As you or your loved one reaches retirement age, maintaining abdominal strength becomes increasingly important for your independence, whether you’re aging in place or residing in a retirement community. Your core muscles, including those in your stomach area, play a central role in supporting your spine and maintaining good posture and balance.
Strong abdominal muscles can help you perform daily tasks with greater ease and reduce the risk of falls and injuries. Therefore, doing regular stomach exercises for seniors can be a beneficial way to strengthen your core and improve your overall fitness as you age.
Check out these exercises below and remember to consult with a healthcare professional first if you have underlying health conditions.
Abdominal bracing is a simple yet effective exercise to build core strength and improve posture. To perform this exercise, stand tall and gently tighten your abdominal muscles while drawing your belly button toward your spine.
Hold this contraction for several seconds while maintaining normal breathing. Repeat this exercise several times throughout the day.
Chair planks are a modified version of the traditional plank exercise, making them ideal for the elderly. Chair planks are an effective method to make your entire body stronger, improve posture and reduce low back pain.
To perform chair planks, place your hands on the seat of a sturdy chair and walk your feet back until your body forms a straight line starting from your head to your heels. Stay like this as long as you can while engaging your core muscles.
The deadbug exercise is a challenging core exercise that targets the lower back and abdomen muscles. Deadbugs are effective for improving core stability and balance.
To do a deadbug, lie down face up with bent knees and feet up off the floor, then extend your arms toward the ceiling. Slowly lower one arm and the opposite leg toward the ground while pressing your lower back into the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
Pelvic lifts and tilts are excellent exercises for toning the abdominal muscles that support the lower back. They help to toughen up your core and relieve lower back pain.
To perform pelvic lifts, lie down face up, bend your knees and slowly raise your pelvis off the ground while tightening your abdominal muscles. Hold this pose for a couple of seconds before lowering your pelvis back to the ground.
This exercise targets the muscles of your glutes, lower back and hamstrings. These exercises are good for improving posture.
To do a Superman exercise, lie on the floor facing down, extend your arms out ahead and keep your legs straight. Then, lift your arms and legs up off the floor simultaneously while contracting your core muscles. Remain this way for several seconds then relax and repeat.
Wood chops are dynamic exercises that engage multiple muscle groups, including the core, shoulders and hips. They are great for building a more stable core and more functional strength.
To perform wood chops, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and clasp your hands together in front of you. Next, squat down while maintaining a tight core and "chop" your hands diagonally down toward the opposite side of your body. Do the same for your other side.