Active Aging in August: 6 Fun Fitness Activities for Seniors

We all know how important it is for older adults to remain active and work on balance and mobility as they age. It’s essential to offer engaging physical activities that cater to various mobility levels. In this month's collection of activity ideas, we're excited to present six fitness activities designed to enhance strength, flexibility, balance, and overall well-being. Most of them can be done seated! Whether you're looking to incorporate new exercises into your program or adapt existing ones for seated participants, these activities are sure to inspire movement, fun, and camaraderie among seniors.

‍

1. Giant Puzzle Piece Relay 

Dive into a world of teamwork and camaraderie with our Giant Puzzle Piece Relay! Residents will work together to solve a larger-than-life puzzle, fostering collaboration and problem-solving skills while having a blast.

2. Fitness Scavenger Hunt

Embark on an exciting journey through our community with our Fitness Scavenger Hunt! Residents will search high and low for clues while getting their hearts pumping and enjoying the thrill of the hunt. Here’s an example of how you could set up the Scavenger Hunt that you could copy and paste into a document to print out for your residents.

Staircase
Exercise: Climbing stairs or stepping up and down on a single step for lower body strength and cardiovascular endurance.Indoor Plant or Flower
Exercise: Arm curls using water bottles or resistance bands to strengthen the arms and shoulders.Picture of a Favorite Destination
Exercise: Leg lifts or knee extensions while seated to improve lower body strength and flexibility.

Piece of Fruit or Vegetable
Exercise: Standing side leg lifts or hip abduction to strengthen the hips and improve balance.

Favorite Book or Magazine
Exercise: Seated trunk rotations or seated marches to work the core muscles and promote spinal flexibility.Piece of Paper or Cardboard
Exercise: Seated overhead presses with light weights or resistance bands to strengthen the shoulders and upper back.

Clock or Watch
Exercise: Seated leg extensions or seated calf raises to strengthen the lower body and improve circulation.Piece of Yarn or Ribbon
Exercise: Seated rows using resistance bands or light weights to strengthen the back and improve posture.

A Familiar Face or Picture of a Loved One
Exercise: Seated bicep curls with light weights or resistance bands to strengthen the arms and improve grip strength

Musical Instrument or Music Album Cover
Exercise: Seated marching or seated toe taps to the beat of a favorite song to promote cardiovascular fitness and coordination.

‍

3. Hula Hoop Fitness Challenge

Get ready to twist, twirl, and shimmy your way to fitness with our Hula Hoop Fitness Challenge! Residents will discover the joy of movement as they engage their core muscles and improve coordination in a fun and lively atmosphere. If residents need to be seated, they can try on their arms as well! Head back to childhood and get those colourful hula hoops out!

4. Make a Community Fitness Playlist for Your Next Exercise Program

As a fun group program, create a community playlist on Apple Music or Spotify that contains a favourite upbeat song for each of your residents that you can use in your fitness programs. You can bring everyone together or go room-to-room and collect a favourite song from each person.

5. Seated Bingo Fitness Program

Bingo with a physical twist (no pun intended!) A Seated Bingo Fitness session will allow residents to enjoy the excitement of Bingo while incorporating gentle exercises to keep their bodies moving and minds sharp.

6. Seated Jenga Fitness Activity 

Have residents test their balance and coordination with a Seated Jenga Fitness activity! Residents will carefully remove blocks from the Jenga tower while seated, engaging their muscles and concentration for a fun and challenging workout.

Looking for more ideas? Sign in to our Program Portal for over 500 free ideas for August and beyond!