Senior Fitness With Meredith: Recent Episodes
Meredith
A podcast discussing wellness for seniors, fitness trainers and healthcare industry with enriching topics such as physical and mental wellness, nutrition, positive spirits and motivation for a healthy lifestyle.
“You are the only one who can use your ability.”- Lailah Gifty Akita
This quote reminds us that you have abilities, and you are the only one who can utilize them…work hard!
Meredith
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Walking as an exercise is a great way to stay active and healthy. Regular walks help maintain body strength and stability and also helps keep your cardiovascular system healthy as well. Recently, there has been a study on a new type of approach to walking called “Interval Walking Training” (IWT) which has shown to further push the limits and benefits of walking in interval fashion.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How a recent email from one of our subscribers turned us on to Interval Walking Training and why it sparked our curiosity to learn more.
2). What exactly is “Interval Walking Training” and what do you need to know to get started.
3). How IWT can contribute to regular muscle endurance and also help lower blood pressure rates.
4). How IWT contributes to big improvements in sleep.
5). Meredith’s suggestions on how to incorporate IWT into your regular exercise schedule safely and effectively.
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We hope the tips and information in the episode helps you or someone you know who may be looking to get more out of their regular walks. Interval Walking Training has shown to help improve body health performance in all ages along with being a safe and effective exercise. Please refer to this video here which is mentioned in this episode to learn more.
Team Meredith
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“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Eliot
This quote reminds us to keep fighting for what we have always wanted from life…we can be whatever we want to be, no matter what!
Meredith
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Getting motivated to come back to exercise after a recent injury or illness can be challenging especially as we age. Going from nursing an injury or illness which, mostly means our level of activity is very low to regular weekly exercise isn’t always as easy as it seems. There are many factors that can affect us which aren’t necessarily physical. Mental and emotional aspects can play a big role in making this transition difficult as well.
Luckily there are things you can do to help make that transition smoother and more manageable.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we decided to dedicate a whole episode to this topic and why it is more common than we think especially amongst older adults.
2). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in working with clients of all ages and their struggles with returning to exercise.
3). Why starting small and slow at first is a smart way to begin when returning to exercise so as to not get overwhelmed or discouraged.
4). How having the support of family or friends can help make a big difference when transitioning back to a regular active schedule.
5). Why “coming back” to exercise after time away represents the values in getting back up after a loss and how this affects you positively in all the things challenge you in life.
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We hope the tips we’ve shared in this episode help you or someone you know who may be struggling with returning to exercise. It isn’t always an easy journey to do so no matter how active you may have been in the past. Taking the steps and suggestions mentioned here can definitely help get you back on track and down the road to a longer healthier life.
Team Meredith
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“Don’t let the fear of aging limit your dreams.” – Oprah Winfrey
This quote reminds us that age should never stop us from dreaming and pursuing those dreams!
Meredith
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Our mood is an important aspect of our daily lives and can directly contribute to our levels of engagement, awareness, activity and much more throughout the day. If you often don’t feel like doing certain things or don’t feel “in the mood”, this can directly affect not only your life but also the lives of others around you.
Luckily, regular exercise can help offset our mood swings and help make us feel more balanced when it comes to getting through life’s daily challenges.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in working with clients of all ages and the effects she has observed on mood and the willingness to stay active and healthy because of the positive effects of exercise.
2). What happens to your body when you encounter regular stress and don’t exercise to help curb the effects of stress on our bodies and minds.
3). How regular exercise helps with feelings of loneliness.
4). How regular exercise makes you feel better mentally and physically and how it can help lead to more self confidence, clarity and motivation.
5). Meredith’s recommendation on how often you should exercise during the week and what kind of exercises should you include in your workouts to keep your mood and mentality at healthy levels.
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We hope the tips we’ve shared in this episode help you embrace the benefits of regular exercise which include helping improve your mood and overall happiness. Regular exercise has many benefits more than just the physical. Being mentally healthy is just as important and staying active will help keep you body and mind sharp and engaged for years to come.
Team Meredith
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“The only way to make your dreams come true is to wake up and do something about them.” – Steve Jobs
This quote reminds us that if we have dreams and hopes, we have to wake up each day and work for them!
Meredith
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The technology market has exploded in the past couple of years with mobile phones, computers, cars etc. The fitness industry has also bought in on this trend and has gone all in on new technologies that can help you with your active lifestyle. From fitness bands, watches to treadmills and home fitness gyms. Even our very own YouTube channel is considered part of this technology growth!
With so much to offer these days it can be a little overwhelming.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How the technology market for fitness products has expanded over the recent years and how this has changed the landscape in adding many different ways to track your health progress.
2). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences with using different technologies like FitBit etc.
3). How newer fitness devices have put more focus on ease of use and have made them much easier to understand for people of all ages.
4). An overview of some of the newer “in-home” gym and workout technologies that have come to the market recently and their pros and cons.
5). Meredith’s thoughts on the online fitness video market like YouTube and how she feels about this area of growth for seniors. Plus her personal though on Senior Fitness With Meredith
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We hope the tips and information we share in this episode helps you navigate this new and growing industry. Especially if you are curious about how it can help you or if you are looking for different ways to enhance your active lifestyle. Not all technology that claims it can help you is equal, but knowing what works for you and how to go about finding out can be a big fitness motivator and help you for years to come.
Team Meredith
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“It’s never too late — never too late to start over, never too late to be happy.” – Jane Fonda
This quote reminds us that no matter our age or where we are, we can do what we wish and hope for, and always be happy!
Meredith
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Choosing the right weight size when exercising is an important aspect when performing resistance training. Making sure you choose a weight size that is comfortable for the exercise you are doing can make the difference between possibly risking injury and building strength safely.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s overall philosophy on weight training and the benefits of regular resistance training exercises.
2). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in training clients over the years and how they responded to different weights and resistance bands sizes.
3). How weight sizes should be chosen based on your skill level and the type of exercises that you are performing.
4). Meredith’s thought’s on putting together the perfect “starter pack” for resistance and weight training and what would be included.
5). Meredith’s personal opinion on sharing her weight sizes and why it’s more important to focus on what’s best for YOU and how to find that perfect balance.
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We hope the tips in this episode are helpful to you if you are struggling with deciding on what weight sizes to use during exercise. Making sure the sizes you choose are comfortable and safe is key to building strength properly and safely, regardless of what anyone else may be using.
Team Meredith
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“Remember, remember, this is now, and now, and now. Live it, feel it, cling to it. I want to become acutely aware of all I’ve taken for granted.”-Sylvia Plath
This quote reminds us to live now, because it is now and all we have…do not take it for granted!
Meredith
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Multi tasking is the act of attempting to accomplish many things at once. Doing laundry, balancing your check book, doing the dishes, texting your family members etc. Trying to get many things done at once can make you feel as if you’re being productive but it can also take a toll on your mental, emotional and physical well being if it becomes the norm for your living style.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s own personal struggles with multitasking and how it can affect people of all ages.
2). How living with modern technology like your phone can make you feel more anxious and like you’re not getting enough done. This can lead to multi tasking and trying to get many things done at once.
3). How the affects of having a shorter attention span impacts our attitudes on moving on from one task to another prematurely.
4). Why you may start to feel tired and overwhelmed when constantly trying to multi task on a regular basis and how this ultimately affects your overall health and well being.
5). Some of Meredith’s tips on managing the urge to constantly multi task.
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We hope the tips in this episode help you realize that multitasking can be helpful but can also affect you in ways that will impact your overall health. We all want to feel accomplished with our days and doing so in a way that keeps you healthy and still makes you feel like you are checking off your “to do list” items is what’s important in the long run.
Team Meredith
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“Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves.”-Cheryl Strayed
This quote reminds us that many of the fears we have are ones we tell ourselves, and make ourselves believe.
Meredith
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Having a balanced diet to compliment an active lifestyle is key to living longer and healthier. However, not knowing exactly what we put into our bodies to support our healthy lifestyle can be a drawback, especially when we think what we are consuming is healthy. Nutrition labels give us the information we need to make smart choices and allow us to build a plan around the best choices of food for our bodies.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we wanted to dedicate a full episode to nutritional labeling and why it plays an important role in living a full active lifestyle.
2). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in working with clients and their thoughts on knowing what they eat and what goes into their diets.
3). Some of the mistakes people make when reading nutritional labels on food products and how that can lead to taking in more calories and/or fats than we think.
4). Why it’s important to know what each item on the label means and how to read them properly.
5). How knowing what you are eating and the ingredients involved with you food will help give you the power to make good food choices which in turn, will make you feel better and have more energy for an active life.
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We hope the tips in this episode are helpful to you or someone you know who is looking to build an effective diet around a healthy lifestyle. Knowing what you consume is important and becoming familiar with the nutritional labeling on the foods you consume is the best place to get started.
Team Meredith
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“Stop making excuses, you're the only one stopping you.”-Issa Rae
This quote reminds us that the excuses that we use are usually ones we make so we do not have to do something. Let’s stop making excuses!
Meredith
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Regular exercise is vital to living a longer more independent life and making sure to include both cardio exercises and strength training when exercising are the pillars to good body health.
But what is the best combination to start with when you train? Should you begin with cardio exercises like walking and running or should you begin with resistance training using weights for movements like curls, shoulder raises or leg presses to get started?
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we decided to dedicate an episode to this topic and how it’s inspired by the many questions we get from followers and subscribers who struggle with this issue.
2). Why starting with a “warm up” is always a good idea before diving into your regular workout and how this usually consists of a lighter cardio routine.
3). The benefits of strength training after your body has already warmed up and some of the injuries you can avoid.
4). The importance of knowing your body’s limits when exercising which will help you stay safe when attempting more intense cardio or heavier strength training.
5). Meredith’s suggestions on how to create a workout that includes both strength training and cardio if you are short on time or only exercises a few days a week.
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We hope the tips in this episode helps you or someone you know that struggles with the best combination of exercises when training. Both cardio and resistance exercises have benefits that compliment each other and both should be included in your weekly exercise schedule. However, knowing which combination better suites you can make a difference in your exercise routines and overall health.
Team Meredith
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“The Sun himself is weak when he first rises, and gathers strength and courage as the day gets on.” -Charles Dickens
This quote reminds us that our weakness can change when we allow our internal strength and courage to grow.
Meredith
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Regular exercise takes effort to achieve and can benefit your health in many ways. However, attempting to exercise in clothing/attire that doesn’t fit right or isn’t comfortable can actually be hurting your chances of getting a great workout in.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What inspired Meredith to discuss this topic and how she reacted when she saw someone exercising at the gym wearing jeans and polo shirt.
2). Some of the reasoning behind why we choose what we wear when it’s time to exercise and that everyone is different in this selection process.
3). Important things to remember when choosing the right footwear for exercise.
4). Some of Meredith’s favorite choices in fabric when it comes to exercise attire that helps keep you cool and dry.
5). Some of Meredith’s preferred exercise clothing brands and where they can be purchased.
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We hope you’ve enjoyed this episode and that the tips we’ve shred here help you or someone you know make the right choices when it comes to choosing the perfect exercise attire. Feeling comfortable is key to getting the most out of the time you spend exercising!
Team Meredith
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“You don't have to understand life. You just have to live it.”-Matt Haig
This quote is the reminder that life should be lived, even when we do not understand what is going on and why things are happening…keep living.
Meredith
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Taking in protein is an important aspect to living a healthy and active lifestyle. We all know that adding protein to your meals helps your body build and maintain muscle which is very important when it comes to being able to handle the physical activities throughout the day (carrying groceries, going up stairs etc).
But do you know how MUCH protein you should be consuming on a daily basis to best optimize your muscle growth and health?
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we decided to dedicate this important topic to a full episode and what prompted us to address the issue.
2). How there is a misconception that eating a lot of protein is only for people who are trying to build big muscles which, is not true.
3). Meredith’s research on what is an ideal amount of protein grams to take in based on your weight.
4). Some of the foods that Meredith recommends to include in your diet that have higher protein levels.
5). Why it’s important to be aware of the nutritional information on the food products you buy and how that can help improve your overall diet.
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Protein is one of the building blocks of strength, stability and longevity. As we age, we tend to lose muscle which can make us feel weaker and less motivated to stay active. Knowing how much protein your body needs as you go through the later stages in life is an important aspect of maintaining health, longevity and independence well into the future.
Team Meredith
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“Thankfully, dreams can change. If we'd all stuck with our first dream, the world would be overrun with cowboys and princesses.”-Stephen Colbert
This quote lets you know it is okay to change your plans, come up with new dreams, and live your true and authentic life for YOU!
Meredith
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Regular exercise is part of the main pillars in life that will help you stay healthy, strong and live longer. We put a lot of time and energy into it over the years which sometimes makes us feel like we should be seeing certain results as our bodies change. However, this may not always be the case.
Not seeing results from the hard work you do exercising can be frustrating and de-motivating. Putting in what feels like a lot of exercise each week and not seeing the expected results can lead to quitting altogether, and we’d like to avoid that.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in training clients of all ages and some of their attitudes and responses on not being happy with their results from exercise.
2). Why most people underestimate the amount of time it actually takes to see a physical changes not just externally but internally as well.
3). How not seeing results is usually tied to a specific goal that we set for ourselves which isn’t always very realistic to begin with.
4). How your daily diet directly affects your body and the work you put in to look and feel good.
5). Meredith’s suggestion’s on how to correctly measure your results so you do see the actual changes that are taking place in a more healthy and realistic way.
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We hope the tips in this episode help you find the best path to exercise and health for your lifestyle. Not physically seeing results doesn’t necessarily mean that your body isn’t changing. There are many other factors that go into the amazing effects that exercise has on your health and they aren’t all necessarily visual. Although visual cues will show if they haven’t already, provided you stay consistent with you exercise habits and diet.
Team Meredith
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“Life has many ways of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or having everything happen all at once.”-Paulo Coelho
This quote is a reminder that your will can help you push through the all or nothing…you can do it!
Meredith
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Preventing falls is an important aspect of living an active lifestyle especially as we age. Injury from a fall can have long lasting effects not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well. Being proactive and including exercises in your weekly routine that support strengthening the muscles which are the core of our balance is important to staying independent well into our later years.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we thought it was important to address Falls Prevention and what can be done to help minimize the risks through exercise.
2). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in working with clients of all ages and their struggles with past injuries from falls.
3). How incorporating “Sit to Stand” exercises can greatly help with strengthening the muscles that support your balance when getting in and out of a seated position.
4). Why exercises that incorporate “side to side” movements are great for building up lower body muscles and how that can help improve your walking which will minimize fall risk.
5). The importance of incorporating core and abdominal exercises regularly and why that also helps strengthen you mid section and minimize fall risk.
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Fall accidents are far to common especially amongst older adults and our balance and stability are important aspects to living a mobile and independent life. We hope the exercises we shared in this episode are helpful to you or someone you know who may have either experienced an unfortunate fall or is looking to strengthen the muscles that support our stability.
Staying safe and independent are the goals and taking a proactive stance will help you live a longer, happier life.
Team Meredith
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“There’s always a new challenge to keep you motivated.”-Sean Connery
This quote is a reminder that even the challenges of life can be your motivation to keep moving forward!
Meredith
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We receive many comments and questions about what is the perfect workout to do each week. This of course is different for everyone and is open to interpretations but it did get us wondering if there is such a thing as the “Pinnacle of Fitness”?
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in working with clients of all ages and their thoughts on striving for the perfect fitness regimen and lifestyle.
2). How the “Pinnacle” of fitness can mean different things to different people especially as we age.
3). The differences in certain training styles like running or weight training and how that can affect the way we think about achieving fitness goals.
4). Why it’s good to realize that sidelining set backs like injury or sickness are OK and that you shouldn’t beat yourself up when you need to stop exercising for a while.
5). How remembering what your physical abilities were when you were younger is very common but shouldn’t be used as a benchmark as to what you should be able to do in your later years.
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We hope you found this episode helpful to you or someone you know who may seem to be struggling with reaching a fitness goal. It is very easy to get caught up in trying to attain the perfect physique or weight loss goal and in a lot of cases it can be misleading. This can lead to an unhealthy state mentally and physically. Your physical, mental and emotional well being are most important as you travel down your fitness journey and knowing what works best for your overall health is always best.
Team Meredith
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“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.”-Audrey Hepburn
This quote is the reminder of how important it is to have others in our lives…and to keep them close!
Meredith
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Making sure we embrace an overall healthy lifestyle can add years (and memories) on to our lives. Choosing a proper diet and exercising regularly are two pillars that contribute to sustained mobility and longevity. But at what financial cost do we take on over time when embracing these habits?
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s thoughts on what it means to live a “healthy lifestyle” as compared to an “unhealthy lifestyle”.
2). Why the cost of purchasing “healthier” choices at the grocery store can usually cost more than just processed foods and how that affects us as consumers.
3). How cooking healthier meals can take up more time during your day which means it takes more time to plan ahead.
4). Some of Meredith’s thoughts on gym fees and/or hiring a personal trainer.
5). How diet and exercise are directly related to the cost of healthcare especially as we age and knowing how to embrace healthier habits can help cut down these costs.
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Staying health through diet and exercise is the key to a long sustainable life but also making sure these habits are affordable is also part of the equation. Each person will have a different story as to what is important to them and how much they feel is affordable when it comes to food, exercise and healthcare.
We hope the tips we’ve shared in this episode are helpful to you or someone you know who may be looking at planning for a healthy life in all areas including, physically, mentally, emotionally and of course financially.
Team Meredith
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“The regret of my life is that I have not said ‘I love you’ often enough.”-Yoko Ono
This quote is a reminder to say “I love you”, often and to all…it is wonderful to us and those who receive it!
Meredith
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Traditionally, strength training exercises have been looked at as more of a “masculine” activity which leads to a larger muscles and muscular physique. This is the stereotype we have heard before.
But this couldn’t be farther from the truth!
Resistance and strength training is just as important for women as it is for men and the main focus of using weights with exercise is not to grow large muscles and look like competitive body builders, which is why we wanted to debunk the myths around strength training and share the true focus of why it is important for women to consider adding to weekly routines if they aren’t already.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What was Meredith’s motivation to dedicate a full episode to this topic and how muscle loss as we age affects our ability to live active lifestyles.
2). How strength training for women is not just for younger people but should be incorporated throughout life, even as we get older.
3). How strength training not only benefits our muscles but also our heart health as well.
4). Why it’s important to stay consistent with strength training even as the body may feel sore from exercising. Not all soreness is bad!
5). Meredith’s advice on how often women should incorporate strength training into their weekly routine and making sure there is a good mix between strength exercises and cardio.
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We hope the tips and information we’ve shared in this episode are helpful to you especially if you’re curious about adding strength training to your weekly exercises. Incorporating weights and/or resistance bands should be a priority. For women, the benefits of strength training are just as important as the benefits from other exercises like walking, jogging, aerobics etc. Having a good balance of cardio AND strength can lead to a longer, healthier, more independent life for years to come.
Team Meredith
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“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”-C.S.Lewis
This quote reminds us to keep setting goals and dreaming dreams, no matter your age…you can do it!
Meredith
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Here at Senior Fitness With Meredith we love incorporating all kinds of different exercises and workouts that we think will help our watching audience. We recently introduced a few new workouts that focus on Pilates and Barre inspired movements and have received great feedback on them! (Thank You!)
This week we wanted to discuss the benefits of these types of workouts and why we felt it was important to include Pilates/Barre in our growing library of exercises for seniors (and all ages).
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What are Pilates and Barre exercises and why we thought it was important to add them to our growing library of workouts.
2). How Pilates and Barre exercises are very accessible and easy to perform in your own home/space with little to no workout equipment.
3). How these types of exercises are great for helping to strengthen your posture and balance which is very important especially as we age.
4). The benefits of being able to do a low impact, body weight only style workout especially for those who may have limited mobility or movement.
5). How you can also benefit and perform Pilates and Barre exercises in a seated position which is great for those who prefer exercising in this manner.
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We hope you found this podcast episode helpful and informative especially if you’ve been curious about Pilates and Barre exercises. You also may be new to these types of workouts which in this case, we invite you to give them a try by going to our workouts page and searching for “Pilates”.
Team Meredith
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“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.”-Alan Cohen
This quote is a reminder to start…stop waiting, just try and start, and keep going!
Meredith
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Downsizing and/or moving can be a challenge for anyone, especially as we age. It can be mentally, physically and emotionally taxing to plan a move or to downsize a life that we may have lived for many years at a time. The process of making a lifestyle change in our living situation can be a daunting one but there are things you can do to ensure a smooth transition in all aspects of our physical, mental and emotional well being.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How Meredith’s mother inspired her to look further into this topic and why we felt it was important to shed more light on the effects of downsizing or moving from an all over health and wellness perspective.
2). How the effects moving or downsizing can affect our motivation levels to stay healthy both physically and mentally.
3). How the difficulties of deciding what to keep and what to donate or throw away can be an emotional roller coaster especially after keeping items for many years.
4). Why making sure the living space you’re moving into supports your physical needs especially if you need certain accommodations around the home.
5). Why proper planning ahead will allow you the extra time you need to get things done in a timely manner and avoid rushing which can cause more stress.
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We hope the tips we’ve shared in this episode are helpful to you or someone you know who may be going through a move or downsizing. As mentioned, this can be a challenging time for many people and making sure you take necessary steps to ensure a smooth transition process is key to having a successful outlook on this next chapter of life.
Team Meredith
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“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”-Martin Luther King Jr
This quote is a reminder of how love is lightning, and hate will only bring you down, especially over time.
Meredith
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Experiencing a muscle strain or pull can be a challenging experience, especially if you live an active lifestyle. It’s never easy rehabilitating and injury and it’s also just as difficult to return to exercise after being sidelined for a long period of time.
Luckily, there are a few things you can do to help make sure your journey back to exercise is safe, effective and helps prevent further injury.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What exactly is a muscle strain or pull and how do you know if you have suffered this type of injury and what can cause them.
2). Some of the more common areas of the body that experience this type of injury.
3). How long can you expect to stay sidelined if you’ve experienced a muscle strain or pull depending on what muscles have been injured and when can you expect to return to exercise.
4). Why it’s important to remember that slow and easy is the best way to return to exercise, also using lighter weight to start will give you the best chances of a strong recovery and return.
5). Why making sure you’re using proper form and posture when exercising is important to keeping you safe and greatly lowers your chances of re-injury.
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We hope the tips we’ve shared in this podcast episode are helpful to you or someone you know who might be struggling with getting back to exercise after this type of injury. Making sure you take the right steps is key to help keeping you motivated, safe and healthy always.
Team Meredith
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“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”-Oprah Winfrey
This motivation is a reminder to keep going, there is always tomorrow, and another chance to make it right!
Meredith
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This is the second episode in a special 2 part interview series with Meredith's mother Genie. She has played such an influential part in Meredith's life and we are grateful to have the chance to sit down and learn more about her philosophies on health and well being as we age. If you missed Part 1 you can also listen to it here.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Genie's thoughts on today's modern health and fitness industry and how it's grown in the past many years.
2). How nutritional information has become more of a priority and a standard in today's society as compared to many years ago.
3). Genie and Meredith's discussions on how people used to be more active than we are today which helped contribute to a more mobile and active society.
4). Genie's thoughts on the new technologies we have now in the fitness industry and if she thinks it is actually helpful.
5). Genie's thoughts on the Senior Fitness With Meredith brand and how she views our content as being helpful to a global audience.
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We hope you enjoy this candid interview and that it helps inspire you to embrace an active and healthy lifestyle no matter what your age. Staying active and mobile is so important when it comes to staying independent and Genie has definitely set this example for Meredith which has also inspired us to continue putting out our best health and wellness content.
Thank you Genie for your time and this amazing interview!
Team Meredith
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“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.”-David Bowie
This motivation is a reminder to keep things fun as we move through life, never knowing where it will take us!
Meredith
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We have a special 2 part podcast special this week featuring a candid interview with our special guest, Meredith’s mother Genie! This is part one of our series where we dive into learning more about her beginnings and how her thoughts on fitness and health helped inspire Meredith to become the woman she is today
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How Genie played a big role in Meredith’s early years in helping grow her interest in fitness and learning the important of embracing an active lifestyle.
2). Genie shares some of the early activities that she and Meredith used to do together that helped instill these values of staying active.
3). Genie shares some of her regular physical activities and how often she exercises including exercising along with some of the videos at Senior Fitness With Meredith!
4). How we all have physical limitations, especially as we age but why it’s important to continue to find ways to stay active no matter what the limitation is.
5). Genie’s candid thoughts on Meredith’s success so far in being able to reach many people across the world who benefit from her exercise videos and branded content.
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Thank you for joining us on this special episode, the first of two. We hope Genie’s interview helps inspire you or someone you know who may be on their own journey with health and fitness.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year.”-Vern Mclellan
This motivation is a reminder to bring positivity into each new time in your life, especially when we start our new year!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Water aerobics or exercising in water has been gaining popularity among older adults. Exercising in a low impact and safe environment has many benefits especially those with burdened joints and/or limitations.
Water buoyancy creates a safe place for doing low impact style cardio movements that are very easy on knees, hips, elbows and just about any other body part that regularly absorbs impact during the normal tasks of the day.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). The definition of "Water Aerobics" and what is actually involved with exercising in water.
2). Some of Meredith's personal experiences in teaching water aerobics classes and the feedback and responses from some of her clients.
3). How water creates an ideal environment for exercise for those who may have weakened joints or limitations or who just prefer a low impact style workout.
4). How exercising in water can help you improve flexibility in common problem areas like shoulders and knees and also help build strength as well.
5). Meredith's suggestions on how to safely get started with water exercises whether it be a pool in your backyard or visiting a local gym or fitness facility.
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We hope the benefits we've listed here in this episode help you discover a safe way to exercise if you haven't already tried water aerobics. We recommend looking into your local gym, YMCA or living facility to find a good water aerobics class or instructor.
Remember, staying mobile is key to a long lasting independent life and incorporating water aerobics/exercises on a regular basis can make a huge difference for long term health.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” –Mother Theresa
This motivation is a reminder to give from the heart, no matter how big or small, or of your time…make sure it comes from the heart!
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Back injuries can occur at anytime and are common amongst most people. We have all experienced back pain or injury at some point in our lives and when it happens, it can sometimes be debilitating. Remaining active is a big part of living a long and healthy life. Having limited mobility because of back pain affects our willingness to stay active which in turn, affects overall health.
Fortunately, there are things we can do everyday to help keep our backs in the best shape possible and that doesn’t involve lifting heavy weights or exhaustive exercising.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s personal experiences in working with clients and their struggles with back pain.
2). Why our “Back Health” is easily taken for granted and why it’s easy to forget that our backs are used in just about every activity we engage in.
3). How doing core type exercises on a regular basis including sit ups helps strengthen our backs and overall core strength.
4). Why making it a point to move everyday is important to keeping our backs healthy especially if you spend a lot of time sitting in a chair for most of the day.
5). Why it’s important to stay aware of our posture during the day and how it can make a big difference to overall back health.
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We hope the tips we’ve shared in this episode help you or someone you know that struggles with back pain or injury. Staying active and mobile is important especially as we age and having good “back health” will help keep you on track when you’re ready to take on day now and into the future.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Happiness is good health and a bad memory.”-Ingrid Bergman
This motivation is a reminder to stay healthy AND keep the past in the past to stay happy!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Getting our best sleep is something we always wish for when we lay our heads down at night. Being able to wake up in the morning refreshed and ready to face the day is the goal, but it doesn’t always work out that way unfortunately, especially as we age.
However, there are a few things we can try to give us the best chances at a good night’s rest. If done consistently, you’ll most likely get into the habit of good sleep preparation and benefit from a well rested mind and body on a regular basis.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What the recommended amount of sleep hours you should be getting each night according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control)
2). Some of the things we tell ourselves on how we are going to get more rest during busy periods in life which don’t always work out.
3). Some of the problems that over the counter sleep medications can cause if used too much or incorrectly.
4). How making sleep a priority in one’s life can lead to better changes and improvement in mind, body and mood.
5). The benefits you can take advantage of when following some of the strategies and tips we share in the episode of getting better sleep at night.
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We hope these strategies/tips we’ve shared in this episode helps you or someone you know get consistent good rest at night. Optimal sleep is so important and we often don’t pay enough attention to the things we can do during our waking hours to prepare for good rest during our sleeping hours.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“I can live for two months on a good compliment.”-Mark Twain
This motivation is a reminder to give and receive compliments…they can do so much for others and ourselves.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We may not realize it but everyday activities such as carrying groceries, walking up and down stairs or getting up out of chairs all depend on muscle groups that we can easily take for granted.
These tasks are essential and routine which most healthy individuals can perform without assistance. These are defined as Activities of Daily Living or ADL. Such tasks are so common during the day that we don’t often realize the energy and strength needed to accomplish them until we are sidelined or limited with an injury or pain.
Luckily there are some simple essential exercises that help us strengthen areas of the body which we depend on everyday.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What “ADL” stands for and how it helps define the baseline of activities that someone can do independently and why this is important.
2). How basic movements that we do everyday can cause injury or pain if we don’t proactively help strengthen our bodies to some degree.
3). How a modified version of a “squat to press” exercise which can be done seated, is helpful in building up strength to handle common movements throughout our day.
4). Why grip strength is important and some of Meredith’s suggestions on how to help strengthen the muscles involved with holding and carrying heavy objects.
5). Some of Meredith’s suggested exercises to help when getting in and out of a car, up out of a chair or any other compound type movements we do everyday.
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We hope the information in this podcast helps you on your journey to physical independent living long into you golden years. Making sure we do the correct exercises that are necessary to keep our bodies healthy and functioning on their own is important. This allows us to continue to engage actively in life for as long as possible with our family, friends and loved ones.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“A weed is no more than a flower in disguise.” -James Lowell
This motivation reminds us to look at ourselves as beautiful, and things around us as beautiful, no matter what others say.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms available today. It allows you to share short form videos publicly where others can consume and comment on them. This is very similar to other platforms like Instagram and Facebook but more heavily focused on video.
This platform does have it’s drawbacks (like most social media apps) but it can also be very useful and helpful if used correctly, especially for seniors.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). A quick explanation into what TikTok is and how it is used as social media.
2). Why we decided to branch out on this topic and include it in our content lineup as we felt it falls under mental and emotional awareness for people of all ages and especially seniors.
3). How TikTok helped an 80 year old woman connect with many people during covid as she shared funny short form videos of what she would be doing if she wasn’t in lock down.
4). How TikTok has a growing library of “how to” videos that are short and simple to help anyone learn how to do common tasks like fixing things around the house to gardening and basic car maintenance.
5). The mental and emotional benefits of using TikTok and other social media platforms to connect with others whom have common interests and/or family to help stay connected.
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We hope you find this episode helpful to you or someone your know who is interested in using TikTok or other social media to enrich time. There are many benefits to using TikTok, Instagram or Facebook and connecting with others who may have similar interests. It can also be used in ways to learn new skills and tasks. Social media has had it’s drawbacks but if used properly, it can contribute to a full life.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Winning is not everything, but the effort to win is.”-Zig Ziglar
This motivation reminds us to keep the thought to win in our lives, knowing we do not need to win but we must believe in ourselves.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If you love walking as a cardio exercise (as mush as we do!) and are looking to add variety to your walks, consider adding walking sticks or poles to your regular hikes. The addition of walking sticks or “trekking poles” is a great way to maximize your bodies capabilities during a walk and provides many health benefits that may not seem obvious.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in learning about the benefits of using walking sticks through a class she took previously.
2). How getting started with walking sticks or poles comes with a learning curve which is important in order to maximize benefits and avoid injury.
3). Some of the different varieties of walking sticks that are available which are designed for various walking surfaces and gripping textures.
4). Some of the cardiovascular and strength training benefits that using walking sticks provides towards your whole body; upper, lower and core.
5). How using walking sticks or poles can make your feel more independent especially as we age by not only providing physical health benefits but the emotional and mental as well.
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We hope you enjoy this week’s episode and that you get a chance to look into adding walking sticks or poles to your next hike, especially if you love low impact walking as regular exercise. Walking alone is great for your overall health and adding this assistive device is an easy way to add variety and challenge to an already fun activity.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.”-Will Rogers
This motivation is a reminder to get going, pursuing forward momentum, do not get complacent…or you will get run over.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Anxiety is a common problem for many people of all ages. Dealing with the effects of a traumatic event or loss can trigger feelings of panic, worry and fear, sometimes in a moments notice. Problems like this can lead to feelings of being alone and anti-social. It can also affect your physical health as the motivation to stay healthy can be affected greatly.
