Arm Raises
Muscle stretching exercises for seniors and the elderly are vitally important especially in the arms and upper back. As we age our chest and arms loose elasticity and our range of motion begins to decline.
This amounts to a reduction in the available motion our joints have. Often there is an accompanying element of pain.
For this reason, overhead arm limbering exercises like the overhead raise below are powerful tools to keep stiffness at bay and even improve our existing range of motion in our shoulders and back.Try these exercises below today and incorporate abdominal breathing at the same time to expand the chest and back.
Purpose of this exercise
Improves the range of motion of your shoulders. Strengthens your arm for activities that require overhead reach like up to a shelf or pulling the light cord in the basement.
Step 1
Begin standing with arms comfortably at sides. Relax your shoulders and lift your ribs.
Step 2
Inhale while you lift both arms overhead. Return to the start position and repeat 10 times.
Breathing
Inhale during the upward movement phase.Exhale during the downward movement phase.
Tips
Try not to arch your back when raising your arms. Keep your hands loose and fingers open. Every time you reach, try a little harder to raise your hands toward the ceiling.
Take it up a notch
Add 1 pound wrist weights for an added challenge. Bring your arms out to the side on the odd numbers. Try this exercise against a wall for proper posture and alignment when raising arms.
How to do Arm Raises
More Upper Body Flexibility Exercises
1. Shoulder And Upper Back Stretch
- Shoulder stretches to increases your shoulder and scapular range of motion.
- Stretches your chest and shoulder.
- Will make it easier to reach to that high shelf in your kitchen.
- Improve the range of motion in your shoulder and upper back region with these stretching routines.
- Will assist in keeping your rib muscles flexible.
- Help in activities like reaching up to a high shelf or across the table at dinner.
- Improve the range of motion in your neck and upper back with these good stretching exercises.
- Helps with those everyday movements you need to do like looking under the bed for that other shoe!
- Improve the range of motion in our neck with these neck stretches.
- Help stretch the upper back and scapular muscles.
- Improve the range of motion of your shoulders and upper back with these types of stretching.
- Helps increase flexibility in your chest and lungs.
- Helps stretch our shoulder, scapula and supporting muscles and joints.
- Improves our reaching ability especially across the body for these benefits of stretching.
- Stretches the chest and shoulders with these chest exercises.
- Improves posture and lung functioning.
- Increase the range of motion in your shoulder and upper back with these arm stretches.
- Help improve your ability to reach, as in getting a pan out of the cabinet or ice cream out of the freezer.
9. Reach Back
- Improve your ability to reach behind as in reaching back to hold on to an armrest before sitting down.
- Increase the range of motion of your shoulders and stretches your chest muscles with these arm exercises.
10. Triceps Stretch
- Stretches the shoulder and triceps with these stretches before exercise.
- Improves the mobility of your upper arm and shoulder.
11. Hand Stretch
- Increase the flexibility and range of motion of your hand and fingers with these hand exercises.
- Warms up your hand to prepare for the activity of the day.
12. Arm Raises
- Improves the range of motion of your shoulders with these muscle stretching exercises.
- Strengthens your arm for activities that require overhead reach like up to a shelf or pulling the light cord in the basement.
Resources Family Caregivers https://www.cdc.gov/steadi/pdf/STEADI-CaregiverBrochure.pdf