7 Functional Movements Every Older Adult Should Be Able to Do

More energy, stronger bones, a better mood. It’s no secret why fitting exercise into your day is a good idea.

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Any movement is always better than none, but when it comes to maintaining your independence and performing everyday tasks with ease, the type of movement you’re doing matters.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 61 percent of adults aged 65 and older are limited in their ability to perform basic actions, like picking something up off the floor or reaching to grab a cereal box from the pantry.

You may not do these things in the gym, but don’t let that fool you: Many everyday tasks mimic basic exercises. They’re known as functional movements, and being able to perform them is crucial for a long, active life, says Jessica Matthews, senior advisor at the American Council on Exercise and author of Stretching to Stay Young.

“To ensure our continued independence and freedom to do both daily activities—including self-care—as well as leisure activities that we enjoy, it’s important to develop and maintain quality movement patterns.” That second part—maintaining—is especially important because if you don’t use them, you’ll eventually lose them.

“If we don’t move our bodies, we are no different than the car sitting on the lot that eventually rusts,” explains Kyle Stull, a National Academy of Sports Medicine trainer. In our bodies, “rust” shows up as joint dysfunction, degenerative joint disease, and other injuries that arise from lack of use.

To stay rust-free, there are five primary movement patterns you should be able to perform: hip-hinge, single-leg, push, pull, and rotational. These patterns translate into the specific exercises below.

You can work though the checklist at home or ask a trainer to monitor your movement at the gym. Either way, you’ll end up with a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses—and learn how to work up to the moves you find challenging.

And once they all feel good, you can put them together for a quick bodyweight workout that you can perform anywhere.