Exercise: Seated & Mobility

At times when we are injured, recovering from an illness, or just plain tired, we may wish to ease up a bit on our exercise. The important thing is to never give up, but to do whatever we are capable of. Think about using this time to try something easier but perhaps new, like meditation, desk exercises, chair exercises, or you could even exercise while you’re still in bed!

Always speak with your medical provider before beginning any exercise program, even low impact, relatively easy exercises like these. They know your medical history and will be able to advise you best!

With chair exercise, even though you’ll be seated you can still burn 120-250 calories in a half hour session (1). But beyond burning calories, there are many other benefits, including improved posture, flexibility, strength, circulation, balance, cognition, and mood (2). Older folks who use this type of exercise are also less fearful of falling (2). In a 2020 study, it was found that frail elderly women in a chair based exercise program had decreased disability and improved hormone values (3).

There are many great articles as well as videos that can get you started. I’m going to link some that are on websites that aren’t overly commercialized.

Chair/Seated Exercise Links

The hidden benefits of chair exercises, a full body routine (4).
Chair based exercises which includes beginner tips (5).
5 more easy chair exercises (6).
21 chair exercises for seniors: a comprehensive visual guide (7).

Desk/Office Exercises

30 exercises you can do at a desk job during short breaks (8).
6 desk exercises from the Cleveland Clinic plus recommendations for desk cardio equipment (9).
Desk exercises for those who sit all day (10).

Exercises You Can Do From Bed

A full body workout without leaving your bed (11).
10 floor exercises you can do in bed (12). (Some of these might be hard to manage if your bed is soft and cozy!)
20 minute full body workout from bed (13).

This really is just skimming the surface when it comes to exercises you can use, even if mobility is an issue. These are ideas to get you started – assuming that this type of workout can meet your needs. Take your time and ease into exercising if you’ve been sedentary.

It’s always fun to try new exercises and techniques to help us maintain our healthy weight!

(1). https://www.multicare.org/vitals/the-hidden-benefits-of-chair-exercises/#:~:text=Whether%20it’s%20from%20your%20office,calorie%20burn%20is%20even%20more.

(2). https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-and-why-to-try-chair-exercises#benefits

(3). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0531556519304747

(4). https://www.multicare.org/vitals/the-hidden-benefits-of-chair-exercises/#:~:text=Whether%20it’s%20from%20your%20office,calorie%20burn%20is%20even%20more.

(5). https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/activity/chair-based-exercises

(6). https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/activity/chair-based-exercises/5-more-chair-based-exercises

(7). https://californiamobility.com/21-chair-exercises-for-seniors-visual-guide/#:~:text=If%20you%20exercise%2C%20muscles%20adapt,is%20very%20beneficial%20for%20seniors.%E2%80%9D

(8). https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/office-exercises

(9). https://health.clevelandclinic.org/desk-exercises/amp/

(10). https://www.runnersworld.com/training/g23863909/desk-exercises/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=arb_ga_rnw_md_pmx_us_urlx_18473187505&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7uSkBhDGARIsAMCZNJuEuVH3_xMJxtrMR4loQHDMl9E9rWBc54aVwBmNgTwhg_ua-3TfF_MaAsDFEALw_wcB

(11). https://www.healthline.com/health/exercises-you-can-do-from-bed