Strength activities58

Strength activities

photos
instructions
tips
changing habits.

How to make strength training a part of your daily activities

You need to think about how you can incorporate strengthening activities into your:

daily activities (for example, showering, bathroom routines, dressing)
household activities (for example, cooking, dusting, cleaning, washing, yard work, painting, washing the car)
leisure activities (for example, gardening, dancing, bowls, darts, while reading and watching TV).

1. Bend your knees

A black and white photograph of an elderly woman pulling out a chair with bent knees.

Partially bend the knees instead of bending the back. Slightly bend the knees to get to the table.

A black and white photograph of an elderly man bending his knees to open the bottom drawer of a cabinet to remove socks.

Bending knees to get socks out of the bottom drawer.61

Instructions

Bend your knees instead of bending your back.
You don’t have to do a full squat – partial squatting is good for building up strength.

Tip

Move everyday items so that you have to bend your knees to reach them.

Ideas of possible daily activities for the ‘bending your knees’ activity

Bend your knees when:

picking up the TV remote off the coffee table
getting things out of low cupboards in the kitchen
putting things away in the kitchen cupboards
getting your socks and underwear out of the drawer
picking up a pen or hanky that you have accidentally dropped on the floor, use support as required
opening or closing any drawer or cupboard that is below waist height.

As you get better at this activity you might move some regularly used items so that you have to bend your knees to get them. This could include:

putting the dishwashing liquid in the cupboard below the sink
putting the toothpaste in the vanity
moving the washing powder to a lower shelf.

2. Sit to stand – normal chair

A black and white photograph compromising of three shots. An elderly woman is sitting in a chair in the first shot, the second shot has her leaning forward and rising with bent knees. In the final shot, she is standing up with her hands by her side.

Standing up from a normal chair.63

Instructions

Bottom should be at the front of the chair.
Your feet should be underneath you.
Don’t rock to stand up.
Push up using your legs to do the work.
Aim to stand slowly and with control.

Tips

Stop to get your balance once you are standing.
Try to decrease the support you use with your hands – your leg muscles will get stronger.

Sit to stand – low chair

A black and white photograph of two shots showing an elderly woman sitting in an armchair. In the first shot she is sitting with her hands resting on the arms. In the second shot, she is slightly standing with bent knees and her hands still resting on the arms.

Use hands for support to start but gradually try to decrease the support you use from your hands.

Ideas of possible daily activities for the ‘sit to stand’ activity

Whenever you stand up, concentrate on standing up using your legs with as little support from your hands as is safe.

You can repeat the activity to build more strength.

Stand up and sit down:

each time you sit down at the kitchen or dining room table stand up and sit down again
each time the ads come on when you are watching your favourite TV program
every time you finish a chapter in a book
every time you finish reading a article in the newspaper
if you have been sitting for a long time while knitting or sewing, reading or waiting.

A black and white photograph compromising of three shots. In the first shot an elderly man is sitting in a chair with his hands resting in his lap. In the second shot he is rising from the chair with a straight back, slightly bent knees and his hands resting on his knees. In the final shot he is standing with his hands by his side.

Standing up from a low chair without using hands for support.66

3. On your toes – standing

A black and white photograph of an elderly person standing on their toes with the fingertips of their right hand resting on the countertop.

Standing on your toes using fingertips for support.

Instructions

Start with hand support as needed.
Gradually decrease the amount of support.

Tip

Whenever you reach above waist height go onto your toes even if you don’t need to do it to be able to reach what you need.67

A black and white photograph of an elderly woman standing on her toes with an arm reaching the top shelf of a kitchen cabinet.

Standing on your toes when reaching above waist height.68

On your toes – walking

A black and white photograph of an elderly person walking on their toes.

Walking on your toes.

A black and white photograph of an elderly woman walking on her toes with a hand resting on the kitchen countertop.

Walking on toes in the kitchen, using the bench for support.69

Instructions

Walk on your toes.
Keep your heels off the ground.
Start with support.

Ideas of possible daily activities for the ‘standing and walking on your toes’ activity

Stand on your toes:

each time you turn the light switch on and off
to get your coat off the coat hook
to get your shirt/blouse out of the wardrobe
to reach up to get the laundry powder
to get cups or glasses out of the kitchen cupboard.

Walk on your toes:

next to the kitchen bench
along the hallway to the front door
next to the rail on the verandah
around the kitchen or dining room table
from the bedroom to the kitchen close to the wall
from the lounge to the kitchen close to the wall.

4. On your heels – standing

A black and white photograph of an elderly person standing on their heels.

Standing on your heels.

Instructions

Go onto your heels.
Use hand support as needed.
Gradually decrease the amount of support.

Tips

This is a difficult activity to do without support. You will still strengthen your muscles if you use support.
This is also a balance activity.

A black and white photograph of an elderly woman standing on her heels in a kitchen. Her hands are by her sides and her chest is leaning slightly forward.

Standing on heels while waiting for the kettle to boil.72

On you heels – walking

A black and white photograph of two shots. The first shows an elderly woman walking barefoot on her heels with a hand resting on the kitchen countertop. The other shot is of the woman walking on her heel with her shoes on.

Walking on heels using the kitchen bench for support.73

Instructions

Walk on your heels.
Keep your toes off the floor.
Use support as needed.

Tips

This is a difficult activity to do without support. You will still strengthen your muscles if you use support.
This is also a balance activity.

Ideas of possible daily activities for standing and walking on your heels

Stand on your heels:

each time you turn the light switch on and off
while waiting for the kettle to boil
while waiting for the toaster to pop
while waiting in a queue, though making sure you have support readily available
when the ads come on while watching TV.

Walk on your heels:

next to the kitchen bench
along the hallway to the front door
next to the rail on the verandah
around the kitchen or dining room table
close to the wall, from the bedroom to the kitchen
close to the wall, from the lounge to the kitchen.

5. Up the stairs

A black and white photograph of an elderly man walking up the stairs with a hand grabbing the handrail. His back is straight and he is wearing a striped shirt and shorts.

Walking up the stairs using firm support – holding on tightly to the rail.

A black and white photograph of an elderly man walking up the stairs with a hand lightly resting on the handrail

Walking up the stairs using light support – using less hand support on the hand rail.

A black and white photograph of an elderly man walking up the stairs with his hands resting on his side.

Walking up the stairs using no hand support.75

Instructions

Use your legs to lift you up the stairs rather than pulling up with your hands.
Decrease the amount of support that you use.

Tip

Look for stairs instead of avoiding them.

Ideas of possible daily activities for doing the ‘up the stairs’ activity

Walk up the stairs more often.

If you have stairs at home, use them more frequently during the day or week.
Make more trips up stairs you have at home.
Whenever you are out shopping, visiting friends and family or going to appointments take the stairs instead of the lift.
Change where you walk to include walking up a flight of stairs when you are doing your shopping, going to the movies, attending meetings or visiting friends and family.