Exercising, as you get older, need not cost you one penny.  All your workouts can be free and can be performed in familiar surroundings. However, you must have  the will and desire to look your best and enjoy your senior years for as long as possible.

We are not looking at giving you complicated routines nor do we intend to suggest time limits for any of the exercises.

A major problem with any physical fitness regime is boredom sapping away at the initial enthusiasm for getting and staying fit and trim.

Start by acknowledging that your keenness will evaporate unless you take steps to avoid the repetitive tedium.

In a commercial gym you can chat to others as you move from one exercise machine to another, compare progress or just gossip to help the time pass. But at a cost!

At home it has never been easier to listen to hours and hours of your own music picks on your personal iPod or enjoy a your favorite radio soap through a tiny earpiece, without disturbing any one else in the house.

So the first step is to pick a time when you are least likely to be interrupted, plug in your iPod or listen to a regular radio program you enjoy.

Before you start any physical exercise it is essential that you spend a few minutes gently warming up and stretching the muscles. A minute or two marching or gentle jogging on the spot followed by twisting from side to side from the waist with the arms folded then extended in turn from under the chin will set you up for the rest of your chosen keep fit program.

Here are a few of the many stretching routines that you should progress from as you become fitter. Do not be tempted to stay with the same old exercises but keep experimenting with new and imaginative workouts as this will also help to keep boredom away.

• Support yourself with one hand on the backrest of a dining chair, standing sideways to it.
• Raise your free arm and leg sideways until you can just feel the muscles stretching, repeat several times and then change to the other arm and leg.
• Hold the back of a chair, have your legs about two feet apart and raise each leg alternatively behind you trying not to bend  the knee.
• Sit firmly on a seat with your back well supported. Hold the arms and then raise one leg off the ground in front of you. Repeat ten times with each leg and then try and lift both together.
• Hold onto the back of a strong chair and bend both knees. Straighten up and repeat.
• Walk backwards round  the room or sofa. Hold on to your partner for extra support if necessary.
• Lie flat on the carpet or rug with your head on a cushion and your hands interlocked underneath your head.
• Go to the bottom of a staircase.Hold the banister and step up and down the first step. This is easier done in time to music.

Of course, if you buy one of the many exercise discs available on the market all you need is a TV and a DVD player and a little room in front to follow the routines.

If you get bored seeing the same faces going through the same motions then buy another DVD.

The serious point to make is do NOT overdue any of the exercises, forget about "no pain, no gain". These exercises will just help you to slow down the effects of aging.

The moment you feel any discomfort stop and either have a rest or start again the next day.

Just remember that you are not as young as you used to be and take heart from the knowledge that as each day of exercising passes you are finding that it becomes easier to extend both the range of routines and the time spent carrying them out.

Finally do not overlook the value of a proper balanced diet to supplement your efforts at keeping age at bay and enjoying life by staying trim and healthy.

These exercises can be incorporated into a warming up or cooling down session before and after any sporting activities.

Anterior Shoulder Stretch

• Stand up straight with your shoulders relaxed.

• Put one arm across your chest.

• Hold the elbow with the opposite hand and pull the arm across your body until you feel a stretch in your shoulder.
• Hold for at least a count of ten and repeat with other arm.

Posterior Shoulder Stretch

• Stand straight with both feet firmly on the ground.

• Use a twisted towel or rope and hold it  over your back with one hand.

• With your other hand reach up behind your back and grab hold of the towel.

• Pull the towel upwards as high as you can comfortably go.

• Repeat with other arm.

Watch these  Stretching Exercise Videos

The following exercises will help anybody to achieve those super lean thighs just ready for showing off your legs in the latest bikini or swim wear.

Just find a private place, turn up the tempo and get going.

1. The seated pillow squeeze

This exercise is great for working the inner thigh muscles.

