended.
That’s one repetition.
Aim for 10 to 15 repetitions on each side.

Lying hip bridges

Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Flatten your lower back against the floor, squeeze your glutes and push your hips up into the air. Make sure to push through your entire foot, almost as if you’re trying to push your toes out the end of your shoes.
Then slowly lower to start.
That’s one repetition.
Aim for 10 to 15 repetitions on each side.

Side planks

Start by lying on your side, propped up with your elbow directly below your shoulder with either the sides of your feet or the sides of your knees stacked on the floor (do what’s comfortable for you).
Squeeze your core and lift your hips off the floor so that your body forms a straight line from your ears to either your feet or knees.
Hold for as long as you can while maintaining good form.
Lower your hips to return to start.
Repeat on the opposite side.

Stamina/Endurance

Endurance exercises include brisk walking, stationary bike riding, running, low-impact aerobics, swimming, water aerobics, cycling or any exercise that makes you breathe faster and increase your heart rate.

Whichever endurance exercise you make part of your senior workouts, they should be intense enough to elevate your heartbeat and breathing but not so high as to over-stress your system. One way to make sure you’re training correctly is the talk test. You should be able to speak in your normal voice and tone during your exercise session. If you are out of breath and are unable to speak regularly, then you need to lower your intensity level by slowing down.

If your level of physical activity is currently on the lower side, it’s a good idea to start with two to five minutes of continuous walking a few times a day. Then build up to 30 minutes, three or four times a week. Hiking or walking shoes are the best choice for walking. Look for a shoe with thick soles to provide cushioning and good heel support for increased stability. Thick socks will increase your comfort and reduce the risk of blistering.

Get Fit At Freedom Square

At Freedom Square, we take a holistic approach to your well-being. Our signature program integrates eight dimensions of wellness, including physical, emotional, social, spiritual, intellectual, vocational, and environmental wellness. It also includes on-site care services to match where you are in the continuum of health. To learn more about our commitment to your health and wellness, use our Community Assistant chat feature or contact us here.