MaineHealth Online Learning

Exercise Directions

Belly Breathing: Place hands on your stomach. Take a slow, deep breath in, then let it slowly out.

Exercise Benefits

This exercise helps prepare your mind and body for exercising.

Exercise Directions

Breathe and Stretch: Take a deep breath in. As you slowly breathe out, stretch your arms out a little further.

Turn to the Left then to the Right: Moving slowly, gently twist your upper body to the left and then to the right.

Exercise Benefits

The Good Morning Stretch and Shoulder Rolls improve the range of motion of the shoulders and upper back and are an excellent way to relieve muscle tension.

Exercise Directions

Put your hands in your lap. Relax your shoulders. Roll both of your shoulders forward, making small circles for a count of 5. Then change direction and roll both of your shoulders to the back for a count of 5.

One set is rolling forward for 5 and back for 5.

Exercise Directions

Start with your hands in your lap. Next, bring your left hand straight out in front of your body at shoulder level and while keeping your arm straight move your left hand across your body over toward your right side keeping your left hand at shoulder level. Pause. You might feel a stretch in your back at your shoulder blade. Return your left hand to your lap and raise your right hand straight out in front of you at shoulder level. Move your right hand toward your left side keeping your arm straight and at shoulder level. Pause before returning your right hand to your lap. Alternate left and right arms pausing to feel the stretch as the arm reaches across the body.

Exercise Benefits

This exercise warms the back of the shoulder and can improve your upper body range of motion, flexibility and physical endurance.

Exercise Directions

Sit with both feet on the floor. Raise your left foot about 12 inches above the floor and circle your foot clockwise 5 times, drawing a circle with your toe. Then, change direction and circle your foot counter clockwise 5 times. Lower your left foot and raise your right foot and circle your foot 5 times clockwise, and change direction and circle your foot 5 times counter clockwise. Alternate left and right feet. Be sure to only circle the foot at the ankle. Do not rotate the knee or leg.

Exercise Benefits

The ankle is one of the most important "balance" joints. The ankle responds to changes in the ground and sends messages to the brain and muscles to help us to respond to uneven surfaces. Ankle rolls may improve range of motion and balance.

Exercise Directions

Lift your left knee and then lower it. Lift your right knee and lower it. Alternate, and go at your own pace.

Exercise Benefits

Seated marching warms up the legs and core and improves hip stability and range of motion. It also may help physical endurance.

Exercise Directions

Put your hands in your lap. Raise your left arm straight out in front of you at shoulder level. Bring your left arm across your body to the right side so your left hand is by your right knee as if you were going to pat a tall dog on the head that was sitting next to you on the right. Pause and feel the stretch in your left shoulder. Then put your left hand back in your lap. Raise your right arm straight out in front of you at shoulder level and bring your right arm across your body to the left so your right hand is by your left knee. Pause and then place your right hand back in your lap. Alternate left and right pausing to feel the stretch when your hand is by your opposite knee. Move at your own pace.

Coach Directions

Encourage participants to move to their ability, pace and comfort. More motion is not always better. Some participants may want to stretch longer or do fewer repetitions. Allow participants to do what feel right for their bodies.

Exercise Benefits

This exercise improves range of motion of the shoulders and back. It may also improve physical endurance.

Exercise Directions

Start with your hands in your lap raise your left arm straight out in front of you at shoulder level. Bring you left arm across your body and toward the right side and reach up as if picking an apple off a tree branch just above your head on the right side. Pause and feel the stretch. Then bring your left hand back to your lap. Raise your right hand straight out in front of you at shoulder level. Bring your right arm across your body toward the left and reach up as if picking an apple off a tree branch just above your head and on the left side of your body. Pause before bringing your right hand back to your lap. Alternate left and right moving slowly and pausing to feel the stretch in the shoulder and back once your arm is reaching across your body on the opposite side and over head.

Exercise Directions

Raise both arms straight out in front of you at shoulder level. Pull your elbows out and back as if you are rowing a boat and pulling the oars through the water. Keep your elbows at shoulder height and squeeze your shoulder blades together before reaching your arms forward again.

Exercise Directions

With both feet on the floor, raise your left foot up by straightening your left knee. Pause, then slowly return your left foot to the floor. Raise your right foot up by straightening your right knee. Pause, then lower your right foot. You can do this with your toe pointed up toward the ceiling or toward the space in front of you. How you point your toe will affect how this feels in your lower leg. Alternate left and right legs.

Coach Directions

Encourage participants to go at their own pace, pause when their leg is extended, and move slowly.

Exercise Directions

Start with both feet on the floor, then raise your left knee, pause, then return your left foot to the floor. Repeat 5 - 10 times. Then raise your right knee, pause then return your right foot to the floor. Repeat 5 - 10 times.

Exercise Benefits

This exercise improves core, hip and upper leg strength.

