Seated Exercises to Keep You Fit During the Corona Virus

Hello and welcome back again to the ThreeSpires Physiotherapy blog where we take a look at all things physiotherapy related. This is the next in our series of blogs aimed at helping patients exercise safely during the Corona Virus lockdown and is especially aimed at people who are unable or for whom it is unsafe to walk or get out of the house.  In this article we will take a look at some exercises and strengthening work that you can do seated and is really useful if you are worried about having a fall and feel that usual exercise programmes just won’t work for you. It is worth remembering that due to the Corona Virus we are offering online video physiotherapy sessions and so if you are unsure about any of the exercises please get in touch. 

Medical Clearance:

Okay, I think before continuing that it is important to be aware that none of the advice or recommendations in this article replaces the need to discuss taking any new form of exercise up with your doctor. Although home exercise and cardiovascular exercise is good for your health especially in terms of blood pressure and weight loss it is important to have a chat with your doctor especially if you have not done any exercise for a long period.

Why Seated Exercises?

I think before we start having a look at the actual seated exercises I think firstly we should have a think about why seated exercises can be helpful and why you might want to try them rather than considering doing some of the exercises from our previous blog How to Stay Fit at Home During the Corona Virus Outbreak.

1. Safety: for some balance is a major problem and walking or standing without an aid or someone nearby is impossible and also too dangerous. So in this case seated exercises represent a great way to exercise safely without the danger of having a fall and potentially breaking a bone and needing to be admitted to hospital.

2. Convenience: lets face it, if it is not convenient and easy to do, most people will not bother doing exercises. Seated exercises are just plain convenient and can allow you do to a good routine that does not feel too hard to sort out and can be a way of starting an exercise programme for someone who at present feels that a normal exercise programme just won’t work for them.

3. You Need to Exercise: everyone (and I do mean all of us!) needs to exercise and the government has a recommendation of at least 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity exercise. Doing this amount of exercise comes with a large number of health benefits (which we will look at in more detail in a later blog) and is essential for all of us. A good seated exercise programme will allow you to meet this target and give you a good and enjoyable workout.

Who Should Do Seated Exercises?

Okay, we have had a look at why doing seated exercises could be helpful, I think now we should also consider who might benefit most from a seated exercise programme.

1. If you are unable to stand: as a community physiotherapy service we see many patients who are unable to stand and use either a hoist to transfer out of bed or another device. In these cases a seated exercise programme can be very helpful and allow them to move their joints, maintain range of motion in their limbs and get a good workout without needing to be moved into a standing position.

2. You need help to stand: now it may be that with help from carers or family you are able to stand and could do some exercises in standing if someone was there with you but often there will not be enough time when someone is around or it may not be convenient when they are. In this case a programme of seated exercises makes perfect sense as it is something that you can do independently without needing help from anyone else.

3. You need help to walk: this is similar to the situation above where although you have the ability with help to walk and take steps you need someone with you to help with balance and to prevent you falling. Again, with help it would be possible to do some exercises in standing but often it is difficult in practical terms to make this happen and so seated exercises that you can do independently are ideal.

4. You use aids such as a frame or stick: now in the previous 3 situations I think most people would accept that a seated exercise programme is the best option but in the next 3 scenarios I think it is more debatable and will depend upon the person and the situation. If you are currently walking with aids then it is possible that you can do at least some exercises in standing but there will certainly be a lot of exercises that you will not be able to do safely. So, doing seated exercises can provide a really good way of getting some exercise but safely and without risk of falling.

5. You feel unsteady on your feet and have had falls: again as with the example before it  might be that you can do some exercises in standing but that you feel that you might fall and are worried about the consequences of a fall. In this case some seated exercises can be great to give you a good workout and strengthen up your muscles without having the risk of having a fall.

6. You feel that you need to start with an easy routine: for some people it might be that you have not done any exercise in a long period and are either very unfit or potentially overweight and feel that a more usual exercise programme in standing is too much for you at present. In which case a seated exercise programme can be helpful in getting you started with exercise.

Okay, hopefully you now know who should consider doing a seated exercise programme. I think we should now move onto exactly what exercises can form part of a good seated exercise routine.

My Top 10 Favourite Seated Exercises:

Clearly there are an enormous number of potential variations of exercises that can be done in sitting and this list does not cover them all and it may be that you feel that some are too easy and some are too hard for you at present. These exercises are a quick list of exercises that I have personally, as a physio, found to be very useful for patients for whom a normal standing exercise programme is difficult. They are all designed to be quick, easy to do, require minimal equipment and target each of the key areas of the body , they are also very easily modified to match the fitness and strength of the person involved. A point to note is that rather than use technical descriptions for the seated exercises I have tried to instead describe what they look like:

1. Knees up & Down: this is a particular favourite of mine for patients who need seated exercises. It keeps your hips and legs moving and can give you a nice leg workout. For this simply lift (alternating legs) lift your knees up and down. Usually a set of 10 repetitions for each leg should be good. If this is too easy ankle weights can be added to increase difficulty. Build up to being able to do 3 sets of these.

