It is possible to exercise without moving from your chair, and these types of exercises can be ideal for seniors or people who are otherwise restricted in the methods they can use to keep in shape. Here are some ideas for exercise while you sit and watch TV or even if you just feel like sitting down and at the same time giving your muscles a workout.



There are several exercise you can do that involve using the rotational abilities of your body parts only. To strengthen your back, try pelvic tilts. These can be achieved by pressing backwards, towards the back of your chair, with your pelvic area. When your lower back is pressed against the back of the chair, release the pressure and return to the normal sitting position. Do this continuously for about ten or twenty repetitions.

There are some very simple exercises you can do while sitting down for the upper parts of your body. Try doing shoulder shrugs (raising your shoulders up towards your neck and back down) and circles (moving your shoulders in a circular motion several times). These exercises should also be repeated in sets, combined with some head rolls (moving your head in a circular motion) to strengthen your neck. You can also tilt your head from side to side to stretch out the neck muscles.

The hands can also be exercised through stretching, both of the fingers and by moving your wrists in circles to stretch them out. Finger flexing is also a useful exercise, and fingers can be stretched by putting one hand over the fingers of the other, and pressing back slightly until pressure is felt. Do not crack your knuckles. To exercise chest muscles, try interlocking your hands behind your back and pushing slightly upwards.

When it comes to your lower body, you can exercise your legs by stretching them out in front of you as well as raising them out one at a time. Ankle pumps, raising your feet up to the tiptoes and then back down, are also useful exercises.

There are also exercises you can do in your chair by using light weights and other devices designed for smaller workouts. This equipment is designed to enhance your strength, so make sure to use some of the stretching exercises first in order to get your muscles warmed up to the task.

Small weights or weighted balls can be raised gently in the hands in a variety of ways. You can try curls that are good for your biceps, and even flies to strengthen your shoulder muscles. Just holding the weight out in front of you is a good exercise to strengthen both your muscles and your stamina.

Weights with straps can be purchased for exercises that will strengthen your leg muscles- just strap the weights onto your ankles and do any of the stretching exercises mentioned above.

Other exercise equipment can be used, such as the much favored Bow Flex and other elastic materials that are designed to put some stress on muscle groups. You can use your chair both to maintain your current condition and to strengthen your body!