Exercise Directions

With both feet flat on the floor about hip width apart raise the toes of both feet while keeping the heels on the floor. Raise toes as high as you can and hold then slowly lower toes back to floor.

Exercise Benefits

Toe raises can improve lower leg strength and help with raising the foot while walking.

Exercise Directions

Stand behind your chair and hold onto the chair for support. Standing with your feet about hip width apart, raise up onto your toes by lifting your heels up off the floor. Pause then slowly lower your heel back down to the floor.

Coach Directions

Encourage participants to keep their heads up, and shoulders back. If participants are leaning over the back of the chair or putting a lot of their weight on the back of the chair, encourage them to stand up straight. If they are tired, encourage them to try the seated adaptation.

Exercise Benefits

This exercise improves foot flexibility, balance and foot and leg strength.

Exercise Directions

While holding onto the back of the chair for support, alternate stepping at a slow to moderate pace, march in place.

Coach Directions

Encourage participants to stand up straight and not lean over the back of the chair. The chair can be positioned to the side of the participant so that it is held with one hand allowing the knees plenty of room to move.

Exercise Benefits

This exercise benefits physical endurance and balance.

Exercise Directions

Hold onto the back of a chair for support. With your left foot take one step to the left. Next, step your right foot over next to your left foot. Then, with your right foot take one step to the right. Next, step your left foot over to next to your right foot. Continue, stepping side to side at your own pace for 15 - 30 seconds.

Exercise Directions

Hold onto the back of a chair for support and stand about an arms length away from the chair. Start by taking a step forward with your right foot. Then step your left foot forward, so it is next to your right foot. Next with your left foot take a step to the left. Step your right foot over next to your left foot. Now, step your left foot back one step and bring your right foot back next to your left foot. Lastly, step your right foot to the right and step your left foot over next to your right foot. You have just made all four sides of a box.

Coach Directions

We only do the box step in one direction. Encourage your participants to imagine a square drawn on the floor in front of them and they are stepping both feet into the corners of the square.

Participants can have the chair at their side or in front of them to help maintain balance.

Exercise Benefits

This exercise improves balance, coordination and physical endurance.

Exercise Directions

Stand directly behind a chair. Shift your weight onto your right leg and then slide your left foot back as if wiping mud off your shoe. Bring that left leg back until you feel a stretch in the front of your left hip and or thigh. Pause, with your left leg back behind you and your left toe is pointed and touching the floor. Bring your left foot back next to your right foot. Then shift your weight onto your left leg and slide your right foot back as if wiping mud off your right shoe. Bring the right leg back until you feel a stretch in the front of your right hip and or thigh. Pause, with your right leg back behind you and your right toe is pointed touching the floor. Alternate left and right legs moving slowly and at your own pace.

Coach Directions

Encourage participants to stand up straight and hold the chair for support.

Exercise Benefits

This exercise improves strength, range of motion of the hip and balance.

Exercise Directions

Stand with feet about hips width apart. Hold onto the back of a chair for support. Shift your weight onto your right foot and slide your left foot out to the side. Your left leg should be straight, toe pointed and touching the floor. Pause. Next, slide your left foot in front of your right foot so your left heel is touching your right toes. Pause. Then bring the left foot back into the starting position next to your right foot, about hips width apart and distribute your weight back onto both feet. Complete all repetitions with the left foot before moving over to do them with the right foot. To do the exercise with the right foot, first stand with feet about hips width apart. Hold onto the back of a chair for support. Shift your weight onto your left foot and slide your right foot out to the right side. Your right leg is straight, with your toe pointed and touching the floor. Pause. Then bring your right foot in front of your left foot with your right heel touching your left toes. Pause, then bring your right foot back next to your left foot about hips width apart and distribute your weight back onto both feet.

Coach Directions

Encourage participants to hold onto the chair for support, and keep their weight shifted onto the leg that is not moving throughout the entire exercise until the moving leg is brought back next to the non-moving leg and their weight can be shared by both legs.

Exercise Benefits

This exercise improves balance, concentration and endurance.

Exercise Directions

If your chair has arm rests you can place your arms on them. If you do not have arm rests on your chair, sit up straight, allow your arm to fall along the sides of your body and bend your elbows to 90 degrees. . Allow your hands to hang down toward the floor. Slowly bend both hands up so that your fingers are pointing up towards the ceiling. Pause and feel the stretch in your forearm. Slowly allow your fingers to lower and point toward the floor.

Coach Directions

Participants palms should always be facing either toward the floor or away from them. The back of the hand rises and bends back so that the fingers can point toward the ceiling.

Exercise Benefits

This exercise improves flexibility, dexterity, coordination and range of motion.

Exercise Directions

Keep your arms either on the arm rests of the chair or at your sides with elbows bent at 90 degrees. With palms facing the floor, spread the fingers of both hands far apart keeping the fingers straight. Pause. Then allow the hand to relax and bring the fingers into a soft fist.

