5 movements physical therapists say every adult over 50 should do

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It’s the bane of busy folks everywhere: You know you should set aside time for regular exercise, but your packed schedule makes it tough. And as you reach your 50s and beyond, your body might start feeling the effects of that missed movement.

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That’s because as you get older, the bodily systems that work together to keep you mobile experience subtle changes, including losing muscle strength and mass and declining balance and proprioception, or your body’s ability to sense where it is in space, said physical therapist Teresa Liu-Ambrose, director of the Aging, Mobility and Cognitive Health Lab at the University of British Columbia.

Movements that you once took for granted may eventually become difficult, and over time, a lack of mobility – the ability to move your joints through a comfortable range of motion – could make it more difficult to maintain independence.

This doesn’t mean poor mobility is a given as you get older, said Annalisa Na, director of the Functional Aging and Mobility Research Laboratory at Drexel University. The best way to maintain it is to keep training it with exercises that mimic the movements of everyday life.

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Below are five moves that Liu-Ambrose and Na recommend adding into your daily routine to improve mobility and maintain balance and proprioception.

Before getting started, consider having a friend nearby – especially if you already have difficulties with balance – to make sure you’re tackling these moves safely. If you’re unsure if you can do them properly but are interested in working on mobility, ask your health care provider for a referral to a physical therapist, who can be a great resource for getting moving in a way that’s appropriate for your current physical activity level.

Even if getting up from your chair isn’t an issue for you now, lots of older adults have difficulty rising without pushing off from the armrests, said Liu-Ambrose. Working the sit-to-stand – one of the top moves both Liu-Ambrose and Na recommend to older clients and a good measure of overall fitness – into your daily routine can help preserve that functional motion.

The move strengthens your quads, hamstrings and glutes, and it trains the mobility of multiple joints, including your hips, knees and ankles, said Liu-Ambrose.

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How to do it: Standing with your feet flat on the floor facing away from a sturdy chair, hinge forward at your hips to initiate a squatting motion. Lower until your butt hits the seat. Then, push evenly through your heels to stand up tall. That’s one rep; aim to do 10.

The key is to take it slow and control your descent: “Pretend there’s an egg on the chair,” said Liu-Ambrose. “You want to sit down, but you don’t want to squash it.”

Make it easier by choosing a chair with a higher seat, said Na, or more difficult by picking a lower seat.

The pecs, or pectoral muscles, are what help you push objects (like a heavy door or furniture) and rotate your arms across your body (when you wash your opposite arm in the shower, for example). Spending a lot of time hunched over looking at your phone, laptop or tablet can make your pecs “quite tight,” Liu-Ambrose said.

This dynamic stretch helps loosen the tight muscles in your chest. It also sets your body up for better posture, which is particularly important as you age because a hunched position can make your stance less steady, said Liu-Ambrose, potentially making falls more likely.

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How to do it: Standing in front of a wall facing away from it, rest your butt, back and shoulders against the wall. Walk your feet forward a few inches and bend your knees slightly. With your arms in a goalpost position, try to touch the backs of your forearms to the wall. Reach your arms straight up, then bring them back down to goalpost position. That’s one rep; aim for 10.

If your chest muscles are too tight for your arms to touch the wall, hold them a few inches out in front of the wall instead.

Your calf muscles’ main job is to propel your body forward and help you accelerate and decelerate, said Na. As you get older, these muscles can weaken, resulting in less power in your stride when you walk or run, said Liu-Ambrose.

Weakness there can also lead to a shorter, more shuffling gait, which can make it difficult to steady yourself if you get knocked off balance. “It takes away a layer of defense that keeps you from falling,” Na said.

The heel raise – one of the best exercises you can do for healthy aging – is effective at strengthening these muscles.

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How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart in front of a chair, counter, table or wall, and rest your fingers gently on the surface for balance. Then, press your weight into the balls of your feet to raise your heels as high as you can off the floor before lowering back down. That’s one rep; aim for 10.

If these feel easy, you can add an extra power training element by raising your heels as quickly as possible, then slowly lowering down to the ground, said Liu-Ambrose. To further challenge your balance, try doing heel raises one leg at a time, she said.

When younger folks get knocked off balance, “the muscles around the ankle respond without them even thinking about it,” said Na. As you get older, this doesn’t happen as readily due to decreases in proprioception, as well as changes in ankle strength and stiffness.

While heel raises can help strengthen the muscles around the ankle joint, a simple tandem stance or walk, where you line your feet up heel-to-toe, also helps by honing your proprioception, Na said. By narrowing your base of support, it encourages the muscles in your ankle to make quick, tiny adjustments to keep you steady.

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How to do it: Stand with one foot directly in front of the other, the heel of your front foot touching the toes of your back. Try to hold this position while you’re doing a task, like washing dishes or brushing your teeth, said Liu-Ambrose. If this position makes you too unsteady, do this in front of a counter, table or other surface that you can gently hold onto for support.

If this stance feels easy, try a tandem walk, which can further hone your balance. “Just be very deliberate so as you’re walking, you’re going heel-toe, heel-toe,” said Liu-Ambrose. “Don’t try to race through it.”

The hip abductors – a small group of muscles located on the outside of each hip that allow you to move your leg away from the midline of your body – tend to be weak for many folks, Liu-Ambrose said. Because they play a huge role in keeping your body stable in single-leg activities (walking, running or climbing stairs), weakness there can mess with your balance.

The standing hip abduction exercise helps strengthen these small-but-mighty muscles at home.

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How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart beside a sturdy chair or counter, lightly holding it with one hand for balance. Keeping your torso straight, lift your outside leg out to the side as far as is comfortable, feeling your outer hip and glute muscles engage, and lower it back down with control. That’s one rep; aim for 10, then repeat on the other side.

“The key thing is that your toes should always be facing forward, not rotated sideways,” said Liu-Ambrose. This targets the muscles you want to work on.

By adding a few simple moves into your day, you can help set yourself up for successful movement as you get older. Liu-Ambrose said to think of it like you do your retirement plan. “The advice has always been to start early and to invest a little bit throughout the years so that you can retire quite comfortably,” she said. “By taking care of your body on a daily basis, the benefits accumulate,” allowing you to maintain function for the long haul.

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