• While sitting in a good, sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor, place a pillow between your thighs.
• Squeeze the pillow as tight as you can with your thighs as you exhale and hold for one minute.
• Breathe as usual while holding. Start with one time and work up until you are repeating this exercise up to five times.

2. The seated hand push

This is a very good exercise for toning the outer thigh muscles and hips.

• Again, sitting your chair with your feet flat on the floor, put the palms of your hands firmly on the outside of your knees.
• Hold your hands and arms steady and push with your knees as though you are trying to push away your hands.
• Push against your knees at the same time with your hands.
• Hold this for one minute while breathing steadily. Release and repeat. Work up to doing this at least five times.

3. The seated leg raise

This exercise works the front of the thighs very well.

• Using the same chair as the first two exercises and seated the same way with your feet flat on the floor, breathe out as you raise and extend the right leg.
• Hold this position for half a minute and take normal breaths.
• Lower your leg as you breathe in. Repeat with the other leg and work up until you are working each leg five times.

4. The seated bridge

This exercise works not only the backs of the thighs but the buttocks as well.

• Using the same chair, sit on the edge with the knees at a 90 degree angle. Your feet should be flat on the floor.
• Put your hands on the chair on each side to support your weight as you lift your hips up, breathing out as you do so.. Your body should resemble a bridge when your hips are lifted.
• Hold this position for at least twenty seconds and up to sixty seconds, breathing normally as you hold it.
• Lower your hip back to the chair and repeat. Work up to doing this exercise five times.

These thigh exercises will help you achieve those super lean thighs you want. Just remember that your lean thighs won’t look the same as someone else’s. Everybody is different.

One of the most common pains that adults experience emanates from strain in the back muscles. Back problems can often cause acute discomfort but more often than not can be treated by simple stretching exercises and massage.

To help prevent injury it is important that the muscles of the back are strong and this can be achieved by core strength exercises.

Back Stretching Exercise No 1
• Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
• Tighten the muscles in your bottom and stomach and flatten the small of your back into the floor.
• Hold for a few seconds and slowly relax.
• Repeat.

Back Stretching Exercise No 2.

• Lie on your back and bend your knees with your feet flat onto the floor.
• Hold onto one leg behind the knee and pull the knee towards the same side shoulder.
• Hold and release slowly.
• Repeat with the other leg.

Back Stretching Exercise No 3

• Lie on your back and stretch your arms out at right angles to your body with the palms facing down.
• Bend your knees and pull them up towards your chest.
• Breathe in deeply. Exhale, and keeping both knees together turn them over to one side of your body towards the floor.
• Hold for a second, breathe in and slowly bring your knees back the original position close to your chest.
• Breathe out slowly and repeat on the opposite side.

Back Stretching Exercise No 4

• Lie on the floor on your front.
• Bend your arms and place the palms downwards beneath your shoulders. Your forehead should be towards the ground.
• Push your hands into the ground and lift your upper body as far as you can comfortably go. Your back should be arched and your arms should be as straight as you can.
• Hold and return to the starting position.
• Repeat.

Back Stretching Exercise No 5

• Go onto all fours with your hands directly in line with your shoulders and your knees in line with your hips.
• Breathe in and let your stomach drop down towards the floor.
• At the same time look up as high as you can.
• Breathe out and bring your stomach up, rounding your back and looking at the floor.
• Your chin and your bottom should be lowered whilst your back is rounded.
• Slowly change from one position to the other in a smooth motion.

These are just a few of these stretching exercises you should do daily in order to gain relief from back muscle pain.

Easy Knee Stretching Exercises

Easy Neck Stretching Exercises

There are two kinds of knee exercises, strengthening and stretching.

Strengthening exercise will build the muscles that support the knee and protect it from injury and pain.

Strength exercises can make the muscles tight so it is important to follow them with stretching which creates flexibility in the muscles.

However, all of the following stretching exercises can help with general knee problems. They will help to maintain range of movement and help with pain control.

