Many exercises help you burn fat, but the best exercises to lose weight for seniors involve the upper and lower body. These include 2 lower body exercises and 2 upper body combo exercises.
Obesity in seniors is becoming a real public health problem in America. We have seen a big increase in obese seniors recently.20% of seniors over 65 years old are obese, and this trend will continue as baby boomers become senior citizens.
- Marching
- Step Jacks
- Quick Feet
- Alternating Reach knee lift
Watch my instructional video
Marching is a wonderful weight loss exercise. It is simple, natural, and an exercise we can all do without thinking. Simply lift your knees and swing your arms and off you go. Step Jacks involve your upper and lower body. This exercise allows a wide arm movement, raising your heart rate, and increasing your breathing. Quick feet brings the focus again, down to your lower body. The large muscles of the legs require a lot of expenditure of energy, burning the calories and reducing the fat. The alternating reach, again brings the focus back up to the upper body to really get your heart pumping.
Exercise 1
Marching. This exercise can be done in a chair or standing. Start stepping by bringing your knees higher than a normal step, while swinging your arms. Breathe naturally while stepping. Keep your core tight, chest lifted, chin up.
Exercise 2
Step Jacks. Begin in a chair or standing with your feet close together. Step to the side and raise your arms out to the side and overhead. Return to ths starting position and continue the movement by stepping in the other direction, this time bringing your arms up in front of your torso, then return to starting position. Keep your core tight, ribs lifted, shoulders back. Repeat for 1 minute.
Exercise 3
Quick Feet. Begin in your chair or standing. Bring your feet a little wider than shoulder width apart. Start quickly stepping with your feet, lifting the as soon as they touch the floor. Keep stepping for 1 minute.
Exercise 4
Alternating Reach knee lift. Begin in the seated or standing position. Raise the opposite arm and knee, alternating sides. Keep your ribs lifted, chest up, core tight for each knee raise. Repeat 1 minute.
Obesity is a serious cause of disability in seniors. Many seniors feel that it is hard to loose weight because of a lifetime of eating and activity habits which are difficult to overcome. We also worry that if we loose weight when we are older, this will lead to muscle loss or sarcopenia. In other words, if we lose weight and loose muscle we will become even more frail as we age. Weight loss in combination with exercise is the best path for seniors who are worried about stopping their march into weakness and frailty.
To lose weight we must pay attention to our body, which means stop eating when you have had enough. Quit eating before you feel full. Slow down your eating and you may realized you are not that hungry. If you are still hungry, you can have more only if you are really hungry.
Drink plenty of water during the day. You should drink half your body weight number in ounces of water. For example if you are 150 pounds, drink 75 oz of water. You may be thirsty and not hungry.
To lose weight with these exercises, begin with one minute of each. Repeat the exercise sequence again for a total of 8 minutes. Do this for for a week. Gradually work up to 20 minutes 5 days a week to lose weight. To burn more, you will need to increase the length of your workouts.
Let me know if you have any questions or would like to see other exercises or senior fitness content. You can leave your comments and suggestions on my About Page. Need personal help? Check out my new Academy. Exercise is really your magic pill to feel better and live longer. Remember to stay active, stay strong, and stay connected!
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