The good news is that there are ways to handle feelings of anxiety and anxiousness so you don’t have to feel like a prisoner within your own emotions.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we thought this was an important topic to shed light on especially to bring awareness to anxiety in seniors and the aging population.
2). Some of the things that can cause anxiety in older age groups that doesn’t get much attention because of the false idea that older people are more relaxed and have less to worry about.
3). How regular low impact exercises like walking can help with feelings of anxiety and the overall health benefits it can have not just for the body but the mind as well.
4). How regular entries in a journal can also help ease the feelings of anxiousness by helping you “download” stressful thoughts and feelings from your mind and onto paper to help manage your mental health.
5). The importance of staying hydrated on a regular basis and how it can help protect your mind and body from stressful thoughts that can seem to overwhelm, especially when you are dehydrated.
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Anxiety affects everyone at some point in time and in different ways. Knowing that there are things you can do to help minimize these feelings when they occur can be very helpful. We hope the tips in this episode helps you or someone you know that may be struggling with anxiety. Having the right tools to help deal with this condition can make all the difference in keeping you on the path to a long, healthy life.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“A single day is enough to make us a little larger or, another time, a little smaller.”-Paul Klee
This motivation is about how we view ourselves and what we choose to work on each day.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The amount that one should exercise is a common question we receive. Knowing how much you should exercise during a week or month can be the difference between a healthy lifestyle or one that effects other areas of your life like mood, motivation and overall wellness.
However, the answer to this question is different for everyone and knowing how to find your “sweet spot” for exercising is the key to unlocking a long lasting healthy lifestyle.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in working with clients and their take on how much exercise they think they need on a regular basis.
2). How we usually like to keep our exercising and workouts very regimented in time and in routines and how that can be effective as you age.
3). The official exercise recommendation from the CDC (Centers For Disease Control)
4). The importance of taking rest days in your workout schedule.
5). How staying active and doing things like gardening, wood working or golfing can also count as exercise and how that plays an important part in an active lifestyle.
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We hope this episode provides a good framework as you think about what is the best schedule for you and how much you should be exercising per week or month. Over exercising can lead to exhaustion and injury. In the same light, under exercising can lead to health issues down the road and a lack of motivation. Making sure you find the right balance will help you live a healthy life and keep you motivated to stay on track.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“No great thing is created suddenly.”-Epictetus
This motivation is about remembering great things, and change, take time!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Regular doctor visits or checkups can be stressful for some, especially if we feel like we aren’t being heard or are feeling ignored when communicating. Unfortunately this is an all too common problem for many people and feeling unheard can lead to depression or feelings of “giving up” when it comes to communicating with your doctor.
Fortunately there are things you can do to make sure you are being valued when it comes time to discuss your situation with your doctor or physician.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we felt it was important to discuss this topic which gets overlooked in today’s healthcare system and to hopefully shed more light on how this affects us as patients.
2). How we can easily fall into the pattern of making excuses to ourselves when addressing our medical issues with our doctor or even skip an appointments because of neglecting feelings.
3). Why we sometimes feel “stuck” or that it’s hard to leave your physician because you may have history there but no longer feel valued and moreover, what you can do about it.
4). How there is a correlation between a higher number prescriptions being filled due to limited time that doctors have with patients and how this can cause negative side effects both mentally and physically within patients.
5). Some of our best tips to making sure you are being heard and properly tended to as a patient during your next doctor visit.
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Making sure you get the right attention and value from your doctor visit is very important especially when it seems as though doctors are much busier with more and more patients being tended to. It can be challenging but it doesn’t have to stay that way. We hope our suggestions in this episode help you or someone you know who may be having these problems with their doctor or primary care physician.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death.”-Leonardo Da Vinci
This motivation is about living a good life, that at the end of each day and the end of it all we can look back and be satisfied with what we did each day!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
You may have heard of the idea that in order to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle, one should try to attain 10,000 steps in a day. The origins of this are traced back to Japan in the 1960’s when Dr. Yoshiro Hatano, a Japanese researcher invented the first pedometer, known as the “manopo-key” which translates to “10,000 steps meter”.
His research suggested that walking 10,000 steps every day helps maintain a healthy lifestyle and prevents various health issues.
But is this realistic?
For this podcast, we wanted to unpack this notion that 10,000 steps daily is a benchmark and discuss whether this should be our standard of measurement a healthy life or should we consider a more “adjusted” idea of this concept.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How the idea of getting in 10,000 steps a day came about and how it became widely accepted as the “standard” amount of steps one should try to achieve in a day.
2). Why using a pedometer to track your steps is a great idea no matter what your step goal is because it can help motivate and empower us to track our fitness progress daily.
3). Meredith’s personal experiences in experimenting with daily step counting and if she was able to reach 10,000 steps a day on a regular basis.
4). How wearing proper footwear can affect your step activity level throughout the day.
5). How trying to achieve a fitness goal like 10,000 steps a day can affect you not just physically, but mentally as well especially if it’s a goal that is not meant for everyone at all times.
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As we travel down our own fitness journey it’s important to remember the things that keep us healthy, active, and that apply to our level of fitness. The idea of 10,000 steps a day may be attainable for some, but certainly not for everyone.
We’d also like to stress that just because this is a “popular” concept, it shouldn’t be looked at as the “go-to” standard measurement of active health. Making sure you are comfortable with your own exercise routine and sticking to it is the most important measurement of dedication to a healthy lifestyle.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Things do not change; we change.”- Henry David Thoreau
This motivation is a reminder that we change each moment, and yes the world constantly changes, but how we look at it will forever change and evolve…and that is a great thing!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Regular exercise is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle no matter your age. However, sometimes busy schedules, emergencies or last minute changes can cause us to lose out on time during our day which can affect our ability to exercise.
In these cases a shorter workout might be a good alternative when you’re short on time. But just how effective are shorter length workouts and are they worth it?
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why there is a perception that shorter workouts (5 – 10 minutes) don’t have benefits such as exercising for a longer period of time.
2). Meredith’s thoughts on why shorter workouts can be an important part of a healthy lifestyle especially for a wider range of people (limited mobility, limited range of motion etc).
3). How shorter workouts can still be modified “up” to a more intense experience if you are able to stand, hold heavier weights or even up the intensity safely and appropriately thus still benefiting from a shorter workout time.
4). Why shorter workouts are a great way to “build up” to longer exercises especially if you are just getting started with regular exercise or are coming back from taking time off.
5). How shorter exercise times are great for home workouts as most gyms and classes don’t offer shorter routines.
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Keeping a regular exercise schedule at “top of mind” is an important aspect of accepting a healthier lifestyle. But as we see and know, we don’t always get the time to exercise which sometimes makes shorter workouts our only option.
We hope the information we’ve shared in this episode helps you decide whether short workouts are helpful to you during your life’s schedule and that knowing the important habit of staying active no matter how short or long is always key to a longer, healthier life:)
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”-Edmund Burke
This motivation is a reminder that even only doing “a little” adds up, especially if each of us just did “a little”.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Regular exercise should be an important part of our daily lives and in most cases, we can exercise regularly without worry of it affecting our future selves. However, we sometimes have moments where we may have to receive surgery and the question of if it is a good idea to exercise prior to operating may arise.
Depending on what kind of surgery you may be having, the level of concern on whether you should be exercising before your surgery is a common question and one that we receive often. Because of this, we wanted to to dedicate this podcast episode to hopefully addressing these concerns.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in working with clients over the years and their feedback/stories of their surgeries and their thoughts about exercising before hand.
2). Why we feel that pre-surgery advice from the medical community is lacking and what more can be done to educate patients on pre-surgery prep as well as post op planning.
3). Some examples of resistance and cardio training exercises you should consider when preparing for surgery to help get your body ready.
4). How strengthening your body (resistance and cardio) before hand will help you recover faster after surgery.
5). Meredith’s advice to anyone who will be having surgery soon and is just starting out with exercise or hasn’t had any physical activity in a long time.
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Having surgery is not a life event that we can always predict and it can cause concern especially if it is serious. We hope the information we’ve shared in the episode helps you determine your level of activity before you enter surgery. Knowing how it can actually help you in the long run/post op world is something to consider.
Making sure we give our bodies the best chance to recover after surgery is key and something that we can control ourselves.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“I’m in love with the potential of miracles. For me, the safest place is out on a limb.”-Shirley MacLaine
This motivation is about knowing miracles happen out of our comfort zones; remember to go out on a limb and feel safe there!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Cognitive disabilities affect many people especially in our later years. This refers to the effects of those who suffer from Alzheimer’s, dementia, stroke or other similar cognitive limitations.
The challenges involved in every day care and managing health can be difficult. Maintaining physical health is also just as challenging which is why we wanted to shed more light on this topic and also announce our limited “Cognitive Disability Exercises” series which promotes physical and mental wellness for those who suffer from the effects of cognitive diseases.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). An introduction to our new Cognitive Disability Exercises series that we will slowly be rolling out on our website and YouTube channel and why we though it was important do add these types of workouts to our library.
2). The difference between “Cognitive Fitness” (mental) and “Cognitive Disability Fitness” which focuses on the physical side of health issues in those that have cognitive challenges.
3). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in working with patients who suffer from cognitive disabilities and the challenges she faced when doing physical training sessions with them.
4). How we hope our new cognitive exercises will help those who care for people with disabilities and the realization in the value in physical health along with mental health.
5). Meredith’s personal advice for those who care for people with cognitive disabilities and her suggestions on how to approach physical fitness in using our exercise exercise videos.
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We hope you find this episode helpful and informative especially if you care for and or have loved ones that may suffer from cognitive disabilities. We are dedicated to helping those in need when it comes to making exercise accessible to all.
Physical, mental and emotional health is so important in all stages in life and caring for those who have these challenges should always be a priority in all aspects as we journey through life.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Pressure is a privilege.”-Billie Jean King
This motivation is about remembering that some pressures are a good thing, and we are privileged to be pushed in our lives.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week we have a special podcast as we celebrate reaching out 200th episode Wow!
We’ve learned so much from you and our senior fitness community around the globe since starting our podcast and this week we wanted to celebrate with you and share some of what we’ve learned.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How we are inspired by our audience (you!) through comments and feedback to come up with new topics each week and how surprised we are to have made it this far!
2). How our podcast is designed to be a compliment to our exercise videos and how this gives us a chance to dive further into topics that we don’t get to discuss in out workout videos.
3). Also highlighting Meredith’s “Motivation With Meredith” mini podcast series in which she shares inspiring stories and ideas to help motivate you through your life journey.
4). Why Meredith draws upon her years of experience in working with senior communities and clients of all ages when sharing her knowledge and also how she researches topics that are important when it comes to factual based information.
5). Our plans for the future and the things we hope to continue to achieve as we serve our senior fitness community through this podcast.
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Thank you for listening to our podcast and supporting us through the years. We truly appreciate getting the chance to share important topics with you and listening to your feedback which inspires us to continue putting out our best content.
We hope to continue on and bring light to more topics that are important to our senior fitness community. Here’s to the next 200 episodes!
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Whenever you take a step forward, you are bound to disturb something.”-Indira Gandhi
This motivation is about knowing when you grow, change, and move forward, things do not stay the same…and that is okay and good!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When we think about aging, one of the first things we think about is how to live a long, healthy and happy life. This is the crown jewel of enjoying a life well lived and full of happiness. However as we know this isn’t always easy to achieve especially when it comes to our physical health.
Sometimes there are opportunities that we can take advantage of that will help us age safely in place and maintain our independence well into our later years.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How little things that we can do around our homes and outside of the home can help with things like falls prevention and promote stability when staying physically healthy.
2). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in working in assisted living homes and some of her concerns she has about the living conditions and safety measures that could be improved.
3). How going through the transition of living our lives interdependently to having to depend on others can be a difficult adjustment especially if we are physically limited in our abilities.
4). Why preventing falls is so important in our later years as a simple fall can affect you not only physically but mentally as well.
5). Some of Meredith’s suggestions regarding eating a healthy diet and how it can help contribute to a longer life.
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Making sure we take steps to support our lives as we age can make a big difference down the road. Installing helpful habits that will allow us to stay independent for as long as possible is key to promoting a longer, healthier life. We hope our suggestions in this episode help you decide what modifications you can make now or down the road that will you stay strong, independent and happy into your later years.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly.”- Thomas Paine
This motivation is the reminder that as much as we want things handed to us, it is in the hard work that we see the true value.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Uncertainty in life is something that happens to all of us and the challenge of working through uncertain times can be daunting, especially as we age. We can make the best laid plans, have everything figured out (or so we think) and still fall into darkness when unplanned events occur.
But just because these things happen, doesn’t mean we have to stay sidelined for long periods of time. Finding ways to balance ourselves through adversity is very important and key to helping us live a long and healthy life.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What inspired us to shed light on this topic and why we think it needed to be addressed especially in older adults.
2). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in working with clients over the years and learning of the challenges they faced via uncertain times.
3). Why it’s so important to have supportive people around you (family, friends, loved ones etc) when tragedy occurs.
4). How going through the grieving process is important when suffering a loss and knowing that it is OK to take a break and evaluate your thoughts and feelings.
5). Why exercise is so important when you are feeling stress and/or grief and how it helps the body and mind stay strong during challenging times.
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Making sure we take necessary steps to stay balanced when grief and uncertainty occurs in our lives is often overlooked. It can affect our mental, emotional and physical health altogether. We hope some of the tips in this episode help you or someone you know who might be going through challenging times.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.”-Muhammad Ali
This motivation is a reminder to grow and a reminder that we all change, each day…and that is a great thing!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Part D Might Be the MOST Important Part of Medicare
To Toni King, the CORNERSTONE of Medicare planning is discussing Medicare Part D. In this Medicare Moments BONUS episode, Toni discusses why it’s so important to search for what is the most cost-effective Part D plan that covers all of your prescriptions. Did you know that if a prescription is not covered, whether generic or brand-name, then you will have to pay 100% out of pocket? Learn more by listening to the episode now!
Subscribe to Medicare Moments:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/44MoguG
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7c82BS4hb145GiVYfnIRso
Discover more great episodes of Medicare Moments:
Treat Medicare Part B like GOLD: https://apple.co/3OYO1kW / https://sptfy.com/OSqs
Big Mistake Enrolling in a Medicare Advantage Plan: https://apple.co/47h9cGX / https://sptfy.com/OSqo
How to Appeal a Medicare Claim: https://apple.co/3Rfj4M9
The New Turning 65 Enrollment Rule: https://apple.co/46hV5QL
Visit Toni’s Website: https://tonisays.com/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Superfoods” seem to be all the rage in these modern times and in essence, there are many benefits to them. But what are super foods exactly?
Living an active lifestyle not only requires regular exercise but also a healthy diet. Making sure we fuel our bodies with foods that nourish them is the idea behind calling a certain food a “superfood”. There are many opinions on what kinds of foods fall into the category which we get to discuss in this episode and hopefully this will inspire you to learn more about these special foods.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s thoughts on the term “Superfoods” and what this really means to healthy dieting.
2). Some of the common grocery items that are considered a super food and how much they will usually cost at a grocery store.
3). Some of the health benefits that these super foods provide whether fruit, vegetable, protein etc.
4). Some of the common vegetables that are considered a super food and why adding bright colors to your meal is always a great idea.
5). Why developing your own view of what healthy foods you can enjoy on a regular basis is important to maintaining and motivating you to live a healthy life.
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Making sure you take in healthy foods and exercise regularly is crucial to living a long and healthy life. As many opinions change about what kind of foods give you the best benefits, this combination will always be a staple to the active lifestyle. We hope the shared tips and knowledge in this episode helps you decide what “superfoods” will work best for you on your healthy living journey.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“If a man does not know what port he is steering for, no wind is favorable to him.”-Seneca
This motivation is about knowing where you want to and intend to go, so you are not blindly going through motions with no real destination.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Alzheimer’s and dementia affects many people especially as we age and keeping those who suffer from it healthy can be challenging when it comes to physical fitness. Degenerative cognitive health can directly affect one’s physical health if neglected which inspired us to dedicate a full episode to addressing this problem as we felt it isn’t discussed enough.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in working with clients who suffer from Alzheimer’s or dementia in assisted living facilities or memory care and how it helped shape her ideas and approach to fitness for this group of patients.
2). Some of the physical and mental challenges that people with these cognitive diseases have to navigate when it comes to staying physically healthy and how both the mind and body are affected.
3). Why focusing on seated workouts with slower, safe movements are a great way to approach physical health for Alzheimer’s or dementia patients.
4). Recognizing the importance of patience when working with those that have a cognitive disease and understanding the mental challenges that these patients are navigating when attempting exercise.
5). Meredith’s thoughts on how everyone is different when it comes to cognitive disease and no two patients are the same which emphasizes the importance of empathy and slow and safe care above all.
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Caring for those who suffer from Alzheimer’s or dementia can be challenging in all aspects, especially physical fitness. Approaching exercise in a traditional way may not always be best. We hope the tips we shared in this episode helps you or someone you know better understand how important exercise is and the best methods to approach physical fitness in a caring and understanding way for those who may need it most.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”- Antoine De Saint Exupery
This motivation is a reminder that we need to create goals, and have something to work towards; otherwise, we are just wishing and hoping with no plan of action.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Walking on a regular basis is a great way to get a low impact cardio workout which promotes heart, bone and muscle health. It’s a simple activity and can be done practically anywhere. However many of us also prefer to walk on a treadmill at a gym or in a home which leads us to ask the question “Which is better for your health?”
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we decided to look into this comparison between treadmills vs regular walking and how this can affect you if you exercise regularly.
2). Some of Meredith’s thoughts on adjusting the incline on a treadmill vs walking up a hill or inclined surface and how this can affect your workout.
3). Why some people prefer a treadmill over regular walking for the safety measures built into the equipment like hand rails etc.
4). How external factors like weather and terrain can affect your motivation for walking outside either positively or negatively.
5). Meredith’s personal preferences when it comes to walking for exercise but also that everyone’s health is different and it’s important to choose what’s best for you.
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Hopefully some of the tips and information we shared in this podcast is helpful to you if you enjoy walking on a regular basis whether on a treadmill, outside or on a track. Walking is a great exercise especially for those who prefer low impact type workouts. Whether you prefer walking on a treadmill or going for a stroll outside, making sure you stay consistent with exercises that you are comfortable with is always going to be a win – win.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“When I hear somebody sigh that life is hard, I am always tempted to ask, ‘Compared to what?’”- Sydney J. Harris
This motivation is about being grateful for the life we have, even when it gets hard…and it does many times. That is what makes it our life!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Loose or sagging skin is a common side effect that many people experience for many different reasons. As we age, we tend to loose some of the elasticity in our skin which can contribute to a sagging look or a loose fit around out bodies. It also can occur from recent weight loss or from pregnancy.
Regardless of how this occurs, there is a common questions that arises of how this can be corrected and is regular exercise one of the the answers?
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in working with clients over the years and their thoughts and struggles with loose and/or sagging skin.
2). How having extra or loose skin affects some us mentally or emotionally when comparing ourselves to others which is not healthy.
3). Some of the different causes of loose skin and how it affects our bodies as we age.
4). Why resistance and strength training is important not just to build muscle but also can help with toning the skin around your body in some cases.
5). Why it’s important to accept your body no matter what your journey is and to focus on the process of living a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise as you age.
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Regular exercise is recommended no matter what your your body does or doesn’t look like. Making sure we keep focus on what is important and accepting ourselves as who we are and not always what we think we should be is the key to living a long and fulfilling life. Exercise can help maintain a healthy body image and in some case help keep you looking fit and in shape but this is only matters in the eyes of ourselves and not what others may think.
Learning to love and accept our bodies no matter what is the most important factor when looking to live a healthy lifestyle.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“You always pass failure on the way to success.”-Mickey Rooney
This motivation is about continuing to move forward even after a failure, that is when we push ourselves to success!
Meredith
SR Featured
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Scams are ever present these days more than ever. From online email to phone calls, scams have become a popular way for people who have bad intentions to steal credit card information, social security numbers and just about anything that they feel they can get away with.
Here at Senior Fitness With Meredith we believe not only in physical well being but mental health and awareness as well. With the rise in scamming, we felt it was necessary to address this problem and share our best tips to help you avoid these popular methods of scamming and help educate about the importance of scamming awareness especially for seniors.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). One of the main motivations behind why we thought it was important to discuss the topic of scamming and include it under our “umbrella” of health and wellness topics.
2). Meredith’s personal experience with her mother almost getting scammed as a recent personal loss to the family was used as the basis for a scam and how it was ultimately avoided.
3). Some things to look for when opening emails that looks suspicious or doesn’t fit within the normal context of what you usually receive.
4). Some of the popular phone scams that are being used that attempt to impersonate someone you supposedly know and how they use this trust to gain access to credit card number, finances etc.
5). Making sure you always take a “second look” or or pause when you feel something doesn’t look right or sound right to you and try to stay up to date on what some of the latest scamming tactics are so you can protect yourself and your loved ones.
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We hope the tips we’ve shared in this episode are valuable to you or someone you know who might be prone to scams both online and in our everyday lives. Scammers will go to many lengths to get your information and there are new methods that show up every month. Making sure you are mentally aware and prepared to spot a scam is very important especially as we age and scammers get smarter.
Protecting your privacy and financial information is crucial to continuing to live an active and healthy life physically, mentally and emotionally. Having a heightened sense of awareness about scams will help you live a less stressful and healthier life.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“No one is perfect – that’s why pencils have erasers.”-Wolfgang Riebe,Keynote Speaker/Magician
This motivation is about remembering we are not perfect in life, in looks, in all…we are allowed to make mistakes, change things, and move on to live OUR true lives.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If you exercise regularly or have in the past then you most likely have had to take time off at some point in time. Life events happen whether they are medical issues, schedule changes or even fatigue, there are moments in our health and fitness journeys that may prevent us from regular exercise.
These kinds of events are normal and they happen to everyone. However, when it comes time to consider getting back into exercising on a regular basis there are things that can help you make this experience much less stressful. It's not easy gearing back up to exercise regularly when you've taken some time off but making sure you keep some of our best tips in mind will help and can get you back on track safely and effectively.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What it means to "Get Back On Track" after taking some time off from exercising and some of the misconceptions you can have before you start up again.
2). Why it is actually good for you to take some time away from regular exercise especially if you tend to lean towards a more "heavily active" lifestyle.
3). How scheduling your workouts ahead of time will help you mentally prepare for regular exercise especially after being gone for a period of time.
4). Why taking necessary steps to avoid feeling overwhelmed is important when it comes to getting back into regular exercise as feeling overwhelmed can detour your efforts.
5). How staying hydrated is an important part of staying healthy and how it helps prepare your body to handle regular exercise during your week.
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Remember to keep the tips shared here in mind if you or someone you know is looking to get back into exercising regularly. Knowing that we may not be able to do what we used to do or be able to just "turn it back on" is important. Keeping you safe and healthy during this process is key and hopefully our tips in this episode will help you make this transition easier for you.
Note: Don't forget to check out our "Get Back On Track" exercise video to help you get started with your journey again.
Team Meredith
SR Featured
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“Every day may not be good… but there’s something good in every day.”-Alice Morse Earle,American Historian
This motivation reminds us to keep looking for the good in each day, even when the days are not that good!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Thanks for listening to the Senior Resource Podcast Network! This bonus episode is from Answers for Elders. If you like what you hear, visit the links to follow the podcast on your favorite listening platform.
Suzanne is joined by Dr. Paul Winner, the Senior Director of the Premiere Research Institute and Attending Neurologist at Palm Beach Neurology in West Palm Beach, Florida. Dr. Winner addresses various lifestyle changes to help avoid developing dementia. He says, “There are risk actors. You want to avoid this as best you can. You don't want this to happen, even if you're predisposed genetically to develop it. There are some things you can do to help yourself now.
Subscribe to Answers for Elders:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/44DzG3C
Spotify: https://sptfy.be/z0qqq
Discover more great episodes of Answers for Elders:
Finding Purpose with Parkinson’s: https://apple.co/3D7EWka / https://sptfy.be/2vrdd
People Needed for Your Estate Plan: Irrevocable Third-Party Trust: https://apple.co/44DzG3C / https://sptfy.be/c3pxu
Tips to Facilitate a Senior Home Sale, Part 1: https://apple.co/44DzG3C / https://sptfy.be/l8o8m
Facing Fears To Navigate Entrepreneurship: https://apple.co/44DzG3C / https://sptfy.be/dn6en
Visit Answers for Elders on the web: https://answersforelders.com/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fall prevention is important when it comes to any daily activity like walking, going up and down stairs, carrying groceries and just about anything else we encounter during our day. Preventing dangerous falls also gets more difficult if and when there is alcohol consumption involved.
Enjoying a social circle or gatherings are a great way to stay connected to friends and family. In some cases this involves alcohol consumption. Enjoying alcohol during these times in moderation can bring joy and happiness but making sure to stay aware or dangerous falls while partaking in alcohol should also be at top of mind especially as we age.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we felt it was important to bring this topic to light because of the lack of attention fall prevention receives when combined with alcohol for seniors.
2). Some of Meredith's personal experiences in working in independent living facilities and the casual alcohol consumption that occurred which caused some of the scariest falls that could have been prevented.
3). How falls occur more during the holidays as this is a time in which alcohol consumption rises and tips on how to be aware of this higher risk period and preventing avoidable falls.
4). How pacing yourself when drinking helps make a big difference on the amount of alcohol you consume and making sure to stay hydrated by drinking water also helps to regulate alcohol consumption in a short period of time.
5). Meredith's safest advice on how to move through space if you do have too much to drink, especially if you use an assistive device, are in an unfamiliar area or don't have anyone there to help you.
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We hope you find our tips in this episode helpful and useful to you or someone you know. Enjoying alcohol in moderation especially socially is a common way to enjoy friends and family but we must also take the necessary precautions to enjoy alcohol safely.
Taking the necessary steps to prevent any kind of dangerous fall while consuming should always be in consideration especially if you are in an unfamiliar place or have little support with you. Enjoying alcohol safely and securely is the goal and helps to focus on the important things like spending time with loved ones.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning means you’re doing better than you’ve done before.”-Bonnie Blair,Speed Skater
This motivation is about the attitude to keep trying, getting better, and remembering being first is not the end goal.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Part of living a healthy lifestyle is having the energy to exercise on a regular basis. When we feel tired, exercising (amongst many other things) can become less of a priority and cause a slow spiral towards being less active.
But what causes us to feel tired?
Making sure we take the necessary steps to keep our mind and bodies well rested so we can take on the days challenges is a key factor in living a full healthy life and engaging in life’s activities. Activities that not only keep our bodies healthy but our minds as well.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What feeling “tired” really means and how this affects your body, mind and motivation throughout the day.
2). How always feeling tired can easily build upon itself to where it becomes something you feel all the time and almost “normal”.
3). Why you should consider making it a priority to incorporate some kind of movement throughout your day and why this is important to both your mind and body.
4). How your diet affects your energy levels and how remembering to pay attention to the foods you put into your body can make a big difference to the way you feel.
5). Why quality of sleep is so important to avoid the feelings of tiredness and how taking necessary steps to getting better sleep can improve your energy levels greatly during the day.
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We hope the 5 tips we’ve shared in this episode help motivate you to embrace habits that keep us fresh and alert during the day.
It’s OK to feel tired and times but it can become a problem when we start to feel tired all the time and it becomes out “default” mode. If you feel like this or know someone who does then we invite you to try a few of our suggestions mentioned in this episode.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“You’re off to great places, today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.”-Dr. Seuss
This motivation is a reminder to keep going, moving forward…onward and upward!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Losing weight is a common desire among most people when they begin or continue on their active lifestyle journey. For some, this desire can take on a more unhealthy approach when it is rushed.
Losing weight “fast” isn’t always a healthy endeavor as our bodies are all designed differently and keeping a healthy amount of weight on is always recommended. But what about when we want to lose a small amount of weight in a short amount of time? Is there a way to do it safely and effectively?
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s thoughts on the real purpose of exercise which includes losing weight and keeping it off but also to keep our bodies healthy in all aspects of life.
2). How Meredith designs her “Custom 7 Day Workout Plans” for customers that focus not just on losing weight but to help with other areas like balance and strength.
3). How getting the right amount of sleep contributes to healthy weight.
4). Why making sure you are taking in enough calories with good foods to fuel your bodies needs is also important to shedding weight in a healthy manner.
5). How embracing an active lifestyle consistently will help you not only lose 5lbs but could help you maintain a lower body weight in a safe and healthy manner.
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We hope the tips and information we shared in this episode are helpful to you, especially if your are weighing the options to losing a small amount of weight in a short amount of time. We don’t recommend that this be your preferred way to lose weight but making sure you take the necessary precautions a to make your safety and health a priority is the most important thing to keep at the top of mind always.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour.”-Anonymous
This motivation is about rolling with the punches; when things do not seem to go as planned we keep going and find new ways to enjoy it!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sciatica pain or back pain is very common for most people especially as we age. Dealing with this kind of pain can be debilitating and worst yet, can keep us from living active and healthy lives.
It may seem like there is very little we can do to help curb this pain but in reality there are things you can do everyday to help deal with issues from sciatica.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What sciatica pain is (or back pain) and the areas that are commonly affected by it on the body.
2). Some of Meredith’s experiences with clients who were dealing with back pain and the common feedback she would get on their struggles.
3). How certain strength training movements can be beneficial to helping ease pain in your back by strengthening the muscles and areas to support your core.
4). Why stretching on a regular basis is highly recommended if you deal with common sciatica pain as it also is a good way to lengthen and relax the areas of your body that can cause issues.
5). Why considering a third party like a masseuses, chiropractor or medical professional to help you with your pain can be also be helpful if you still aren’t getting relief after trying the suggestions in this episode.
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If you are dealing with back pain or know someone who is then we hope the tips we share in this episode help inspire you or someone you know to take action. Staying active and healthy for as long as possible is the name of the game and making sure to partake in the safe steps of “self care” that help curb the pain of sciatica and back pain is a big part of you health and wellness journey.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.”-Carl Rogers
This motivation is remembering that having a good life isn’t a constant “always”, it is a constant “work at”.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Core stability is essential to maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. Incorporating exercises that help strengthen your core which consists of your abdominal muscles, lower back and obliques will help add stability and balance to your overall physical health.
This week we’re sharing our 5 best recommended core/ab exercises that you should be incorporating into your weekly workouts. You can also see examples of all of the exercises mentioned in this episode at our workouts page here and filtered by “Core / Abs”.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). The areas of the body that are designated as your essential “core” muscles.
2). Some of the reasons and excuses that Meredith has heard in her classes on why some people don’t like to do core style exercises and what is preventing them from doing them regularly.
3). How core exercises can be done in the seated position which can be more accommodating to those who may have limitations with core exercises on the floor.
4). Some of Meredith’s tips you can try during your core routines to help you benefit from the movements that are working your targeted muscles.
5). Meredith’s 5 (plus 5 more!) bonus core exercises encompassing both seated and standing routines.
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We hope you found this episode on core exercises helpful to you. Maintaining a strong core is the center of living an active lifestyle and making sure you can incorporate one ore more exercises into your weekly routines that focus on this area of your body is important to staying active safer, healthier and longer.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”-Oprah Winfrey
This motivation is Celebrating your life and ALL you have!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fad diets and workouts are marketed everywhere including TV and on the internet. We are bombarded by marketing ads claiming that they will all help you lose weight quick and get in your best shape in a short amount of time.
But are these claims real?
Knowing what to watch for when being marketed to about these fad diets and workouts is important. Being able to know what they are really offering and what the long term effects can be for you as a consumer can make the difference in following a successful health and fitness journey.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How marketing new fad diets and workouts has grown in the past years and why it has become such a booming industry.
2). How fad diets and workouts can become “addicting” in a way that many people tend to go through many different programs with very little success over the long term.
3). Why many fad diets may have early success but don’t offer much help or guidance when it comes to the long term and sustaining an healthy life without limiting certain foods or consuming food purchased by a diet plan.
4). How popular fad workouts are usually marketed in a way to get you to purchase an item like new fitness equipment of supplements.
5). Meredith’s best advice on how to avoid these fad diets and exercises and why you should focus on instilling long term health habits when it comes to diet and exercise while avoiding the “noise” of the current popular fad.
