There are many wonderful things about getting older, but going through the aging process also means you might start experiencing bodily fatigue, achy muscles and joint pain more often than you used to. Because of this, you might have difficulty moving and exercising. But you don't have to let that slow you down. It's vital for older adults to get regular physical activity — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity — but what if you want to gently ease into more movement without exacerbating aches and pains?
One way to get started is to practice chair yoga. Chair yoga exercises are a perfect way for you to stretch and get moving, all while you're safely seated in a chair — no need to get down onto the floor. This type of yoga can help loosen your muscles, improve circulation, build strength and even relieve stress. Even better? You can do it any time from the comfort of your own home.
Photo Courtesy: [SilviaJansen/E+/Getty Images]
Chair yoga, or sitting yoga, for seniors is a modified version of traditional hatha yoga to help relieve body aches and stay healthy in a safe and accessible way. Hatha yoga is a form of this type of exercise that's more gentle and more slowly paced with a focus on stretching and breathing. It's ideal for anyone who lives with pain that could make more complex yoga poses difficult, such as chronic pain, osteoporosis and multiple sclerosis. Additionally, chair yoga can also be ideal for people who spend long hours sitting in a chair.
Many seniors find their lives become sedentary with each passing year because movement may become more tiring, uncomfortable or painful. Practicing chair yoga regularly can provide a way to prevent or relieve those issues. It's a low-impact way to get the blood in your body flowing and stretch your muscles.
In terms of equipment, all you need for chair yoga is a stable, armless chair. Make sure the chair is resting on a flat, stable surface and that you're wearing comfortable clothes that allow for a generous range of motion. Chair yoga can also be ideal if you're a wheelchair user.
Benefits of Chair Yoga for Seniors
Photo Courtesy: [RyanJLane/Getty Images]
Getting regular exercise can add years to your life and slow the aging process. However, many types of exercise can become more difficult to perform with age. High-impact exercises like weightlifting, running and other types of intense cardio can be particularly hard on your joints and muscles. Chair yoga provides a way to get your body moving without stressing your joints with hard impacts like running does. Practicing chair yoga for 20-30 minutes per session several times a week can provide significant health benefits.
First of all, it can help manage and reduce pain. One recent study from the Journal of American Geriatrics Society found that chair yoga effectively helped relieve pain associated with osteoarthritis. Furthermore, chair yoga involves stretching the neck, upper back, lower back, shoulders, arms, legs, knees and ankles without much impact on the joints. This not only reduces stiffness, tension and pain, but it can also help to improve mobility in the long run.
Another potential benefit is improved flexibility, which can make it easier to perform regular movements as you go about your everyday routine. Being flexible also can improve muscle coordination and posture and lower the risk of future muscle soreness and injuries. Chair yoga helps improve your strength and balance as well, meaning falls become a lot less likely. Having a strong body also increases your ability to withstand injury.
Chair yoga even has benefits for your mental wellbeing. As with traditional yoga, chair yoga involves a lot of deep breathing, which can help clear your mind similarly to meditation. This often results in reduced stress, a better mood, less anxiety and a calmer state of mind.
Try These Great Chair Yoga Routines
Photo Courtesy: [Fitness With Cindy/YouTube]
There's no need to leave your home, join a gym or go to chair yoga classes at a fitness studio — plenty of outstanding chair yoga routines are available online. Some are written out with pictures, while others are instructional video workouts you can follow along with.
If you're unsure about the idea of following along with a chair yoga video, you can simply make your own routine consisting of exercises sitting in a chair. Here are some great options for all skill levels:
The Forward Bend Pose involves bending over so your chest is resting on your thighs and your hands are reaching towards the floor. If you can, place your palms fully on the floor. To get the most out of this stretch, hold for 30 seconds or more, taking slow, long, deep breaths.
The Chair Pigeon Pose is another great chair yoga stretch. Sitting up straight with your knees aligned above your ankles, bring your left ankle to your right thigh. If you can, try bending forward as low as possible to make the stretch more intense. Hold here for several deep breaths before doing the same pose with the opposite leg.
