These gentle exercises can be done from the comfort of your bed.
Yoga is an incredibly popular workout modality that benefits the mind, body, and soul. Many wellness enthusiasts include yoga as part of their regular routine to boost flexibility, enhance balance, and decrease stress while firming up. That said, if your goal is to restore muscle tone, you don’t need to head to a yoga studio in order to see noticeable results. In fact, if you’re over 65, you can get a solid workout from the comfort of your bed. We spoke with an expert who shares six gentle bed exercises that can help build muscle.
After you reach 65, your body begins to lose muscle fibers quicker than it can replace them, which is simply a natural part of aging. The muscles that remain tend to get smaller and weaker, so daily tasks like climbing stairs, opening jars, or carrying shopping bags begin to feel more challenging than they once were.
“Posture takes a hit, too, because the muscles that hold your spine upright aren’t as strong, which is why a lot of older adults start to slouch or hunch forward over time,” says Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo, a NYC-area Spinal and Orthopaedic Surgeon who specializes in spinal health and fitness and established the company 360 Dynamized Core, which creates innovative, spine-safe core fitness products and routines. “Weaker muscles also mean less stability, so balance gets shakier and the risk of falling goes up in a real way. The good news is that staying active slows all of this down significantly, muscle loss isn’t something you just have to accept without a fight.”
Getting onto the ground and back up is challenging for many people, so a bed makes certain exercises much more doable from the get-go. You can train your legs, glutes, and core just as productively lying down on a mattress as you can on a yoga mat, without needing the flexibility or balance that yoga requires, Dr. Okubadejo says.
“The cushioned surface is also easier on sore joints, which makes it realistic to actually stick with it instead of quitting after two days because everything hurts. Yoga has a way of feeling like it’s built for people who are already in decent shape, while bed exercises meet you exactly where you are,” he adds.
Below, Dr. Okubadejo breaks down six gentle bed exercises that can help restore muscle tone after 65.
Glute Bridges
- Lie flat on your back with bent knees and feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides with palms pressing into the mattress.
- Press through your heels to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
- Squeeze your buttocks, holding at the top for 2 seconds.
- Lower your hips back to the start position.
Straight-Leg Raises
- Start by lying flat on your back with your arms extended overhead and legs out straight.
- Activate your core as you lift one leg off the mattress, keeping it extended and your lower back pressed into the mat.
- Hold for a moment at the top.
- Use control to lower your leg.
- Repeat on the other side.
Clamshell
- Lie on your side with an optional loop resistance band around your thighs.
- Keep your feet together as you lift your top knee, like a clamshell opening.
- Use control to return to the start position. Avoid rotating through your lower back.
- Repeat on the other side.
Dead Bug
- Lie face-up with your arms extended toward the sky and knees lifted and bent to 90 degrees.
- Press your lower back into the mattress as you gradually lower your left arm and extend your right leg.
- Return to the center.
- Then, lower your right arm and left leg.
- Continue to alternate.
Seated Edge Squeezes
- Begin sitting tall on the edge of the bed.
- Squeeze a pillow between your knees for 10 seconds at a time.
- Release.
Supine Marching
- Lie flat on your back.
- Slowly alternate between lifting each knee up toward your chest like a slow marching motion.
Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist based in Greenwich, CT. She has 11+ years of experience covering wellness, fitness, food, travel, lifestyle, and home. Read more about Alexa
