In this 20-minute video that features exercises for seniors, Go4Life fitness instructor Sandy Magrath leads older adults through a workout featuring a warm up; strength, flexibility, and balance exercises; and a cool down. Designed specifically for adults over age 50, this workout can be done at home, at work, at the gym—almost anywhere! You’ll need a sturdy chair with arms; two equally weighed objects like dumbbells, soup cans, or water bottles; a mat; and a towel. The video also includes instructions on how to modify some of the exercises to meet different needs.
This workout for seniors begins with a simple exercise warmup. Sandy then leads the group through a series of strength and balance exercises, starting with chair dips and chair stands to exercise the abdomen muscles. To work the glutes, the group does the back leg raise. Sandy then changes to toe stands, encouraging the group to stand on one foot for an extra challenge. They finish the strength and balance portion with arm raises using weights.
To conclude the workout, Sandy leads the group in some cool down and flexibility exercises. Stressing the importance of stretching after exercising, she demonstrates how to use the towel to stretch the arm muscles on either side. Next, Sandy shows the group how to get down to the floor safely using the support of a chair so that they can stretch the quads. Lastly, the group does the back leg stretch to stretch out the leg muscles. Sandy also shows how to safely get back up from the floor.
The Go4Life Campaign from the National Institute on Aging focuses on encouraging older adults to make exercise and physical activity a part of their daily life. Use the Go4Life Everyday Exercises to practice the four types of exercise that are important for older adults: strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance:
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This video was developed by the National Institute on Aging ( part of the National Institutes of Health (
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