For the Chair Spinal Twist, begin by sitting sideways on your chair facing right. Twist your torso to the right while grabbing the back of the chair with both hands to anchor yourself in that position. Stay here for several deep breaths. Then, switch to the left side.
The simple Overhead Stretch starts with you sitting up straight in your chair, facing forward with your arms relaxed and hanging by your sides. As you take a deep breath in, slowly begin to raise your arms up towards the ceiling. Once they're fully extended upward, take a moment to engage your core and ensure your back is straight. Hold this position for a few seconds. Let out a long exhale while slowly lowering your arms back down. Repeat this a few more times.
You might find it easier and more convenient to follow an exercise video routine that provides instructions and demonstrates the different positions for you. There are plenty of free chair yoga classes and routines for seniors to choose from. Here are some that come highly recommended:
Chair Yoga for Seniors With Adriene: Adriene is a master of making yoga fun and easy for everyone. In this 17-minute chair yoga video, she guides you through the moves slowly and clearly so that it's easy to follow along and enjoy learning the basics.
Gentle Chair Yoga With Mary Beth Kealy: This gentle, stimulating 41-minute chair yoga practice is great if you want to spend a little bit of extra time stretching. The background of the video incorporates soothing, meditative music to make the experience especially relaxing.
Chair Yoga for Lower Back Pain With Cindy: Cindy walks you through 18 minutes of sitting yoga for seniors. The stretches are specifically designed to ease lower back pain while helping you build strength at the same time.
The Best Portable Generators for Indoor or Outdoor Use
Photo Courtesy: Pixabay
You rely on electricity every day, so it's nice to have power anytime you need it, whether you're camping, at the beach or when the electricity goes out. These days, portable generators provide power solutions for any situation.
With so many options, wouldn't it be nice to find the portable generator that's right for you? You don't have to search for hours to find one. Keep reading to find the best portable generators to fit your specific needs.
Best Overall: Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240
Photo Courtesy: Amazon
If you're in the market for a power solution that works well inside or outside, the Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240 should be the first portable generator that you should take a look at. An astonishing 89 percent of buyers gave this generator a five-star review, and they say it's a solid power source for travel or emergencies.
Best Value: ENKEEO Portable Power Station
Photo Courtesy: Amazon
If you're looking for a portable power solution that won't break the bank, check out the ENKEEO Portable Power Station. This portable generator gives you green energy at a budget price. Charge this unit ahead of time, and you'll have hours of electricity to charge up to seven devices. Reviewers praised its effectiveness, especially for its small size.
Best for Emergencies: Westinghouse WGen7500 Portable Generator With Remote Electric Start
Photo Courtesy: Amazon
Power outages and natural disasters can wreak havoc on your family. You can be prepared for any emergency with the Westinghouse WGen7500 Portable Generator With Remote Electric Start This generator gives you up to 16 hours of electricity so that your family doesn't have to do without power. Around 70 percent of buyers rated this generator five stars, praising its efficiency and surprisingly low noise level.
Best Small Generator: Aeiusny 400W Solar Generator Portable Power Station
Photo Courtesy: Amazon
If you're looking for a small portable generator that you can use in a pinch, the Aeiusny 400W Solar Generator Portable Power Station is a terrific choice. Not only is it compact and easy to transport and store, and you can charge it from an electrical socket, in the car or by using the optional solar charger. Buyers love it for its effectiveness and compact footprint.
Best Easy-carry Generator: SUAOKI Portable Power Station
Photo Courtesy: Amazon
A quality portable generator should be easy to transport, and the SUAOKI Portable Power Station delivers on that promise. It's compact yet powerful and includes 10 output ports for plenty of opportunities to charge what you need. You can recharge this beast via car charger, wall outlet or optional solar panel. Reviewers appreciate how many items you can charge with this generator.
Best Quiet Generator: WEN 56200i Super Quiet 2000-Watt Portable Inverter Generator
Photo Courtesy: Amazon
Let's face it ― generators can be loud. It's nice to have a portable generator that won't make a lot of noise. Take a look at the WEN 56200i Super Quiet 2000-Watt Portable Inverter Generator, and you'll find a robust generator that allows you to charge via USB or DC plug. Nearly three-fourths of reviewers gave it five stars for quiet, powerful performance.