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Fad diets and exercises are all around us and being able to identify the real reason they are popular may not be the healthiest reasons for you. Making sure you choose the right path to a healthy lifestyle through proper diet and exercise is the key to longevity and a meaningful active lifestyle now and into the future.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“The only time you fail is when you fall down and stay down.”-Stephen Richards
This motivation is remembering that we never fail unless we do not learn from it, and we do not get back up and keep trying!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Using an Air Ball (Playground Ball) as a piece of exercise equipment has many benefits. This week we wanted to dive into the many reasons why we love publishing exercise videos that use an air ball which is simply a small plastic inflatable ball that you can usually find at your local grocery store or sporting goods store.
Also called a “Playground Ball”, exercises using this workout apparatus can help with your resistance training in a safe and secure manner. Air ball workouts can be done both sitting and standing and have benefits for all levels of fitness.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Our explanation of the air ball as a piece of exercise equipment and why Meredith loves using it for designing workouts.
2). Some of the experiences Meredith has had with clients when introducing the air ball in her fitness classes.
3). How using the air ball in your routines can help you work areas of your body that are normally hard to work on with traditional home exercise equipment.
4). Some examples from Meredith on how you can use the air ball to work both your upper and lower body in a safe and secured manner whether seated or standing.
5). How using an air ball is great not just for lower impact exercises but can also be used at advanced levels and provide the same amount of benefits as a beginner level routine.
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Our exercise videos cover a wide variety of workout routines and the air ball exercises are some of the best we have to offer. Using an air ball may not seem very beneficial but we hope that after listening to this episode, you will agree with us. Perfect as seated or standing routines, the air ball is here to stay and we hope you get a chance to try them out or share them with someone you know who will benefit from these types of exercises.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness."-Ralph Waldo Emerson
This motivation is a reminder to know there will be moments of anger, but try not to stay in that for you lose moments of happiness while angry.
Meredith
SR Featured
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Do you feel yourself getting stronger?
Achieving more strength through weight training is a common goals for most people who exercise regularly. Whether you are a beginner at weight training or more advanced, we all are challenged with knowing when it is safe and appropriate to start using heavier weights to build strength. If you start lifting heavier too early you could risk injury and on the other hand waiting too long will slow you progress down to building strength.
These are common concerns we hear and this week we wanted to share some of our best tips in knowing when it is the right time for you to consider increasing the weights during your strength training sessions.
In This Podcast Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we receive a lot of comments from people asking when is the right time to increase weights and why we felt it was important to address this issue.
2). Why we sometimes have preconceived notions when starting out of how heavy we think we can lift when in reality it may be much less.
3). Some of the injuries or risks you take when attempting to increase weight too early.
4). Meredith’s thoughts on the ideal weight increments when choosing heavier weights as you progress through your training.
5). Meredith’s best tips on how to know when it’s time to move to a heavier weight during your strength training exercises.
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Building strength no matter what your level of fitness is a great way to stay active and live a healthy lifestyle. But making sure we approach getting stronger by increasing the weights we use in a safe and proper manner is very important.
Staying injury free is also just as important and we hope the tips we share in this episode help you along your journey to becoming stronger safely and effectively.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." -John Lennon
This motivation is remembering to live in your present moment…we can always plan for more in the future, but remember to enjoy now!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If you’ve been following us for a while or are new to our brand, you might recognize frequent use of the words “All Over Strong” (#AllOverStrong ) throughout our content.
But what does this mean exactly and why do we use it?
For this episode, we are diving into a great discussion with Meredith on how she came up with the idea to use “All Over Strong” as the main theme for her fitness classes and the Senior Fitness With Meredith content. More than just a statement, #AllOverStrong represents the idea of being strong not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. This encapsulates much of what we strive for as a society and promotes the practice of balancing these things now and throughout the rest of our lives.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s background story on why she came up with the term “All Over Strong” even prior to starting Senior Fitness With Meredith.
2). Some of the stories that Meredith would hear about in her classes and working with people of all ages that helped inspire the phrase.
3). How there is a misconception that once you become a senior or hit retirement age, there are less problems and less worries in life thus less attention paid to the real needs of seniors.
4). Some of Meredith tips on how to help stay mentally strong by staying social, reading or playing fun games that help promote brain health.
5). Meredith suggestions on daily activities and reminders you can follow to help promote an All Over Strong lifestyle, now and into the future.
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We hope the information shared in this episode helps inspire you to be #AllOverStrong and continue to work on staying balanced with you physical, mental and emotional journey. We are honored that you have chosen to allow us to be a part of your health and wellness journey and hope to continue putting pout content that promotes the #AllOverStrong theme.
Team Meredith
SR Featured
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“It’s no use going back to yesterday because I was a different person then.” – Alice, Alice In Wonderland
This motivation is remembering we change everyday, and that is good…living in the moment, looking towards the future, and not looking back!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Physical balance is a fundamental aspect of our well-being, influencing our ability to move, perform daily activities, and maintain an active lifestyle.
It is essential for preventing falls and injuries, especially as we age. By improving strength, flexibility, and coordination, physical balance not only enhances our physical performance but also contributes to overall confidence and quality of life.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s experiences in working with clients over the years and what she learned about how people think about balance as we age.
2). Why it’s important to incorporate balance type exercises into our weekly routines especially as we get older.
3). The major muscles that we use the most which help keep us balanced and why it’s important to dedicate time to strengthening them on a regular basis.
4). Why it’s important to be aware of the many things we may not think about that affect our balance everyday like our medications, vision or even the shoes that we wear.
5). How using assistive devices can play a crucial role in helping you stay mobile and independent along with staying active as much as possible.
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In conclusion, prioritizing and maintaining physical balance is crucial for our overall health and well-being as we age. By engaging in activities that promote balance, such as regular exercise, stretching or balance training exercises, we can reduce the risk of falls and injuries, enhance our physical performance, and boost our confidence.
Remember, investing in our physical balance today means safeguarding our future mobility and enjoying a higher quality of life.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln
This motivation is a reminder to stay positive, wake up happy, and keep that happiness in the forefront of our minds!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford
This motivation is about remembering that whatever we think about ourselves and in our heads is right, because we tend to believe it.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Are you tired of doing what seems like endless exercises to help tighten and tone up your arms? You are not alone!
Arms with loose skin also known as “Flabby Arms” (Bat Wings) is very common amongst many people (men and women) and it can become more prevalent especially as we age. The elasticity of our skin can deteriorate in many areas which is completely natural but dealing with extra skin in our arms seems to be one of the most troublesome areas.
It is important to remember that we are all built differently and what might work for one person may not always work for someone else but luckily there are a few things you can work on to help curb this issue in a safe and healthy manner.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What causes “Flabby Arms” or “Bat Wings” and also how this happens not just in the arms, but in many areas of the body as we age.
2). How losing elasticity in your skin as you age doesn’t just happen to people what may not exercise much, but also in active people as well.
3). Why attempting to get rid of excess skin or weight in only one part of the body also means that you need to look at your entire body as a whole for strengthening and conditioning, not just one area.
4). Meredith’s honest thoughts on implementing plastic surgery to get rid of “problem areas” and why she feels it should only be used as a solution in certain situations.
5). How current media can influence thoughts on body image which can be a negative side effect when it comes to feeling happy in our own bodies and skin:)
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode! Dealing with flabby arms (or areas on the body in general) that seem troublesome and that don’t seem to respond to regular exercise can be frustrating. Remembering that regular exercise is always a good choice no matter what is important and being aware of some of the tips shared in this episode will hopefully get you in the right mindset to address these issues.
As mentioned, we are all built “beautifully different” and not all solutions will work for you. However, being comfortable in your own skin is the most important aspect of living a healthy active lifestyle and we hope that no matter what you like/dislike about your body, accepting you uniqueness is the best choice always:)
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy Kassem
This motivation is a reminder to stop doubting ourselves, try, and always learn!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Are you wondering what types of exercises you should be doing? Determining what your level of fitness is can be an important part of designing an exercise schedule that you can stick to. Choosing something too hard can deter you from wanting to exercise. On the other hand, feeling like you’re not getting the results you want because your exercises are not intense enough can be frustrating as well.
Making sure you know what level of fitness you are at can help benefit your progress as you continue on your health and fitness journey. A proper workout regimen that is catered to your needs is the best way to keep you active and engaged for the short and long term.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we decided to dedicate an episode to sharing tips on finding out your level of fitness based on the many comments and questions we get from our YouTube channel.
2). How you can move through the different levels of fitness over time or why it’s OK to stay at the level you are currently at if you feel comfortable there.
3). Why modifications to a workout is important and why you can always remember to change a workout to your comfort level if it may feel too difficult.
4). Some of the great feedback we get when people are feeling like they are ready to move to the next level of fitness.
5). How you can always stay at your level of fitness but modify movements or the weights you use to challenge yourself and still progress in a safe and healthy manner.
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Thank you for joining us on this important episode. We hope the tips and information we shared is helpful to you or someone you know who is struggling on where to start with their exercise plans.
Knowing what your proper level of fitness is at least to start, can make the difference between long term success and burning out too early. Making sure you have the best path to success is the key and knowing what is best for your body and fitness level is a big part of that.
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Your body hears everything your mind says.”
This motivation is the reminder to talk nice to yourself.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Stay on the path. Fall off the path. Get back on the path. It’s as simple and as difficult as that.”
This motivation is the reminder that we all will get off our path throughout life, but getting back on is what is important.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
Maintaining a healthy weight for your body and installing habits that help keep it that way can be done with consistent planning and effort by anyone at any age. This episode is called 5 “secrets” to losing weight but as you will see there are no real secrets to keeping a healthy weight as it really comes down to a few fundamental ideas that we want to share with you in today’s episode.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we believe there are no real “secrets” to losing weight and why we feel strongly about breaking down the myth that you need to know the right weight loss “secrets” to be successful.
2). Meredith’s view on what healthy weight loss is and why it’s important to determine what’s best for you and not base healthy weight on what other’s do or look like.
3). How food portion size plays a big role in weight loss and why it can get easily overlooked when implementing a proper weight loss plan.
4). Why setting a realistic weight loss goal is important.
5). The correlation between stress and weight gain and why it’s important to manage stress levels as much as possible to avoid derailment.
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We hope the tips we’ve shared in this episode help inspire you to take control of your weight loss journey and know that there are no real “secrets” when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off. Staying consistent with exercise and eating healthy foods are the staples to a healthy body and knowing how to find your sweet spot to get there is key.
Our 5 “secrets” are here to help be a guide and hopefully help you find the path to a healthier you, both now and into the future.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Stress is something that everyone deals with and how we handle it can depend on many factors. One of the best ways to handle stress is by exercising regularly but this may not always be an option for everyone. What if you aren’t on a regular exercise schedule or are unable to exercise due to a limitation, injury or other reasons?
Fortunately, there are many other ways to “dial down” stress levels that don’t necessarily mean having to hit the gym every time you feel stressed out.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s thoughts and experiences on why relieving and addressing stress levels in general is so important to our mental and physical health.
2). How stress can build up over time especially as we age and how we may not notice the effects of it until later on in life.
3). Meredith’s experiences in working with seniors in living communities and how they were great at scheduling outings and social times with residents, something that is very important to relieving stress.
4). How maintaining a healthy diet can help contribute to lower stress levels.
5). Why writing down our thoughts and feelings when we are stressed can help “download” the burdens we have and make us feel less stressed and more organized.
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We hope the tips and suggestions in this episode help you manage stress in your life especially if regular exercise isn’t available. We all have different schedules that we must navigate and making sure exercise is a part of that is important but not always possible.
If you feel like this may be your situation or know someone in this scenario then we want you to know that there are still many other ways to take care of your mental health and address lingering stress.
Staying healthy both physically and mentally through regular self care are the most important aspects to a longer healthy life.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Heal the root so the tree is stable.”
This motivation is a reminder to work on anything that is holding you back from growing.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s podcast!
This week we have a special treat as we get to share our first interview featuring pioneering fitness expert Tamilee Webb of the popular “Buns Of Steel” exercise series! In addition to her extensive video series which rose to popularity in the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s, Tamilee is also an author and has achieved many accolades in the fitness industry as described in her bio:
“Tamilee has been the recipient of numerous other awards* for outstanding achievement in the field of personal fitness, including Best Exercise Video and Best Training Organization 1987, conferred by IDEA, has been honored by California State University, Chico, Outstanding Alumni of 1990 and 1996. Inducted in the FITNESS HALL OF FAME in 2008. Tamilee shares this honor with fellow fitness celebrities as Kathy Smith, Gilad Janklowicz, Jack Lalanne, and Jane Fonda to name a few.*
Tamilee has been a co-host on the Health Network Channel’s aerobic fitness shows now known as Discoveries “Fit TV”. The network services more than 50 million households, and its audience continues to multiply. She has also hosted ESPN’s Fitness Pro Series and consulted on Fox Sports Fitness show ‘Body Squad’.”
We are big fans of Tamilee and her journey to help spread the importance of physical activity, health and wellness has inspired our journey as well.
In addition to this podcast, please be sure to visit her website and her “Webb Workouts” website where she offers workouts on demand, nutrition bonuses, community access and access to LIVE workouts!
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). How Tamilee was first inspired in fitness in the beginning and how she got started in the fitness industry in general.
2). How she was able to become a trusted name and expert in fitness through her work at the “The Golden Door Resort” in CA , her many cruise ships tours as an instructor and training a fast growing instructor clientele internationally.
3). Her story on how she was asked to be the official trainer/course creator for the “Buns Of Steel” video series that rose to popularity making her a household name in the fitness industry.
4). Some of her thoughts on the technology of the fitness industry today and how it has changed from the VHS, DVD distribution channels of the past to the internet.
5). Her thoughts on her own journey which she continues through her current projects and businesses and her appreciation when meeting people who say that she has been an inspiration to them.
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We want to send a big THANK YOU to Tamilee for taking the time to join us for this interview! Getting the chance to hear her stories and learn from the knowledge she has gained in the ever-changing fitness industry has been priceless.
Her drive in health and fitness shows not just through her achievements but also in her genuine personality and her passion to help to spread the importance of staying healthy through exercise is truly innate. We hope you agree after listening to this special episode.
Thank You Tamilee!
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“You are the greatest project you will ever work on.”
This motivation is a reminder to always work on yourself for you!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
Do you feel uncomfortable exercising in public places? If your answer is “Yes” then know that you are not alone.
Studies have shown that many Americans still feel uncomfortable going to an indoor gym or public area to exercise whether it be in the form of feeling intimidated, overwhelmed or feeling anxious or feeling like an imposter. These feelings are very real for some people and moreover, can hinder physical activity and overall health.
Fortunately this doesn’t have to be the case. Learning to cope with these feelings and knowing how to “work through” issues that make you feel alone or are hindering you from staying active and healthy is possible with practice. Knowing how this affects your mental health and how to overcome the feelings you have with time, can help you on your fitness journey and know that you don’t have to go at it alone.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why Meredith thought this was an important topic to shed light on and how she has felt these same feelings of being uncomfortable exercising in public places as well.
2). How the rise of home workouts have been very helpful for most people but could also add to feelings of anxiety when attempts are made to go back to a gym or class.
3). How some of our fears and thoughts about what other people think at a gym aren’t really as real as we think.
4). Why going to the gym with a trusted buddy can be a great idea and how it can make exercising less stressful especially if both people are at the same fitness level. Learning and growing together is always the best way to go!
5). The importance of knowing that you are good enough and deserve to exercise no matter where you are in your fitness journey without feelings of judgement, anxiety or intimidation is the key to long lasting health.
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Thank you again for joining us on this important episode! Staying active and healthy can be done in many ways. For most of us, going to a gym or public area is very common and accessible. But not feeling comfortable to exercise in these places can keep us on the sidelines. Hopefully the tips we share in this episode helps you or someone you know feel more comfortable with exercising no matter where you are.
Staying active and healthy is the name of the game and we want to help keep you going for as long as possible!
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“There is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”-Amanda Gorman
This motivation is the reminder of seeing the good around us, the light, and to be confident enough to be it.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello and thank you for joining us on this podcast episode!
Staying consistently active no matter what age you are is an important part of living a long and healthy life. But what happens if we have physical limitations such as using a wheelchair, wearing a cast or a “boot cast”… should exercise still be something we need to do on a regular basis?
Dealing with physical limitations can be challenging no matter what level of fitness you are. It is easy to assume that being in a wheelchair or cast should “slow us down” and we should take it easy. For many reasons this can be true, however it is still possible (and recommended) that we keep a level of exercise up even with these restrictions so as to not become complacent. Keeping the body active even with restrictions is very important to staying healthy through challenging times not only for your body but your mind as well.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why Meredith thought it was important to discuss the importance of knowing that exercise should still be a priority if you are restricted by wheelchair, cast or other.
2). How regular exercise helps the mind/body connection especially in situations where you are dealing with physical restrictions.
3). Tips on what you can still do for exercise if you are dealing with upper body, lower body or wheelchair limitations.
4). What happens to your body and mind if you stop exercising due to a restriction and how this can lead to complacency and a longer road to recovery.
5). Remembering the feelings you get when you do exercise regularly and the sense of accomplishment that can help motivate you to stay active during physically challenging times.
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Remaining active even through challenging times involving restrictions like using a wheelchair or dealing with being in a cast is very important. Limitations can happen to anyone at anytime and the important thing to remember is that it doesn’t have to slow us down. Making sure we are able to tell ourselves that our physical limitations won’t limit us from staying healthy can make all the difference.
We hope our tips in this episode helps motivate you or someone you know to continue being active no matter the challenge and that is Ok to keep your body (and mind) moving always.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Remember no one can make you feel inferior without consent.”-Eleanor Roosevelt
This motivation is about the reminder of being in charge of you and your feelings!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello and thank you for joining us for this week’s episode!
Mohammed Ali, Mike Tyson… and You!
Ok maybe not to that extent, but have you ever considered boxing as a great workout? If so then this episode is for you. Boxing or “shadow boxing” is a great exercise to consider if you are thinking about spicing up your weekly exercise routines. Shadow boxing is a great way to build up your hand – eye coordination as well as help build up your cardio vascular system. Here at SFWM we have some great routines that you can check out in both seated and standing formats if you aren’t familiar with cardio boxing.
No matter your age, fitness level or limitations, there is something for everyone when it comes to having fun with boxing workouts.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What we really mean when we say “boxing workouts” and how “air boxing” or “shadow boxing” mimics the movements of real boxing and provides a great way to build mental and physical health.
2). Why it’s easy to get started with boxing exercises because it requires no equipment and you can do it in the comfort of your own home either standing or seated.
3). How Meredith designs her boxing workout routines and her approach to making them very accessible to anyone at any fitness level.
4). The differences between a shadow boxing workout and an “impact” style workout where you are striking a surface like a punching bag. Both can be beneficial but shadow boxing is preferred to help avoid injury.
5). The empowering feeling you get after doing a boxing workout and how it makes you feel accomplished in a way that is unlike any other type of workout.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. Boxing workouts can be a great way to add variety to your workout routines. Gone are the days of boxing stereotypes only being for the young and fit. We can all benefit from the mental and physical aspects of boxing in both seated and standing formats, advanced, intermediate or beginner levels. We hope this episode inspires you to give it a try if you’re new to boxing exercises and don’t forget to check out our library of boxing routines here.
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”-T.S. Eliot
This motivation is about continuing to pursue your goals, and keep going!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode today!
Stress is something we all encounter normally during the days, weeks and months of the year. To live a life that has no stress most likely isn’t much of a life. But what happens when we let it consume us where we start to have mental, emotional and physical problems? What can we do to help “dial down” our stress levels?
Fortunately the one thing we can do and have control of is our level of physical activity which has shown to help curb levels of stress especially if practiced regularly. Regular exercise can help curb stress levels to where they can be manageable and dealt with in a safe and proper manner. This has been shown many times over in scientific studies and today we share some if our best knowledge on the importance of exercise as stress relief.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How having high stress levels without addressing them can lead us down a path to where we may become very sedentary and avoid exercise altogether which is an un favorable outcome.
2). Why exercise is usually the first thing that gets sacrificed when we are stressed out and what we can do to help avoid this scenario.
3). How learning from people that do exercise regularly to dial down stress can inspire and help you embrace this practice during stressful times in your own life.
4). Why exercising is not only good for our stress levels but also provides protection to our immune system which also helps guard us from getting sick thus, adding more stress especially if you live a busy lifestyle.
5). Why it’s important to start off slow and small if you aren’t used to exercising regularly to give your body the best chance to progress properly into a schedule that allows you to be active and help control stress.
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Thanks again for joining us for this important episode. Stress levels can be affect anyone at anytime and making sure we take the proper steps to keep our mind and bodies healthy is one of the best ways to combat against rising stress. Staying active on a regular basis is the one thing we have control over and one of our best defenses to avoiding overwhelming stress.
We hope our tips and suggestions in this episode helps you or someone you know who may be weighed down by stress. Staying healthy physically, mentally and emotionally is the name of the game and we want to keep everyone active when it comes to living your best life.
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“I never lose. Either I win or learn.”-Nelson Mandela
This motivation is about learning from every experience.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
Travelling can be a fun experience especially if you are headed out on a long vacation that you’ve been waiting for or are travelling out to visit close friends and family. But it can also take a toll on the body with things like long plane rides or car rides. Making sure we take care of ourselves during the process of travel and arrival to our destination is crucial to keeping us healthy, active and capable especially as we age.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of the tolls that travelling in general, takes on your body that we may not realize.
2). Things to think about when we leave the comforts of our home and go somewhere new where we may not have access to the same exercise amenities that we have at home.
3). Tips on how to stay loose and flexible when travelling in a confined space like an airplane or a packed car.
4). Tips on “re-awakening” our bodies in a safe manner after we have been confined for a long period of time on a plane or car.
5). The effects of stress on our bodies while we travel and dealing with either long lines at airports or long car rides.
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Thank you for joining us on this episode! Travelling is a big part of what we do no matter if you fly or drive. Making sure our bodies can handle the rigors of travel is important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We hope the tips we’ve shared in this episode help you prepare for your next trip so you can enjoy the process and keep your body feeling ready for the next exciting experience.
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the showSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Make up your mind that no matter what comes your way, no matter how difficult, no matter how unfair, you will do more than simply survive. You will thrive in spite of it.” —Joel Osteen
This motivation is about continuing to thrive in life, no matter the obstacles that come your way.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
We love getting the chance to test out new exercise equipment and this week we are doing a product review on the “Bells Of Steel” Rubber Hex Dumbbells.
Making sure you have safe and effective exercise equipment when you workout is very important. We always put our bodies under high amounts of stress when we exercise and knowing you have the right equipment that won’t break, will last a long time and most importantly, is safe to use can be the difference between a great workout and/or risking injury.
For this product review episode we are taking a closer look at the Bells of Steel rubber hex dumbbells and giving you our honest thoughts and recommendations.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Our thoughts on the fitness industry and the rise in companies that offer exercise equipment online.
2). Why Meredith prefers to use dumbbells that are rubber hex shaped instead of round and how this helps you when placing your weights down in a safe manner.
3). Why we feel that the design of this line of dumbbell will last a long time and you won’t need to worry about spending more money to replace them later.
4). Meredith’s thoughts on the grip of these dumbbells and why that is important when exercising.
5). Why we’ve chosen to become an affiliate of these line of dumbbells and the Bells Of Steel company.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope the information we shared in this podcast helps spark your interest in the Bells Of Steel dumbbell offerings. Using safe, effective and long lasting equipment when exercising is very important and hopefully our review and support of this line of dumbbells will be helpful to you or someone you know that’s shopping for a new set of dumbbells.
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the showSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done." -Lucille Ball
This motivation is about remembering to keep doing, keep trying new things, and never have regrets.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello and thank you for joining us today on this episode!
Pickleball has become quite popular around the world as a fun and enjoyable sport to play especially for people of all ages. It’s easy to play, you can play in groups and it has a very low barrier of entry. If you are someone that enjoys this sport and is looking to improve your game then this episode is just for you!
Similar to tennis, pickleball boasts many of the same movements and actions, but is less taxing on your body. This allows the sport to be much more accessible and is a great way to get exercise on a regular basis. With the exercises suggested in this episode, you can help your body get stronger, more flexible and prepared to level up your game!
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What is Pickleball and why has it become so popular in recent times?
2). The primary muscles and areas of your body that you use the most when playing pickleball.
3). Why marching in place and low impact cardio exercises are a great way to start warming up your body and preparing it to play.
4). Some of the best balance exercises you can try to help steady your foot placement and keep you centered when moving around the court.
5). Meredith’s suggestions of great upper and lower body exercises that will help build strength and flexibility, both of which are important when playing pickleball.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope the tips and suggestions here are helpful to you or someone you know who loves pickleball! Having fun while playing is the name of the game and keeping your body in shape to continue to hit the courts everyday is what it’s all about.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the showSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” —Ernest Hemingway
This motivation is about not giving up, and growing stronger after difficult times.
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello and thank you for joining us for this episode!
Staying hydrated while exercising is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. Making sure you have enough water with you at all times is a must and also making sure the apparatus you use to store your refreshing water is clean can get overlooked. Whether you use as regular plastic bottle or fancy ThermoFlask, it’s always a good idea to take a little extra time and make sure what you’re drinking out of is clean.
It may sound like a no brainer, but we often underestimate what it takes to keep our water bottles clean. If gone unchecked over time, bacteria and mold can build which can lead to longer health effects. And we definitely don’t want that!
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How the water bottle market has become quite popular in today’s fitness realm and why that’s a good thing:)
2). Why it’s important to create the habit of carrying a water bottle around with you even if you’re not in the gym or exercising. Hydrating should happen all day long.
3). How bacteria can slowly start to form without us noticing if we don’t make it a point to really give our water bottle a good cleaning on a regular basis.
4). How keeping track of the cleanliness of your water bottle is even more important if you like to add flavoring/fruit etc. to your water.
5). Meredith’s recommendations on how often you should give your water bottle a thorough cleansing including rinsing and deep cleaning.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope the information and tips here will help you keep an eye out on the cleanliness of your own water bottles. Making sure you sanitize them regularly and have them washed is the key to keeping your body healthy and ready for the next workout always:)
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the showSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” —Arnold Schwarzenegger
This motivation is about remembering every time we go through a difficulty, it makes us stronger, and develops our strengths!
Meredith
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello and thank you for joining us on the podcast!
We have a very important episode this week because it’s all about you! We are very fortunate to be in a position where we get to receive feedback from people all over the globe about how our fitness content helps them in many ways. We receive comments, messages and emails ranging on a variety of topics that help us shape how we create our content.
We always encourage everyone to send us questions, comments and even constructive criticism to let us know how we are doing or how we can improve. Getting the chance to hear your feedback is one of the most important aspects of Senior Fitness With Meredith and this week we wanted to share with you exactly how important it is to us.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How receiving your feedback helps us in all areas of our content creation from workouts, podcasts and how it is the base inspiration for all of our planning.
2). Meredith’s thoughts on how she shapes her workouts based on direct feedback from our community and also how this gives her ideas on some aspects of workouts that we may not have thought of before.
3). Why we wouldn’t have been able to continue putting out our best health and fitness content for this long without your valuable feedback.
4). Why we LOVE our monthly livestream workouts with our little global community because we get to chat and exercise with you in “real time” which gives us great joy along with learning more from your immediate feedback.
5). How “constructive criticism” also plays an important role in helping us create our best content and why we always encourage your feedback no matter positive or negative.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode! We are so grateful for getting the chance to receive feedback from you. It helps us create the best workouts, podcasts, blogs and more which hopefully translates back to helping you or someone you know. We appreciate your time and effort to reach out and hopefully this episode shows you how inspiring you are to us.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show
“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” —Edmund Hillary
This motivation is about being in control of ourselves, which will help us get through anything, even the highest and hardest of climbs.
Meredith
Support the show
Hello, and thank you for joining us on this episode!
This week on the podcast we are diving into how our new “Basics” series exercises can be helpful to you no matter what fitness level you may be at. Our new basics series is all about getting back to the basics of movement, posture, form and energy to help you during your exercise routines to not only promote safety but also maximize returns on your efforts.
As we move through our fitness journeys it may be easy to forget what we learned in the beginning about using proper form and technique when exercising. It is easy to assume that we are exercising correctly and safely but that may not be the case. If not careful, we can injure ourselves or we may not be benefitting from the amount of effort we are exerting when exercising because of improper form etc.
Our new basics series exercises are designed to re-center your exercise routines and help you focus on the fundamentals no matter your fitness level.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). The general idea behind our new “Basics” series workouts and why Meredith thought it was important to focus on a series of videos that emphasize getting “back to the basics” for all levels of fitness.
2). How it’s easy to start losing proper form during the course of our fitness journeys as we move through levels of fitness (intermediate, advanced etc.) and how this can make us more prone to injury.
3). What you can expect from our Basics series in terms of upper body and lower body exercises in both seated and standing positions and how they can help benefit you.
4). How you will be able to “Mix and Match” our Basics series exercises in with the rest of our workouts to help you build your perfect routine no matter what level of fitness you’re at.
5). Why we value your feedback on this and all of our workout videos to help us design exercises that help you and your needs. Let us know what you think by sending us an email of message us on our Facebook page.
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Thank you again for joining us today! We hope the information we’ve shared in this episode provides some value to you and encourages you to try our new “Basics” series exercises. As mentioned, these exercises are designed for all levels of fitness no matter where you are in your fitness journey. Making sure you stay injury free and gain the benefits of your commitment to exercise is what it’s all about.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power.” —Lao T
This motivation is about mastering ourselves fully, not trying to control others, to feel in control.
Meredith
Support the show
Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s episode!
Stretching is often a part of part of staying healthy that gets easily overlooked. Living an active lifestyle means we use our bodies often and in doing so we can create problems or injuries down the road. To make sure our bodies can handle physical activity we have to take measures to keep it healthy and stretching is a big part of this maintenance.
But what kind of stretching is needed?
Not all stretching is created equal and making sure you get the best kind of stretching in during your workouts can make a big difference in helping you avoid injury and stay healthy and active longer.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How stretching gets easily overlooked when we train and in doing so, it can cause tight muscles, in-flexibility or even injury.
2). What stretching actually does for us at an internal level by lengthening our muscles and lubricating joints.
3). How upper back and chest stretches are helpful and some of Meredith’s examples of these types of stretches that you should be doing.
4). How lower back and legs stretches are helpful and some of Meredith’s examples of these types of stretches that you should be doing.
5). Why you should be doing wrist and ankle stretches and why this type of stretching often gets overlooked.
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Thank you for joining us on this episode! Stretching is a big part of keeping your body ready for exercise and making sure you are doing the right stretches is very important. Staying injury free and mobile is the name of the game for longevity and we hope the tips in this episode help you on your own personal journey.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” —Marcus Aurelius
This motivation is about the power of our mind is in our control, nothing else…realize this and be stronger from it!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this podcast episode!
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is always the focus of what we are looking to achieve. No matter your fitness level, there is always goals we can work towards to better ourselves.
This week we wanted to share and focus on 5 of the best goals that we feel cover a lot of ground when it comes to living healthy and active. Having goals can help keep you motivated especially on days when you aren’t feeling 100%. Hopefully you’ll agree that these 5 goals can be considered in your daily or weekly workouts.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith personal thoughts on why tracking goals are important even if you start small and build from there. Having something to attain is always good when it comes to staying healthy and living an active lifestyle.
2). How achieving smaller goals over time can help lead to having the motivation not only continue on, but also set more challenging goals as you progress.
3). The benefits of keeping a goal that helps us stay grounded and focused especially when life gets busy and can throw curve balls at you.
4). The importance of keeping good form when you exercise as this can help you avoid injury and sidelining you from staying active.
5). Why understanding that movement in general is healthy for the body, even if that means small amounts of exercise per day or week. Doing something is always better than doing nothing.
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Thank you again for joining us on the podcast episode. Maintaining consistent exercise throughout the week is so important and tracking your goals and progress can help make a big difference at the end of the day. Making sure you’re focusing on the right goals for you is key and we hope that you found our 5 best suggestions helpful:)
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“When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven’t.” —Thomas A. Edison
This motivation is about remembering even when we think there is no other way, there always is!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for this podcast episode!
This week we are celebrating a HUGE milestone for our brand, reaching 50,000 YouTube subscribers WOW!! This is an achievement we never could have dreamed of upon starting out and getting to share this accomplishment with you is an honor for us.
In reaching this goal we’ve learned a lot of things from the people who have reached out to us. Your stories have given us so much insight into your health challenges, goals and achievements along the way. These experiences have been invaluable to us and we wanted to share some of what we’ve learned.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s thoughts on how YouTube has continuously grown to become a top resource for exercise and fitness with seniors and people of all ages.
