In the late years of life, a correct body posture can help combat serious injuries. This article will take you through the best posture exercises for seniors. 

Do you remember how your grandma used to be so lively and confident in her younger days? Or, even your grandpa, who could easily carry you on his back without fail? But today, it feels hard for them to pass through a few stairs without an arched back. 

It is said that people over 70 years old become prone to adverse effects on the body. Bones lose calcium, muscles feel rigid, spine bends forward, and all of them together cause one to make frequent doctor visits in old age.

According to one study, physical therapy improves posture by an angle of more than 3 degrees. For this reason, we have identified 5-best posture correction exercises for seniors to maintain a healthy lifestyle. 

Daily Posture Exercises for Seniors

In our daily hush and rush, our demanding deadlines have restrained us from looking beyond the normal routine. Our busy schedule keeps us from indulging in a healthy lifestyle, resulting in common posture mistakes that trigger the body to react badly. 

There are plenty of exercises that scare people of all ages, let alone people over 65+ years. But when poor posture comes into the picture, one can only imagine years of struggle with pain, stiff body, and loss of self-esteem. 

However, even in the late years, you can still take care of bad posture with easy-to-do exercises. Specifically targeted for old age, these exercises will help strengthen muscles, unload shoulder stress, lower back pain, and keep your chin aligned. 

Before proceeding with these exercises, it is advisable to have a doctor’s consultation beforehand. 

Shoulder Rolls

Starting with the most basic and beginner-level exercise, the shoulder roll exercise stretches the shoulder muscles, eases the upper back, and tears apart the stiff neck. 

You would never need any equipment or training to practice this exercise as it can be done alone and easily by seniors. 

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Benefits

• As you roll down your shoulders in and out, you help your neck muscles become stronger.
• The moving shoulders help circulate more blood in and around the neck area. 
• Shoulder rolls make you stand in a 90-degree position with a straight back, which is useful to activate the upper body. 
• The exercise helps to eliminate hunchback postures or loosen up the rigid muscles. 

How to Do

• Sit or stand in a comfortable position, relaxing your neck, upper back, and shoulders. 
• Make sure to keep your chest and spine straight while doing this exercise. 
• Move your shoulders back and forth for a quick warm-up. 
• Once you do that, lift your shoulders until it reaches your ear, then slightly roll the shoulders back and then to their original position. 
• Now, repeat the movement by rolling in and out. This should last for about 30 seconds until you repeat this exercise in another direction. 
• When you do so, make sure to count 30 seconds for the other direction as well. 
• Make sure to relax for a few minutes if you wish to repeat again. 

Walking

A simple walk on a trail is a good way to pump up more oxygen-rich blood and activate the cells of the body. Unlike other posture exercises, which can drain you within a few minutes, a simple brisk walk will help you to get started with posture exercises as a beginner. 

It will boost your mood and alleviate the strain around legs, back pain, or joint dysfunction while also helping you stand tall and proud. 

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Benefits

• Walking boosts the mood and makes the old age group feel relaxed and high on energy. 
• Walking a few miles every day helps tone down the muscles to a large extent. 
• Maintains posture by stretching the back muscles, strengthening the spinal cord, and pushing the body weight in a balanced position. 
• A simple walk can help alleviate severe joint pains and foot injuries, otherwise improved only by medical equipment. 

How To Do

• Make sure to plan a time of the day when the number of passersby is more active. This will eventually make you consistent and motivate you to walk for distant trails. 
• Decide on the number of miles you will cover before each trail. You can do this to keep a record of your time which will help you with a beautiful start every morning. 
• Doctors usually recommend that a usual 30-minute walk is a good start for beginners. Though, you can definitely aim for a long distance at a later stage. For this reason, it is important to wear sports shoes or invest in one beforehand. 

Chin Tuck 

While this exercise might feel funny or awkward in the first trial for beginners, the Chin Tuck is one of the best elderly exercises for posture correction. 

Known as a boon for seniors, the gentle chin movements will help correct the forward head and release the uneasy neck muscles. In a nutshell, it improves neck posture by balancing it in a calm position. 

Benefits

• The chin tuck exercise will help improve the body posture, most particularly the neck and head. One can also avoid slouching or stooping really low to the ground with the help of this exercise. 
• It reduces the chances of disbalance while doing any work.
• The regular practice of this exercise will help strengthen the front neck muscles and keep your head in a similar alignment as that of a spine.
• Regularly practicing the chin tuck will make muscles and bones become flexible.

How To Do

• Sit comfortably with a neck pillow or rolled towel on the back of the head. This will keep the head in an upright position. 
• Swiftly, move your neck (not force) towards the back to make a double-chin. As you do so, hold this position firmly for about 5-10 seconds. You can slowly increase the time after a comfortable practice. 
• Make sure to not inhale and try slow breathing with every movement. 
• Now, slightly move the neck forward and keep it at a similar pace to the ground. 
• Repeat the exercise 10-20 times a day. 

You might like to read: A Complete Guide to Running for Seniors

Wall Tilts

The Wall tilt, also known as pelvic tilt, is another demanding exercise to improve the posture for seniors. This simple exercise will help lessen the lower back pain and build up core muscles in the back, buttocks, and spine. 

Benefits

• Wall tilts are effective in bringing the curved spine into a neutral position. 
• Useful to keep the shoulders back and down without pressuring the upper body. 
• Pelvic tilts strengthen the hip muscles and loosen the joint that hinders flexibility. 
• In terms of relieving pain, the regular practice of this exercise will help reduce lower back pain to a helpful extent. 

How To Do

• Stand against the flat wall and make sure your back touches the wall. 
• Keep both feet away from the wall in the forward direction while your shoulders, pelvis, and buttocks should still be touching the wall. 
• Make an arch with lower back standing in a similar position and inhale. 
• Keep your knees straight and try to flatten your back to the wall, and exhale. 
• Repeat the process ten times and try to perform the exercise 2 times a day. 

Arm Ups

Last but not least, the arm up exercise will keep your shoulders flexible and mobile all day long. Unlike other similar arm exercises, the arm ups are bound to make you progress as it lifts the rib and makes it more flexible. With strong ribs, your shoulders are pulled back, which ultimately improves posture. 

Benefits

• The ribs become strong enough to assist easy breathing with arm-up exercise. 
• Also, the consistent arm ups activity helps to tone the arms and remain productive. 
• It will lift the rib cage and strengthen the shoulder position to its original form. 

How to do

• Perform the exercise by standing straight or sitting comfortably on a chair.
• Try to keep your body in a relaxed position while you do this activity. 
• To start with, sit straight while keeping your feet on the ground and rest your hands on your lap. 
• Shoot your arms upward to reach shoulder level while your fingertips should be facing each other. Breathe in slowly while you move your arms in this direction. 
• Try breathing out at a slow pace and slowly rest your hands on your lap again. 
• Repeat the exercise for the next 20 minutes. 

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Wrap Up

To attain the right posture, elders need to follow a strict diet plan. Doing so will not only help in maintaining a confident posture but will also help you boast a healthy lifestyle. In addition, one must indulge in aerobic exercises, yoga, or meditation to cure bad posture. 

We hope this article helped you to understand the importance of good posture. If you find this article informative, make sure to pass the knowledge among others as well. And if you have any queries or comments on the article, please do share your views in the comments section below.