Best for Boating: Pulsar 2,000W Portable Gas-Powered Quiet Inverter Generator
Photo Courtesy: Amazon
When you're out on your boat, it's nice to have a solution for electricity that's easy and convenient. The Pulsar 2,000W Portable Gas-Powered Quiet Inverter Generator combines power and portability in a quiet unitt. You can count on up to eight hours of power, and you can daisy chain two of these generators together for even more power. Reviewers raved about how well this one keeps going using just a little gas.
Best for Camping: ROCKPALS 300W Portable Generator Lithium Portable Power Station
Photo Courtesy: Amazon
People who camp frequently know how helpful a generator can be. The ROCKPALS 300W Portable Generator Lithium Portable Power Station provides power and durability when you need it. This generator gives you three ways to charge: through a wall outlet, car charger or with a solar panel that's sold separately. Buyers love that it's flexible, powerful, and compact ― the right combination for those who camp.
Best for Frequent Use: Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 160
Photo Courtesy: Amazon
When you need a generator that you can put to use often, the Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 160 is a terrific choice. Charge this generator ahead of time or use the optional solar panels for quiet, clean power that you can rely on. A whopping 86 percent of reviewers gave it five stars, raving about how well it charges phones, laptops, lights and car batteries.
Best Compact Gas-powered Generator: Pulsar PG1202S Gas-Powered Portable Generator
Photo Courtesy: Amazon
If you're looking for a gas-powered generator but want something compact, the Pulsar PG1202S Gas-Powered Portable Generator is for you. This generator puts plenty of power in a small package, giving you up to five hours of electricity. It's suitable for camping or other outdoor recreation activities as well as for the job site. Buyers say this generator does a great job, particularly with proper maintenance.
Advertiser Disclosure: When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Grey and brown living room has one of the best color combinations.
Grey is a color that looks relaxed, subtle, trendy, and even versatile. On the other hand, Brown is an excellent color to bring a cozy and warm aura to any interior. Combining the two colors will result in something gorgeous, and you will love it.
Pairing grey and brown color in your living room interior is not a difficult thing to do. Both colors belong to neutral category so placing them in a place will never be a problem.
If you are looking for some inspirations to decorate your living room with brown and grey tones, in this post there are 21 most attractive ideas you have to check out. Those ideas are:
Find the explanation for each idea listed above in the following.
The first attractive idea to try when you choose brown and grey as the primary colors of your living room is to use teal accents to create an even stronger comfy atmosphere in the place.
Of course, teal is an excellent accent color to add to the room because it is also an agreeable color to the other two tones.
The example on how you can add teal accents in your living room with grey and brown hues exists in the picture of eclectic interior above. Here, the portion of teal color is not too much, so it doesn't cause any trouble to the primary color theme.
As for the brown and grey combination, you can see that everything looks right in the room. Even the brown leather chairs look well when paired with the sectional couch yet both of them have a somewhat different style.
Another impressive detail you shouldn't miss from this interior is the wall color. It is Benjamin Moore River Reflections 1552. This grey wall paint is right for the color theme because it has a brown undertone.
The next idea you should try is placing suede seats in your living room. Indeed, since the seats are an essential element in any living room, they must have grey or brown color to match the theme correctly.
The reason why we recommend you to choose suede seats is that the primary material brings a modern and subtle look to the interior environment. With the right choice of grey or brown, they can even build a perfect atmosphere for the room.
In the picture above, there are two grey suede couches and a brown suede ottoman table used.
While it is clear that the brown ottoman table gives warmth to the room, you can see that the grey couches also have a warm undertone, so all these furniture pieces have a contribution in building up the warm feel in the room.
The wall color is interesting too since it is a grey paint with a warm brown undertone. This paint has similarity to Clark + Kensington Ominous Cloud 5044.
The last but not least detail that also perfects the room is the lighting system. It is not too bright but still manages to make the place has a cozy and warm atmosphere.
Another attractive idea you need to consider is the idea of using a rustic theme in your brown and grey living room.