2). How it can be challenging to find the right workouts online since there is so much content in the health and fitness category which have different degrees of value.
3). Why responding to the growing amount of comments that come in has become an important part of running the YouTube channel and why it’s important to try and respond to everyone even as our subscriber base grows.
4). How having more subscribers has impacted our livestream classes that we hold at least once a month and the benefits and feedback we’ve gained getting to interact with our YouTube followers in real time.
5). How having more people be a part of our fitness brand has helped in more ways than we could have imagined and how it helps shape everything we do from our workouts, podcasts and more. We are eternally grateful for the support and could not have accomplished this without you. Thank You!
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode and sharing this huge accomplishment with us. We couldn’t have reached this milestone without your support and we hope to continue bringing you our best health and fitness content for next 50,000 subscriber milestone!
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“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” —Maya Angelou
This motivation is about allowing the things that happen to us to change us…but never reduce us to feel bad about ourselves.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us today for this episode!
In today’s world it may not always be practical to attend a gym for regular exercise. There are health regulations to consider, crowds and perhaps not feeling as comfortable as we would like to be in a gym environment. Luckily for us, if you have space in your room equivalent to a living room then you may just have one of the best exercise areas ever invented!
Getting a great workout in doesn’t always mean that you need access to the fanciest gym equipment. You can get a great workout in (at any level of fitness) in the comfort of your own living room with no equipment. All you need is some space, no fall or trip hazards around you and a “can do” attitude:)
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why a living room can be the perfect workout space provided you have enough room to move around, preferably within a 6×8 or 8×8 area.
2). Some suggestions on how to get good cardio exercises in your living room workout area with no equipment.
3). Some upper body exercise suggestions that you can try in your living room workout area.
4). The importance of the “mind and body” connection that helps you focus in on the muscles you are exercising.
5). Meredith’s suggestions on how to do some lower body and core exercises in your living room exercise area.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope the tips and suggestions here give you some of your own ideas on how you can exercise in your own living room. We have many alternatives in this era on how and where to exercise. Keeping your options open including your own living room is the best way to ensure your ability to live a long, happy and healthy life no matter where you are or what level of fitness you are at.
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Team Meredith
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“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.” —Peter Marshall
This motivation is about staying positive during challenging times and knowing that we gain strength through diversity which helps us live longer and healthier lives.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on the podcast this week!
HIIT workouts stand for “High Intensity Interval Training” and this week we are diving into why we think incorporating HIIT workouts into your weekly routine is a good idea. HIIT focuses on raising and resting your heart rate during short durations of exercise which helps strengthen your cardiovascular system. Incorporating light weights during a HIIT workout will also add strength training to your muscles which will give you a “best of both worlds” added benefit during exercise.
HIIT exercises are also available for all levels of fitness and can be done by anyone in either standing or seated positions.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s in depth explanation of a HIIT workout, it’s history and some of the high level health benefits that are available at any age.
2). How you can easily modify your normal regular exercise routines into more HIIT style movements to gain health benefits that continue to help you during the course of your day.
3). Why there can be a misunderstanding about HIIT workouts which can make people shy away from doing them but in reality they are very accessible to anyone at any level of fitness.
4). How HIIT workouts are not just standing routines but can also be performed as a seated workouts as well for those who may have standing limitations.
5). How to find YOUR level of high intensity when performing a HIIT workout.
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Thank you again for joining us this week! We hope the information in this episode helps motivate you to incorporate HIIT workouts into your regular exercise regimen if you aren’t already. No matter what level of fitness you are, HIIT has something for everyone:)
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“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” —Mahatma Gandhi
This motivation is about remembering to forgive is to be strong…it does not mean you forget, but you keep going and forgive!
Meredith
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Strength training workouts are a great way to help build muscle, add strength and stability that will help you get through the tasks of the day. Similarly, cardio exercises are also the perfect way to help build up you stamina, cardiovascular system and help give you the energy you need to tackle the day as well.
But which one is more important?
Finding time to exercise during the day/week can be challenging and making sure you’re getting the right exercises in is important to your overall health. Deciding whether to focus on either your cardio or strength training can make scheduling pretty tricky especially if you feel that you are lacking in one or the other.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s personal experience in working with clients over the years and their attitudes about the importance of strength training and cardio exercises.
2). The difference in opinions on both strength training and cardio between men and women and how that affects their choices in activities for exercise.
3). Some thoughts on how often you should “intermingle” both strength training workouts and cardio workouts and/or how to balance them out if you feel you favor one of the other.
4). Some of the push back Meredith would receive from teaching strength classes in senior communities and how she was able to show the importance of why using weights/bands for resistance is beneficial to you at any age.
5). Tips on how to balance both types of workouts to give you the benefits of both worlds which in turn promotes health and longevity.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode! Deciding whether strength training or cardio exercises are more important for you depends on a lot of factors and in a lot of cases you need the perfect balance of both. We hope the tips in this episode helps you determine how to go about setting up your exercise schedule so that you don’t feel you are lacking in any area. Maintaining the perfect balance in the long run is always best when it comes to long term health and wellness.
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“And one has to understand that braveness is not the absence of fear but rather the strength to keep on going forward despite the fear.” —Paulo Coelho
This motivation is about going forward even when you are fearful of doing it, that is true bravery!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this podcast!
Feeling like you are running out of time during your day is very common for most of us. We get busy with chores, tasks and running around that it feels like we have very little time to exercise. Fortunately exercising doesn’t have to take hours out of your day.
There are still very effective workouts that you can do during your busy day that will be just as effective as longer ones if you have the right mindset and “can do” attitude:)
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How common it is for most people to feel like they don’t have enough time to exercise for all ages, not just seniors who may be retired.
2). Whether or not it’s a good idea to try and focus on both strength training AND cardio exercises if you are short on time for that day.
3). What could be the optimal timeframe for an abbreviated workout, 10min, 15min, 20min or more?
4). Why the mind/muscle connection is so important when you exercise especially when you are fitting in a shorter workout.
5). Why the “quality” of your workout is more important than the “quantity” and how we should avoid exercising just to go through the motions. Getting meaningful exercise in is the goal no matter how long or how often.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. Making time for exercise during your schedule doesn’t mean you have to block off hours at a time. We hope the tips we’ve shared in this podcast helps you set up your exercise week even when you feel like you only have a short window to get it done. Planning ahead and focusing on what’s important is key to sustaining a consistent exercise schedule now and into the future.
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“We will either find a way, or make one.” —Anibal Barca
This motivation is about not letting a failure stop you…find new ways to succeed and continue on!
Meredith
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Staying motivated to exercise can be challenging. Throw in a busy schedule, lack of time, days where we don’t feel 100% and regular exercise can slowly fall by the wayside for most of us. What happens next are feelings of laziness, lethargy, and a possible lack of energy.
Falling into a fitness “rut” isn’t something we usually plan to do, it just sometimes happens and can be attributed to many factors. Life throws a lot of curve balls at us and sometimes responding to them makes us feel like we have to take time away from some things to make room for others.
But it doesn’t have to be that way! Staying active can still be a part of your life even “jump-starting” your active lifestyle is something we all need to do from time to time.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Our definition of the “Fitness Rut” and some of Meredith’s personal experiences in working with clients that encounter a fitness downturn.
2). How going through a fitness rut can affect you both mentally AND physically.
3). Some of the things that can potentially lead us into a fitness rut and some of the signs that may push us in that direction.
4). Some of Meredith’s best tips on how getting back to basic “movement” and moving around in any form can slowly help you back to being physically active.
5). Why it’s OK to sometimes feel like you’re in a slump and that it happens to everyone. What’s important is to always stay focused on getting back to being physically active when you feel like you’ve hit a wall and to not give up!
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Thank you for joining us on this episode! We hope the tips and suggestions here help you or someone you know work out of a fitness rut. It can be a challenge, but getting you back on track with exercise is important especially as we age. Staying active throughout the year and always coming back to exercise even when we get into a slump will always be a healthy option:)
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Team Meredith
Holistic Life Navigation
This podcast explores how to heal stress & trauma holistically. I am your host, Luis...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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“Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” —Nelson Mandela
This motivation is about persevering, and being judged based upon how we can get through obstacles and continue on.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
We are heading into Thanksgiving for this episode and taking a moment to talk about why it’s important to be thankful for the fitness accomplishments you achieved this year.
It may seem like a “no-brainer” to appreciate what you have accomplished but most of us rarely look back and take a moment to really relish in the hard work you’ve put in and the goals you’ve reached. Even if you feel like you didn’t accomplish what you had hoped, it’s still important to “pat yourself on the back” and be proud of your work:)
In This episode You Will Learn:
1). How being Thankful and grateful for your life has a big part to do with being healthy both physically and mentally and why it’s so important.
2). Why it’s important to remember to be thankful throughout the year and during life’s ups and down and setbacks and accomplishments.
3). Some of the differences in opinions between younger and older generations about their perspectives on thankfulness when it comes to fitness and wellness.
4). How we sometimes get caught up in the “what’s next?” mentality and never really take time to revel in our accomplishments thus far.
5). Some of Meredith’s best tips on how to help us stay grateful and thankful during a busy life and how to remember what’s important as you continue down your fitness journey.
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Thank you again for joining us on this special episode! Making sure you take time to be thankful for you accomplishments and your abilities to live a healthy lifestyle is just as important as getting up and being active on most days of the week.
We hope this episode helps shed some light on the many things to be thankful for and also how proud we are of you for making the choice to live an active lifestyle. We are your biggest fans!
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Team Meredith
Meditation Minis Podcast
Overcome anxiety, release stress, increase your confidence, and feel better fast...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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“All dreams are within reach. All you have to do is keep moving towards them.”- Viola Davis
This motivation is about moving towards what you want… keep dreaming and keep trying!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
Shoulders are a body part we use everyday but how much do we actually think about them when we exercise or do strenuous work? The shoulder is made up of many muscles, ligaments and bone all working together to give us full range of upper body motion. There is also many chances for injury in this area as well if not looked after correctly.
Our shoulders are key in many of the activities we do from carrying groceries, driving a car, holding a hand railing etc. Making sure we protect our shoulders during our day should be a priority when living an active lifestyle and in general.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s initial thoughts on why our shoulders are so important especially while living actively and how injuries can easily occur.
2). How we can go about protecting areas of the shoulder and not just be making the shoulder stronger but by strengthening areas around the shoulder.
3). Meredith breaks down the reasons why she guides you in her exercise videos into moves that help protect the shoulder and some examples of this.
4). Why using a lighter weight for shoulder exercises is important and why the shoulder shouldn’t be treated as a “heavy lifting” area of the body.
5). How we can “re-learn” better ways to protect areas of our body during exercise and still be very active but most importantly, stay safe.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope this information is valuable to you if you are dealing with shoulder pain or have limitations with your range of motion in this area. Keeping you safe while you go throughout your day is so important and keeping in mind the tips in this episode will hopefully help you stay exercising longer into your years:)
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“A ship is always safe a shore but that is not what it’s built for.”- Albert Einstein
This motivation is about remembering you are built to move, try, keep going even when the waters are scary!
Meredith
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“There is nothing impossible to they who will try.”-Alexander The Great
This motivation is about trying, knowing we CAN do it but it starts with trying!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on the episode!
Embracing an active lifestyle and exercising regularly every week has shown to improve your quality of life especially as we age. But did you know there is more work that can be done to keep your body healthy in addition to regular exercise?
Making sure we embrace recovery techniques post workout can also be just as effective with keeping you healthy as well, in a sense taking care of our bodies after a workout can be just as important as the workout itself!
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What we mean when we say “recovery” and how does it affect the overall effectiveness of our workouts in the long term.
2). Some explanations on the different types of recovery techniques for different exercises.
3). How nutrition plays a big role in helping your body recover from regular exercise.
4). Other types of recovery like cold water therapy etc. that can contribute to replenishing our bodies after hard exercise.
5). Why recovery is often over looked for most active people and ways we should remember to include it in our regular exercise schedules to reap the benefits.
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Thank you for joining us on this episode! Self care and recovery habits are very important to help extend the years you will have being physically active. Our bodies do a lot for us and taking care of it after we exercise is very important. We hope the tips and suggestions in this episode help inspire you to embrace recovery if haven’t already.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Asking for a Friend
Removing the stigma and taboo from what really matters to midlife women
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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“Act as if what you do makes a difference. IT DOES.”-William James
This motivation is about having intention with all you do, knowing you make a difference in this world.
Meredith
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“Tough times never last, but tough people do.”-Robert H. Schuller
This motivation is about getting through tough times by staying positive, brave, and tough!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
The beginning of a new year is always an exciting time and if you value your health and fitness as much as we do then you know that setting health goals is always a point of focus during this time. But how do we come up with attainable/realistic goals based on our progress from the current year?
This can be challenging for some as we all have different ups and downs during the year. We may start strong… and end at a crawl. This is very common for many people who are looking to achieve consistent exercise throughout the year. Luckily there are ways we can evaluate our current year’s progress to predict and plan for a more effective new year.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s thoughts the importance of having fitness goals and why they can be helpful to the overall achievements of an active lifestyle.
2). Why “looking back” at your year in regards to health and fitness is so important even if you didn’t achieve the goals you set in the beginning of the year.
3). How our “Custom 7 Day Workout Plan”is a great place to start when it comes to setting up your goals for the new year.
4). Realizing that life doesn’t always go as we plan and not hitting our goals that we previously set for ourselves is OK.
5). The idea that fitness goals may not always make sense for a new year but perhaps at regularly scheduled intervals as the year progresses. (Quarterly etc.)
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. Planning for a strong new year in regards to your health and fitness goals can be tricky. We all want to succeed so we can look back at the end of the year and feel proud of our accomplishments. We hope the tips and suggestions in this episode are valuable to you and give you some motivation and ideas to help set your new goals for the upcoming year.
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“Happiness is not something ready made; it comes from your own actions.”-Dalai Lama
This motivation is about reminding ourselves that we have to work hard for ourselves to attain our goals and ultimate happiness!
Meredith
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“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”-Albert Einstein
This motivation is about making mistakes in life, which means you are trying new things and pushing yourself!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
If you have ever owned a pet or currently own one now then you know how much they can impact our lives. Having pets as part of the family can have many benefits but can also be challenging at times. They love us dearly and we love them, but how do they really affect our mental health?
In this episode we dive into the many ways caring for and owning pets (of any kind!) can impact our mental health in ways that we may not realize.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s experiences in working with clients and how their pets have affected their lives when it came to keeping them in a mentally and emotionally healthy state.
2). How mental health awareness has become much more prevalent in modern society and why it is now getting the attention it deserves.
3). Why caring for pets can benefit both owner and pet mentally as we tend to see our pets more as “family” members then pets.
4). The possible differences in owning pets when we are older vs younger and why we may be able to have a bigger bond with our animals later in life.
5). How the use of therapy dogs or service dogs has shown to drastically improve the lives of people who may struggle with mental health issues like post traumatic stress syndrome etc.
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Thank you again for joining us today! We love getting the chance to talk about some of our favorite topics and pets are definitely one of them. Caring for pets can bring many benefits to our lives and help us in so many ways from physically, emotionally and of course mentally. We hope you found value in this episode and as always we would love to hear from you as well!
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Team Meredith
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“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” -Billie Jean King
This motivation is about not giving up…to be a Champion means to keep going!
Meredith
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“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”- Thomas Edison
This motivation is about working hard to get to where we want to go, towards the opportunity!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
This week we are going down our list of the best 5 strength training exercises seniors should be doing on a regular weekly basis. and what areas of the body are being targeted.
Strength training should be included in your weekly exercise schedule along side cardio and stretching. Exercising with some kind of resistance (it doesn’t have to be weights) is perfect for building muscle and contributing to the strength you need to do everyday tasks like carrying groceries, walking up and down stairs, sitting and getting up from a chair. Strength training exercises help contribute to your mobility and freedom to do the activities you enjoy:)
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s thoughts on why strength training is important especially as we age and how it contributes to living longer and independently.
2). Why you should focus on the end goal of being independent and healthy instead of attempting to be “strong” and building up “vanity muscles” when strength training.
3). Some of the best upper body exercises that help build upper body strength and contribute to our ability to carry heavier items, lift ourselves up from chairs etc.
4). Some of the best lower body strength training exercises that contribute to our stabilization and ability to climb stairs, pick up objects from the floor etc.
5). Meredith’s recommendations on how often you should try to incorporate strength training exercises into your weekly workout routines.
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Thank you again for joining us on this important episode. Strength training is important no matter what your age and making sure you include resistance/strength training exercises in your weekly routines will help you stay in your best shape. Combining strength with cardio will give you the best balance to a healthy life for years to come.
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“Attitude is the ‘little’ thing that makes a big difference.” -Winston Churchill
This motivation is about our attitude making all the difference in what we do and where we go!
Meredith
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“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”- A.A. Milne
This motivation is about reminding ourselves that we are MORE than we give ourselves credit…you can do it!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
This week we are excited to share with you our very first product review featuring the Bob and Brad Deep Tissue Massage Gun!
If you haven’t heard of Bob and Brad they are 2 physical therapists that have a YouTube channel with over 4 million subscribers. (at the time of writing this) They recently contacted us and wanted to know if we could review one of their best selling products, the deep tissue massage gun. After looking more into their product and researching what it is capable of and the benefits it claimed to deliver, we agreed to give it a try:)
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we decided to try our very first product review and why we chose this product after receiving many offers from other companies to review their products and services.
2). How technology has gotten to be much better at creating products like the massage gun and how it has become very popular with professional athletes and people of all physical abilities and levels.
3). How the massage gun can help with aching muscles and joints on different areas of the body and if it is really effective with regular use for people of all ages.
4). Some of Meredith’s personal feedback on using the massage gun and how it helped her relieve some of the back pain she was recently feeling.
5). Why we decided to endorse this product after a thorough review process and why we think this can be beneficial for you or someone you know who regularly deals with aching joints and muscles.
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Thank you for joining us on our very first product review episode. We hope you enjoyed our review of the Bob and Brad massage gun. Whether you’re in the market for something like this or not, we feel strongly about bringing products and services like this to light so we are all better aware of what is on the market in the health and fitness industry. We will only review and endorse products and services that we feel are helpful to our audience.
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Team Meredith
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“We will fail when we fail to try.”-Rosa Parks
This motivation is about trying, even if we fail…we always fail if we never try!
Meredith
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“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” —Mahatma Gandhi
This motivation is about harmony in every aspect of life.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining on on this episode!
Losing weight can be very challenging for all of us and losing weight in your belly area can sometimes be the most challenging. we often get emails and comments about what is the best way to lose fat in the belly!
Well there is no simple answer but there are things you can focus on that will give you the best chances and results to slim down your belly area the right way, safely and effectively.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s experiences working with clients and their questions about how to lose their belly fat and why it is such a popular topic.
2). Some of the diet choices that can lead to building up un-wanted belly fat and how common some of these things are.
3). Why trying to lose weight is certain areas of your body (spot specific) is not very realistic when trying to lose weight.
4). Some of the differences between men and women and how belly fat affects us differently based on how our bodies store fat etc.
5). Meredith best tips to losing belly fat that include overall body health and not just one area.
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Thank you again for joining us on this podcast. Losing belly fat can be troublesome for most of us and everyone’s path to losing this weight will be different. Hopefully some of the tips and suggestions in this episode will help you determine what will work best for you safely and successfully.
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Team Meredith
Healthcare for Humans
This show is dedicated to exploring the history and culture of Washington's diverse...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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“I found that with depression, one of the most important things you could realize is that you’re not alone.”- Dwayne Johnson
This motivation is about remembering you are not alone in this life, no matter how you feel and what you are going through…there are always others that feel the same and are there for you!
Meredith
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“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”- Andy Warhol
This motivation is about things changing over time, not because it is time, but we change and grow every moment of each day.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s podcast!
Making sure you choose the right exercise equipment is a big step to maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. We feel strongly about this which is why we felt it was necessary to share our recommendations with you.
Having the right choices will keep you safe and healthy when used correctly and we are very excited to run down why we chose the pieces of equipment to add to our website and why we think you’ll like them too:)
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s thoughts on why it’s important to use proper and safe exercise equipment in your workouts and how this can actually help improve them when used correctly.
2). We discuss why we chose the brand of resistance bands listed on our equipment page and why they are our choice for the best.
3). Our choice for an exercise timer and why Meredith thinks it’s a good idea to have a simple – to – use device that is not your phone and can be easily modified for different time settings.
4). Why we feel that having a dedicated exercise chair is a good idea especially if the chairs you have in your home are mostly dinner or table chairs. Having a sturdy chair will keep you safe and motivated to do more seated exercises.
5). How a stretching strap can help you during your stretching routines and what our recommendation is for the safest and most reliable.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope the tips and information as to why we chose the recommended equipment on our website is helpful to you. Making sure we exercise with safe equipment is important to avoiding injury, exercising safely and living longer and healthier.
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“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” -Diane Ackerman
This motivation is about living life, not just going through the motions.
Meredith
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“The sky isn’t the limit—the sky has no limit.” -Sarah Barker
This motivation is about remembering to keep going, no limits.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us today on the podcast!
This week we have a fun discussion on how to really get into “move star” shape and if it is really attainable, realistic and healthy?
We all look at movie stars and sometimes wonder what it would be like to look like them. Action heroes, models, perfect looking features… they all seem to be effortless. But is it real? It can be confusing and possibly un-healthy to chase a look that isn’t realistic 100% of the time.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What we define “Movie Star Shape” as and what this expectation really means in a real world context.
2). How the image of movie stars has changed over the years and how social media has added to the pressures of self image today which can be un-healthy if taken literally.
3). The steps movie stars, body builders etc. take to get to the extreme look of a very muscular and/or “ripped physique to either look good on camera or compete in a body building competition.
4). How attainable and realistic is the movie star look and is it possible to strive for this perfection and still live a normal, happy and healthy life.
5). Why the most important thing to remember is to strive to be the best YOU and to focus on a balance between living healthy but also living happy. We don’t have to look like move stars to live our best lives:)
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode! We hope this fun discussion was informative and entertaining of course:) We feel it’s important to pull back the covers on things like getting into move star shape and if it’s realistic or not. The most important thing to remember is to be your best YOU always and follow the path that is the healthiest and happiest for your body, mind and spirit.
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“What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.” -Hugh Mulligan
This motivation is about remembering that each day is important. It is your time, live it in a way that is best for you!
Meredith
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Thank you for joining us on the episode!
Finding the right exercises to do can be challenging at times, especially for seniors! When looking for the best exercises it can often lead to unreliable sources or misguided suggestions from people who may not know the senior body well.
Luckily with Meredith’s help and expertise we have rounded up the six best exercises that all seniors should do regularly (based on personal ability of course) and why they are help promote everyday movements and most importantly, longevity.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How we sometimes get “stuck” going through the same exercises each day/week and some of the reasons why we choose certain routines.
2). Some of the ways the fitness industry leads us to think that certain workouts can give you the best immediate results and why that can be misleading.
3). Some of the most common everyday movements that can become difficult for us as we age and why it’s important to be proactive to address them through exercise on a regular basis.
4). “The Goods!” Meredith shares her 6 most important exercises that all seniors should be doing!
5). How the best exercises mentioned here not only promote strength and balance but also great cardio health as well.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode! We hope the information is valuable to you and helps you think about incorporating some (or all) of the exercises mentioned here into your routines if you aren’t already. Staying healthy now and in the future is the goal for all ages and making sure we do some of the most effective exercises within our own routines that promote these goals is key.
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“Be open to learning new lessons, even if they contradict the lessons you learned yesterday.” -Ellen DeGeneres
This motivation is about listening to new things and learning from them, remembering what you learned in the past but being open to new ideas.
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
Here at Senior Fitness With Meredith we take a lot of pride in publishing our best content centered on the health and wellness for older “seasoned” adults. We feel this is so important as we age and live longer lives. However we also feel that the industry that we exist in doesn’t focus enough on the older generations and mostly ignores a lot of the needs that this generation is asking for.
The fitness industry has always been a “youth oriented” industry as a whole. But with the power of the internet reaching millions of older generations, is this industry still missing a big opportunity to reach into a larger audience by also focusing more on middle aged – older generations?
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How the internet and mostly social media have changed the fitness industry and the monolithic focus on youth that seems to have come to the forefront.
2). Why the “image first” mentality has become the norm for most fitness brands and how that can make others feel excluded and un-motivated to think that healthy exercise is for them because they may not look like what they see in media.
3). The misconceptions that the fitness industry portrays of older people and how this can affect thoughts and feelings about what level of fitness seniors should be which is based on little market research by the fitness industry.
4). How drug and pharmacy companies spend more money on advertising to seniors than the health and fitness industry and why this is misguiding.
5). Meredith’s thoughts on some of the strides the industry has taken to improve it’s approach to catering not just to younger generations but all age ranges as well.
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Thank you again for joining us for this informative episode. The fitness industry is growing bigger everyday and having the best services, products and content available for people of all ages is becoming a necessity. Hopefully this episode helps you navigate what the best journey is for you when it comes to finding reliable, quality health and fitness products and services.
We appreciate being a part of your journey no matter what age and hope to continue bringing our best to you for years to come.
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Team Meredith
Healthy Lifestyle Solutions with Maya Acosta
Are you ready to upgrade your health to a new level and do so by learning from experts...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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“No day in which you learn something is a complete loss.” -David Eddings
This motivation is about learning new in everything we do, even if the day is not how we wanted it to turn out.
Meredith
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“Don’t say you can’t until you prove you can’t.” -Les Paul
This motivation is about trying before ever saying “I Can’t”!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for this podcast episode!
Experiencing a personal loss happens to most of us during the course of our lives and can take a toll on many aspects of our lives. We can experience depression, loneliness, helplessness and also loss of motivation.
Finding ways to get through hard times is not easy but it also isn’t impossible. Personal loss may leave us as never feeling the same, but that doesn’t mean we will never find out way back to happiness.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of the many different types of “loss” that we con encounter and how these life events can change us and alter the way we feel about ourselves emotionally and mentally.
2). Knowing that after you experience a loss in life that it is ok to take a break or slow down. It is also Ok to keep going on when you are ready as well. Sometimes we have a hard time deciphering what is the right action to take can be confusing to us emotionally and mentally.
3). Understanding that you need to do what’s right for you and that going through and emotional time can make us forget how important our well being is.
4). How “overdoing” things like over working and trying to stay busy all the time can also be unhealthy as this is more of an avoidance after time and omits us from confronting our emotional loss to grieve and hopefully move on in a healthy way.
5). Why knowing that honoring a loss by continuing to live your life in the best way possible (mentally, physically and emotionally) is the best way to eventually becoming whole again and a way to look at a loss in a more positive light.
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Thank you again for joining us on this important episode. If you or someone you know recently experienced a tragic loss or is having trouble finding motivation in their life then we hope this episode provides some helpful insight into how to improve the situation. Staying mentally and physically healthy together is so important and getting the right help and taking the right steps towards re-grounding yourself is the goal.
Til the next episode!
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The Bone Coach Osteoporosis & Bone Health Podcast
Worried about bone loss and fractures as you age? SUBSCRIBE NOW for Stronger Bones! 💪🦴
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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“Every exit is an entry somewhere else.” -Tom Stoppard
This motivation is about knowing after exit or loss in life, new doors open to other opportunities we can enter.
Meredith
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“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow; it only saps today of its strength.” -A.J. Cronin
This motivation is about not worrying about anything because it only hurts your strength to go on today.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this podcast episode!
Do you count your steps?
If not then maybe it’s time to give it a try:) Keeping track of your steps during the day can have many benefits and not just physical. We often don’t think about how many steps we take in a day and it’s easy to lose track of just how much exercise we get doing our daily activities. Keeping track of your steps can not only help your physical well being but also mental health and motivation.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why step counters and the popularity of counting your steps has become very prevalent in today’s health and fitness industry as well as in seniors.
2). Our best recommended step counter (view on our equipment page) that is easy to use and very simple when it comes to counting your steps in a simple and efficient manner.
3). Meredith’s best recommendations on the “real life” number of steps you should expect to take during the day based on different levels of fitness.
4). Along with the physical benefits, some of the mental and emotional benefits you experience when tracking your steps on a regular basis.
5). How step counting not only applies to walking but also activities like riding a bike, dancing or exercising either seated and standing. All activities where you are moving in space count towards you step count for the day!
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Thank you again for joining us this week. If you can’t tell already we are big fans of keeping track of your steps. Benefitting from the physical and mental effects it has can help you become a healthier you! We hope you agree after listening to this episode. And remember if you’d like our recommendation on an easy to use step counter visit our equipment page and get all of our best equipment recommendations.
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“You can’t turn back the clock. But you can wind it up again.” -Bonnie Prudden
This motivation is about remembering we can not go back, but we can move forward and be better than before!
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“Even the worst haircut eventually grows out.” -Lisa Kogan
This motivation is about remembering that even the bad times will pass, things will get better!
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“A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” -Duke Ellington
This motivation is about taking the problems we get in life and making the most of them by doing your best!
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“The most sincere compliment we can pay is attention.” -Walter Anderson
This motivation is about paying attention to those around us, our true undivided attention is a gift!
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Hello and thank you for joining us on the podcast today!
This week we’re finally taking the time to devote an episode to some of our favorite foods that we think make up the perfect workout meals.
What we put in our bodies in order to support our active lifestyle matters just as much as exercising itself. Perhaps even more! The food we use for fuel to give us energy and strength makes a big difference when it comes to keeping us healthy and strong. A consistent diet of lean meats, carbohydrates, fats, fruits and vegetables goes a long way to maintaining a long healthy life.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s thoughts on how important your meals are when it comes to supporting an active lifestyle and regular exercise.
2). How your eating habits directly affect your workout progress as they go hand in hand and if you’re not eating properly you could be negating your workout achievements.
3). Why taking in enough calories for your body is so important and making sure you get enough in your meals to fuel your body should be taken into consideration when meal planning.
4). Some of Meredith’s suggestions when it comes to the best healthy foods that you should consider putting on your plate at each meal like meats, fruits and veggies etc.
5). Meredith’s suggestions on some of the best beverages that will help compliment your meals and keep you properly hydrated throughout the day.
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Thank you again for joining us today! Coming up with your perfect workout meal can be challenging especially with all of the different varieties to choose from. We hope this episode helps give you some guidance when it comes to creating the perfect workout meals that will help you achieve your own fitness goals.
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“There is only one certainty in life and that is that nothing is certain.” -G.K. Chesterton
This motivation is about remembering each day is a gift, and we never know what we will get in each day!
Meredith
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“The greatest mistake you can make is to be continually fearing that you’ll make one.” -Elbert Hubbard
This motivation is about moving through life while embracing any mistakes you may have made!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
Taking time to warm up before you exercise is something that we often forget todo. The same goes for cooling down after the workout is finished. Our bodies can go under heavy stress during our workouts and giving it the proper warm up time before and cooling down after can make a bog difference when it comes to keeping you healthy over a long period of time.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why Meredith is a huge proponent of warm ups and cool downs incorporated into workouts and why she includes them in her videos.
2). Some of the Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to proper warming up and also cooling down post workout.
3). How warm ups and cool downs are essential because they help you stay safe and most of all avoid injuries.
4). Some examples from Meredith on warm ups and cool downs you can do if you are focusing on resistance or weight raining.
5). Some examples from Meredith on warm ups and cool downs you can do if you are focusing on cardio exercises.
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Thank you again for joining us for this important discussion. Staying healthy over time is the name of the game when it comes to consistent exercise and one of the best ways to help ensure that is to allow for proper warm ups before you exercise and time to cool down afterwards. We hope you find this episode helpful to you when coming up with you next workout routines. Don’t forget to add these 2 most important aspects of exercise to help keep you in the game!
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“A person without regrets is a nincompoop.”-Mia Farrow
This motivation is about being okay with the regrets we may have in life, for they shaped us and made us better in the long run!
Meredith
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“Living is the art of getting used to what we didn’t expect.”-Eleanor C. Wood
This motivation is about knowing each day will be different and new, and plans will change…and that is okay!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
As we already know, exercising on a regular basis brings many benefits but sometimes we need that extra push to get us motivated to workout. Music is a great way to add energy back into our exercise routines because it makes us feel energized and motivated. Listening to some of our favorite music stimulates our brain and can help us focus on the task of working all out while having fun!
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith's personal experiences in coaching clients of all ages and how music played an important role during her classes.
