Atkinson - Functional Exercise For Seniors: Daily exercise routines for stability, balance, strength & mobility

What is functional exercise? The most basic way to answer this question is with the following statement:

Functional exercise is moving the body as per its design

We all know that legs bend at the knees, hips rotate, arms bend at the elbows, etc. But a few examples of less common knowledge are that rounded shoulders are often caused by a weakness in the rear shoulder and upper back muscles and simple activities like sitting down on a chair can strengthen the legs and glute muscles. There are many more examples of everyday activities that we dont think about and take for granted that could be mentioned here, but by the end of this guide, these will become very clear.

With a basic knowledge of body mechanics, we can all drastically change our fitness levels and muscle strength simply by performing everyday activities. Functional fitness is a general term, but I would suggest that it is broken down into a few elements - Range of motion, Balance and muscle strength. Each of these elements can be prioritised, but they all fit together and the benefits of each one overlap.

Range of motion

Range of motion is something that I make a point to highlight in every fitness guide Ive written, and part of me wants to apologise to any of you that have read my other books, but the other part of me says it can never be mentioned enough! So sorry (not sorry) here I go again -

Range of motion, or ROM walks hand in hand with flexibility. When we perform any exercise, we should aim to work through our full range of movement. Can you straighten your arms, put your arms out to your sides so they are parallel to the floor, and rotate your palms so they are facing directly upwards?

This exercise will test our range of movement in our upper arms, chest, and our shoulder rotation. If this is uncomfortable at all, it may be because these muscle groups are not yet built for a full range of movement. This is very common, so no need to worry. If you struggled with it, we will fix it later in the guide.

Shoulder rotation, arm flexibility and chest opening are just a few examples of upper body range of motion. There is a dedicated set of exercises for range of movement development in section 2 that covers every body part.

Balance

Balance has two meanings with functional fitness; the first is probably the most obvious. Can you stand on one leg with your arms out to your sides without falling over?

Standing on one leg with your arms out to your sides is a balancing exercise that will engage and challenge a whole range of stabiliser muscles, not just in your legs, but throughout your entire body. The longer you can do this without losing posture or having to put your foot back on the floor, the more these stabiliser muscles will be worked, developing strength and stability.

Whats the second meaning of balance then? Can you stand on the other leg with your arms out to your sides for exactly the same time without losing posture or having to put your foot down? There are two sides to the human body and in my experience, we all seem to favour one side over the other. This means that during everyday activities, one side will be used or developed and the other, not so much.