We recommend you to choose this theme because it has the warmth that makes any living room a suitable place for hanging out.
From so many ways available to build up rustic look in your living room, adding wooden element is the one we recommend the most. It is even better because wooden material also has a quite a lot of brown tone to match your color theme.
A good example to get inspired from is the use of wooden accent wall as shown in the picture above.
Here, the designer doesn't make the accent wall from wood panels. He makes it from high-quality wooden flooring material instead.
A wooden accent wall like this is not only an excellent choice because of the brown hue and the warm look. It is also excellent because it is catchy.
As a suggestion, when you choose to install a wooden accent wall like this, it would be great if you select greige wall tone as the pairing. In the example above, the greige wall tone is Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter HC-172.
4. Grey and Brown Living Room with Green Patterned Pillows
It is no longer a secret that one of many easy ways to make your living room looks attractive is by placing some decorative pillows on the seats. These items can even boost a comfort value in the room.
About the specific color scheme we discuss here, green pillows are an excellent recommendation to consider. These aren't plain green pillows but the patterned one.
Green patterned pillows are not just decorations that can give a refreshing touch to your grey and brown living area.
They are also a very suitable choice to pick when your place has more plain items instead of the patterned one as shown in the picture above. With patterns, the room gains more point of interest.
If being asked about whether or not green color is suitable with grey and brown, the answer is yes. It even looks well with the grey wall paint as the background.
Just in case that you are curious, the wall color is Old Country Tan by Valspar.
5. Grey and Brown Living Room with Floor to Ceiling Fireplace
Adding a floor to ceiling fireplace in your brown and grey living room is another idea you should try to boost the attractiveness of your place.
If you already have a fireplace in the room, you can consider this as a remodeling idea too.
Floor to ceiling fireplace is more prominent than a regular one. It can arrest more attention, and it becomes the reason why this fireplace type is perfect for living room's focal point.
Since there are two specific primary colors here, it would be best for the fireplace to have a compatible tone too.
In the picture above, for example, the fireplace has a brown color that matches all the wooden elements in the room.
Other than the floor to ceiling fireplace, there is another excellent idea you can get from the same picture. It is the idea of using wood paneling for wall and ceiling. This wood paneling can contribute a beautiful natural brown color to the room.
6. Grey Living Room with Brown Herringbone Wooden Flooring
If you have mostly grey items in your living room, choosing wood flooring is an option to consider adding brown tone to the place.
Instead of selecting a regular style hardwood floor, why don't you pick something different like herringbone wooden flooring?
Because of the unique herringbone pattern, it will be easier to gain more attention on the lower part of your living room.
Besides, the design looks beautiful too. It is such a suitable choice to pick for a nice-looking interior as shown in the picture of farmhouse brown and grey living room above, which has a lot of soft grey tones in it.
Having two-tone items is another way to make your living room looks attractive. In this case, let's be specific. The recommended thing is a two-tone seat with the combination of grey and brown colors.
Yes, the items you place in the living room should not always in one-tone design. As long as you can pick the right two-tone things, nothing will go wrong.
As a source of inspiration, you can check out the picture of a contemporary living room above. It has a two-tone sectional couch with brown frame and grey cushion.
To be more specific, the cushion is in warm greige tone. It has the quite similar hue with the wall.
While the green view outside the place looks refreshing, the designer seems to keep the interior warm by using mostly warm tones in there. Those include the two tones of the sofa, the orange color of the small table, the greige rug, and the medium-tone hardwood flooring.
Leather chairs are things that will add a bold touch to your brown and grey living room, especially when the place has a light background as you can see in the picture above.
The wall paint used in this room has a quite similar look to Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray SW 7029 or Worldly Gray SW 7043.
Leather furniture is something that isn't only able to add bold look in your living room interior.
This furniture piece can also add elegance and specific style based on the design it has. In the picture above, the chairs have a traditional style.
Leather chairs are also a better choice than a leather sofa. The reason is that chairs are less bulky than the couch.
This idea is great to consider when you do realize that bulky-looking furniture can create a heavy look in your interior and you don't want such look to appear in your place.