2). How pairing different types of music (slow, fast) to match your workouts can help motivate you and add energy to your routines.
3). Some of the different types of music that her clients (of all ages) enjoyed listening to and what motivated them.
4). How tempos of different styles of music can affect you and why it's important to pick the right kind of music that keeps you going.
5). How to go about finding the right music that motivates you the most on a regular basis to help maximize your workout routine's effectiveness.
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Thank you again for joining us this week. Music can be a great motivator and hopefully you agree that adding some of your favorite tunes to your workouts can bring some benefits to you energy level and attitude about exercise. What is some of your favorite music to exercise too? Send us an email or let us know on our Facebook page, we'd love to hear from you!
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“Each day comes bearing its gifts. Untie the ribbon.”-Ann Ruth Schabacker
This motivation is about seeing the gifts in each day, and opening them to fully appreciate them all!
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“Some people want it to happen, some people wish it would happen, others make it happen.”-Michael Jordan
This motivation is about making what you want to achieve happen by doing it!
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
Online culture has become a big part of who we are as a society and social media is at the forefront of this new wave of media. Images and stories flood our phones 24 hours a day and it can sometimes hard to navigate everything all at once.
Social media is utilized by all generations and we wanted to talk about how it has affects the senior population specifically. What are the benefits and what can be the drawbacks of spending too much time online mentally, emotionally and physically?
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we decided to dedicate a full episode to the effects of social media specifically on seniors and Meredith's thoughts on why there isn't enough research done on this issue.
2). What social media is primarily used for in the senior population and what percentage of seniors are online.
3). How social media and depression are related in some cases and some of the down sides that the luxuries of online culture provides us.
4). Some of the negative effects too much social media can have on your life and what kind of effects it has on you mentally, emotionally and physically.
5). Meredith's best tips on how to regulate your social media intake and some of her suggestions to a healthy approach towards using social media and online media.
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Thank you again for listening to this week's podcast. Social media can be a beneficial tool to enhancing the lives of all people including seniors but there is drawbacks to everything and social media is no exception. Hopefully the tips in this episode can help you or someone you know live a healthy online life which can also promote a healthy life in general.
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“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”-Dolly Parton
This motivation is about being your authentic true self, and living your best life for you!
Meredith
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“Now tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”-Mary Oliver
This motivation is about living your life to the fullest, no matter your age or where you are in life…keep creating memories and making adventures!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
In this week’s podcast we’re diving into a great discussion on how Meredith goes about creating her “BEST OF” workout series videos and how they can be beneficial to you and your workout routines.
Our “Best Of” series videos are designed to give you the best workout in the time allotted and meant to be great “Go – To” routines for any level of fitness.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s reasoning for initially designing this Best Of series workouts and how they differ and also compliment our current vast library of exercises.
2). How Meredith designs some of her routines based off of our amazing user comments and emails that we receive on a weekly basis.
3). Meredith’s thoughts on some of the various exercise videos available on YouTube from other channels and her concerns on safety and practicality that she see’s missing and how this also helps shape her routines.
4). How this series of “THE BEST” workouts is meant to stand side by side with all of our other workouts to help compliment them and give you more options to build your own routines.
5). Why these series of videos are designed to be either full body, upper or just lower body to help compliment the challenges that many people face when dealing with limitations or even just starting out.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode! We hope this discussion on the background, design and effectiveness of our “BEST OF” series exercises helps you in your health and fitness journey. It is our goal to put out the best we can when it comes to our fitness content and we hope our “Best Of” routines helps you find that exercise sweet spot as well.
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“Life is short. Don’t be lazy.”-Sophia Amoruso
This motivation is about living each day to its fullest, doing something each day, feeling accomplished…because life is so short at the end of the day!
Meredith
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“Don’t think about your errors or failures; otherwise, you’ll never do a thing.”-Bill Murray
This motivation is about staying positive in all you do; do not let the “failures” hold you back and keep you down!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on today’s episode!
This week we’re taking a closer look at what exercise addiction is and ways to self diagnose yourself or others you may know if you feel it is something that may be a problem.
Over exertion of exercise can be an issue for some especially when it becomes to take a toll on your body and emotional state. Regular exercise is always recommended and a great way to stay healthy but when it becomes an obsession or a way to deal with issues in life, it can lead to injury or long term problems.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we felt this was an important topic to address and bring light to the actual problems that can occur when someone suffers from exercise addiction.
2). The emotional state and problems that occur when someone is suffering from exercise addiction.
3). What it feels like to be anxious when you miss a workout or multiple workouts and how this can lead to more serious problems later down the line.
4). Some of Meredith’s suggestions on how to manage your workouts and schedule then so that you don’t feel overwhelmed.
5). Ways to help manage the anxiety and the other effects of feeling addicted to exercise that can help you control and diagnose yourself or others which can ultimately keeping you safe from short and or long term injury.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. Exercise addiction is an issue that doesn’t get addressed very often and can cause long term injury if gone un-diagnosed. We hope our tips in this episode helps you to recognize the warning in yourself or others you care for if you feel it may be becoming an issue.
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“The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there.”-Vince Lombardi
This motivation is about how you must work hard to reach the top…it is not handed to you!
Meredith
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“In all my work what I try to say is that as human beings we are more alike than we are unalike.”-Maya Angelou
This motivation is about remembering we are all alike, we want the same things, we all have feelings…love thy neighbor!
Meredith
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Thank you for joining us this week on the podcast!
If you’ve been following our workouts for a little while then you may already be aware of our popular “No Hops, No Squats & No Floor” workouts. These are workouts that are designed by Meredith that incorporate full body routines without any kind of squatting, hopping or movements where you need to transition to the floor.
These are some of our most popular workouts and we wanted to dedicate an episode to finding out how Meredith designs these type of exercises and finding out if they can still be effective for you.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why Meredith felt it was important to create these type of workouts and why it’s so important to encourage people to exercise regardless of limitations.
2). Some of the physical problems people have that limit movements and make it hard to do things like squat, hop and transition to the floor.
3). Why designing workouts like this are necessary especially if you are just starting out and may not know the best way to substitute movements that are safer for you.
4). Why these workouts are “full body” and how Meredith designs these routines to be most effective and avoiding harmful movements.
5). Meredith thoughts on how you should always do what’s best for your body especially if you have limitations and why it’s always important to stay active no matter what level of fitness you are at.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope the information here helps you decide if our no squats, no hops and no floor workouts are right for you. We all have limitations but that doesn’t mean we can’t stay active on a regular basis. Staying healthy is important for everyone and no matter what level of fitness you are, there is something for everyone:)
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“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”- Jim Rohn
This motivation is about staying disciplined in order to reach and surpass your goals!
Meredith
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“The only thing you can do in this life is pursue your passions, celebrate your bloopers, and never stop following your fear.”-Grace Helbig
This motivation is about celebrating all aspects of your life…ALL of it, good and bad, ups and downs…Live your Life!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
We enjoy putting out our best exercise videos on a weekly basis and love that many people around the world are benefitting from our large library of content.
But are we only targeting our videos towards seniors?
We often get a lot of comments and emails from some amazing people who give us feedback on how our videos are helping them. We are fortunate to know that they cover all age ranges and abilities as well. We are labeled "Senior Fitness" but in reality our exercises can be helpful to anyone looking to stay active and physical no matter what level of fitness they are.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How the comments and emails we get about our videos helping people around the world at all age ranges keeps inspiring us to create workouts that can be done by anyone at any age.
2). How Meredith designs her workouts to be done as is or modified to either an advanced level or lower intensity if needed.
3). Our thoughts on how and why we have people find our workouts no matter their age, when they are unable to find the right workouts for them online or in person.
4). How many people of all ages with limitations are able to still follow along with our workouts and why we believe it's important to make sure the right to fitness is not just for a certain group of people but for everyone.
5). Meredith's thoughts on what inspires her to create workouts that cover such a big age ranges and fitness levels.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode, we love knowing that there are many people who benefit from our exercise library which covers all age ranges. Staying active and healthy is a priority no matter what age or level of fitness you are and we always try to make sure we offer something for everyone.
Til the next episode!
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“Keep in mind that neither success nor failure is ever final.”-Roger Babson
This motivation is about continuing to push forward, no matter what the outcomes are in your journeys.
Meredith
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“Every person you meet knows something you don’t; learn from them.”-H Jackson Brown Jr.
This motivation is about learning from everyone we meet, no matter who they are or where they are at in life.
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Hello and thank you for joining us for today's podcast!
Dealing with aches and pains while living an active lifestyle is a common issue. Some of us deal with it more than others as we are all different but how do we know when we should be listening to the aches and pains that are telling us to rest and take it easy?
The body has many ways to let us know when it's time to step back but it may be a hard to recognize these signals especially when trying to attain a fitness goal or work through what we think is temporary pain. In a lot of cases, aches and pains are minor but sometimes it's best to listen to what our bodies are telling us.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith's personal experiences in dealing with training clients over the years and how they would ask about different ways to deal with common aches and pains.
2). How aches and pains are always a case by case situation between different people and the way we feel. Taking any kind of ache or pain into consideration is important always n matter the level of discomfort.
3). How aches and pains can also be tied to improper nutrition as well as physical overuse.
4). What sometimes causes physical aches and pains and how overuse of a muscle can cause certain injuries if not taken seriously.
5). Some of Meredith's best tips to learning how to listen to your body and evaluate the pain you may be feeling to stay safe and to stay active in the longer run.
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Thank you again for joining us on this important episode! Aches and pains are a part of living an active lifestyle and hopefully the tips in this episode will help you along your fitness journey and determine what is the safest path for you.
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“Take pride in how far you’ve come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don’t forget to enjoy the journey.”-Michael Josephson
This motivation is about remembering to enjoy the journey we call life, while looking at how much we have accomplished, and knowing what we can still do!
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“There are no regrets in life. Just lessons.” -Jennifer Aniston
This motivation is about allowing lessons to be learned from everything in life, with no regrets.
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Hello and thank you for joining us on today’s episode!
This week we have a great discussion about why we felt it was important to offer “Audio Only” workouts for the visually impaired. This is a new feature on our website which you can find here that focuses on workouts that are meant for those who may have limited sight or are possibly blind. We felt it was important to try and offer a way for people who cannot see to still have access to fitness routines that are safe, reliable and designed specifically for them.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What our audio workout feature is and why we decided to set up a page on our website dedicated to releasing this type of content for the visually impaired.
2). Why we feel that this type of health and fitness content needs to be created and how the fitness industry has been lacking in catering to the visually impaired.
3). Meredith’s unique approach to exercise routines that are in an audio format only and how she carefully designs and implements them so that are safe for those who have limited or no vision at all.
4). Why getting feedback about these audio workouts will help us improve on them and hopefully help provide a better way for the visually impaired to stay active and healthy as well.
5). How Meredith records her audio only workouts and her reasoning for doing them while recording to make sure they are safe for those who are listening and following along.
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Thank you again for joining us for this important episode. Making sure health and fitness content is available for all people is very important to us which is why decided to try this new feature. We’re excited being able to share exercising routines for people who may be visually impaired and allowing all of us maintain a healthy lifestyle no matter what the limitation is. We hope you agree as well.
Til the next episode!
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“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”-Arthur Ashe
This motivation is about not comparing yourself to how you were on another day; not discrediting what you have; and knowing what you can do!
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“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” —Mother Teresa
This motivation is about spreading positivity, love, laughter, and joy wherever you go…touch people in a positive way and feel better because you did!
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In this audio workout Meredith is guiding you through an easy to follow seated cardio workout that you can do right at home.
Have a great workout!
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In this audio workout Meredith is guiding you through an easy to follow abs and core strengthening workout designed to tighten and tone.
Have a great workout!
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s podcast!
Choosing the right clothing when you exercise is an important aspect of living and active lifestyle. Choosing clothes you feel comfortable in can make a big difference when it comes to getting a great workout. Knowing that you are wearing the proper clothing for the exercise routines you choose not only makes you feel good but can also help keep you safe.
In This Podcast Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why wearing the right exercising clothing that works for you is so important and some of Meredith’s experiences with her clients over the years on the different kinds of clothing she has seen.
2). How the exercise clothing market has grown over the past few years and why companies are expanding their own ideas on what exercising clothing is for people of all ages.
3). Why breathability of your workout clothing is one of the most important factors when choosing exercise clothing.
4). Meredith’s thoughts on if you decide to online shop for your workout clothes without being able to try them on first.
5). Why choosing the right shoes for your workouts is also one of the most important decisions and some of Meredith’s best tips on what to look for.
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Thank you again for joining us today! We hope our tips in this episode help you think about how you can choose the right clothes for exercising. Making sure you feel comfortable when you exercise is such a big part of staying active and hopefully you too can find the perfect athletic wear to help give you the confidence to take on any challenge:)
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“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.”-Lucille Ball
This motivation is about loving yourself, first and foremost, and moving forward stronger and better in this world!
Meredith
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“It is absolutely still possible to make a difference.”—Michelle Obama
This motivation is about remembering, no matter age or where you are in life, you can make a difference!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
This week we wanted to tackle a subject that we feel is very important to discuss. Mental and emotional exhaustion. It can affect most of us at various times in our lives and sometimes we may not even know it.
We all know that there is a very close relationship between the body and the mind and feeling exhausted mentally and emotionally directly correlates to the way we feel physically. Overcoming this state can be very challenging especially if we don't have the things in place to help us like a doctor, therapist or even close, loved ones.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith's inspiration to bring this topic to light and why we feel it is so very important to address.
2). Why mental and emotional exhaustion plays a big role in the lives of all people but also mostly in the lives of the older generation and why the stereotype about being older and having less to worry about is incorrect.
3). How being mentally and emotionally exhausted directly affects your physical well being and what the effects can be if left un-checked.
4). Some of Meredith's best tips to seeking help and/or overcoming feelings of exhaustion. There are many things we can do everyday to take care of ourselves so that we minimize the effects of being overwhelmed in all areas of our lives.
5). How to help someone else who you feel may be struggling with this issue and how to be there for them or help them find the right help.
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We hope the tips in this episode helps you if you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional exhaustion. If left untreated it can lead to further problems in the long run like depression and isolation. Our hope is that you find ways to overcome these feelings and hopefully the tips here will help.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” —Thich Nhat Hanh
This motivation is about staying attentive to see the beautiful things we have in our lives!
Meredith
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“Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” —Helen Keller
This motivation is about staying happy through it all to stay positive in difficult times!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us this week on the podcast!
This episode is an important discussion on staying confident during challenging times and adversity. We felt strongly about recording an episode dedicated to this subject because it’s something we all face at times in our lives. This also can directly affect our physical, mental and emotional health.
Making sure we have the tools in our toolbox to stay strong through challenge and adversity only helps us in the long run.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why Meredith thought it was important to address this issue and how it came up through one of our subscribers.
2). Why it’s important to not only stay confident for yourself during challenging times but also for your loved ones and the people closest to you.
3). How the level confidence can directly correlate to your motivation to stay healthy, physically and mentally.
4). How and where you can get help if you feel that lack of confidence is affecting many aspects of your life and that there is always a way to overcome this challenge.
5). How there can be negative stigmas attached to mental health when we don’t feel like we are in a strong mindset and that there is always something we can do to better ourselves by leaning on loved ones and asking for help.
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Thank you again for joining us for this important discussion. We all face adversity at one time or another and having the confidence to know that we can make it through is so important in maintaining a healthy life. we hope the tips in this episode helps you and you life journey. There is always time to learn more about being strong within and accepting challenge with a positive outlook.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Take a day to heal from the lies you’ve told yourself and the ones that have been told to you.”-Maya Angelou
This motivation is about staying true to yourself, remembering your value, and healing from the lies.
Meredith
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“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.” —William James
This motivation is about continuing to go forward in our days, having an action we are working on, and feeling happy because we are working on something.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s episode!
This podcast is dedicated to knowing how to listen to your body and avoid over exercising. Over exhorting yourself or exercising too much can be a problem for some people and if not taken seriously it can lead to long term injury.
Exercising on a regular schedule is always a great idea but sometimes we feel we aren’t doing enough. We may feel that we aren’t seeing the results we want yet so we tend to over exercise and ignoring the signs that our bodies are telling us.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we decided to revisit over exercising and why we think it’s an important topic to cover.
2). Some of Meredith’s tips on how to identify the signs of over overexertion and listening to your body when you may not realize you are over exercising.
3). Ways to “dial down” your workouts if you feel like you are over-worked so that you avoid any injury and log lasting effects from over exercising.
4). Some of the different kinds of injuries that can occur due to over exercising and how to avoid them.
5). How coming up with a regular workout schedule is a good way to manage your workouts in avoiding too much exercise or too many intense routines.
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Thank you again for joining us on this podcast. We hope the tips in this episode help you determine if you are over exercising by listening to what your body is telling you. Staying healthy throughout the year is the goal and sometimes dialing back your exercise is the answer to longevity.
Tile the next episode!
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“To fall in love with yourself is the first secret to happiness.” -Robert Morley
This motivation is about remembering to love yourself, first and foremost, for happiness and success!
Meredith
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“The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
This motivation is about realizing the gift of aging, and how beautiful it is!
Meredith
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“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” -The Dalai Lama
This motivation is about remembering the importance of kindness. In this fast paced world, we seem to have gotten more rude and rushed. Be kind always!
Meredith
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“This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.”-Maya Angelou
This motivation is about living each day to its fullest, no regrets, and seeing the joy in it all!
Meredith
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“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” —Omar Khayyam
This motivation is about remembering to stay happy right now, for this is our life!
Meredith
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“The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.”– Frank Sinatra
This motivation is about not letting fear dictate how we live our full and truest lives.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s podcast!
If you are new to yoga or have tried it before then this is the perfect episode for you! Yoga may not be first on the list when it comes to working out but there are many benefits that we may be missing out on if we have never tried it:)
In today’s active world, yoga has become one of the “go – to” type exercises for many people of all ages. Yoga exercises can be done in many forms including traditional style with a mat or even seated for those who may have some limitations. There is something for everyone no matter your fitness level.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of the misconceptions about traditional yoga mostly in the western world and how modern yoga today has changed to include people of all ages and ability levels.
2). Meredith’s best suggestions on where to start if you’ve never done yoga before and her best advice on getting started.
3). Some of the basic benefits of doing yoga that includes building and toning your muscles as well as the cardiovascular benefits you get from breathing as you work through movements.
4). The emotional and mental benefits from doing yoga on a regular basis and how it can help relieve stress and calm anxieties.
5). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in teaching yoga and how she was able to break through the stereotypes and bring movements of yoga into her classes which added value to her students.
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Thank you for joining us for this episode. We hope the information here has provided some value to you if you have ever been curious about trying yoga or are a seasoned veteran and are looking to re-affirm your love of yoga. We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode as well. Send us an email or Facebook message anytime, we love hearing your stories!
Til the next episode,
Team Meredith
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“Nothing will work unless you do.”- Maya Angelou
This motivation is about working for what we want in life because it isn’t just given to us.
Meredith
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“We should regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us.”
— Lucy Maud Montgomery, novelist
This motivation is about learning from mistakes, letting them go, and living in the present.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this podcast episode!
This week we’re discussing some helpful ways to help curb your sweet tooth or sugar cravings IF you feel like you want to make changes. Sometimes we can let our cravings get the best of us and this can make us feel like we are failing at achieving our health goals.
Of course not all of us will feel that way but if you do feel like this is a problem for you then this podcast might be for you:)
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). The difference between good sugars (natural) and bad sugars (processed) in the foods we eat/drink and how sugar intake is a common issue amongst people of all ages and backgrounds.
2). What the average intake of sugar is per most people and how our personal intake stacks up against it.
3). Why it’s important to not deny yourself of all sugar but it’s more important to learn how to limit your intake instead. Smaller amounts but yet still enjoy what you like.
4). The amounts of sugar that we find in our soft drinks/juices and liquids that we may not know about. These kinds of beverages can be adding un-knowing amounts of sugar calories to our diet.
5). Why keeping track of your sugar intake on a regular basis can help you get control over how much you are consuming in a week and how this can help lead to better understanding your eating habits and how to control them.
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Thank you again for joining us on this podcast. We hope the tips in this episode will help you if you struggle with sugar cravings and feel like it is hindering your efforts to achieve you health and fitness goals. We can still enjoy the finer things in life AND still feel good about our health and fitness progress.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing.” — Seneca
This motivation is about living a life we feel worthy of, and happy with, instead of focusing on the numbers.
Meredith
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“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”-Mark Twain
This motivation is about approving of our choices in order to be truly comfortable with our lives.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s episode!
We all have busy schedules and it seems like everyday there is more to do. We have so many tasks, chores and errands to run during the day between working and family that it can be hard to find time to exercise. We often sacrifice our time to workout in order to feel like we are able to get our tasks done and when it is all over we may feel too tired at the end of the day.
But it doesn’t have to be that way!
Staying motivated to exercise and making sure we are able to include it in our daily routines is so important. Making sure exercising is a part of our daily schedule along with the other tasks we have is part of the key to success.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). The misconception on aging in that we are less busy then when we were younger and why this is the farthest from the truth. We all have busy schedules no matter what age we are and this affects everyone.
2). How exercise helps you not only physically but mentally and emotionally which is why it is so important to make time for it during your day.
3). How most exercising sessions can be done in a shorter amount of time and that you don’t always have to attempt long workouts. Shorter workouts can be just as effective,
4). Why home gyms can be a good alternative to going to a gym and can help save you time during your day.
5). How making exercise a priority is a big factor in the success of keeping a regular schedule that you can maintain no matter how busy you are.
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Thank you for joining us on this episode. We appreciate the opportunity to share our best tips on how to keep exercise part of your daily/weekly schedule even when it seems like there is not enough time in the day. We hope these tips help inspire you to carve out your own successful schedule when it comes to exercising.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being.”
— Hafiz, Persian poet
This motivation is about my wish for all to see the value they have in this world…you are important, let your light shine!!
Meredith
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“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”– Babe Ruth
This motivation is about not allowing fear to keep us from living our full lives.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us today on this week’s podcast!
Stretching either before or after your workouts can sometimes be something that we skip unknowingly. Skipping any kind of stretching exercises can put us at a higher risk for injury if we are not careful. No matter what level of fitness you are, stretching should be a part of your exercise routine either before, after or both!
In This Weeks’ Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Some of the most common reasons why we ignore or forget to stretch during our workout sessions.
2). The many benefits of stretching before your workouts and what that does to the muscles to wake them up and prepare them for strain, impact and usage.
3). Why you should also consider stretching AFTER your workouts as well to help ease the body back down which helps keep the tendons in your muscles healthier in the long run.
4). Some of Meredith’s suggestions on which major muscle groups you should focus on when stretching.
5). Why stretching should be done with a long term goal in mind since it’s not something that you can achieve overnight as far as flexibility. Consistent stretching will eventually lead to a healthier body and one ready for it’s best exercise.
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Thank you again for joining us this week. We hope the tips and suggestions in this episode will hope motivate you to incorporate more stretching into your daily workout routines. Avoiding injury and keeping our bodies loose and flexible is so important at all fitness levels which leads to staying healthy so you can exercise for a long time to come.
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.”– Albert Einstein
This motivation is about having goals to be happy in life. All too often we want things and people to be what makes a happy life.
Meredith
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“Adopt the pace of nature: Her secret is patience.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
This motivation is about staying patient in our everyday lives.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s episode!
We all lead different lives and have different levels of activity but regardless of these things, we can all be prone to unexpected injury. Falls, slipping, bumping etc. These can all occur unexpectedly as we navigate our daily lives. It is something that we often take for granted because we never really take injuries seriously until they happen to you.
Luckily there are things we can do to protect ourselves from injury even when we may not realize that we are in harms way. With some of our best tips here you can better position yourself to stay healthy and active and avoid injuries altogether.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we decided to dedicate a whole episode to this subject and how it started form a story we heard about someone falling and was unable to get help.
2). Some of Meredith’s experiences in working with clients and the many different types of unexpected injuries she encountered and how common this problem actually is.
3). How simple things like holding on to handrails while going up stairs or through walk ways can make a big difference when it comes to keeping you safe and how this is so easy to forget.
4). Why having the right footing and types of shoes or slippers can also make a big difference in safety and help you avoid slipping or falling.
5). Why “going slow” and not rushing through your activities and movements will help you stay injury free, also being aware of your surroundings and possible trip hazards close to you.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. Staying safe and avoiding unnecessary injury is so important especially as we age. We often forget how easy it is to get hurt as we go throughout our day and this is understandable. Hopefully the tips in this episode help you stay safe and give you more ideas in how to avoid unexpected injury either for you or someone you love.
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt
This motivation is about working hard, feeling accomplished when we achieve what we put our efforts toward creatively.
Meredith
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“Sitting also can be very enjoyable. Sitting and doing nothing. Just enjoying your sitting, enjoying your breathing. Feel that you are alive.”- Thích Nhất Hạnh
This motivation is about taking the time to rest the body and mind, and just be still to know you are alive!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s podcast!
Strength training is an integral part of building a strong body and staying healthy. Resistance exercises should be included in your weekly workouts on a regular basis and making sure you’re using the right equipment for strength training is just as important. There are many varieties of equipment to use and a lot of it can be overwhelming.
Luckily in this episode we’re sharing some of our best tips and suggestions to help you find the right strength training equipment for you and it doesn’t have to break the bank!
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s thoughts on how important strength training is to her and why it should be important to you as well.
2). Why making sure to focus on proper form is important no matter if you are using weights or just doing range of motion exercises.
3). How finding the right weight for you is all about starting out slow and going from lightest to then ramping up the weight when you feel comfortable.
4). Meredith thoughts and recommendations on using dumbbells and how to decide if they are right for you.
5). How resistance bands are a great piece of equipment to use for resistance training and how to get started if you’ve never used them.
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Thank you again for joining us for this insightful discussion on knowing what the best strength training equipment is and what we recommend. There are so many varieties on the market these days and it can be overwhelming. Hopefully the tips in this episode will help you decide what is best for you and your own fitness goals.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“If we take good care of ourselves, we help everyone.”-Thích Nhất Hạnh
This motivation is about being good to ourselves in order to be good for those around us, in every way!
Meredith
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“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storms, but to add color to my sunset sky.”
— Rabindranath Tagore
This motivation is about looking at everything that occurs in our lives as a good thing with lessons and positive-ness attached!
Meredith
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Thank you for joining us for this week’s episode!
Bodyweight workouts are all the craze these days especially as we have limited access to gyms and equipment. But are they just as effective as workouts using weights?
If you’ve never tried natural bodyweight type exercises then we invite you to dive in with us as we discuss a lot of the benefits that bodyweight routines can offer. What may seem like a minimal task can actually surprise even the most experienced fitness gurus!
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). What are bodyweight workouts and how do they differ from traditional weight training routines.
2). How higher reps using just your own weight can be just as effective as using heavier weights to build strength.
3). Some great examples from Meredith of upper body and lower body exercises you can do using only your bodyweight.
4). Some great examples of cardio exercises you can do that fall in the category of bodyweight that are effective and fun!
5). How bodyweight exercises can be done by people of all fitness levels including beginners or people who are just starting out.
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Thank you again for joining us this week, we hope our tips and advice on bodyweight exercises helps you decide if they are just as effective as using weights and are right for you. We are big fans of bodyweight routines and truly believe that they have something to offer everyone of all fitness levels and we hope you have fun discovering this as well.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.”-Dorothy Thompson
This motivation is about not allowing fear to dictate your life!
Meredith
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“Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your hand-brake on.”-Maxwell Maltz
This motivation is about not allowing low self-esteem to keep you from living a full life!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
If you're a loving pet owner then we are proud to finally have a special podcast episode just for you! This week we're diving into the benefits of having pets and looking at how they can actually help keep you active not only physically but mentally as well.
Embracing pets in your life no matter the breed can have long lasting benefits and add value to the things we do every day. Staying active is also an important aspect of aging and pet ownership can help contribute to this as well.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith's personal experiences in working with clients and their reasons for owning a pet and how it affects their lifestyle.
2). Some of the physical benefits you gain from owning an active pet and how your body has to work during everyday care an maintenance.
3). If you are considering pet ownership, some of Meredith's bet tips on what to consider when searching for the right pet that will fit your active lifestyle.
4). Many of the mental and emotional benefits that come with caring for a pet in your home and how it can be a positive experience for someone who my be struggling with certain aspect in life.
5). How pet ownership of many types of animals and not just dogs and cats can have a positive affect on our lives like birds, rabbits or even farm animals.
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Thank you again for joining us for this fun discussion about our best furry friends! Having pets can be a fulfilling and the joy they can bring to a household is un-measurable. Living in harmony with our pets can directly affect how we contribute to our own well being, mental state, physical fitness as well as in many ways we don't even realize:)
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.”— Sir Francis Bacon
This motivation is about allowing the dark to let the light shine brighter; allowing the bad to let the good come through even more!
Meredith
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“We have to let go of who we think we should be and embrace what is.”— Achea Redd
This motivation is about embracing who we are, all pieces and aspects of ourselves!
Meredith
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Thank you for joining us for this episode!
This week we’re diving into a great discussion about how allergies can affect your active lifestyle and sharing some of our best tips to help you navigate these problems if you suffer from sever allergies or allergies in general.
Allergies affect many people of all ages and backgrounds. What may be minor to some people may not be the same for others. Dealing with allergies while living an active lifestyle can affect you and keep you sidelined if not addressed properly. But it doesn’t have to be this way! With proper planning and taking pro-active steps there are many ways to keep your allergies in check so you can live the active lifestyle you deserve.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why it’s always important to consult your doctor first before you assume your symptoms are being caused by allergies. Making sure you know the right diagnosis will help keep you safe and ready to address them correctly.
2). Some of Meredith’s experiences in training clients who do live and deal with sever allergies and how it affected them and attempts to stay active.
3). Some of the most common symptoms that are caused by allergies and how it can affect not only your physical state but your mental state as well.
4). Meredith’s safest tips on dealing with allergies and working through them so you can remain physically active when you are ready.
5). Some of the issues to consider when you are looking into buying over the counter medicine to address your allergy issues.
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Thank you for joining us on this fun episode! Staying active is very important and problems with allergies can easily deter your efforts to stay healthy especially if not addressed. We hope the tips in this episode were valuable to you or someone you know who deals with allergies often. Staying active is always the name of the game and we hope this episode helps you do just that.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“I believe that if you’ll just stand up and go, life will open up for you. Something just motivates you to keep moving.”
— Tina Turner
This motivation is about not startling our own growth. Get up, go, and allow that to keep you going!
Meredith
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“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”— Vince Lombardi
This motivation is about stopping the thoughts of trying to be perfect or make everything around us perfect, and find excellence in the work and challenge it takes to move forward towards it.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s episode!
For this podcast we wanted to talk about overexertion or exercising too much and/or over extending your bodies abilities.
Overexertion is the leading cause of the 3rd most injuries to date in the US and very common amongst both active people and those who are new to exercising or getting back into it after a long period of time. It is easy to assume that we can handle the exercise load that we place upon our bodies whether it be endurance type workouts or weight raining.
Both can cause injury if we don’t approach it correctly and take special precautions or preparations before planning our exercises.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we felt it was important to dedicate an episode to overexertion and what sparked Meredith’s interest in bringing this issue to light.
2). How we can easily get into harms way or injury by assuming we are just as in shape as we were at a younger age or at a time in our lives when we were at a certain fitness level.
3). How our pride can get in the way of paying attention to safety and proper progress when it comes to exercising over what our bodies can handle at the moment.
4). How overexertion can also affect people who still exercise regularly and how not taking care of our bodies with proper rest and nutrition can lead us to injury as well.
5). Meredith’s thoughts on why it is ok to tell yourself to slow down and pull back sometimes. Not all exercising has to be full speed. Giving your body rest and recovery time is highly recommended.
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Thank you again for joining us on this podcast. Overexertion can be a problem for those who may feel they are capable of doing more than what their body can give at the moment. Taking your time, being safe and working up to ta a fitness level should always be a priority rather than forcing our bodies to do our will.
We hope this podcast has been helpful in giving you some tips on how to handle proper exercise loads for where you are in your fitness journey and how to safely progress without injury.
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”-Buddha
This motivation is about self-love! The more we are able to love and respect ourselves, the more we are able to love others…and give all of ourselves.
Meredith
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“We generate fears while we sit. We overcome them by action.”— Dr. Henry Link
This motivation is about doing in order to grow. Not just sitting and being afraid of the future, we have to act in order to stop being afraid.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on the podcast!
