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Seated exercises for hospital and at home

This page contains advice on how to become more active starting from your time within hospital and to continue at home.

Why is it important to exercise?

Regardless of your age or physical abilities, introducing these exercises into your daily routine will help keep you stay strong and make daily activities easier. Exercise can help you improve:

  • Balance.
  • Mobility.
  • Flexibility.
  • Circulation.
  • Bone health.
  • Skin health.
  • Strength.
  • Agility.
  • Breathing.

Moving more can also improve your mood and sleep. These will help you feel better in hospital and once you are home. 

Things to consider when exercising

Don’t worry if you haven’t exercised in some time. These chair exercises are gentle and easy to understand. If you are unsure of anything, speak to our physiotherapy team.

  1. First, find yourself a stable chair to sit on that doesn’t move - avoid any chairs with wheels.
  2. Make sure you are in a comfortable position on the chair with feet flat on the floor. Sit upright, away from the back of the chair, and wear comfortable clothes.
  3. Have some water nearby.

When to stop exercises 

It’s normal to experience muscle aching after starting new activities. As you do the exercises more often, you may notice the discomfort reduces. If you become suddenly unwell, you should stop exercising and seek medical attention. 

Seated exercises

Here is the exercise programme including warm up exercises. Follow the exercise instructions on the next few pages. Your physiotherapist will tell you which exercises you should do. Your physiotherapist may write down the number of 'reps' and 'sets'  you should do of each exercise. 

  • Reps (repetitions) are the number of times you perform a specific exercise.
  • Sets are groups of reps with rest time in between.

For example: if your physiotherapist asks you to complete 5 reps, and 3 sets you should:

  1. Do the exercise 5 times.
  2. Rest.
  3. Do the exercise 5 times.
  4. Rest.
  5. Do the exercise 5 times.

Chest stretch

  1. Sit upright in your chair.
  2. Extend your arms to the side.
  3. Push your chest forwards and hold for 3 seconds.
  4. Return to the starting position.
Person sitting on chair doing chest stretch exercise

Upper body twist

  1. Sit upright in your chair.
  2. Cross you arms, reaching for the opposite shoulders.
  3. Keep your hips facing forward and turn your upper body slowly to the left and then right.
  4. Return to the starting position.
Person sitting on chair doing upper body twist exercise

Neck rotations

  1. Sit upright in your chair and face forwards.
  2. Slowly turn your head to the left and hold for 3 seconds.
  3. Slowly return to the centre and turn your head to the right, hold for 3 seconds.
Person moving head from left to right

Seated marching

  1. Sit upright in your chair and hold the sides of the chair if needed.
  2. Start marching your legs: lift 1 leg up with your knee bend and then the other at a controlled pace.
  3. Continue this for 30-45 seconds.
Person sitting lifting right then left leg up

Knee extension

  1. Sit upright in your chair.
  2. Kick your foot out in front and of the floor to straighten your leg. Don’t lock your knee.
  3. Slowly control your foot back towards the floor.
  4. Repeat with your other leg.
Person sitting on stool and raising one leg out straight

Foot side taps

  1. Sit upright and hold onto the sides of the chair.
  2. Lift one leg to side, tapping your toe out to the side.
  3. Bring it back to the centre then repeat with the other leg.
  4. Add a resistance band if advised. 
Person sitting on stool with resistance band around knees, moving one knee out to the side

Ankle flexibility

  1. Sit upright and place your feet flat on the floor.
  2. Lift your toes off the floor as high as you can whilst keeping your heels down.
  3. Lower your toes back to the floor.
  4. Keep your toes on the floor, and lift both heels.
Lower legs with feet on the floor raising toes to the ceiling

Shoulder press

  1. Sit upright and start with your hands by your side.
  2. Push both arms into the air, straightening your elbows.
  3. Lower them to your chest.
  4. Add a pillow if advised.
Person sitting on stool raising hands up into the air

Arm curl

  1. Sit upright and keep your elbows at your side.
  2. Lift your hand towards your shoulder by bending your elbow.
  3. Lower your hand back down.
  4. Add a resistance band if advised.
Person sitting on stool keeping elbows bent and lifting hands to shoulders

Reaching across

  1. Sit upright, hold onto one side of the chair if needed.
  2. Reach one arm across your body, try to stretch a few inches further.
  3. Then do the same with the other arm. Keep your feet grounded on the floor.
Person sitting on stool reaching arm across body and to the side with arm straight

© North Bristol NHS Trust. This edition published October 2024. Review due October 2027. NBT003690

Seated exercises for hospital and at home