Aging can cause a lot of changes in one’s body such as sagging skin, poor muscle conditions, and risk of getting injured because of poor bone density. This means that there is a high chance of you breaking your bone or being vulnerable to aches and pains especially when lifting heavy objects. The good news is that there are ways for you to keep this from happening and that is by doing strength training exercises.
You don’t really need to go to the gym to lift weights because you can simply invest on a stability ball and use these exercises to help strengthen your body.
- Leg lifts. This exercise is designed to target the quads which are located in the front of your leg. Strengthening this part of your leg can help provide additional support to your knees. Start by sitting on your stability ball with your back straight and your feet planted on the floor. Your hands should be at your sides to keep you balanced. Lift your right leg from its bent position and extend it out in front of you. Hold this pose for five seconds then go back to first position. Do the same thing with the other leg.
- Hip circles. The muscles in the hip area tend to become inflexible as you age with many complaining about tightness in this area. This can affect your mobility as you hit your senior years. Fortunately, doing stability ball workouts can help improve your hip flexors. What’s more, this workout also targets the core because you will have to do proper posture. To do this, you will need to sit on your stability ball with your legs at 90 degrees and feet on the floor. Move the ball clockwise using your hips. This will be a bit challenging to do especially with your feet on the floor but this will stretch the muscles around your hips to improve your flexibility. Do this exercise five to eight times then go counterclockwise.
- Marching. Another stability ball workout for seniors, marching can help improve your cardiac health, strength of your hip flexors, and overall flexibility. Start this exercise by sitting down on your stability ball with your back straight and your feet anchored on the floor. Lift your left knee towards your chest then bring it back to your first position. Repeat the same with the other knee. It’s important that you do this slowly at first to ensure that you are well balanced. Also, don’t do too much at the start. You need to pace yourself to minimize your risk of getting injured and to give your body time to adjust as well.
These exercises on a stability ball can help you in more ways than one. Aside from tightening your midsection, you are also improving your hip flexors, quadriceps, and your posture as well. The best thing about these workouts is that you can do them any time and in the comfort of your own home. Just make sure that you follow the right form to get the most out of these exercises for seniors.