This week we are taking a look at supplements and diving into the many pros and/or cons around taking them as well as the growing supplement market today.
Supplements have become very popular over that last few years not only through being sold at brick and mortar stores but online as well. This massive growth has introduced a large market all claiming to sell you the best product. Unfortunately regulation has not been able to catch up with this rise so it is more important than ever to ask the right questions and research these brands if you are to avoid possible unforeseen complications down the road.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why as king the question “Are supplements right for you?” is an important question to ask especially now with the market expanding rapidly with very little validity and regulation.
2). How the marketing of supplement companies can try to convince you of a certain product that you will need to “feel better” when in many cases there are more natural ways to be your best healthy self.
3). Some of Meredith’s reasons as to why you would want to consider taking supplements that fit your needs and some tips on how to go about finding the right ones.
4). Why Meredith feels that endorsing supplement companies that offer sponsorships isn’t the right choice for her and why it’s better for you to do your own research when it comes to finding the right brand.
5). Meredith’s tips on how to go about asking if supplements are right for you and the many resources you can look into before making your decision.
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Thank you again for joining us today! We hope the information in this episode regarding our own thoughts on supplements helps you make the right decision for you and your health needs. Not all supplements are the same and in many cases you can get the same nutrients an vitamins from natural food sources. The important thing is to do your research first by consulting your doctor/physician.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“When it comes to luck, you make your own.”— Bruce Springsteen
This motivation is about owning what you do each day. Working hard is what gets you to your goals, even if you want to call it luck.
Meredith
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“Wake up determined, go to bed satisfied.”
— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
This motivation is about how you start the day will lead to how you feel at the end of the day.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on the podcast today!
It seems like Fitbit Fitness Tracker watches are all the rage these days. We have so many options of electronic gadgets available on the market that claim to help us stay active, set goals and get better health information about our bodies.
But do they really work?
This week, Meredith breaks down her thoughts on using a Fitbit fitness tracker for a month as it regularly monitored steps, heart rate, calories burned and even sleeping patterns. Has it really helped her stay motivated to exercise and provide useful information?
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What is the Fitbit fitness tracker and how is it supposed to help you with your fitness and active lifestyle.
2). How to wear the Fitbit and Meredith’s thoughts on how she got used to wearing it from day to day.
3). Some information on the vitals it collects like amount of steps you take a day, heart rate, calorie burn and sleeping habits just to name a few.
4). What Meredith liked about the data the device collects regarding her health vitals and how it was useful to her in not only tracking her exercising but also helped keep her motivated as well.
5). Meredith’s best advice to anyone who might be looking into purchasing a Fitbit fitness tracker and some things to think about when determining if it is a good purchase for you no matter what age or fitness level.
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Thank you again for joining us on this week’s episode! Fitness trackers seem to offer a lot of benefits and if you’re interested in purchasing one then we hope this episode has helped you decide whether it may be right for you and your fitness lifestyle.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“If my mind can conceive it, if my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it.”— Muhammad Ali
This motivation is about not only coming up with an idea of what we want to do, but actually believing in ourselves in order to achieve it!
Meredith
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“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.”— Joseph Campbell
This motivation is about living our life and accepting it. Planning is fun, but what happens when things do not go as planned.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for this week’s podcast!
In this episode we are discussing a common question we receive online which is “How much should I be exercising to lose weight?”
This is an important question and also covers a lot of ground which makes it to difficult to have just one answer. We are all built differently and have different lives that affect the way our bodies react. There are too many variables to count in order to get to the correct answer that works for everyone but we do have helpful guidelines, tips and some suggestions that may help you get going in the right direction if weight loss is your primary goal.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we felt it was important to address this question of how much exercise one should do to lose weight and how this can affect anyone.
2). Why it is often too difficult to define the specific exercise schedule you should be doing to ensure weight loss because there are many more lifestyle factors that come into play that can affect this outcome.
3). Questions to ask yourself when determining your exercise schedule like what type of workouts are your doing and what is the frequency and intensity levels? These are not the end all be all determining factors but they do play an important role in weight loss.
4). Why your diet plays a big role in determining your weight loss patterns and how you manage your caloric intake compared to how active you are.
5). Meredith’s advice on finding “balance” between your food intake and physical activity and why restricting either is not the best way to lose weight. Listening to your body and taking the time to find out what “groove” works best for you is most important.
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Thank you again for joining us today on the podcast. We hope our suggestions in this episode will help you determine what is the best path for you when it comes to balancing the right exercise schedule and losing the goal weight you are aiming for. As mentioned, no one is the same and what may work for one person, might not work for someone else.
The most important thing to remember is to not give up, stay consistent and focused and you’ll be well on your way to achieving any goal you set for yourself:)
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
This motivation is about taking one step at a time to see the change we want. It takes time, but we can do it!
Meredith
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“All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.”— Earl Nightingale
This motivation is about going for something with proper preparation to ensure you can get there!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for this fun episode!
Home gyms are all the rage these days and the shift of creating a workout space in your own home has become quite the norm especially during these challenging times. It is no longer necessary to go to the gym to maintain a healthy lifestyle. With some proper planning and set up, you too can create a workout space just for you in the comfort of your own home.
What exactly do you need to set up your own home gym? Surprisingly not much! With a small budget (if even that), some creative thinking and a little bit of effort you can be up and running in your own home in no time:)
In This Episode you Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s own thoughts on the importance of having a home gym especially as working out at home has become more of the norm.
2). The financial side of saving monthly gym fees that we may or may not always use and how that can benefit you overall.
3). Why starting off with a designated area for your workouts is important and tips on making sure it’s safe for your to exercise in.
4). The minimal amount of equipment you will need for basic full resistance or weight training, it may be much less than you think!
5). How external areas like hallways, stairways and/or walking paths should also be considered part of your “home gym” by using the spaces near or around you.
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We hope this episode has helped you determine how to set up your own home gym. Having a space to exercise that doesn’t require you having to get in your car and drive to a gym is very helpful, especially if you are just looking to stay active and healthy.
You don’t need to pay a monthly membership fee to an expensive gym, all you need are a few basic items and space to move.
Hopefully this podcast episode has given you some great ideas on how to get started:)
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” — Aristotle
This motivation is about remembering to keep focus even when things get blurry…when we feel we can’t go on, keep going. As hard as it is, the light is far away, but it is there.
Meredith
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“Belief creates the actual fact.”— William James
This motivation is about believing in something, having hope, and making it happen!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us this week on the podcast!
We often get asked many questions via email and through comments which we are very humbled by. (Thank You!) This week we wanted to dedicate one episode to answering one of the most common questions we receive: “When is the best time to workout?”
This is a big question to answer because everyone is different and has their own schedules throughout the day. Picking the right time to exercise during your week can really help you stay motivated if it’s the right time for you.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we felt it was important to dedicate an episode to discussing the best workout times and some examples of the questions we receive on this issue.
2). Meredith’s thoughts on how there can be a correlation between the types of workouts you are doing and when you can do them.
3). How basing your workouts around your meals can be a big determining factor in deciding when is the best time for you to exercise.
4). Why it’s important to make sure your body and mind are both ready for exercise no matter when you decide to workout.
5). Some of Meredith’s advice on changing your schedule if you find that you have to move your workouts from morning to afternoon or vice versa.
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Thank you again for joining us on this informative episode. Making sure you are exercising regularly is the most important aspect of staying healthy and picking the right time during your day will only help with this success. We all have different times during the day where we feel the most ready and refreshed to exercise and we hope this episode helps you schedule your workout that best fit you.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson
This motivation is about not forgetting about how powerful we are individually. Our past and our present are amazing, but each one of us is amazing, one and all.
Meredith
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“I’ve noticed when I fear something, if I just end up doing it, I’m grateful in the end.”— Colleen Hoover
This motivation is about not letting fear stop you from pursuing something…whether a goal, a dream, go for it!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s episode!
Dealing with numbness in your hands and feet can be a big problem especially if you are someone who like to live an active lifestyle. Being physically active requires a lot from your body and having numbness occur in mostly in your hand and feet can make physical activities challenging.
Worst of all it can be a de-motivator dealing with this issue and sideline your best efforts to stay physically active.
Keeping you in the game is what’s most important and luckily there are things we can do to help keep us physically active even while dealing with numbness.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s first hand experiences working with clients that deal with neuropathy and/or numbness in their hands and feet.
2). Why safety is the most important issue when working with someone who is challenged by numbness and why it’s important to modify exercises if needed.
3). How numbness in your feet can cause problems when attempting to stay active because it causes balance issues which can lead serious injury.
4). Some of our best tips to consider in both lower and upper body exercises that will help keep you safe and yet still give you a great workout when struggling with neuropathy and constant numbness.
5). Signs to look for if you or someone you know is beginning to deal with numbness but yet may not realize the condition and why it’s important to see your physician if you start to feel constant numbness in your feet and hands.
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Thank you again for joining us for this week’s episode. Neuropathy and dealing with numbness especially while living an active lifestyle can be a major problem. We hope the tips and advice in this episode helps you navigate the challenges you face if you are dealing with numbness. Knowing that there is something we can do to help keep you active no matter what the challenge is can make all the difference.
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”—C.S.Lewis
This motivation is about continuing to dream and do, no matter your age or where you are in life!
Meredith
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“You have to be where you are to get where you need to go.”
— Amy Poehler
This motivation is about being present in the now, to know where you need to go!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for this week's episode!
We're closing out 2021 in this podcast and in doing so, we though it was important to discuss why you should take time and reflect on your fitness accomplishments from the past year. Staying motivated and feeling good about yourself is just as important as physical health and getting a chance to feel proud about what you have accomplished (or haven't accomplished yet) is crucial to your fitness journey.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we sometimes overlook our accomplishments from the past year and don't think of them as such when we should be doing the opposite.
2). How our usual mindset to be negative about or accomplishments can affect the way we feel about our achievements.
3). Why keeping a journal of your activities throughout the year is a great way to remember how much you've achieved.
4). Why it's not practical to compare who you are today physically to who you may have been before and why we should be proud or and embrace our bodies changing as we age.
5). Why focusing just on the accomplishments of the past year is good but it shouldn't be looked at as the complete measuring tool for how far you've come. It's a long journey and installing healthy habits as the years go by is the best way to grow overtime both physically and mentally.
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Thank you again for joining us on this important episode. It's so important to reflect and all of your hard work from the year even if you didn't get to accomplish everything you set out to. Reviewing your journey will help you appreciate what you have achieved and also give you the confidence to continue in the new year.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.”
— Michelle Obama
This motivation is about looking at your forward movement as a way to better yourself. Have a goal, but know the journey does not end even if you reach it!
Meredith
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“You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.”
— Oprah Winfrey
This motivation is about living your life for you. So often we let the opinions or outsiders tell us what we should be doing. You get this one life so you should live it for yourself!
Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us on the podcast!
This week we are diving into some of our best tips and basics on how to go about building up more muscle and strength. Building strength can be challenging for some people especially if we aren’t familiar with the best ways to go about it.
Building strength is more than just lifting heavy weights and there are many variables that go into the success of muscle growth. If you aren’t seeing the kind of results you were looking for then there may be a problem with the misconception on how strength and muscle is added to the body.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Some of the common themes and questions we receive via email and social media about building muscle from many different age ranges and skill levels.
2). Why there are so many misconceptions about the best way to gain strength and build more muscle.
3). How gaining strength isn’t just about lifting heavier weights but also about nutrition, body rest and many other factors that don’t get taken into consideration.
4). Some of Meredith’s best tips on what you can do if you want to start gaining more muscle and strength that actually works!
5). Why focusing on overall strength instead of just working certain areas all the time is a much safer and healthier way to think about building muscle.
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Thank you again for joining us for this week’s episode! Building muscle and strength can be challenging for some and we hope the tips in this episode has helped you navigate the better ways to do just that. We are all built differently, yet follow very similar paths when it comes to health, nutrition and especially strength building. Staying consistent is the key to seeing the results you are looking for and building the strength you need to achieve your fitness goals.
Til The next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“Life has got all those twists and turns. You’ve got to hold on tight and off you go.”
— Nicole Kidman
This motivation is about holding on through all the many twists and turns in life. Do not let go, and keep going!
Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“There is nothing impossible to they who will try.”
— Alexander the Great
This motivation is about just trying, going after it, not talking yourself out of it. It just takes that first step and you can do it!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us today for this week’s episode!
We’ve been having a lot of fun being able to release our mini “bite sized” podcast series “Motivation With Meredith” these past few months and the overwhelming feedback has been positive and inspiring to us. Because of this, we wanted to dedicate one episode to talking about why we decided to start this podcast series and why we thought it was important.
Finding motivation and inspiration can be difficult, especially during these challenging times and having the opportunity to put more positive content into the world to help you through your challenges is important to us.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s philosophy on setting up her mini podcast series and why she likes to anchor each episode around an inspirational quote.
2). Why this podcast series is meant to be about more than just health and fitness based content and more on motivational topics that can apply to anyone.
3). How the quotes she chooses to highlight are applicable to just about anyone and not just seniors.
4). Why motivation and feeling motivated is such an important part of our lives and how this series can help with your own challenges with motivation.
5). Some of Meredith’s best tips on helping you stay motivated when navigating your own challenges in life.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope you’ve had a chance to check out our “Motivation With Meredith” mini podcasts and that they help inspire you to achieve the goals you have and manage the challenges that arise. We could all use a little boost every now and then and hopefully this episode and our motivation mini podcasts will be of help to you.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“Willpower and when to stop” - Anonymous
This motivation is about being able to listen to ourselves enough to know when it is time to stop/pause, so the progress will actually be better and stronger.
Meredith
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“What the mind wants, and what the body allows”-
This motivation is about allowing our minds to be open to what it can do at any given moment; but also being aware of what our body is capable of doing.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s episode!
The holidays are here and gift buying season is in full swing! This is a special time of year but it can also be overwhelming especially when trying to find that perfect gift for the special people in your life. This is also true for fitness related gifts as well.
The fitness industry is booming and there are many products and services that are offered for fitness related achievement, much of which make the perfect gift for the holidays!
But how do you know what that perfect gift is in such a saturated market?
Luckily we have a few suggestions this week that fit all budgets and levels of fitness:)
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Our thoughts on how the fitness industry has become a crowded space and how difficult it can be to navigate the overwhelming amount of products and services that are offered when it comes to holiday shopping.
2). Some of Meredith’s favorite fitness equipment that she relies on and how that helps her stay on budget and on track with her fitness regimen.
3). Some great gift ideas to consider that fall within the $25 – $30 range as well as great ideas at higher prices.
4). Why gifts like massage sessions and therapies also make great gifts because they focus more on the recovery and wellness aspect of fitness.
5). Some of our best suggestions on the latest tech related fitness gifts for that special “techie” in your life!:)
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Thank you again for joining us this week! We hope the suggestions in this episode give you some great ideas into where to start shopping for special people in your life. Fitness related products or services can make a great gift and help motivate others to embrace a healthy lifestyle. Happy shopping!
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“Grow what matters One step At a time. Little by little, your Steps will add up.”
This motivation is about taking our time to reach our goals...step by step; day by day...we can do it!
Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“Don’t watch the clock; Do what it does. Keep going.”-Sam Levenson
This motivation is about allowing ourselves the right to move forward on our time. We can continue to keep going without the clock dictating what is to be done when.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us today on this episode!
The holidays are always a joyous time of the year. Family and friends come together to celebrate special times and getting the chance to spend time with the ones we love is a blessing.
However, we can also let ourselves indulge in all of the delicious foods that come with these times which can sometimes leave us feeling not so healthy when the holidays are over. Luckily there are some things we can do during the festive times that will both allow us to indulge AND help keep us healthy so that when the holidays are over, we don’t feel like we’re starting all over again with our health and fitness.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we felt it was important to dedicate an episode to talking about the extra weight we may put on during the holidays and how hard it can be to stay motivated to exercise.
2). Some of the main contributors that allow us to relax on exercising and maybe indulging a bit more than we usually do when it comes to eating during the holiday season.
3). Ways that portion control can help you maintain your diet during the holidays. Still partaking in seasonal foods and deserts but watching how much you consume will help in the long run.
4). Tips on maintaining your exercise schedule during the holidays and how sometimes even doing a little bit is more than skipping it altogether.
5). How the rush to start exercising and eating healthy is hard to maintain at the beginning of the year throughout the rest of the year and what you can do to help you stay motivated to keep up with your health goals.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode! We hope the tips in this podcast help you navigate a joyous and heathy holiday season. Staying healthy and enjoying life to it’s fullest is always possible and the holidays are no exception. We hope you’ll agree!:)
Team Meredith
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“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” —Dr. Seuss
This motivation is about being happy for the memories of moments past. Keep smiling at them, not crying and wishing for them again.
Meredith
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“If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you’ll never enjoy the sunshine.” —Morris West
This motivation is about enjoying each day, not focusing on the negative….staying open to all the possibilities given to each of us on a daily basis.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for this week’s podcast!
It’s no surprise that everyone gets tired. We wake up tired, go to bed tired and sometimes get tired during the middle of the day. We all experience tiredness at some point and it can get tricky when deciding to plan when is the best time to exercise during your day.
But should we be working out if our bodies feel tired all the time?
We get asked this question a lot through comments and emails and felt it was time to address it and dedicate one episode to some of our best tips and advice on working out when you feel tired.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s reasons for deciding to dedicate a full episode to discussing if you should workout or exercise when you feel tired and why it’s important to address.
2). A lot of the factors that go into making us feel tired like lack of sleep, nutrition etc.
3). The certain signs that your body tells you when you need a rest today to recover and recharge.
4). Suggestions on what we can do to prepare ourselves to exercise if we do feel tired and how to get our bodies ready for working out.
5). When are the best times to take rest days and how to determine what works for you through listening to your body which is the most important factor.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope the tips in this podcast will help you decide on what’s best for you body and schedule when it comes to exercising on a regular basis. Listening to our bodies is important and finding the right times in the day or night to get in that all important workout is key to longevity and success.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“Every moment is a fresh beginning.” —T.S. Eliot
This motivation is about remembering no matter the week, day, or second, we get to start over whenever we want to. There is no end point, new beginnings are always here!
Meredith
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“Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once.” — Lillian Dickson
This motivation is about our one chance to live our life, so live it to the fullest!
Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us on todays episode!
When it comes to working out we all come from different levels of fitness and abilities. We have different strengths and things that could use improvement.
But how long should we be working out to achieve these things?
The duration of your workouts play a key role in whether or not the exercises you are doing are still helping your body or putting unnecessary wear and tear. Avoiding extra strain on your already fatigued muscles can cause problems down the road and worst of all we may not even know that we’re doing it.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we decided to dedicate a full episode to this topic and why we often get comments and questions about how long a workout should be from around the world.
2). Why there is a “perception” that a workout has to be a certain amount of time in order to be effective and why this isn’t always the case.
3). How the duration of a workout varies depending on what you are training, either weight or resistance or more cardio. Why its more about how your are training instead of how long you train for.
4). How you can still get in an effective workout if you are short on time.
5). Why getting in some kind of exercise on a regular schedule even if it is limited, is always better than not doing anything at all.
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Thank you again for joining us on this podcast. Knowing the best exercise durations in conjunction with the right exercises can help you stay in the game for a long time to come. Keeping your body healthy by maximizing your ideal workout time is just as important as knowing which workouts are right for you.
We hope you enjoyed this episode and it helped add value to your already growing fitness knowledge.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“The healthiest response to life is joy.” — Deepak Chopra
This motivation is about having a joy-full and joy-filled life. Even in the rough times, enjoy it all to the fullest!
Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“Life is really simple, but men insist on making it complicated.” — Confucius
This motivation is about making life more complicated than necessary. Simplify and enjoy your life!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s episode!
Staying active and exercising regularly can become a challenge for most people when dealing with pain or limitations. Shoulder pain is a common aspect that a lot of people live with.
Whether from a past injury, over use or just plain wear and tear, our shoulders are used throughout the day and when using them causes pain it can be a de-motivator when it comes to exercise.
Luckily there are things we can keep in mind when dealing with shoulder pain and exercising!
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s experience in working with people who have had many different kinds of shoulder issues and just how common it really is among the population.
2). How shoulder pain affects our levels of activity and motivation to exercise on a regular basis.
3). The physical limitations that can occur during certain movements if you have shoulder pain and how we can re-think these movements to make them safer.
4). Meredith’s best suggestions on exercising other parts of your body to stay on track with working out even if you aren’t rotating in upper body or shoulder area workouts as often.
5). Why listening to your body is the most important aspect when dealing with shoulder pain and knowing that you can still exercise regularly and stay active by following Meredith’s best suggestions here.
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Thank you again for joining us on this informative episode. We hope the tips here can help you or someone you know stay motivated to exercise even when dealing with shoulder pain or a past shoulder injury. Our shoulders are so important when it comes to getting through daily life and keeping you safe and in the game is what we hope to achieve.
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
This motivation is about remembering that life throws so much at us, and that is a good thing. It is what makes our life meaningful and flavorful, and worthwhile.
Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”– Thomas A. Edison
This motivation is about never giving up. When things get hard, keep going forward!
Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us for this week’s episode!
Time is something we all wish we had more of and sometimes not feeling you you have enough time in the day can make us feel like we have to skip certain things. A lot of the time we tend to skip out on our daily exercise which is understandable from time to time but it can easily turn into a problem if it happens frequrently.
Is it still possible to stay on track with regular exercise when it feels like we are losing time during the day?
Luckily there are ways to help you stay motivated to exercise even on days when you feel there is no time.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences working with clients of all ages and their perceptions of how busy they are especially during holiday periods and how that affected their workout schedules.
2). How are schedules and daily tasks are dependent on where we put our focus and what we believe to be the highest priorities.
3). How the lengths of our workouts can be changed to fit your day so you don’t feel overwhelmed with having to carve out long periods of time to get a workout in.
4). Why working out with a friend or buddy can help with holding you accountable to making sure you set aside time to exercise regularly no matter how busy you are.
5). Why planning out your workouts ahead of time is also a great way to help you stay on track as there is less time thinking about what you need to do and more time getting exercise in.
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Thank you again for listening to this podcast episode. Staying on track with daily exercise is so important and fitting in these times can be very challenging. Hopefully these tips will help you get still fit in exercise during through those busy days. Maintaining your health as consistently as possible is key to staying not only healthy, but also motivated to know that you can stay on track no matter what life throws at you.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“Let go of any thoughts that don’t make you strong”
This motivation is about letting go of the negative thoughts, and only allowing positive thoughts to be in the forefront of your mind!
Meredith
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“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”- John Wooden
This motivation is about trying to find the good and positive in all of our life experiences.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for this week’s episode!
Fibromyalgia is more common than we think and affects many adults when it comes to staying physically active and healthy. Dealing with the pain that comes from having this diagnosis can be very de-motivating especially when it comes to physical activity.
This can lead to even more health issues down the road if we are not careful. Luckily there are many ways we can stay active even when living with fibromyalgia that will still keep us safe, comfortable and allow us to enjoy the benefits of regular exercise.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Learning about what fibromyalgia is and how it affects the body and mind which can lead to a less than active lifestyle for most people who live with this diagnosis.
2). Some of Meredith’s personal experiences in working with clients that live with fibromyalgia and the ups and owns that it can cause when it comes to physical activity.
3). Tips on where to start when it comes to exercising and some great examples of exercises that can benefit you and cater to your fibromyalgia.
4). Why being aware of how your body responds to both cardio and strength training is so important especially when dealing with the effects of fibromyalgia.
5). How exercising regularly can actually make you feel better even if you live with fibromyalgia if done correctly and safely.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope the tips we’ve suggested here are helpful to you or someone you know who lives with fibromyalgia.
Staying active is very important especially as we age and finding safe ways to keep us in the game and overcome our challenges (no matter what they are) is what it’s all about.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”- Soren Kierkegaard
This motivation is about living life moving forward, but remembering we can learn best from our past experiences….just don’t stay there!
Meredith
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“Life is too important to be taken seriously.”-Oscar Wilde
This motivation is about living life to the fullest; and allowing mistakes to happen, laugh them off, and keep moving forward!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s podcast episode!
This week we’re discussing what can be done to stay active and exercise if you suffer from scoliosis. Scoliosis is very common in many people and if not addressed correctly it can be a de-motivator of staying active.
However with a little knowledge in our back pockets and a safe approach, we can still live an active lifestyle in a safe manner with scoliosis.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s experiences in working with clients that have scoliosis and learning about the challenges they face when trying to stay active.
2). How scoliosis is much more prevalent than we think and also how more people may have it and don’t realize it which can cause issues later in life.
3). Why doctors most often don’t give the best advice or advice at all about how to stay active if you do have scoliosis and some options on what you can do about it.
4). Some of our best tips on doing cardio and resistance exercises with scoliosis to get your heart rate up in a safe manner and keep your body healthy.
5). Meredith’s best suggestions on core exercises which is so important when living with scoliosis because having a strong core help keeps you safe, sturdy and balanced.
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Thank you again for joining us for this podcast. We hope this is helpful to you or someone you know who may suffer from scoliosis. Staying ctive and healthy is possible no matter challenges we face and our goal is to shed light on topics like this that we feel are under addressed.
Please feel free to also share your stories with us as well if you face these same challenges.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”- Lao Tzu
This motivation is about trusting in ourselves enough to take that first step!
Meredith
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“Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet.”- Sarah Louise Delany
This motivation is about living life to the fullest. It goes by fast, make it good!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on the podcast this week!
Staying active and exercising regularly can be challenging enough but trying to do that while dealing with bad knees and/or knee pain can be even more challenging. when we deal with issues like knee pain it can be a big de-motivator and distract us from our real life health goals and issues.
Luckily you don’t have to let knee pain sideline you! It is still possible to stay active and exercise regularly if you take the proper steps safely. Keeping you in the game is what it’s all about and having the right knowledge on how to approach knee pain can keep us active for years to come:)
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s experiences in working with clients who suffer from knee pain which she feels is very common and constant for many people of all ages.
2). How having knee pan not only affects your knees but also other parts of your lower body like hips etc.
3). Why taking pain relievers for knee pain has benefits but can also cause more problems down the road.
4). Some great examples of workouts and movements you can try if you have issues with your knees that will keep you active and more importantly safe as well.
5). Some post workout advice you can implement to help keep swelling down and/or further injury from occurring.
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Thank you again for joining us on this podcast. We hope the tips and advice in this episode is helpful to you or someone you know who struggles with bad knees or knee pain. Our goal is to keep you active and healthy no matter what the limitation and going so in a safe manner.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”-Mark Twain
This motivation is about getting started to reach any goal. The hardest part is taking the first step, but once you do it will propel you in the right direction!
Meredith
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“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”- Confucius
This motivation is about continuing to move forward, no matter the challenges we face!
Meredith
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Thank you for joining us on this week’s episode!
For this podcast we have some great tips from Meredith on ways you can keep track of your workouts so you can monitor your progress.
Tracking your workouts is a great idea if you want to see how you progress over time. This can be a motivating and rewarding habit because watching your improvements over time help gain confidence and knowledge about yourself along the way.
In this episode Meredith talks about some of her best tips on how you can go about doing this and how to organize your approach to tracking your progress. She also goes into why this is so important especially if you’re just starting out.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What Meredith learned from tracking her own workouts and how it helped keep her motivated and organized during her training.
2). Why it’s important to track your exercise accomplishments and how it helps keep you motivated and accountable.
3). How keeping track of your workouts helps you review what you’ve accomplished and can help motivate you if and when you get “off track”.
4). How tracking your workouts allows you to track progress over time which you can then measure which helps overall accomplishments mentally, physically and emotionally.
5). Some of the different methods you can try to help you track workouts including journaling, tracking your numbers or using technology like an app etc.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode! We hope the tips in this podcast help you decide which is the best way to start tracking your own workouts and progress. Being able to see your strengths and weaknesses week after week is a good way to not only help with motivation but also help you stay focused and on track.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”-Mae West
This motivation is about living your best life, on purpose, with no regrets!
Meredith
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“All our dreams come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”-Walt Disney
This motivation is about continuing to dream, never stop!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
This week on the podcast we have a fun and informative discussion with Meredith on her best tips and advice for anyone looking to get into senior fitness training.
Senior health and wellness is a booming industry as our population gets older and staying active and healthy is at the top of the priority list for many ageing adults. This need has opened up many new opportunities in the fitness sector especially for our older generations and getting started in fitness could be a good move if you’re looking to start a new career.
However, it takes more than just knowledge about fitness to get started and being an affective trainer that can make a true difference for our aging population can be over assumed and easily overlooked.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s thoughts on the many emails and comments that we receive from trainers around the world on her point of view and approach to training the ageing body.
2). How a lot of training “tests” that are available don’t necessarily cover the ageing body well and don’t provide a good representation for knowledge in designing safe and effective workouts for seniors.
3). Why “listening” to seniors and the demographic you are training is one of the most important traits to have to become an effective trainer and why that is oftenly overlooked.
4). Why researching the many issues that ageing adults deal with from a physical and mental standpoint is so important so that you understand what they are going through and how you can help effectively through fitness and healthy activities.
5). How Meredith has dealt with personal adversity through training seniors as being of a younger age and how her passion for helping aging adults has established her as a leading authority figure in this booming industry.
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Thank you again for joining us on the podcast! If you or someone you know is looking to get into the fitness training sector especially with seniors then we hope this episode provides you some value to help get you started.
The fitness industry is becoming one of the fastest growing industries world wide and being able to provide quality and helpful exercise content for our aging population can be a great place to start a career. We wish you the best of luck!
Until the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”-Maya Angelou
This motivation is about realizing our attitude shapes a lot of the world around us, and how we should view and approach it in life.
Meredith
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“A life is not important except in the impact it has on others lives.”-Jackie Robinson
This motivation is about how what we do says so much more than what we say, at times. What we do for others is the impact on futures!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for this week’s podcast!
In this episode we’ll be diving into some helpful tips that you can try if you suffer from hip pain while exercising. Hip pain can be a demotivator when it comes to staying regularly active. It just isn’t fun to exercise when you have pain in your hips and we are here to help you get through this show stopper.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some common everyday things that contribute to eventual hip pain over time that we may not always realize and some of the common questions about exercising that we receive from people who suffer from hip pain.
2). Some of the limitations and challenges we face by suffering from hip pain when it comes to exercising and living an active lifestyle.
3). Examples of alternate workouts or movements that can be done to lessen hip pain or minimize the problem when staying active.
4). Why it’s important to listen to your body as you navigate certain movements that consist of lower body exercising or anything that may involve movement of the hips etc.
5). Some of Meredith’s best suggestions on exercises and care if you suffer from hip pain and her best advice and motivation on how you can still be active when taking the necessary precautions no matter the limitattion.
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Thank you again for joining us on this important episode. Hip pain is very common and can affect your ability to stay active. Hopefully the tips from Meredith in this episode will help you overcome any issues that are limiting your activity level.
It’s still so important to remain active and knowing that there are ways that we can work with any limitations is very important in keeping you active and healthy.
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don’t settle for them.” —Mia Hamm
This motivation is about being excited about our goals attained, but not forgetting to go farther…and keep going!
Meredith
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“The only one who can tell you “you can’t win” is you and you don’t have to listen.” —Jessica Ennis
This motivation is about keeping your inner voice positive and encouraging. Self-talk that is keeping you on track!
Meredith
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“True freedom is impossible without a mind made free by discipline.” ―Mortimer J. Adler
This motivation is about being disciplined in our lives, to stay on track and feel encouraged each and every day!
Meredith
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“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” ―A.A. Milne
This motivation is about taking our time, doing it right, and getting there when it’s time!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this podcast episode!
In this podcast we dive into a great discussion on comparing both seated and standing exercises and which one might be best for you.
Both types of exercises have benefits and just because you are sitting in a chair doesn’t mean that you aren’t getting an intense and meaningful workout. However not all workout types are the same and what may seem best seated could have better benefits as a standing workout and vice versa.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s suggestions and tips on how to decide whether you should be focusing more on seated or standing workouts.
2). How being aware of your posture plays a big role in both seated and standing routines which helps keep you safe and balanced.
3). The benefits the seated exercises can offer for people who may be struggling with lower body limitations in the legs and/or hips.
4). The differences between seated and standing routines when you are lifting heavier weights and how the body uses different muscles for each.
5). How your focus plays a big part in both standing and seated exercises, without focusing on what you are doing you could risk not benefitting from the movements or worse cause injury.
6). Meredith’s tips on how to move from seated to standing exercises and vice versa.
