20 Minute Workouts for Seniors

Come on, you’ve got a spare 30 minutes (5 minutes to get ready, 20-minute workout and another 5 to cool down) in your day for exercise.  Don’t lie to me, and, more importantly, don’t lie to yourself.  No one is so busy that they don’t have 30 minutes for exercise five or six days a week.  And by “exercise” I don’t mean high intensity, gallons of sweat inducing, make you want to vomit exercise.  Those days are behind us, if they were ever there.  Save that stuff or MMA fighters, the women’s World Cup soccer team, and Millennials.  All you need to do for 20 minutes or so is to combine a bit of cardiovascular activity with resistance training, i.e. weights.

With that in mind, here are some links to senior exercise videos to get you started:

• This video from Go4Life is brought to you by the National Institute on Aging. All that it requires is a chair and a pair of low-weight dumbbells.  If you don’t have dumbbells, 16-ounce water bottles will suffice…full, of course.  This video works well because it works all the major muscles groups, upper, lower, and core and is designed for seniors of different mobility and strength levels.
• Here at MagicKitchen.com, while are primary focus is delivering healthy, nutritious food, we also understand that diet is only half of the healthy lifestyle equation. The other half, of course, is exercise.  That is why we have an entire series of 14 exercise videos for seniors.  Our titles range from “Standing Exercises” to “Beginner Weights” to “Dance Along Workout.”  For more advanced seniors, we offer a category of moderate exercises that includes “Quiet Cardio Workout” and “Abs, Butt and Thighs” workout.  This allows you to progress and you get a variety of workouts that work different muscle groups.
• As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become a huuuuuge fan of yoga. In my younger days, yoga was something for women, octogenarians, and people who didn’t like “real” workouts.  Well, I’m still not in any of those categories.  However, this video, “Yoga for Complete Beginners” which I discovered about three years ago, changed how I thought about yoga and its ability to improve flexibility and strength simultaneously.  And you’ll find Adriene to be a very soothing instructor.
• This 20-minute workout video allows you to participate either seated or standing and incorporates weights and cardiovascular exercises. The instructor, Curtis Adams, hosts his own senior exercise show and is, shall we say, quite motivational.
• This resistance band workout for seniors is a great way to strength train without weights. All that’s required is a double-handled resistance band (obviously!).  While it doesn’t really work your cardiovascular system, it will certainly provide your muscles with a gentle, yet effective workout.
• Sometimes, it’s best to just get out there and walk for 20 minutes and enjoy the great outdoors. Just be sure to avoid excessive heat and choose terrain that you can handle.  Also, be sure to hydrate.  If you’d like to add some strength training, simply carry a set of dumbbells with you and perform various exercises (such as curls and over-the-head presses) as you walk.

Yes, we all have a spare 30 minutes in our daily routines, but what many lack is motivation.  That’s where these videos can help as you’re conducting your workout with a “partner.”  Or, you could perform these workouts with a friend or group of friends.  They tend to provide all the motivation you’ll ever need.