Exercise Directions

You can rest your arms on the arm rests of the chair, or if you do not have arm rests keep your arms by your sides and your elbows bent at 90 degrees. Spread your fingers apart with palms facing the floor like in the Finger Spread exercise, then rotate your palms up toward the ceiling, pause, then rotate palms toward the floor. Keep the fingers straight and spread far apart. Keeping your arms at your sides and elbows bent for this one is important to get the full rotation of the wrist.

Coach Directions

Encourage participants to move slowly, and to the fullest possible range so that their palms are fully facing the ceiling and the floor to their ability. Pausing with palms up and then palms down will allow for the stretch to benefit their hands, wrists and arms.

Exercise Directions

Sit up tall in your chair. Place your fingertips on your shoulders. Left fingertips on left shoulder, right fingertips on right shoulder. Raise elbows up to shoulder height and out to your sides. Gently, bring your elbows in front of your body, as far as they can go and staying at shoulder level. Try to get them as close to touching as possible. Hold for a count of 3 then bring your elbows back out to the side.

Exercise Benefits

This exercise helps chest and back flexibility and torso range of motion. It is good for posture.

Exercise Directions

Sit up straight in your chair with good posture. Place both of your feet flat on the floor about hip width apart. Place your hands on the arm rests of your chair. If your chair does not have arm rests you can hold onto the chair seat next to your thighs. Using your arms, along with your legs, push up so you are bringing your body up off your chair, partially standing. Pause, then lower yourself slowly using your arms back down onto your chair. You can use your leg muscles along with your arm muscles to help your arms get stronger!

Coach Directions

This exercise is intended to build arm strength, and so emphasis should be placed on encouraging participants to use their arms along with their legs to help push up from the chair. It is not safe or realistic for participants to only use their arms.

Exercise Benefits

This exercise builds strength and coordination for the arms and upper body.

Exercise Directions

Stand with your feet hip width apart and your knees soft with a very small bend in them. Place your hands on your hips or hold onto a chair for support. Make small circles with your hips without moving your shoulders. After 10 - 15 seconds change direction.

Coach Directions

Demonstrate good technique for your class. Keep your knees soft and allow your legs to bend a small amount to help you move your hips without moving your upper body. Show the class what happens when you lock your knees and keep your legs stiff and straight. It is much harder to keep your balance and keep your head and shoulders from moving when your legs are stiff and knees locked.

Exercise Benefits

Flexible hips and legs allow the body to adjust to changes in terrain. This exercises helps flexibility, and range of motion.

Exercise Directions

Stand with feet about hips width apart. Hold onto the back of a chair for support. Shift your weight onto your right foot and raise only the heel of your left foot. Keep the toes of your left foot on the floor. Circle your left heel clockwise for 5-10 rotations then change direction and circle the left heel counter clockwise for 5-10 rotations. ( You will look like you are squishing a bug with your toes.) Lower the heel and distribute your weight on both feet.

Exercise Benefits

The ankle joint is an important balance joint. This exercise promotes flexibility, balance and endurance.

Exercise Directions

Stand about arm's length behind a chair. Hold onto the chair for support. Take a small step forward with your right foot, and lean forward, bending your right knee. Your left leg should be straight with your left foot flat on the floor. Hold for 10 - 15 seconds. Change feet so that your left foot is in front of your right foot, your left leg is straight with the foot flat on the floor and your right leg is bent . Hold for 10 - 15 seconds. Alternate.

Exercise Benefits

Heel cord flexibility is a strong indicator of overall balance ability and range of motion.

Exercise Directions

Sitting in your chair with good posture, relax your shoulders. Starting with the left ear, lean your head to the left side and hold for 10 seconds. Then slowly bring your head up and lower your right ear toward your right shoulder. Hold for 10 seconds. Alternate.

Coach Directions

Remind the group that most people will try to raise their shoulder up to their ear. Coach the participants to allow their shoulders to remain low and just lean the head toward the shoulder. It is okay if the head and ear do not reach the shoulder. The stretch felt on the opposite side is what we are going for.

Exercise Benefits

This exercise is good for range of motion of the neck and helping to release tension. These exercises can be done almost any time or place.

Exercise Directions

With your hands in your lap and shoulders relaxed, slowly turn your head to the left and look as far over your left shoulder as you can without straining or twisting your body. Pause, then slowly turn your head to the right and look as far as you can over your right shoulder. Pause. Repeat.

Coach Directions

Encourage participants to breathe and move slowly to avoid dizziness.

Exercise Benefits

This exercise helps to improve neck range of motion.

Exercise Directions

Stretch your arms wide, straight out to your sides. Take a deep breath and exhale, stretch some more, add a gentle turn to the left and then to the right. Move slowly and breathe deeply.

Exercise Benefits

A good stretch for the entire body.

Exercise Directions

Wrap your arms around your body. Give yourself a big hug. Squeeze, stretch and relax!!