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Thank you for joining us on this episode! We all come from different skill levels when it comes to exercise and finding the right routines that you are comfortable with is one of the most important factors in staying active. Both seated and standing routines have much to offer and we hope this episode has helped guide you to your perfect spot:)
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Don't look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance.” ―Anne Lamott
This motivation is about not looking down, not over analyzing yourself...just keep dancing, keep going, keep working hard and looking up!
Meredith
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“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” — Stephen R. Covey
This motivation is about choosing your life rather than letting what happens to you being your guide. Rise up above your circumstances to be your best, and decide what that is , and live it!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us this week on the podcast!
For this episode we wanted to dedicate some time to looking back on the growth of our YouTube channel to 25,000 subscribers recently wow!
It’s been quite a journey so far and we have learned so much! We have learned about so many people’s stories and health journeys which has been very unexpected. We hope enjoy going down this memory lane with us this week!
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How starting a YouTube fitness channel has been a big surprise for us in it’s growth and why we feel very appreciative of your support.
2). Some of Meredith’s thoughts on using resources like YouTube for working out and connecting with other people online to help with your fitness journey.
3). Our experiences with classifying our workouts as advanced, intermediate and beginner over this past 2 years and how that’s helped us and our viewers find the right workouts that best fit their fitness levels.
4). How Meredith goes about coming up with new workouts each week and the process of listening to what you suggest so that we can design helpful and meaningful sessions.
5). Some of our personal thoughts on achieving 25,000 subscribers and the appreciate we have for all of our subscribers on all of our platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Podcast). We cannot thank you enough!
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Thank you again for joining us for this special episode. We could not have gotten to this point without your help and support. Even though it gets to be a lot of work at times, it is all worth the time and effort we put into our channel to connect with you and hopefully be a part of your health journey.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Don't let someone else's opinion of you become your reality” — Les Brown
This motivation is about living your true authentic life. Not allowing others thoughts and opinions waver you from being you!
Meredith
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“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” — Zig Ziglar
This motivation is about staying motivated each and every day!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for this week’s episode!
For this discussion we are breaking down some of the best tips to help you avoid injury while exercising. Getting injured is no fun and can lead to many more problems down the road.
If you exercise regularly and/or live a very active life style then avoiding injury while you exercise should be something that is in the forefront of your mind.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How fear of injury is a driving factor in how we sometimes exercise and knowing that getting injured can take a toll on us not only physically but mentally as well.
2). Why “listening to our bodies” is one of the most important factors in staying healthy as we all know our limitations and strengths. Listening to your body will always guide you down a safer path.
3). Some tips on avoiding injury during cardio exercises like using treadmills, walking or running.
4). Some helpful tips to avoid injury when using weights and resistance training. Lifting weights is a great way to build strength but using them in the right way will help you avoid getting hurt and keep you in the game.
5). More helpful tips on what to wear when exercising like shoes etc. Making sure you have the proper attire on will go a long way in helping you stay healthy and avoid common injuries.
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Thank you again for joining us for this episode! We hope the tips shared in this podcast help you when exercising and keep you healthy. Injuries can put a big damper on our active lifestyles and the best way to avoid that is to avoid injury altogether.
Stay safe, happy and healthy out there!
Team Meredith
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“The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs, one step at a time.” — Joe Girard
This motivation is about going on, even when it is the most difficult journey you feel you have to take. Keep going!
Team Meredith
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“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” —Dale Carnegie
This motivation is about staying on course even when you feel as if you are falling behind, failing, and want to give up. These obstacles will help you grow and succeed.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on today’s episode!
We recently discovered that when searching for the term “Senior Fitness” on Google that our content is now being listed on the first page! Wow! We never thought we’d be able to achieve such a task and have done so with your help. Thank You!
We also noticed that when arriving on the first page, there are commonly asked questions about senior fitness that come up, these are questions that Google specifies as the most popular search terms when searching for the term “Senior Fitness”. So for this week’s episode we wanted to get Meredith’s take on some of the most popular questions as determined by Google and see what her answers are.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s thoughts on what are the best kinds of gyms for seniors and/or some alternatives to going to a gym. Also what are some of the things to look for in a gym as far as equipment and support.
2). How much exercise should you try to achieve for a “senior”/ and or anyone at any age.
3). What kind of exercises are ideal for “seniors” including both resistance or strength training and cardio routines.
4). The importance of incorporating movement into your day as exercise, no matter what it is. Walking, running stretching, weight training etc. Keeping in mind that staying active is the key no matter what you do.
5). How much walking should “seniors” do, broken down into the recommended amount of “steps” per day.
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Thank you again for joining us today, we hope you’ve enjoyed tagging along on answering Google’s most popular questions about “Senior Fitness” We also want to say “Thank You” for helping us get to the first page of Google search results when searching for the term “Senior Fitness”! We wouldn’t have been able to achieve this goal without your help. We appreciate you!
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill
This motivation is about trying to stay positive and optimistic in the most trying of times. Seeing good and growth when things feel all bad and difficult.
Meredith
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“I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” — Thomas Jefferson
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on today’s podcast!
This week we’re taking a look at the struggle we all deal with at some point, getting back into exercising after taking some time away.
We all take a break from exercise, whether it’s because our bodies feel like they need a rest, sickness, injury or even just taking a vacation. We all step away from it and sometimes longer than others.
However, this can pose a challenge when it’s time to start exercising again. How do we get ourselves motivated to get back into regular exercise? This can be harder than we think!
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How re-motivating ourselves back into exercising affects all ages, not just seniors. We all struggle with this sometimes and it is normal to want to “put it off”.
2). Why patience is so important when it comes to returning to exercise and why we can’t always expect to easily jump right int. Your body may take some time to return to where it was.
3). Meredith’s explanation on what happens to the body when we take an extended rest and how to go about easing back into your routines.
4). Some tips from Meredith on how to get back into exercising again not only physically but mentally as well.
5). Ways on planning your return ahead of time to help you avoid feeling overwhelmed which can lead to de-motivation.
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Thank you again for joining us! We hope you’ve found this episode to be enlightening and helpful to your fitness journey. We all need a break sometimes and there’s nothing wrong with taking time off. But when you’re ready to re-enter exercising we hope these tips provide some inspiration and motivation for you.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Meredith
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“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”-Dolly Parton
This motivation is about pushing through and realizing that the journey you're on comes with many challenges. In order to get to the other side of your goals you have to face the roadblocks to persevere. You got this!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
This week we have a great discussion on some of the best foods you can eat to help you build more muscle.
we receive many questions on which exercises help build up your muscles and we love getting the chance to learn more bout you and your routines. Building up muscle takes a 2 pronged approach in that you need to be consistent with your resistance exercises but you should also be eating the right foods. Doing both regularly and consistently will help keep you muscles strong and in shape.
But which foods are best for building muscle?
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Some of Meredith’s experiences in working with seniors about their common diets and how meat and protein sources aren’t always eaten as much as it should be and the many other types of protein sources available besides meat.
2). Meredith’s thoughts on using protein powders and or protein drinks to get your protein amounts in.
3). Why working out and lifting weights is not enough to build muscle, proper nutrition and intake amounts are just as important.
4). Meredith’s suggestions of certain foods that you should consider adding to your weekly diet if you want to build muscle and maintain good strength.
5). Also some great suggestions of foods to be used as energy sources to help get you through your workouts that aren’t protein rich but are still very important.
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Thank you again for listening to this week’s episode. Building up muscle can be challenging and frustrating for some especially when you’re not seeing the results you would like.
Fortunately with these tips from Meredith we hope you have a good idea on what to prepare meal wise for you so that you ensure the best diet to help keep your muscles strong no matter what age you are.
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Expect nothing. Appreciate everything.”
This motivation is about appreciating every moment we have. Remembering we have to work hard for things, expecting nothing in return but feeling good for ourselves.
Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“A negative mind will never give you a positive life.”
This motivation is about staying positive through times when we want to be negative. Keeping the mind focused and in a good place will keep you on track to staying positive!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for today’s podcast episode!
This week we’re jumping into on of our most highly received questions, what type of resistance bands should you use? (And what type of bands does Meredith use!)
This is a great question and depending on your level of fitness, it can have many answers. Fortunately Meredith is here to help us sort it all out!
Resistance bands are a great way to add resistance and strength training to your workouts in an easy to use fashion. If you’ve never used bands or are curious as to what sizes you should be using then this episode is for you:)
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Information on how different companies market different sizes in colors and also what type of band Meredith generally like to use.
2). How you can think about using different sizes and weights for different areas of your body and you don’t have to use just one size for your whole workout.
3). Some of Meredith’s thoughts comparing flat bands and tubing bands, with or without handles and sets of bands.
4). Why the price of a set of bands may not always equal the best quality and some of Meredith’s suggestions on what to look for is a set of bands.
5). Meredith’s insight in how she determines which bands are best to use for her and for others she has worked with in the past.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We receive a lot of questions about resistance bands and really appreciate you taking the time to make sure you use what is right for you. Hopefully this episode has helped you determine your level of resistance bands use to keep you building strong.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“There are hidden blessings in every struggle.”
This motivation is about staying positive and looking for reasons and blessings while we may be struggling with something in our lives.
Meredith
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“Be gentle with yourself. You are doing the best you can.”
This motivation is about remembering that at the end of each day, we must say to ourselves that we tried hard no matter the outcome of the day. No beating ourselves up, just positivity and compassion…being gentle with ourselves while we continue to work hard.
Meredith
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Thank you for joining us for this week’s episode!
We get a lot of questions from many people around the world asking about what size dumbbells Meredith uses in her workout videos so we decided to dedicate one episode to discussing what dumbbells we use but more importantly which ones are best for you.
Dumbbells are a great piece of workout equipment to have with you. They are great for resistance training, building up muscle in all parts of the body from both upper and lower areas.
But what sizes should you invest in? Are there different style to look for?
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Meredith breaks down the exact weight and size dumbbells she commonly uses in her workout videos.
2). Tips on buying dumbbells and the important things you should look for when shopping.
3). Some suggestions from Meredith on how to decide if the dumbbells you are using are too heavy or too light.
4). Why form is so important when using dumbbells and how focusing on form can be the difference between a great workout or risk injury.
5). Why dumbbells are so popular and perfect for the home gym if you can find the right set for you using the tips in this episode.
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We hope this episode helps you decide what size dumbbells are best for you and how to go about looking for the right ones. There are many things to consider when putting together your “home gym” and having the right set of dumbbells that you feel comfortable with can make a big difference.
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.”- Babe Ruth
This motivation is about not giving up! Be the one who, even when everyone thinks you should, you never give up!
Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“Respect your body. It’s the only one you’ve got.”
This motivation is about respecting your body, being happy in your skin, staying positive with yourself! Look at all the amazing and wonderful things your body can do and stop getting mad at it because it can not do something.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for this episode!
This week we’re taking a look at a part of the body that can cause many issues for people if not taken care of properly… the lower back. It seems as though we all go through a time in our lives where we can suffer from lower back issues. This is very common especially as we age.
We may not realize it but we use our back in everything we do. This can become very clear when we injure ourselves and are unable to do simple activities like walking or sitting. Our lower back is so important to us and because of this, we must take extra care when keeping it in good health.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why the lower back is one of the most consistent areas that people bring up when they are experiencing pain and why it’s so common.
2). What areas make up our lower back exactly and how we may not realize how many muscles back pain can affect.
3). How posture plays a big role in helping keep your lower back in good shape and it’s something you can concentrate on every day.
4). Tips on taking care of our backs when we are in different positions like laying down or sitting.
5). Some suggestions of exercises /stretches you can try everyday to help keep your back loose, strong and ready for your daily activities.
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We hope you enjoy this podcast and that it has provided some value to you when it comes to how to properly care for and strengthen your lower back. Our goal is to keep you active and healthy and having lower back problems can easily lead to non-mobility.
Hopefully this episode inspires you to take the extra steps needed to care for your lower back and keep you in the game:)
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Believe in yourself a little more.”
This motivation is about believing in yourself. Not thinking negatively, not talking down on yourself...believing you can and using that strength to do it!
Meredith
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“The best way out is always through”. -Robert Frost
This motivation is about staying strong no matter what we are going through. And going through it is sometimes the best way. It isn’t always easy and fun, but you can do it!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on today’s podcast!
In this episode we’re diving into the topic of adding weight to your cardio routines and is this a good idea?
Cardio exercises are a great way to get your heart rate up and burn calories. However if you feel like you ever want to “up the intensity” is it a good idea to add weight to your cardio exercises? Everyone is build differently and we are all at different levels of fitness. Adding weight can help you “get more” out of your cardio exercises but only if done correctly and under the right circumstances.
Luckily Meredith is here to help guide us down this path and shares some insight into things to consider when adding weights to your cardio workouts.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). How the feedback and questions we receive about adding weight to cardio routines has made us want to share this topic and give more insight into how to go about doing so using SF videos.
2). Why making sure safety and form should be the most important factors to consider when adding weight so as to avoid any unnecessary injury.
3). The differences between using weights for upper body movement during cardio and lower body weights (ankle weights etc) and Meredith’s best recommendation on which is the safest to consider.
4). Meredith’s recommendations and tips on how to incorporate weight into your cardio workouts in the safest manner.
5). Meredith’s suggestions on a weekly workout schedule that incorporates a cardio/weight workout yet maintains a good resistance and cardio balance.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We get a lot of great questions about this topic and really appreciate your feedback. Hopefully this episode has helped you in your decision to change up your cardio routines in a safe and effective manner.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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**This motivation is about doing, going, stop making excuses!
Meredith**
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“A champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.”-Serena Williams
This motivation is about never giving up. To become a true champion you must keep going even when the biggest of hurdles is in front of you.
Meredith
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Hello and thanks for joining us on the podcast today!
In this episode we are diving into a great discussion with Meredith about some helpful exercises you can try to help strengthen and tone your core.
We get a lot of questions about what to do to get a stronger and more toned mid section or core. This consists not only of your abs but obliques and lower back. All working together to help stabilize you in everyday activities and not just exercising.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why having a strong core is so important especially as we age and why it’s we should always include strengthening and toning core exercises regularly.
2). Why many core exercises don’t have to be done laying down and some of the examples Meredith shares from her online catalog of exercise videos.
3). Why it’s important to know that just because you may not be able to see your core muscles, that they aren’t strong or toned. There are many factors that go into building a strong core.
4). Some real world core exercises you can try in your weekly workouts to get you started or some possible new ideas to try to mix up your own core routines.
5). How social media, TV and print images have affected our idea of what we think a strong core should look like and why this shouldn’t be used as a standard for you. Everyone is different and building your own body/core should be the focus instead of comparing ourselves to others.
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Thank you again for checking out this episode on strengthening and toning your core. This is always a very popular subject and we hope this episode helps shed some light on the topic and give you some great ideas to incorporate into your weekly exercise routines.
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot.”-Michael Altshuler
This motivation is about taking charge and going in the direction you want your life to go. Stop living the same day to day, mundane...be the pilot of your life.
Meredith
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“It isn't where you came from. It's where you're going that counts.”-Ella Fitzgerald
This motivation is about looking towards the future, where we can go, and not getting stuck thinking about our past. Whether good or bad, if we live in the past we can never have a good future or present.
Meredith
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“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” -Napoleon Hill
This motivation is about going for what you want, and not waiting for the right time to come…because every single moment is different from the previous, so we must do what we want and what is in our hearts now. Tomorrow is not promised to us.
Meredith
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“You must do the things you think you cannot do.”-Eleanor Roosevelt
This motivation is about remembering to believe in yourself. Even when you think you can not, you can…you must try and keep going. It is part of living our best lives!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for today’s episode!
This week on the podcast we are jumping into the topic of exercising in extreme weather climates. We get a lot of feedback from many people around the world and these many places exhibit different changing climates. Hot areas, cold areas and even high altitude.
But what does this mean for you and your body if you exercise regularly in these climates?
Here in Phoenix AZ we see soaring high temperatures in the summer upwards of 110 degrees plus! Should this be the kind of weather you exercise in? What about areas of extreme cold?
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What we define as an “extreme weather” environment and how it relates to where you are located.
2). The importance of preparing for your designated weather/area by wearing the appropriate clothing and making sure you have proper hydration.
3). How we can sometimes over or under-estimate the temperature outside (hot or cold) and not being prepared enough time exhort the energy required to exercise in your environment.
4). How the weather can affect our mood and motivation to exercise as well as any physical limitations that we may be dealing with.
5). Some important tips to try if you live in or are travelling to extreme weather areas and ways to be prepared if you do planning on staying active in either a hot, cold or high altitude location.
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Thank you again for joining us on this podcast episode. There are many things to consider about your body and health if you live in these kinds of environments or if you are going to be travelling to an area with with very hot, cold or high altitude features. We hope you gain some insight into how this can affect you body and some things to remember during your next workout or visit.
Keeping you informed and safe is the goal when exercising, til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.”- Carol Burnett
This motivation is about dreaming, and keeping those dreams alive and well forever. We tend to let go of dreams when “real life” hits, but why not continue to dream and see where life takes you!
Meredith
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“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”- Zig Ziegler
This motivation is about continuing to work towards your goals, no matter your age or stage in life. And look at yourself and how you change as you grow while working towards your goals!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s episode!
This week we are discussing the idea of brain fog… what is it and does it mean bigger issues lie waiting?
We all struggle with remembering things no matter what age we are. Forgetting names, places, items like car keys etc, all happen to everyone. But just because we experience these kind of forgetful moments or what we sometimes call “brain fog” does that mean we are losing our memories?
Not necessarily. Being forgetful doesn’t mean we are losing our minds… it means we were just forgetful in most cases and it can be easily classified as brain fog.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why we thought it was important to talk about the concept of brain fog and how this affects everyone at some point in time and the usual worries we get because of it.
2). Some of Meredith’s experiences with her many students and some of the common feedback should gets about people who think they are being a little too forgetful at times and how they feel about it.
3). Some of the physiological problems that are occurring inside our minds that can contribute to foggy-ness forgetful-ness
4). Some things you can try to help stimulate your mind like board games, apps, puzzles etc that help challenge your mind and help keep it sharp no matter what age.
5). Why the COVID pandemic has brought brain fog to the forefront because it is listed as a symptom of the virus and what you need to really look for if you feel like you are experiencing brain fog AND covid symptoms.
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We hope you enjoyed this week’s episode on brain fog and if you are feeling like you’ve been overly forgetful lately we hope this discussion helps ease your worries. we all experience what we call brain fog every now and then and only in certain serious situations should we consider further professional help.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”- Jimmy Dean
This motivation is about adapting to the ever changing world. Whatever comes your way, be able to move and meld with it to stay positive and happy. It is possible!
Meredith
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“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” - C.S.Lewis
This motivation is about continuing to dream big. Keep goals in front of you, and work toward them...no matter how much of a dream they may seem to you right now. You can do it!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on today's podcast!
This week we're taking up a new topic about how to help motivate others to eat healthy. Now this is a broad statement and can be interpreted in many ways because eating healthy can mean many things.
Most importantly though is when someone you know or love is having health problems that can specifically be tied to their diet, improving ones eating habits could be much more serious than most. It's not easy to try and get someone to embrace healthier eating because we love the foods we love! And for most this is comforting.
However, making changes to diet even if they are small changes can help improve health drastically which over time stack up to bigger wins:)
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). How we can help be better role models to others and help get them thinking and motivated into choosing healthier eating options occasionally.
2). Meredith's experiences in working with fitness and health classes and people she has encountered (spouses etc) that have discussed eating healthier as a couple or their own diets.
3). How we are very attached to the foods we eat and why sometimes even a visit to the doctor for a friend or loved one isn't always enough to get them to make changes in their diets.
4). How making small changes to diet takes time and can't be done overnight, especially if you are working with someone who is not completely on board with adding healthier options to their diet.
5). How finding healthier (and tasty) alternatives to a lot of the foods we eat can be fun and enlightening to someone who doesn't know about eating healthier and that it doesn't all have to taste bland and boring:)
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Thank you again for joining us on this important episode. Modifying ones diet can be a big challenge for ourselves, and even more so in others. When someone you know is having health trouble be it obesity or diabetes etc. making small changes in a diet can have great health benefits and even help save lives.
We hope you found this podcast to be helpful to you when thinking about either making changes in your diet or helping someone you know or love. We want the people we know to be around for as long as we can and sometimes helping nudge them in a direction or leading by example can go a long way.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”-Albert Einstein
This motivation is about moving through life, even when we want to stop and do nothing when things get tough. We must keep moving to stay healthy and All Over Strong.
Meredith
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“Today’s accomplishments were yesterday’s impossibilities.” – Robert H. Schuller
This motivation is about remembering how far you have come, and all you have accomplished. We always forget about the strides we make and how the impossible becomes the accomplished.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on another podcast!
In this episode we are discussing the topic of body weight exercises and are they just as effective for you as exercising with weights?
Body weight exercises like push up, sit ups, chin ups etc. have been a staple of core exercises since the beginning of time. They are a great way to get a workout in with very little to no equipment and still keep your body in great physical condition.
Using only the weight of your body can be used in many different varieties and if done correctly can be applied to all areas of your body for a full body workout.
We’re big fans of body weight training here at SFWM and hopefully after this podcast you will have some new ideas on how body weight training can help you and your workouts.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What is defined as a body weight exercise and how they can be useful to anyone’s weekly exercise routine because of their simplicity.
2). How body weight training not only gives you a great resistance style workout but also cardio as well.
3). The benefits of body weight training and implementing higher rep style workout and how that also helps improve your form when you do decide to use weights.
4). Complete lower body examples of some body weight exercises you can try in your home.
5). Complete upper body examples of some body weight exercises you can try in your home.
6). How body weight exercising is becoming more accepted and popular as we have spent more time at home exercising with little to no equipment and how you can get started quickly.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode, we hope you picked up some value from the tips and suggestions in this episode about exercising using only your body weight.
No matter what level of fitness you are, there is always something you can do to stay active whether at home, outside or at a gym without the use of weights or equipment. We are big fans of body weight training and we hope you find it useful as well.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.” – Michael Phelps
This motivation is about the goals we make for ourselves. Let those goals be attainable, but lofty. Make them difficult to reach, and feel even more accomplished when you do!
Meredith
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“Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.” – John Wooden
This motivation is about learning to make the best of anything handed to us. Like the old “When life gives you lemons”...it is true! Stay positive and make the best of everything.
Meredith
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Embracing regular exercise is one of the most important gifts you can give to your body and health. Staying in shape, staying active and most importantly staying consistent is key to living a longer healthy life.
But what about someone you love? Or maybe a friend?
Motivating other people whom you care about to be as motivated about exercising as you are is not easy. Especially if they have never embraced the same ideals as you. We always want the best for people around us and in a perfect world everyone would be active and healthy but that’s not our reality. Is it possible to open someone up to embracing regular exercise when they haven’t?
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Some of the regular feedback we get from people who feel like they want to help their spouse or loved ones embrace exercise and some of their struggles they go through.
2). Understanding how your excitement about exercising and the benefits you get from it doesn’t always translate to other people and why this can come off as “bossy” to them which we want to avoid.
3). Knowing that everyone has a different level of physical fitness and trying to get someone who hasn’t exercised in a long time or ever will not be able to do the same workouts that you can do which can be de-motivating.
4). How we as active people can sometimes make the mistake of not looking at fitness through the eyes of someone who doesn’t workout out which can be a turn off for them when being approached with suggesting regular exercise.
5). Some helpful tips on how to suggest exercise to someone who doesn’t enjoy it and doesn’t exercise regularly and to understand that it doesn’t always workout the way you hope for and that’s OK.
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We hope enjoyed this episode and got some value out of this important discussion. Embracing an active lifestyle is not for everyone unfortunately and if it is someone you love like a spouse or family member, getting them to embrace regular exercise can be a challenge.
Hopefully some of these tips in this episode have given you some ideas of your own to try with the people you care about the most. All we can do is try and do our best:)
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Do what you can with all you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt
This motivation is about not using any excuses. Allowing you to grow from where you are in your life and in your journey. No matter where that may be!
Meredith
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“We generate fears while we sit. We overcome them by action.” – Dr. Henry Link
This motivation is about taking action in our lives. It is very easy to sit and become overwhelmed by the things going on in the world around us or in our own lives. We must take action to not be overwhelmed and fearful.
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for this weeks episode!
In this episode Meredith dives into some of her best tips that will help you get a great start to your day “From bed to life” as we shall put it.
Everyone starts their day off differently and we all have challenges that we face when our feet hit the floor. Stiffness, pain, aches and even lack of motivation! These can all make the journey from our beds to everyday life a struggle, especially in the AM. But it doesn’t have to be that way!
There are things we can do to be more pro-active when it comes to getting a great start to your day and hopeful after listening to this episode, you will agree:)
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). The inspiring quote that we received that sparked our interest in this topic and why Meredith thought it would be a great idea to explore further.
2). We there are risks like falling in the morning when we first get up that can be very hazardous if we don’t take the necessary steps to keep our bodies healthy.
3). How being more aware of the ailments we all have and knowing how to handle them can lead to better solutions for you to transition from your bed to daily movement.
4). How back pain can be a big deterrent in getting started in the morning and what we can do to help ease this transition if you deal with back pain.
5). Why planning ahead before you go to bed and getting enough sleep can help you better in the morning when it’s time to move and get active. Pre planning can go a long way and Meredith shares some of her tips on what you can do before hand.
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Thank you again for joining us on this podcast episode. We hope that the tips and information from Meredith are useful to you and your morning routine. We are all different when we get started for the day and there are many ways to help us get the best out of those first steps we take.
We hope you have a great start to your next morning:) Til’ the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” – Will Rogers
This motivation is about living in the day, in the moment. To let the past stay in the past, and move forward with a clear mind and mental state.
Meredith
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“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, ‘I’m possible!’”
-Audrey Hepburn
This motivation is about remembering all things are possible if you choose to believe they are. Do not allow the inner or outside voices tell you something is impossible. All can be achieved, because we can do it!
Meredith
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Hello, and thank you for joining us for this week’s episode!
Your metabolism plays huge role in how your body processes exercise. From speeding up to slowing down, it helps gauge how your body responds to the exercises you do, the food you eat, even down to how much rest you get. It’s an important part of your health and what’s more important is that everyone is different.
There certainly isn’t a “one size fits all” scenario when it comes to learning about your own metabolism and it only benefits you more when you know what works best for you.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). How your metabolism is in charge of burning actual calories throughout the course of your life during different activities and how this slows over time and what that means for you as you age.
2). How it’s easy to assume that because we get older and our metabolism slows down that there is nothing we can do to burn more calories which isn’t true. Even as we age there are ways to keep our metabolism running high and smooth throughout our aging process.
3). Some simple suggestions that you can do everyday to burn more calories as you go through your normal routine.
4). How sleep affects your metabolism and getting the appropriate amount of rest can keep your body in good shape not only during the day but at night as well.
5). Explaining the myth that people with faster metabolism’s are healthier over all and that someone with a slow metabolism needs to work harder to attain the same level of health.
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Thank you again for joining us on this podcast. We hope the information we discuss here in the episode about your metabolism helps you in your own fitness journey and helps you discover what routines and schedules work best for you.
As mentioned, no one is the same and learning what works for you and your body is the best way to achieve your fitness goals.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.”- Gloria Steinem
This motivation is about continuing to dream. To dream of what you want because that becomes a goal, and gets your mind moving towards that goal. Dream it, want it, achieve it!
Meredith
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“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”-Napoleon Hill
This motivation is about believing in yourself and your abilities. To let your mind think it can do something, because that will help you achieve your goal and do it!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for this week’s podcast!
This episode is an informative discussion with Meredith about the difference between pain and discomfort when it comes to living an active lifestyle or just everyday mobility.
Dealing with both pain and discomfort is something we all experience at one point or another but we can also easily make the mistake of letting discomfort sideline us or letting pain get the best of us. When is it safe to push through what we think discomfort is or are we experiencing true pain?
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why it doesn’t necessarily mean that if we don’t feel “pain” after your exercises that you’re not making gains, this isn’t entirely true.
2). How we correlate pain with getting injured or causing injury and how this can keep us from staying active or motivated to exercise.
3). Tips on how to listen to your body when evaluating your pain or discomfort levels and determining your level of activity.
4). Why we easily assume that pain and discomfort are one in the same but learning the actual differences can help us navigate new exercises ow workouts and feel better about how they affect our bodies.
5). Why it’s ok to go at your own pace when it comes to exercising and that you don’t have to always feel pain after a workout to know you are making progress.
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We hope this episode has helped you in dealing with any pain or discomfort during you everyday life. Knowing what needs real medical attention instead of just discomfort (or vice versa) is important as we navigate the successes of living an active life style.
Tile the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“If not now, when?”
This motivation is about making time now to get to our goals. Stop putting things off and making excuses. The time to act is now, so let’s go!
Meredith
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Hello and thanks for joining us for this week’s podcast!
When we think of exercising the main idea that comes to mind is losing weight. This is usually the main motivator for most people and that’s a great reason! But regular exercise has so many benefits that come with it and we wanted to dedicate an episode to discovering what those benefits really are!
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). How we were inspired by one of our listeners and their struggles with eating disorders and weight loss to discuss this important topic about the many benefits of exercise other than weight loss.
2). Some of the mental health benefits that you gain from doing regular exercise every week.
3). Meredith’s own personal experiences in working with seniors and all age ranges and how she saw the changes in people’s lives after exercising overall.
4). Why “losing weight” is the most popular reason why people begin exercising but also how they soon find out the many benefits you gain as well.
5). Why writing down your workouts either in a notebook or online is a great way to help you see progress and accomplishment as you go through your fitness journey and how that can help motivate you even more.
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Thanks again for joining us for this episode. We hope the information here is helpful and useful to you when you think about your own exercise schedules and routines.
Getting regular exercise does help control your weight but it also helps your body and mind live healthier overall. It’s these “overall” benefits that make exercising so important to keep us going day in and day out:)
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“Sometimes all that matters is that you are still trying.”-Wilder
This motivation is about continuing to try, even when we want to give up. Even when the road gets rough, we wake up to take it on and get through it. We must keep trying and believe in ourselves and our abilities.
Meredith
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“If you want to fly, give up everything that weighs you down.”-Buddha
This motivation is about leaving your stressors behind; leaving your past in the past; letting the future be just that and go into it without carrying the load of past problems.
Meredith
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“The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won’t. It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to preserve.”-Barack Obama
This motivation is about persevering through down times, or what you might consider failures. It is to know these will happen, but you must keep going.
Meredith
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“Life is trying things to see if they work.”-Ray Bradbury
This motivation is about trying. Trying everything before we let our mind tell us we can’t. Try the workout, try the food, try the job, try the friendship...everything, to see if it is for you!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this podcast episode!
Staying healthy and living an active lifestyle isn’t always easy to do as we tend to juggle many things in our own lives. We also tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves to achieve a sort of “perfect” health status. There are a lot of things that contribute to this feeling like seeing other people out and about that we wish we looked like or seeing people on TV or social media that look flawless.
These kinds of feelings can make us feel like we have to “keep up with the Joneses” so to speak. This pressure can lead us to feel like we have to be perfect with our physiques, health and appearance at all times.
This is of course entirely false.
In this Episode You Will Learn:
1). The quote from one of our amazing followers that helped inspire the meaning behind this episode.
2). Why it’s ok to not be perfect with your exercise schedule or diet and to not get down on ourselves if we miss a day or two.
3). How missing a day of exercise or eating a cheat meal doesn’t hurt your fitness and health progress and why making sure you return to your routine is always key.
4). Why it’s important to start of light and slow if you haven’t exercised in a while. jumping right back in with heavy weights or exhausting cardio can actually hurt more than help.
5). Meredith’s final thoughts on not being “perfect” and why it’s important to remember that perfection is not the goal, persistence and perseverance should be your focus.
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Thank you again for joining us for this week’s podcast. We hope you found it helpful and valuable to you as you navigate your own fitness and health journey. Staying persistent is key to making your own progress at your own pace. Giving ourselves the space to learn what’s best for us is most important over trying to achieve “perfection”.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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One of my favorite sayings is from the late Dallas Willard; "What you focus on determines what you miss."
What he is saying is if you put all your focus (all your attention) on a single subject, then you are less likely to see other subjects. An athlete who only works on upper body will neglect the lower body.
