Easy exercises for healthy knees

Try these "anytime" exercises to help protect your mobility and independence.

Strong knees are crucial to daily activities like getting out of a chair or walking to the kitchen or bathroom. But thinking about taking on special exercises to strengthen your knees can seem daunting. "Older adults are often worried that doing any leg-strengthening or weight-bearing exercises will increase the 'wear and tear' on their knees and increase already present arthritis. But doing strengthening exercises around the knee joint actually helps lessen the progression of any arthritis," says Ashley Wiater, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. Strengthening hip muscles helps to stabilize the knees as well.