9. Grey and Brown Living Room with Chocolate Accent Wall
If by any chance you have a grey and brown living area with an ordinary look, you can make it extraordinary by adding a chocolate accent wall. The example is available in the picture above.
This room has the combination of contemporary and minimalist styles.
This fact can explain why there are not many items in the room. The decorations are not too much as well. In other words, the place has a quite simple design.
The existence of the chocolate accent wall doesn't only make the room looks attractive. It also gives a new look to the room without giving any problem to the soft color scheme in there.
As you can see although the accent wall has a slightly dark tone it has a pretty soft look.
Another excellence you also need to know about chocolate accent wall is that the tone makes the room cozier.
Even if the place has a rather small size, it won't be a matter of the coziness is enough to make people feel comfortable being in there.
Painting all sides of the wall in your living room with brown color is another attractive idea you should give a try.
Here, we recommend you to choose a dark brown paint as the Benjamin Moore Char Brown 2137-20 paint used in the picture example above.
No matter how dark the tone is brown color still can create a warm look in any living area. It is a good thing because the appearance can also create an inviting atmosphere to make people feel like spending time in the place.
Something like this is the one you need to add in your living area for sure.
A brick wall is another thing that can bring warm and inviting atmosphere to your brown and grey living room. Besides, this wall can also bring a rustic touch that can make your living area even more attractive.
In adding a brick wall in your living area, you need to remember that you don't always have to go all the way by using the material on all sides.
If you think that this is too much, you can use the brick to create an accent wall as done in the picture example above, in which the material exists on the wall-size fireplace on the living room.
12. Grey and Brown Living Room with Wall-Size Glass Windows
This next brown and grey idea for a living room is suitable to pick when you already have a sectional, but you also think that you need more seats in your living room.
Ottomans are the recommended type for you to pick here and there are some reasons behind this suggestion.
Sectional couch is large furniture.
Even if you need more seats in the living room, pairing the sofa with another type of furniture for seating like chairs or even couches is not a good idea since they will only make the room look cramped and bulky in a negative way.
In this case, ottomans are an excellent option to consider. The size of these furniture pieces is quite small. Besides, you can move them very quickly whenever you do not need them.
About the color of sectional and ottomans to consider the living room scheme we discuss since earlier, the examples in the picture is a great one.
The combination of the light grey sectional and the brown leather/animal skin colors of the ottomans are right.
The light grey sectional can avoid the room from looking dark. As you can see, the place has more portions of dark hues, especially from the brown hardwood floor.
This idea for grey and brown living area is suitable to pick if you want to add a decorative value on your wall, but you are not interested in hanging painting, photos, or other similar wall arts on it.
The idea is creating a mural to make the wall the decoration itself.
While you can freely choose what image you want to draw on the wall, which is, of course, suitable to the room's style, you need to consider the coloring of the mural art.
Here, it would be best if you don't break the grey and brown theme.
As exemplified in the picture above, the mural in the room has elegant patterns and brown background color.
While the brown color is suitable to the theme we talk about in this post, the design seems to be a good pairing for the grey leather sectional, which also has elegance value in it.
15. Grey and Brown Living Room with Animal Print Pillows
Adding animal print pillows in your brown and grey living room is another excellent idea you should give a try. It proves that you do not need to change the entire living room interior to make it more attractive.
There are some significant reasons why you are recommended to try this idea.
The first one is because animal print is available in so many choices right now and it also has those natural, vibrant colors to liven up your space. It gets even better because the colors shouldn't always have to be grey or brown to match the color theme you apply in the room.
Even the zebra print pillows in the picture below look nice for the grey and brown transitional living room.
The second reason is that this idea shouldn't cost you much money. If you don't have a lot of cash, you need to find some affordable pillowcases with animal print style to cover the pillows you already have in your living room.
The third reason is that this idea is not permanent, which means you can easily replace it with another plan in the future if you want to.
All you need to do is covering the pillows you have in the room with other cases in another style.
16. Grey and Brown Living Room with Fabric Acoustic Panel Wall
This next idea might sound a bit uncommon but it is quite impressive to try. It is none other, but the idea of using acoustic panels for the wall instead of just painting the wall or covering it with different types of paneling.
