10 Simple Chair Exercises for Everyone

Do your bones ache? Do you have arthritis? Do you have a job where your constantly sitting or to tired to go to the gym after work?  These 10 simple chair exercises are for you!  They can be used just about anywhere at anytime and will help keep your body limber and not being so stiff.  As always though make sure to check with your physician before starting an exercise program.

1. Find a chair that you are comfortable in and can help keep your posture straight as you do these exercises.  Before you begin relax allow you chin to rest down towards your chest your head leaning forward slightly.  Take a deep breath and then exhale slowly repeat this for a total of 5 reps.  As you feel your body loosen concentrate on your head and neck and slowly rotate it to the right and then to the left breathing evenly and deeply do 5 sets of these as well.
2. The next thing you want to do is rotate your shoulders slightly forward and slightly back repeating this for 5 sets continue to breathe deeply from the diaphram and exhale slowly.  This helps to keep your heartbeat steady and to allow your body to "heat up" safely.
3. Next letting your arms and hands dangle at your sides and keep your posture straight as possible and slowly wiggle your fingers. After approximently a minute slowly work your fingers for the smallest to the forefinger try touching your thumb.  Example, pinky to thumb, ring finger to thumb, middle finger to thumb and forefinger to thumb.  Doing 5 sets of these on each hand after you have finished slowly roll your hands around in a small circular pattern doing this 5 times and then have them go back and forth 5 times.  If you have a desk job where you type consistently this helps releive the pressure that your wrists and fingers receive after repettitive motion.
4. Now with your back straight and your elbows at your sides slowly extend your arm to it's full length or as far as you are comfortable with and punch out.  Then pull it back in slowly repeating these motions for 5 sets.  Make sure to continue your breathing deeply in, slowly out.
5. Next, you will allow yourself to slowly bend at the waist going as far as you can tolerate. Hold for 10 seconds and then slowly come back up concentrate on your breathing. Repeat for 5 sets
6. Now we are going to work on loosening up your ankles and feet and exercise them.  Make sure your posture is good in the chair and began to flex your toes back and forth for 5 sets and then began to push your ankles up and back down slowly holding up for 10 seconds do this for 5 sets letting the tension loosen in your ankles and let the tendons and muscles relax. 
7. Next work your legs up and down as though you are "walking" bringing your knees up as tolerated holding the leg in the up motion for at least 5 seconds.  Repeat this 5 sets for each leg making sure to keep your breathing going at a steady pace.
8. Now working on relaxing the body back out slowly go through the series of sets that we began at the beginning.  This helps your body to cool down and not be shocked by a sudden stop in repipition.
9. Make sure that your back is pain free as you finish up these exercises. Repeat as necessary in going forward making sure to take deep breathes throughout the routine.
10. After finishing up your chair exercises if can get up and stretch out slowly holding on the the back of the chair if necessary place your hands on the back of the chair and while holding for balance lift your left leg hold and then the right hold for 5 sets.

Doing these exercises are simple, quick and easy to do and when I tested this on my nuring group they seemed to enjoy it because it gave them a sense of accomplishment and knowing that they could still exercise even with arthritis our previous broken bones.  Hope you enjoy doing these simple and easy exercises.