5 Bed Exercises To Promote Core Stability and Balance for Adults Over 60

5 Bed Exercises To Promote Core Stability and Balance for Adults Over 60

5 Bed exercises to promote core stability and balance for adults over 60, when you think of the typical workout setting, you probably picture a gym or fitness studio, not a bed. But if you can’t realistically or safely get to the weight room—whether it’s due to age, disability, or balance issues—your bed can offer an accessible place to activate your core and improve posture, balance, and stability.

In fact, research shows that in-bed exercises, when performed consistently, can help boost health and independence for older adults. Here are five to try.

1. Hollow Hold 

This basic hold fires up the transverse abdominis (a deep core muscle), the rectus abdominis (the “six-pack” muscles), and the hip flexors. Research has linked these muscles to greater balance and stability

Here’s how to do a hollow hold:

1. Lying flat on your back, engage your core and extend your arms and legs out. Then lift your arms, shoulders, head, and legs so that just your torso—from your mid-back to your glutes—is touching the bed.
2. Hold this “hollow body” position for up to 30 seconds before lowering the rest of your body.
3. To make the hold easier, lift your legs higher, bend your knees, and/or lower your arms to your sides. To make it more challenging, keep your legs straight and hover your feet just above the bed.

2. Dead Bug 

The dead bug is easy to do from bed, but it’s also a powerful way to engage multiple types of abdominal muscles. Plus, research suggests exercises that combine coordinated leg movements with trunk engagement—as dead bugs do—can improve balance and stability.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet lifted so that your shins are parallel to the bed. Extend both arms straight up toward the ceiling.
2. Keeping your core engaged and lower back pressed against the bed, straighten and lower your right leg as you lower your left arm behind you. Continue lowering opposite limbs, and stop if you feel your spine arch or your lower back lose contact with the bed.
3. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position.
4. Repeat with the opposite arm and leg.
5. Continue to alternate.

3. Glute Bridge

Though the glute bridge is best known for targeting the glutes, it’s also a good way to engage your deep abdominal muscles.

For even greater benefits, consider adding a “march” to your glute bridge—this further engages your back and oblique muscles as you stabilize the rest of your body. Plus, it improves stability since you’re combining trunk engagement and coordinated leg movements.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and the soles of your feet on the bed.
2. Push through your feet, squeeze your glutes, and lift your hips toward the ceiling. Your body should form a straight line from shoulders to knees. Hold this position, then slowly release down.
3. If you’re adding a march, keep your hips lifted and your knees bent. Draw your right knee in toward your chest, keeping your torso stable.
4. Return your right foot to the bed, then draw your left knee to your chest.
5. Continue to alternate your legs in a marching motion.

4. Cobra 

This classic yoga move fires up your back muscles, but it also provides a satisfying chest opening, helps stretch your abdominals, and promotes greater spinal flexibility.

Here’s how to do the cobra exercise:

1. Lie on your stomach with your legs extended behind you and your palms positioned under your shoulders.
2. Press your hips into the bed as you lift your chest. Your arms are there for support, but the effort should mostly come from your back. Keep your neck neutral.
3. Hold the lifted position for a few seconds, then lower back down.

5. Box Breathing 

Why Bed Exercises Are Effective for Older Adults

Though they can be done from the comfort of your own bed, bed exercises like hollow holds and dead bugs can improve your balance and stability by activating deep core strength. That means they can be an effective and safe way for people over 60 to stay active and healthy.

But beyond stability, these bed core exercises are also great for older adults because they:

• Preserve muscle strength: Age-related muscle loss can cause a number of side effects, including instability and poor posture. But strength training—even from your bed—can help seniors retain strength and function as they age.
• Build greater coordination: Exercises that require you to move your legs while engaging your core, such as the dead bug and the glute bridge march, can help improve balance and mobility. In other words, moving your legs while bracing your core can both build core strength and coordination.
• Reinforce proper spinal alignment: Older research suggests you should build core stability by engaging muscles with a neutral spine. And it may be easier to maintain a neutral spine while you’re lying on a mattress—you can feel if your lower back is overly arched or if your shoulders are pulled back or rounded. There’s also no need to support your weight or worry about balance, as you might during other core workouts.
• Promote exercise adherence: To achieve any fitness goal, consistency is critical. People who find traditional exercise routines overwhelming or unrealistic may be more likely to stick with a workout that they can do in bed. In fact, one study involving older, sedentary adults found that most participants who were given a full-body, in-bed workout were still doing their exercises six months into the program.