This idea is beneficial, and the first benefit is that the panels are available in vast color options. It means you can find the right one to meet the grey and brown color limitation.
Surely, color options are not the only benefit offered by the panels.
They are also beneficial because of the unique ability they have. They can absorb sounds and noises to create a better and more comfortable environment.
This benefit makes the idea perfect for an open living room l, such as the one shown in the picture above. With the brown-grey fabric acoustic panels, the living area doesn't only look good, but it also gets noise reduction.
This way, you can spend time in the space more conveniently.
17. Grey and Brown Living Room with Bulky Leather Sofa
Leather seats always provide a fabulous way in adding brown tone in your grey and brown interior. The specific type we recommend you to choose in this idea is the bulky leather sofa.
This idea is specific because leather sofas in bulky style as shown in the picture above have a rather intense masculine look.
In other words, these furniture pieces are perfect to choose when you want to add more masculine touches in your living room.
Because of this, the sofas are not only suitable for a living room belongs to a male homeowner but also the one that has too much feminine touch.
The disadvantage of placing bulky sofas in your living room is that these items can make the area look heavy and less spacious.
Although so, it isn't something for you to worry too much since a practical solution is available.
The solution is using more portions of bright tones in the room to reduce the heavy look as well as avoiding cramped impression.
The same answer exists in the example above, in which the living room has two brown bulky leather sofas, a very bright grey wall tone, cloud grey and black rug, and some white in the furniture pieces, fireplace, and adornments.
Black accents are also great to add in grey and brown living area. These accents build a certain look based on the type of grey and brown color you use in the room.
If you use lighter or softer tones, black accents can create a balance by adding a bold touch to the living room.
On the contrary, if the interior has a darker scheme as shown in the example, black accents will not only strengthen the color theme but at the same time also make all tones in the room pops. It is especially for the one connected directly to the accents such as the grey couch and the black pillows in the pic.
Adding warm tones in your grey and brown living area is a way to make the room looks warmer than before.
Instead of choosing a warm color that is too common as a pairing in the color scheme, such as red or yellow, why don't you pick orange as the option?
Orange is also a good choice for a warm tone to pair with grey and brown. If red tends to give the room a passionate atmosphere, an orange color provides the room with an eclectic and trendy look instead.
The picture example above is a quite interesting one. It shows us that the orange color is not only applicable to furniture and decorations. You can use it in a different way, such as for coloring the interior trims.
20. Grey and Brown Living Room with Natural Stone Element
Do you know that natural stone element is suitable to add to your grey and brown living area?
Natural stone is available in a vast range of colors. Many of those colors come from grey category needed in the room theme.
The question then is: how to add natural stone as a source of grey tone in your living area? The answer to this question is available in the picture above.
All you need to do is using the stone element to cover the fireplace you install in your living room. In other words, you use the stone to create a fireplace surround.
This idea is considerable when you are also interested in remodeling your old fireplace.
Another great detail you need to know too is that this idea is suitable for any room styles and it is perfect to do to bring nature right inside your house.
The last but not least idea is pairing grey and brown tones in the living room with gold accents. Since the three colors are neutral, it won't be hard for them to get along together.
Gold accents can give something vibrant to your living room, especially when it mostly has neutral tones like brown and grey.
Gold accents can also make any room more attractive and luxurious even if the place has a very simple or minimalist design.
The best thing about this idea is that you should not always have to add permanent gold accent in the room if you don't want to. Adding something temporary so that you can replace it with other items in the future is OK to do.
In the example above, the gold accent, which is the gold bar cart, is also not permanent. While it is true that the golden cart serves a decorative value in the living room, it isn't wrong if you want to remove it later because of some specific reasons.
Those are the 21 most attractive grey and brown living room ideas you need to check out as a source of inspirations if you want to decorate your place.
Most of the designs are not that hard to do, but it's also true that some of them need more effort to be done.
No matter what, the combo between grey and brown tones is already an attractive one. It means, choosing any of the ideas listed about will never fail you.
