EBSCO Health

Print PageSend to a Friend
Health Library Home>Wellness Centers>Sports & Fitness>Article

Exercise for Older Adults: Don’t Forget to Stretch!

Image for elderly stretching article Now that you have heard about all the benefits of exercise as you age, you are ready to hit the gym or the dance floor…or at least go for a daily walk. There is only one problem: your joints or muscles do not want to cooperate. Is it too late to limber up?

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, flexibility (the range of motion of a joint) decreases with age and physical inactivity. Inactivity can cause your muscles, tendons, and ligaments to get shorter over time. However, regardless of your age, you can increase your flexibility and prepare your body for activity by incorporating stretching into your daily routine. Do not forget, though, that aerobic fitness and strengthening are also important as you age. Balance-improving exercise such as tai chi may also improve well-being and reduce the risk of falling.

The Benefits of Stretching Exercises

A daily stretching routine may offer your these benefits:

Stretching: How Much and How Often?

The National Institute on Aging offers these tips:

Safety Tips

Stretch Those Muscles!

These exercises, from the National Institute of Aging, can help increase your flexibility when performed on a regular basis:

Hamstrings

To stretch the muscles in back of the thigh:

  1. Sit sideways on a bench or other hard surface such as 2 chairs placed side by side.
  2. Keep one leg stretched out on the bench, straight, toes pointing up.
  3. Keep the other leg off of the bench, with the foot flat on floor.
  4. Straighten your back.
  5. If you feel a stretch at this point, hold the position for 10-30 seconds.
  6. If you don't feel a stretch, lean forward from your hips (not your waist) until you feel stretching in the leg on the bench, keeping your back and shoulders straight.
    • Note: Omit this step if you have had a hip replacement, unless your doctor has told you that it is safe to do.
  7. Hold the position for 10-30 seconds.
  8. Repeat with the other leg.
  9. Repeat 3-5 times on each side.

Calves

To stretch the lower leg muscles in 2 ways—with the knee straight and the knee bent:

  1. Stand with your hands against the wall, arms outstretched and elbows straight.
  2. Keeping your left knee slightly bent, toes of your right foot slightly turned inward, step back 1-2 feet (31-61 centimeters) with the right leg, heel, and foot flat on the floor. You should feel a stretch in your calf muscle, but you shouldn't feel uncomfortable. If you don't feel a stretch, move your foot farther back until you do.
  3. Hold the position for 10-30 seconds.
  4. Bend the knee of the right leg, keep your heel and foot flat on the floor.
  5. Hold the position for another 10-30 seconds.
  6. Repeat with the left leg.
  7. Repeat 3-5 times for each leg.

Ankles

To stretch the ankle muscles:

  1. Remove your shoes. Sit toward the front edge of a chair and lean back, using pillows to support your back.
  2. Stretch your legs out in front of you.
  3. With your heels still on the floor, bend your ankles to point your feet toward you.
  4. Bend your ankles to point your feet away from you.
  5. If you don't feel the stretch, repeat with your feet slightly off the floor.
  6. Hold the position for one second.
  7. Repeat 3-5 times.

Triceps Stretch

To stretch the muscles in the back of the upper arm:

  1. Hold one end of a towel in your right hand.
  2. Raise and bend the right arm to drape the towel down back. Keep your right arm in this position, and continue holding onto the towel.
  3. Reach behind your lower back and grasp the bottom end of towel with your left hand.
  4. Climb your left hand progressively higher up the towel, which also pulls your right arm down. Continue until your hands touch, or as close to that as you can comfortably go.
  5. Reverse positions.
  6. Repeat each position 3-5 times.

Wrist Stretch

To stretch your wrist muscles:

  1. Place hands together, in praying position.
  2. Slowly raise your elbows so your arms are parallel to the floor, keeping your hands flat against each other.
  3. Hold this position for 10-30 seconds.
  4. Repeat 3-5 times.

Quadriceps

To stretch the muscles in front of the thighs:

  1. Lie on your side on the floor. Your hips should be lined up so that one is directly above the other one.
  2. Rest your head on a pillow or on your hand.
  3. Bend the knee that is on top.
  4. Reach back and grab the heel of that leg. If you can't reach your heal with your hand, loop a belt over your foot and hold the belt ends.
  5. Gently pull that leg until the front of the thigh stretches.
  6. Hold the position for 10-30 seconds.
  7. Reverse the position and repeat.
  8. Repeat 3-5 times on each side. If the back of your thigh cramps during this exercise, stretch your leg and try again more slowly.

Single Hip Rotation

To stretch the muscles of the pelvis and inner thigh:

Note: Don't do this exercise if you have had a hip replacement, unless your doctor has given you approval.

  1. Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
  2. Keep your shoulders on the floor throughout exercise.
  3. Lower one knee slowly to the side, keeping the other leg and your pelvis in place.
  4. Hold the position for 10-30 seconds.
  5. Bring your knee back up slowly.
  6. Repeat with the other knee.
  7. Repeat 3-5 times on each side.

Shoulder Rotation

To stretch the shoulder muscles:

  1. Lie flat on floor, pillow under head, legs straight. If your back bothers you, the place a rolled towel under your knees.
  2. Stretch your arms straight out to the side. Your shoulders and upper arms will remain flat on the floor throughout this exercise.
  3. Bend your elbows so that your hands are pointing toward the ceiling. Let your arms slowly roll backwards from the elbow. Stop when you feel a stretch or slight discomfort, and stop right away if you feel a pinching sensation or a sharp pain.
  4. Hold this position for 10-30 seconds.
  5. Slowly raise your arms, still bent at the elbow, to point toward the ceiling again. Then let your arms slowly roll forward, remaining bent at the elbow, to point toward your hips. Stop when you feel a stretch or slight discomfort.
  6. Hold this position for 10-30 seconds.
  7. Alternate pointing above head, then toward ceiling, then toward hips. Begin and end with the pointing-above-head position.
  8. Repeat 3-5 times.

Neck Rotation

To stretch the neck muscles:

  1. Lie on the floor with a phone book or other thick book under your head.
  2. Slowly turn your head from side to side, holding the position each time for 10-30 seconds on each side. Your head should not be tipped forward or backward, but should be in a comfortable position. You can keep your knees bent to keep your back comfortable during this exercise.
  3. Repeat 3-5 times.
RESOURCES:

American College of Sports Medicine
http://www.acsm.org

National Institute on Aging
http://www.nia.nih.gov

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology
http://www.csep.ca

Health Canada
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca

REFERENCES:

Fitness for anti-aging. American College of Sports Medicine website. Available at: http://www.acsm.org/public-information/articles/2012/01/10/fitness-for-anti-aging. Updated January 10, 2012. Accessed February 10, 2016.

Physical activity guidelines: Older adults. Department of Health and Human Services website. Available at: http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/default.aspx. Updated February 10, 2016. Accessed February 10, 2016.

Sample Exercises—flexibility. National Institute on Aging website. Available at http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/exercise-physical-activity-your-everyday-guide-national-institute-aging/sample-2. Updated January 21, 2016. Accessed February 10, 2016.

Last reviewed February 2016 by Michael Woods, MD