This classic arm exercise “tone[s] and strengthen[s] your biceps, which will help you with independence and mobility as you get older,” Bowers said. You use your biceps—the muscles lining your front upper arms—for everything from eating to getting dressed. Bowers recommended using a resistance band for this exercise, but you could also use water bottles, cans, or dumbbells.
Try this: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. Place a resistance band under your right foot, holding one end of the band in each hand with your palms facing away from you. Curl your hands toward your upper arms for 2 seconds, and breathe in. Then, lower your arms for 3 seconds, and breathe out.
Do six reps. Then, switch the resistance band to your left foot, and do six more reps. “For an added balance challenge, try standing on one leg while you perform the curls,” Bowers said.