Fitness at Home: Chair Exercises

With the gyms closed, many have been forced to get creative with our fitness routines. Here is a simple workout you can easily do from the safety and comfort of your home. These gentle exercises can be completed in 50 minutes and are designed to improve strength, flexibility, balance and cardiovascular health. These exercises can be done seated or standing.

What you will need:

• A sturdy chair
• Comfortable clothing
• Walking shoes
• Hand weights (optional)

Routine:

• 10-minute standing or seated warm-up and gentle stretching exercises
• 10 minutes of walking or seated cardio work
• 10 minutes of standing or seated strength training (using optional hand weights)
• 10 minutes of walking or seated cardio work
• 10 minutes of standing or seated balance work and cool-down stretches

Seated cardio exercises:

• Seated parade march
• Seated elbow to knee marching
• Seated crisscross jacks
• Seated step jacks
• Seated burpees
• Seat lifts

Strength training exercises (weights are optional):

• Top hats
• Curls
• Chest flies
• Bicep curls
• Arm circles
• Straight arm crisscross
• Knee raises
• Hip hops
• Seated sit-ups
• Squats

Stretching exercises:

• Jaw release
• Head turns
• Head circles
• Ear to shoulder stretches
• Shoulder shrugs
• Shoulder/chest openers
• Forward/backward bends
• Lateral bends
• Spinal twists
• Elbow/wrist/hand extensions
• Hip openers
• Knee lifts
• Lower leg circles
• Ankle/wrist circles
• Finger/toe stretches

 Chair supported balance work:

• Standing on one leg
• Warrior pose (I and II)
• Straight-line stance