They should be done regularly and slowly so as to avoid injury. Try to build up to five repetitions and gradually increase as you are able to.

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Knee Stretching Exercise No.1

• Lie on the ground on a mat with your legs out straight.
• Tense your thigh muscle, push your knee down into the ground and try to lift your heel slightly off the ground.
• Hold that position for a few seconds.

This exercise needs practice to get it right but it will be beneficial in helping with knee problems.

Knee Stretching Exercise No.2

• Sit on the mat with legs outstretched and your arms supporting you.
• Place a small rolled up towel under your knees and keeping your knees on the towel raise your feet off the ground.
• Your leg should remain on the towel and kept straight.

Knee Stretching Exercise No.3

Should not be done if you have a bad back or hip replacement.

• Sit on the mat and lean back onto your hands.
• Keeping your leg straight, lift off the ground about 6 inches.
• Repeat with the other leg.

Knee Stretching Exercise No.4

• Sit on the mat with and lean back onto your hands.
• Keeping one leg straight on the ground, draw the other leg as close into the body as possible, by bending the knee and drawing it in.
• Hold for a few seconds and then straighten.
• Repeat with the other leg.

Knee Stretching Exercise No.5

• Lie on your front on the mat with both legs stretched out behind you. Support your head on your arms.
• Bend one leg at a time and bring the foot close to your bottom.
• Hold and then release.
• Repeat with the other leg.

More Easy Stretching Exercises

• Neck
• Desk Exercise
• Shoulder
• Back

The following easy neck stretching  exercises will help sort out many of the niggly pains we often get.

Neck Rotation Exercise

• Look straight ahead and keeping your head straight turn your head slowly round to one side as far as it will comfortably go.
• Hold for 5 seconds and come back to the middle.
• Then repeat on the other side.

Each time you repeat this movement your neck will be able to go that little bit further with ease.

Neck Flexion Exercises

No 1.

• Look straight ahead and slowly let your head drop until your chin touches your chest.
• Bring your head up and repeat 5 times.
• If you prefer you can let the head go back slightly in between movements.

No 2.

• Look straight ahead and bring your ear down to touch your shoulder or as near as you can without letting your head turn to the side.
• Repeat on the other side.
• Repeat five times.

Neck Extension Exercise

• Look ahead and then allow your head to fall backwards until you can look at the ceiling
• Hold the position for a few seconds before raising your head to normal position.
• Repeat exercise 5 times.

Neck Retraction Exercise

• Look ahead and then pull your head as far back as possible
• Push your chin down slightly into your body and hold position for a few seconds.
• Repeat 5 times.

When you do these exercises you will feel the stretch in your neck reaching down to your shoulders.

These neck stretching exercises, if done correctly, will help you to relax your neck and will be beneficial to aches and general pain in the shoulder and upper back region.

All the exercises must be performed slowly and gently with no jerking or sudden movements. Remember your neck is fragile and needs to be treated with care.

More stretching exercises

• Knee exercise
• Lower back exercise
• Shoulder exercise
• Desk exercise

This is a great exercise to begin with in your water aerobic routine.

• In around chest deep water, you will walk as you would normally walk on land.
• You want to try and walk in the water like you would walk briskly on land.
• Move your arms at your sides while you walk, and you can burn around 250 calories in just a half an hour.  This is much more than you would burn just by walking on land.
• You can then start to run by just extending your legs and using long strides.

Leg Flutters –

• You can perform this by holding on to the side of the pool in deeper water, so that you are able to move your legs without touching the bottom of the pool.
• Hanging on to the edge, point your toes at the bottom of the pool and move your legs back and forth so that your feet are passing each other going in different directions.
• You can keep the kicks small, and do this for about 15 minutes.  You are also working your arms by hanging on to the side of the pool while you are exercising.

Why not join in one of the many classes held at local swimming pools?

If you feel happier using a floatation device take a look at the floats below.