2. Straightening & bending knees: a particular worry for anyone who spends a lot of time sitting and then curled up in bed is that their knees will stiffen up and be unable to go straight. This seated exercise is aimed at preventing that and keeping your knees moving and with full range of motion. Simply straighten out your knees as far as they can go and bend them back as far as they can go and repeat 10 times on each leg. Again alternate legs and build up to doing 3 sets. If these are too easy ankle weights can provide added resistance.

3. Trunk Rotations: these are a great seated exercise that can ensure that you keep movement in your back and keep some core strength. Simply sit up as tall as you are able and twist as far as you feel able to (without significant discomfort) to each side and repeat 10 times. As you get more used to this exercise try to twist a bit further and feel more of a stretch. If you find that you can do this easily in a nice upright position then you can challenge your core strength by holding a weight in both hands whilst twisting.

4. Forward Reaching: commonly if you are spending a lot of time sitting you will find it very difficult to reach forward and your back and hips will often stiffen up and become weaker. This seated exercise targets these issues and aims to strengthen your core and back and allow you to gently stretch your back and pelvis. To do the exercise simply try to reach forward down your legs as far as you can and ideally touch your toes. Repeat this 10 times, making sure that you return to your starting position with your back resting on the chair.

 

5. Arm Raises: if you spend a lot of time sitting down and inactive it is especially important that you work on maintaining full range of motion in your shoulders and also keep your arms generally strong. This is a great seated exercise to get your shoulders moving and get them stronger. Simply with a straight elbow lift your arms out to the front and as high above your head as you can. Repeat this 10 times and aim to do this for a total of 3 sets of 10 repetitions. If this feels too easy, simply put a small weight in your hands (start light!)

6. Bicep Curls: as mentioned maintaining arm strength is vital and as such you need to keep your elbows and biceps working. Simply bend and straighten your elbows 10 times. Again aim for 3 sets of these and if it feels too easy get a small weight and use that for resistance. These are great seated exercises for maintaining the strength to pick stuff up easily.

7. Legs side to side: as well as keeping your hips moving in an up and down direction it is important to maintain side to side mobility (abduction). This is a great simple exercise for doing exactly this in a sitting position. Simply lift up one of your legs and take it as far to the side as you can comfortably and return it to the middle, keeping your knee bent and relaxed. Repeat this 10 times on each leg and aim for 3 sets. Ankle weights can be useful to add resistance when it begins to feel too easy.

8. Neck & Shoulder Stretches: these are a particular favourite of mine for virtually all of my patients that spend a lot of time inactive as most people will forget to stretch and move their neck and will develop a very stiff neck. Commonly anyone sitting down a lot will have a stiff and painful neck and upper shoulder area and these seated exercises are ideal for helping with this.

1. Look up and Down: very simply look up and down 5 times.
2. Look Left & Right: again simply turn your head as far as you can to the left and right 5 times.
3. Neck Rolls: turn your head to the left then at the same time look up and whilst looking up turn your head to the right. Now look down and slowly turn your head to the left. Repeat 5 times.
4. Shoulder Rolls: very simple but effective at keeping your shoulder girdle moving, especially in combination with the arm exercises earlier. Simply roll your shoulders 5 times one way and 5 times the other.

9. Boxing: this is a great seated exercise to get rid of some aggression and raise your heart rate. Simply try to move your arms out the front (alternate them) and imagine you are hitting a target. Try to do it as rapidly as comfortable and initially aim for 15 seconds. Try to eventually build this up to 45 seconds and if you find it too easy put some small weights in your hands.

10. Heel Raises: anyone who is spending a lot of time sitting will commonly find that their ankles get stiff and swell up. This is a really easy but effective seated exercise to target this area. With your feet flat on the floor and your knees at 90 degrees simply lift your heels up and down whilst keeping your toes on the floor. Repeat 10 times on each foot.

Okay, I hope that you have found this blog about my 10 best seated exercises useful and that it has given you some ideas about how you can manage a home seated exercise programme at home with minimal equipment. The entire routine should take no more than 5 – 10 mins maximum.  Please be careful when doing the exercises and consider starting with the easiest versions first, so as to give your body time to adapt. Also, if you are worried about any aspects of this routine or would like to develop a more comprehensive home exercise programme then please consider getting in touch. We are a home visit physiotherapy service based in Lichfield and serving areas such as Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Cannock, Walsall, Rugeley and Burton and we can be easily contacted via: enquiries@threespiresphysiotherapy.co.uk and 0788 428 1623