Revitalize Muscle Tone After 65: 6 Bed Exercises That Outperform Yoga

Imagine being able to exercise right from your bed. These gentle routines make that possible.

Yoga remains a top choice for those seeking a workout that nurtures the mind, body, and spirit. It’s a staple in many wellness regimens, helping individuals improve flexibility, balance, and reduce stress, all while toning the body. The good news is that you don’t have to visit a yoga studio to achieve these benefits. Particularly for those over 65, effective exercises can be performed comfortably in bed. We consulted an expert who shared six gentle exercises that can help strengthen muscles from your bed.

As people age past 65, the body naturally begins to lose muscle fibers faster than it can regenerate them. This results in remaining muscles becoming smaller and weaker, making everyday activities like climbing stairs, opening jars, or carrying groceries more difficult than before.

“Posture also suffers because the muscles supporting the spine become less robust, leading many older adults to slouch or hunch forward,” explains Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo, a Spinal and Orthopaedic Surgeon based in the NYC area. He is an expert in spinal health and fitness and founded 360 Dynamized Core, a company known for creating innovative spine-safe core fitness solutions. “With weaker muscles, stability decreases, increasing the risk of falls. However, the encouraging news is that maintaining an active lifestyle can greatly slow down these changes. Muscle loss isn’t something that has to be faced passively.”

“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

1. Lie flat on your back with bent knees and feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides with palms pressing into the mattress.
2. Press through your heels to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
3. Squeeze your buttocks, holding at the top for 2 seconds.
4. Lower your hips back to the start position.

Straight-Leg Raises

1. Start by lying flat on your back with your arms extended overhead and legs out straight.
2. Activate your core as you lift one leg off the mattress, keeping it extended and your lower back pressed into the mat.
3. Hold for a moment at the top.
4. Use control to lower your leg.
5. Repeat on the other side.

Clamshell

1. Lie on your side with an optional loop resistance band around your thighs.
2. Keep your feet together as you lift your top knee, like a clamshell opening.
3. Use control to return to the start position. Avoid rotating through your lower back.
4. Repeat on the other side.

Dead Bug

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1. Lie face-up with your arms extended toward the sky and knees lifted and bent to 90 degrees.
2. Press your lower back into the mattress as you gradually lower your left arm and extend your right leg.
3. Return to the center.
4. Then, lower your right arm and left leg.
5. Continue to alternate.

Seated Edge Squeezes

1. Begin sitting tall on the edge of the bed.
2. Squeeze a pillow between your knees for 10 seconds at a time.
3. Release.

Supine Marching

1. Lie flat on your back.
2. Slowly alternate between lifting each knee up toward your chest like a slow marching motion.