I train older adults and to help them age well, I never skip these coordination exercises
Practice coordination exercises weekly to stay agile
It’s well known that strength training can help you age well, but it’s not the only type of exercise that can help with longevity.
I always incorporate coordination training into my chair-based yoga classes and personal training sessions with older adults, to fire up the mind-to-muscle connection.
Doing this helps my clients stay sharp, agile and confident in their everyday movements, whether manoeuvring around people on the bus or multi-tasking at home.
Coordinating your limbs to move in different directions comes fairly automatically when we’re younger, but it needs more intentional training in later years—and research shows that this approach works.
A 2019 review of balance and coordination exercises in older adults found that they can improve cognitive processes like spatial awareness (helping you navigate a crowded street) and postural control and stability in a distracting environment.
Some of my clients can do coordination exercises from standing, which I combine with balancing moves. Others do them seated.
The point is, these exercises can be easily adapted to challenge your movement, balance and coordination, whatever your mobility.
1. Knee and opposite arm raise
Reps: 5-6 each side
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core engaged and chest upright.
- Keep your arms out to your sides at shoulder height.
- Raise your right knee and move your left arm in front of you, staying at shoulder height, slow and controlled.
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
- Continue alternating to complete your reps.
Perform it seated: Do a seated march slowly, with control, and raise your opposite arm overhead or in front with each knee raise.
2. Step-out and opposite arm raise
Reps: 5-6 each side
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core engaged and chest upright.
- Step your right foot out to the side—lower into a side lunge if that’s comfortable or stay upright—and reach your opposite arm forward.
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
- Continue alternating to complete your reps.
Perform it seated: Do a seated side step-out and open your opposite arm out to the side at shoulder height.
3. Catch and throw balance
Reps: 5-10
- Stand holding a ball a few steps away from a wall.
- Raise one foot, holding your balance steady on the other.
- Perform an underhand throw to bounce the ball lightly against the wall, then catch it.
- Use one or two hands, depending on your ability.
- Throw the ball in different directions to challenge your coordination and reaction times.
Make it easier: Stand on both feet or perform it seated. Experiment with the size of the ball, too.