The person who scours the news for scandals will miss all of the good things that are recorded. Etc.- William Moller
Meredith
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“It doesn’t matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”- Confucius
This motivation is about remembering not to stop. Even if it feels like you are not making any progress, your pace is too slow, you aren’t getting where you want to be fast enough…stopping will never get you there. You must keep going!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode!
This week’s podcast is a fun and informative discussion on one of our favorite pieces of equipment to use while working out, the kettlebell!
If you aren’t familiar with the kettlebell then this episode is for you! Using a kettlebell during your workout is a great way to build strength and work your cardiovascular system. It is the perfect combination of cardio work and strength building. However, there are things to know first before you go out and purchase a kettlebell.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we felt it was important to include an episode on kettlebells and how they can be intimidating for some if you’re not used to using them.
2). How just picking up a kettlebell can change your posture and help you stand straighter and firm.
3). Why the kettlebells design with a handle and a weight allows you to get the best of both worlds in your workouts by building strength and working your cardiovascular system at the same time.
4). How much you can look to spend purchasing a kettlebell and that you don’t need a whole set like dumbbells. 1 or 2 is enough if you get the right weights.
5). Some of Meredith’s tips when using a kettlebell to exercise to protect yourself from injury and benefit from the movements.
6). How exercising with a kettlebell is great for working muscles that don’t usually get used when working out.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope this discussion on the kettlebell inspires you to give it a try if you’re new to it or maybe gives you some new ideas into what you can do to get a great workout in if you already own one.
We love using the kettlebell and hopefully you will too.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“You become what you believe.”- Oprah Winfrey
This motivation is about believing in yourself! Always looking on the bright side and thinking positive about ourselves. The more we think good of ourselves, the more certain we are to become it!
Meredith
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“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” - Henry Ford
This motivation is about pushing past what our minds want to think and tell us. What a powerful thing, our minds. When we believe it, it does both good or bad for us. All depends on what we are allowing it to feed us each moment of the day!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for this week’s episode!
This week we are taking a closer look at something we feel doesn’t get enough attention which is eating disorders in our senior populations.
Eating disorders are generally thought of as something that occurs in younger age ranges and there is a lot of information about eating disorders that relate to this demographic, however the issue still very much resides in seniors, yet there is very limited resources on how to help cope and overcome this problem.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we felt it was important to talk about eating disorders in seniors and how the stereotype of this being a “younger” issue is not the case.
2). How “image” drives a lot of how we view ourselves no matter what age you are at especially in the age of social media and how this can negatively affect our opinions of our bodies and progress.
3). How to identify dieting and eating patterns that are becoming un-healthy and affecting a life and why it’s so important to be aware of what this is doing to not only our bodies but emotional state as well.
4). Why over-exercising can also be a problem for many seniors as this can contribute to an un-healthy body and mind state especially if the body isn’t getting enough nutrients.
5). What you can do to get help or help someone you know/love if you feel the signs of an eating disorder are prevalent and know that you are not alone no matter what age you are.
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Thank you again for joining us on this important topic. Eating disorders is something that anyone can struggle with at any age, not just younger children or adults. Our hope is to bring more awareness to this issue and hopefully provide some inspiration and hope to you or anyone you know who may be struggling with this problem.
Getting help and allowing healthy change in your life is so important and we are here to help you find your healthy path or a path for someone you know.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
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“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”- Walt Disney
This motivation is about getting started in our journey. And the only way to do that, is just that...stop talking about what we will do and start doing it!
Meredith
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“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston S. Churchill
This motivation is about success and failure. When we push ourselves to workout, we can sometimes let our minds control us. We sometimes feel like failures if we didn’t do something correctly. And then some days we feel on top of the world because we did something we didn’t think was possible! No matter the day and how we feel, we must remember to continue...success or failure!
Meredith
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Greetings and thank you for joining us for this week’s podcast!
This week we’re discussing useful ways to cope with, identify stress and stress management techniques. It’s no surprise that we all deal with stress many over and if not addressed appropriately, it can easily take over our lives.
In addition, we all deal with stress differently. This is based on our different backgrounds, life experiences and more. The main message to remember is that stress happens to all of us but it doesn’t have to run our lives. Getting a handle on the things that cause us stress is so important and we all deserve a peaceful life. We cannot control nor stop stress but we can control how we respond to it.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why we sometimes feel that when we age, we will have less to worry about and how this is a misconception as seniors have just as much stress (if not more) than most other generations.
2). Some examples of the things that cause stress in seniors and how they create real world problems that contribute to worrying and all of the issues that come along with it.
3). Some helpful ways to identify the signs of stress in someone you know or love and why it’s important to be aware of them as to avoid worse issues down the road.
4). How regular exercise is a great way to help manage stress as the body responds to chemical endorphins to help lift your mood and spirit during physical activity.
5). Meredith’s thoughts on meditation and how it can also be a good way to help relieve stress by taking a few minutes a day to relax and help “de-clutter” your mind.
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Thank you again for visiting us on the podcast this week. We felt it was important to talk about stress management because it affects us all no matter what age you are. Knowing the signs of stress in not only yourself but in others and how to address it is an important step in living a happier, healthier life. we hope you agree and have found this episode valuable to you or someone you know.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” -Thomas Jefferson
This motivation is about “luck” in our lives. A funny word, because is there such a thing as luck... or is it us putting in the work, putting ourselves in a situation, trying hard, that is the luck?!
Meredith
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“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”-Bruce Lee
This week’s motivation is about how we want to put limits on our abilities. When there truly are no limits if we believe more in ourselves, try something, break past the plateau, and keep moving forward. Our brain wants to limit us, but we must tell it along with our body and hearts that we can do it!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us for today’s podcast episode!
This week we’re diving into a great discussion on “stacking your workouts”. What does it mean and how can stacking a great routine help you?
Here at senior fitness with Meredith we love releasing new workouts each week. All at very different lengths and skill levels. In doing so we’ve been fortunate enough to create the opportunity for you to customize these workout videos into a “stackable” schedule much like our “Custom 7 Day Workout Plan”
Being able to search through our videos and create exercise routines is one of the benefits of stacking your workouts together to obtain any type of fitness goal you may have. Lose weight? Gain strength? Be more flexible? These are all attainable with the right exercise regimen.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). What exactly is stacking your workouts, what does it mean and how can it help you?
2). How all of our workouts are designed to be “mixed and matched” to help you find the best balance of exercises that work for you the best.
3). Is it a good idea to workout everyday and if you do, what kind of workouts should you focus on to avoid over working yourself.
4). Meredith’s idea of a great balanced routine that incorporates cardio, strength training and stretching which can help guide you to find your own favorite exercises.
5). The importance of staying consistent and listening to your body when coming up with your own stacked routine as this is the key to making progress and achieving your fitness goals.
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Thank you again for joining us today on the podcast. We hope this discussion on stacking workouts and how this can help you has served valuable. Our goal is to be the “go-to” resource for you when it comes to achieving your fitness goals and we hope this episode helps get you closer to achieving that.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“You can. You should. And if you’re brave enough to start, you will.”-Stephen King
This week’s motivation is believing you can! As long as you are brave enough to start something, we usually quickly realize we can do it! And we owe it to our hard working selves to try.
Meredith
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“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”-Robert Frost
This week’s motivation is about going on in life. We all face hurdles and difficulties throughout our lives…usually several rough patches. But we keep going, we keep pushing forward, we know life goes on and we can do it!
Meredith
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“Keep smiling because life is a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.”-Marilyn Monroe
This week’s motivation is about smiling...always! We must stop and look at our lives, and all the positives in this crazy world, and smile at it. And remember to smile when we go through the many times when all we want to do is frown.
Meredith
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“May you live all the days of your life.”-Jonathan Swift
This week’s motivation is about living our lives. You are thinking, “well of course, that is what we do everyday.” But more about really living every single day...trying not to wish any days away. All days are good days because we get to live and learn in every one!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you again for joining us on this episode!
In this podcast Meredith is diving into a few things to consider when it comes to keeping our hearts healthy. Focusing on installing heart healthy habits can make a big difference when it comes to keeping the most important muscle in our body healthy.
Taking care of our hearts often gets overlooked when we think about fitness and health. We tend to focus more on things like weight, appearance, strength etc and we don’t put much focus on keeping our hearts strong. Join us as we take a deeper look into why heart health is so important:)
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we thought it was important topic to discuss and what kind of problems can arise if we neglect heart health.
2). Why a lot of seniors are very open and candid when it comes to discussing heart issues and or problems and the concerns they have when exercising.
3). How exercising consistently is the number one habit we should be doing that will keep your heart in healthy shape and help you avoid issues down the road.
4). The importance of maintaining a healthy, sustainable diet during the week and how this helps promote a healthier heart.
5). Why it’s important to take small steps when it comes to installing new habits and know that you can’t do it overnight. Don’t get discouraged, start small and build your healthy habits in over time.
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Thank you again for joining us on this week’s podcast. Keeping our hearts in the front of our minds when we exercise and taking care of ourselves should be an important part of our daily routines. Hopefully this episode has be valuable to you and inspired you to keep focus on the most important muscle we own:)
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”-Nelson Mandela
This week’s motivation is our reminder to continue to rise after we fall. We all fall, and usually many times throughout our wonderful lives. But we must remember these lessons, these minimal times, will help us to see the better days and will help us grow to be better in the future!
Meredith
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Hello and thank you for joining us on today’s podcast episode!
This week we’re discussing a topic that we often get a lot of questions on. “How much exercise is too much”? This is a great question and can often cause confusion when planning out your weekly exercise routines.
Everyone is different when it comes to exercising and what works for one person may not necessarily work for someone else. So unfortunately there is no one answer to this question. However, there are important things to keep in mind when determining how much exercise to just right for you.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why it’s important to self evaluate your exercise schedule and if you are hurting in certain areas, what that could be attributed to.
2). How exercising should be looked at as a long term activity and that there is no finish line. Taking care of our bodies should be considered “the long game” and there is no reason to rush hard into activities risking injury etc.
3). How our Custom 7 Day Workout Plans can help you with a healthy workout schedule tailored to your bodies needs and fitness level avoiding over exertion and wear and tear.
4). The different kinds of injuries you risk to your body if you exercise to frequently without knowing it and why we need to pay attention to what our bodies are telling us.
5). How being mindful of your exercise frequency, listening to your body and finding the right schedule for you is key to longevity and being your best fit self.
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Thank you again for joining us for this week’s episode. We hope you found our discussion helpful to you especially if you are on the fence about just how much you should be exercising each week. Over doing it can not only cause injury but also affect your motivation as well and we certainly don’t want that:)
Until the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“Today I will not stress over things I can’t control.”
This week’s motivation is dealing with stress! An unfortunate part of life that we all face and deal with, some better than others. We know it is an inevitable fact of life, to have stress, but how we deal with it is what matters. Learning to be okay with not controlling things is a necessary part of it. And realizing there are so many things we have no control over, and that is okay!
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“Sometimes all that matters is that you’re still trying.”
This week’s motivation is about continuing to try. Sounds easy enough. But on the hardest of days, when we do not give ourselves credit and beat ourselves up because we didn’t do what we thought we should...but we did try! We tried our best, and that is all we can do, and all that should ever be asked of us.
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
“Staying positive doesn’t mean you have to be happy all the time. It means that even on hard days you know that there are better ones coming.”
This week's motivation is a reminder to stay positive, through all that we are going through. With the time we are in, in the state of this world, it can be difficult to keep a positive mindset. But that is exactly what we should try to do, even if we are not happy with things in life. Stay positive so we are not brought down, because we know good is coming to us soon.
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“Be happy with what you have, while working for what you want.”-Helen Keller
This week’s motivation goes towards so many aspects of life, but we are delving into the fitness part. We always want to jump to the end of the timeline and reach the goal in a day, and do not stop to be happy with the accomplishments we make along the way. As long as we wake up and keep working for it, we need to be happy and proud of ourselves.
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Hello and thank you for joining us on today’s podcast!
This week we are jumping into a new topic for us and hopefully you will find it just as fun and exciting as we do. this episode is all about fitness tech gadgets and apps!
The tech fitness industry has grown immensely over the past few years and every year new inventions pop up that claim to help you lose weight, stay in shape and healthy. Everything from home gyms, treadmills to apps on your phone, all aimed at helping keep you motivated.
It can be very overwhelming which is why we felt it was important to record an introductory episode to some of the more popular apps and gadgets to help you navigate this huge landscape.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How studies showed that using certain tech gadgets like a wearable (fitbit etc) actually helped motivate people over the ages of 55 + to exercise and practice healthier habits.
2). The difference between a normal pedometer that tracks your steps and a wearable type tech gadget that can do much more including monitor heart rate and calories burned throughout the day.
3). Some helpful features that phone apps have that can help you keep track of not only your physical activity but also what you are eating as well.
4). The pros and cons of investing in an in – home exercise equipment like a Peleton bike or treadmill. They can be useful but also expensive with subscription fees required monthly.
5). Why we think using the internet to find great workouts online to help motivate you to exercise no matter what gadget you use can be a good idea.
6). Meredith’s final thoughts on if fitness tech is worth trying out depending on your level of comfortability and curiosity to keep track of your fitness.
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Thanks again for joining us on this episode! We hope our fun discussion here has helped you in clearing up some of the questions you may have about fitness tech, gadgets and apps. We too find it hard to keep up with this industry and sometimes getting some clarity about it all can help.
Thank you again and we will see you on the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us on this podcast!
In this episode we are taking on a fun discussion about how to go about picking the right shoes for your active lifestyle.
If anything, we love shoes! And selecting the right one for your feet can sometimes be overlooked. Everyone has different levels of activity whether it be running, jogging, walking, bicycling, or just moving around the house, we all have different needs and when it comes to our feet we need to pay special attention, especially when there are so many options these days!
Our feet get used everyday and take a lot of punishment to move us around, especially if we are exercising regularly. To make light of the best ways to select great shoes Meredith gives us some very useful tips in this informative episode.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why it’s so important to know that good foot ware is not only about comfort but also about safety.
2). How we can easily be recommended the incorrect shoe and why it’s up to you to determine what is right for you.
3). Why it’s important to make sure your shoes have enough width to fit you foot when you move because your foot will flatten and having enough space for it to spread out is so important.
4). Meredith’s advice on when it is a good time to decide to replace your old shoes.
5). Making sure to choose the right option when it comes to securing the shoe and the differences between laces, velcro straps or other means.
6). How choosing not only the right shoes but also socks can be just as important to your feet with the right combination.
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Thank you for joining us today on this podcast. As mentioned, we love shoes and it gets us excited to talk about it! But we can easily get overwhelmed when it’s time to get a new pair with the selection we have nowadays.
Hopefully you found Meredith’s tips in this episode useful to keep in mind when it’s time for your next pair.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us on this podcast episode!
This week we’re diving into a subject that we truly feel does not get enough attention especially if you are a senior. Staying active as an amputee.
Whether you have a loss of a leg, both legs, an arm or other areas of your body it is still just as important to remain active and reap the benefits of the many workout options available to you.
For this discussion, Meredith talks about why it’s so important to stay active and what we can do to shed more light on this topic as it covers many people across the globe.
We feel it is so important to bring this subject to the forefront and we hope you agree.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What are common reasons that an amputation can occur in both lower and or upper body.
2). What should be a good mindset when going into a workout as an amputee and how thinking differently will create more opportunities to try workouts that you think you might have been able to do.
3). Why your core is probably the most important area of the body when you are missing and arm or leg and how it can help balance you when exercising.
4). Why you can still use resistance bands for upper body and other types of resistance and learning how to fasten them safely so you can still benefit from using them.
5). Some of Meredith’s tips on how to approach a new workout and the importance of listening to your body as you go through the movements.
6). Meredith’s advice for trainers and people who work with amputees and why it’s important to first listen to you clients and understand their needs first before diving into a workout program.
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Thank you again for joining us on this important podcast episode! As you can hear from this discussion, Meredith is passionate about being a resource for exercise and fitness for all and definitely includes amputees.
Hopefully this discussion inspires you to get active if you are an amputee and want to get in better health or if you know someone who is, we are here for you!
Til the next episode.
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us on today’s podcast!
For this episode we are diving into the fad diet world, do they really work? It seems like every year there is a new diet that comes along that boasts the best results. They can be very tempting to try especially if they claim the best results with what seems like the least amount of work. But is this true?
If you’re wondering about whether the next big fad diet is something you are looking into then we invite you to listen to this in depth discussion with Meredith as she breaks down fad diets and gives you the best information on whether the next big fad diet is for you or if there is a better way.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). What are fad diets and how did they come about?
2). Why are fad diets tempting when it comes to losing weight fast and how does this usually work out for someone who relies on a fad diet to keep weight off long term.
3). Some of the more popular fad diets over the years and how successful they have been or if they didn’t live up to the hype.
4). Some of the effects that fad dieting can have on your body’s natural digestion process and how this can be harmful to you long term.
5). Meredith’s advice to someone who might be thinking about trying a new fad diet and some of her points of thought on the topic before diving in to a new fad diet.
6). Some thoughts on alternatives to fad dieting and how exercise plays a bug role in keeping weight off along with food to stay healthy.
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Thank you again for joining us on this podcast! We hope this discussion has helped you decide whether fad dieting is something for you or if there is a different path to try. We are dedicated to giving you our best knowledge and dieting can be a big factor in your fitness journey if done correctly.
We hope to see you on the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us for this podcast episode!
This week on the podcast we’re diving into foot ailments and the issues that can arise suffering from pain in your feet and how that can affect your active lifestyle.
Foot pain is very common for most adults, especially if you exercise regularly. However, dealing with it on a day to day basis can cause big issues and sideline us for longer periods of time then we want. There are many types of foot pain that can occur which can be caused by different reasons.
In this episode Meredith breaks down the most common types of foot ailments and what we can do to help alleviate the pain so we can continue physical activity.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How and why pain in our feet occurs and some of the statistics behind why it is so common in most adults.
2). What are some of the things we should look for when pain starts occurring to determine if it is something more serious than we think?
3). Some of the different areas of the foot that can cause pain like the arch or heel and what these different types of problems are diagnosed as.
4). Why making sure you are wearing the proper shoes when you exercise can make a big difference in keeping your feet healthy and strong.
5). Meredith’s best suggestions on what you can do to stay active if you do suffer from foot pain and how this can help your overall health.
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Thanks again for joining us on this episode! Dealing with foot pain can be a major issue for most people and luckily there are things we can do to help alleviate these problems. Staying active is so important during these times and making sure our feet are healthy gets us another step close to achieving and maintaining our fitness goals.
We hope you enjoyed this episode and gain some new insight into coping with foot pain.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us on the podcast episode!
This week we wanted to dedicate a full episode to discussing “Your Custom 7 Day Workout Plan” by Meredith. If you don’t know what the custom plan is you can find out more about it in full right here. The idea behind our plan offering is that it gives you (and us) an opportunity to create a 7 day repeatable custom workout plan just for you by Meredith, tailored to your specific fitness goals no matter where you are in the world!
We all have different needs, limitations, strengths, likes, dislikes and goals when it comes to fitness and exercise. Here at SFWM we offer a vast library of free workouts of which you can always choose from. However, we also realize that this can be overwhelming especially if you are just starting out. With our custom plan, Meredith designs a workout plan tailored just for you from our library of exercises.
In this episode, we discuss the benefits of having a custom plan and how it could help you if you find yourself in need of a more structured approach to your workouts.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What is the 7 Day Custom Workout Plan that we offer and why is this something that you should consider if you’re looking to have more structure, customization and results from your workouts.
2). How Meredith determines which of our workouts from our vast library are going to be best for you based on your current fitness level.
3). How she structures your workouts in a way that balances the best routines which can help you achieve the fitness goals you have.
4). Some of the great feedback we’ve received from current customers that has helped us shape our plans in the best way to benefit you!
5). How a custom plan can help get you out of a stale routine and open you up to trying new exercises that you may not have thought could’ve helped you.
6). Why our custom workout plans will always evolve as we add new content each week.
7). How our custom workouts are a great way to get personalization from Meredith about your fitness goals no matter where you are in the world!
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Thank you again for joining us on this podcast episode! We really appreciate you taking the time to learn more about out Custom 7 Day workout Plan and hope you found our discussion valuable to you.
We are very proud to offer this service globally and have had amazing feedback and responses from past clients. As our library of workouts keeps growing we hope to continue to offer more options in your plan and maximize the opportunity to help you on your fitness journey each week.
Til the next episode, stay safe, happy and healthy!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you again for joining us on this week’s episode!
This week we wanted to discuss an important topic that we think gets overlooked when it comes to this time of year. Dealing with feelings of loneliness especially during the holidays.
This year has brought many challenges to all of us and with lockdowns in effect all over the globe, feelings of isolation and being alone are higher than ever in any age but also in our seniors. Being that the COVID virus has high risk factors in senior populations, this has forced many in this age group to stay home and shelter the longest.
In doing so, it has created feelings of isolation amongst many all across the world. It is now more than ever, so important to make sure we stay healthy not only physically but mentally as well. Finding ways to cope with loneliness is the best way to stay healthy mentally and to also recognize signs in others who may be struggling as well.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What can lead to the feelings of loneliness during the holidays and how the pandemic and shut downs have amplified those feelings.
2). Some tips from Meredith on how to identify and help a loved one or someone who may be struggling feelings of loneliness and depression.
3). How depression and loneliness can be found regularly in the same people as a pattern and why it’s most important that these are people that we must tend to the most and get them help.
4). How regular exercise can help lift your spirits and keep your mind healthy especially during challenging times.
5). If you are having feelings of depression and loneliness, it’s important to validate those feelings so that you can better position yourself into getting help. There is always something you can do to get help!
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Thank you again for joining us on this important discussion. This year has brought challenges upon us that we couldn’t have imagined and as we move into the holiday season, there will be many more that will struggle with feelings of loneliness and isolation. We want you to know that you are not alone and there are ways to get help and stay connected.
We hope you find this podcast episode helpful to you if you are struggling with loneliness or know of someone who is. We are here to help.
Stay safe, happy and healthy.
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us on today’s podcast!
In this week’s episode we are diving into a great discussion with Meredith about working out in smaller spaces either in your own home or while traveling.
Staying motivated to exercise can come in many places, shapes and forms. Whether we are at home in our “home gyms” or traveling and find ourselves in a hotel room. Getting a little exercise in no matter where we are can keep us motivated and give us the confidence to know that we can still stay healthy no matter where we are.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why it’s important to know that you don’t need a lot of space to get a good workout in and Meredith’s thoughts on why this is important to keep in mind.
2). Some of examples of equipment to consider having in your workout space that don’t take up a lot of room and doesn’t cost much.
3). How you can use everyday household items as workout equipment and why you don’t have to go out and buy expensive equipment.
4). Some of the pros and cons that going to a gym offers and how that can also be translated into workouts in your home.
5). Why it’s important to keep the area you workout in uncluttered and the concerns about exercising on certain types of areas rugs that can cause falls or trips.
6). Some examples of the different kind of chairs you can use for seated exercises that provide the best stability and reliability.
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Thanks again for joining us for this insightful episode. Just because we may not have access to a gym 24/7 doesn’t mean we can’t make the effort to keep exercising. As per this episode, having a space in your home can work just as well or just about any space.
Keeping you motivated to exercise is the name of the game and we hope you found this discussion motivational for you.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s podcast!
This week we’re diving into a very important topic regarding the importance of recognizing the signs of serious illness. Specifically we are focusing on stroke, heart attacks, and diabetes.
These common diseases can be devastating to individuals and families and recognizing the signs of any of these occurring is crucial to staying healthy, getting treatment or prevention.
We all live busy and active lives at one point or another and can easily forget to take signs of shortness of breath, numbness or constant tiredness seriously. We easily attribute it to the effects of living our lives but the reality is that there is a possibility that it could be signs of something more serious.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why it’s so important to remember the importance of keeping signs of illness at the top of our minds especially as we get older.
2). Some examples of how to find out if someone is showing signs of a serious illness as sometimes we may not even recognize these signs or take them seriously.
3). Some of the common symptoms that we can identify pertaining to heart attack, diabetes or a stroke.
4). Why some of these symptoms are hard to identify as possible leads in to serious illness and why getting them checked out as soon as possible is the best way to avoid issues down the road.
5). Why you should always find a doctor that you feel is paying attention to your needs and concerns. Don’t just stay with someone because you’ve always been there. If they aren’t listening to you and your concerns about these kinds of signs then find someone who will.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. Serious illness is a reality of our lives and making sure we pay attention to the signs that could be telling us something is so important.
We hope you found this episode helpful and informative and hopefully it helps inspire you to stay aware and listen to your body when you think it might be telling you something.
Til the next episode, stay healthy!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello everyone and thank you for joining us on today’s podcast. Today’s topic comes from a very common question we receive a lot about people wanting to know how they can lose weight in certain areas of their body like their belly, arms or legs.
This concept is called “spot reduction” and is a very common request. There is a misconception about this idea of being able to lose weight in certain areas of your body that we think everyone deals with at one point in time. We can be very judgemental about our own bodies and it’s easy to see why we may feel that we have to lose weight in only certain parts.
But is this a good idea?
The way we lose weight when we are active has less to do about slimming down certain parts of our body and more to do with thinking of the body as one complete unit. We felt it was very important to talk about this issue when it comes to weight loss so we can shed some light on these misconceptions.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Some of the main reasons why we feel we want to work on only certain parts of our so we can lose weight there and not be concerned with other areas.
2). The important relationship between fat and muscle and how both of them are important when it comes to losing weight and feeling healthier overall.
3). Some examples of exercises you can do to help slim down the overall fat in your body which in turn lead to slimming down the areas of interest you have,
4). Some great ways to help you measure your weight loss results that don’t necessarily involve having to step on a scale everyday.
5). How long you it should take (in general) for you to start seeing weight loss results in the areas you want to work on if you are exercising correctly and consistently as well as inheriting a healthy diet.
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Thank you again for joining us for this important discussion on spot reduction. After listening to this episode we hope you have a better sense of how the body works when it comes to weight loss and some helpful tips on what you can do to work on the fitness goals you have. Don’t give up!
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
In this week’s podcast we’re sharing with you some of our best tips on how you can stay motivated to exercise during the holiday season.
The holidays are fast approaching and just like every year it can be difficult to find time and most importantly motivation to exercise. There is also no doubt that we will be celebrating a different kind of holiday as well with the world’s COVID situation but that also still means we can continue to stay active.
This is a challenge for everyone (even us!) no matter what age you are. The holidays always invoke special feelings in our hearts and minds as they always should but it’s also important to remember your health as well no matter the time of year.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s thoughts on why this time of year is always a challenge to stay motivated to exercise and how that affects everyone.
2). Some examples of simple activities and exercises you can do to maintain a small activity level to keep you motivated and carry you through the season.
3). Why we tend to “slack off” during the holiday months and then re-commit to fitness and health when January rolls in and hoe that creates a surge to fitness every year. Is this necessary?
4). Some great tips on how to stay active consistently through the holiday season so we don’t feel like we have to “surge” in January and we feel better about our bodies and health.
5). How a lot of families and especially seniors can feel very overwhelmed because of all the traditional activities that take place and how this can slow down exercise routines or how they can be abandoned altogether which is what we want to avoid.
6). Some encouraging words on staying consistent, don’t get down on yourself if you miss some workouts, staying motivated and enjoy the time of year!
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Thank you again for joining us on the special episode. We hope the tips we offer in this podcast will help you stay motivated this “different” holiday season and still be able to enjoy the time with your loved ones and everything that goes along with it.
Stay safe, happy and healthy!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thanks for joining us on this episode!
Today’s podcast is an important discussion on the importance of mental illness awareness.
Mental illness is a condition that affects most people at some point in our lives. Unfortunately it’s also a topic that often gets overlooked, ignored or mis-diagnosed.
Depression is one of the most common forms of mental illness and if not taken care of either in the form of therapy, medication or reaching out, it can lead to more long term issues affecting not just the mind but the body as well.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why it’s so important to dedicate a week or a month to mental illness awareness and how this affects so many people every year.
2). Some of the reasons why mental illness has a bad stigma attached to it and why it is so easily mis-understood when it comes to be taken seriously.
3). How mental illness affects more seniors than we might have missed and how it can easily be overlooked within this generation.
4). The correlation between mental illness and how that also affects the body physically.
5). Why it’s hard to realize that you may be suffering from depression or mental illness and why self diagnosing the issue can be easily unrecognized.
6). How and where you can go to get help if you or someone you know is currently suffering from a form of mental illness.
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Getting help if you have feelings of depression or isolation should be the number one priority if you feel this way or know of someone who does. The link mentioned in this episode that you can go to and call the friendship hotline can be found here by the Institute On Aging.
It’s so important to make it a priority to get help especially in these challenging times. Mental illness can lead to much more if not diagnosed correctly and taken care of.
Stay safe, happy and health always!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thanks for joining us for this week’s podcast episode!
This week we are taking a look at how and why resistance exercises like lifting weights, resistance band training and more can benefit you if you suffer from osteoporosis.
“Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when the body loses too much bone, makes too little bone, or both. As a result, bones become weak and may break from a fall or, in serious cases, from sneezing or minor bumps.” (Link Here)
In the case of exercising, it would seem as though doing any kind of resistance workouts would seem not beneficial for bone health but if done properly, weight training and resistance exercises can actually help strengthen bones along with muscles.
Suffering from osteoporosis doesn’t mean you have to be sidelined. You can still benefit from exercise whether it be cardio work in low impact exercises and as you will see here, resistance training as well.
In This Workout You Will Learn:
1). What exactly is resistance training and how does it pertain to building up strength in our bodies and what does it have to do with helping our bones get healthier.
2). What types of exercises can actually be harmful to you if you do suffer from osteoporosis and where does resistance training fit into your overall health.
3). A few examples of how you can use resistance bands for training that will help build up your lower body muscles to support your bones so they are less likely to cause injury.
4). More great examples of exercises you can do using a simple exercise ball or executing “range of motion” movements that will benefit your bone health.
5). Some advice on what kind of exercise equipment you can buy (dumbbells, resistance bands etc.) or that you can find at home (water bottles, cans of soup etc) that you can use for effective safe resistance training.
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We hope this important discussion on osteoporosis and resistance exercises is helpful to you. If you or you know someone who suffers from this disease, please know that exercising is still available to you in many varieties.
Resistance workouts can still be beneficial to you and improve your bone health if done properly and with care. Our goal is to help you stay active and healthy in any way it is available to you and living with osteoporosis is no exception.
Stay happy and healthy!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Greetings and thank you for visiting this podcast episode!
This week’s episode is a “part 2” interview with Meredith as she gets to discuss a little more in depth about her background, family life, thoughts on fitness and much more!
We truly are humbled when we say “Thank You!” to you for your support on all of our social media outlets from YouTube to Facebook as well as our newsletter. We love receiving feedback from you and we try to make sure all questions are answered.
And that’s why we decided to record another episode with Meredith as we felt we weren’t able to get to all the questions that we have been asked.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why we wanted to put out a “part 2” episode that dives further into Meredith’s story and why she felt it is important to answer your questions.
2). How she learned the skill of training with Seniors even though she is not yet a “senior” herself and why it’s so important to not focus on age but on research, knowledge and experience.
3). Who was her biggest influence when starting out with exercising and fitness.
4). Her views and thoughts on weighing yourself and how or why it can be a distraction from the main goal which is living healthy overall and not focusing just on numbers.
5). Why she feels it is so important to let our audience know how appreciative we are for your support as much as possible and how much joy she gets from hearing your stories about your personal fitness goals.
6). How often she exercises during the week and some of the different types of workouts that she likes to do.
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Thank you again for listening to this fun episode! We appreciate your support and hopefully we are able to get to answering all of your questions and as always, feel free to send us more feedback on what you’d like to see on our channels and website.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Thank you for joining us on today’s episode!
Today marks our 52 podcast which means we have finally hit our 1 year podcast anniversary mark! It doesn’t even feel like it’s been a full year and it has been a wonderful time for us getting to know you and giving us the opportunity to share our best content with you.
To celebrate, we have decided to turn the attention in this week and have a sit down interview with Meredith herself and get to find out more about her. We’ll be diving into her back story, her motivations, goals and wishes for the senior community. Let’s dive in!
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Meredith’s background and how she got started in working with seniors in the fitness realm and why she feels that it was part of her calling to serve this generation.
2). Her thoughts on why exercises for seniors are unique in that they have to cate to the specific needs of seniors and can’t just be “watered down” version of exercises for younger people.
3). Why she feels it’s important to not only include physical aspects of working out but also mental aspects so that the body AND mind work together to improve overall health in seniors.
4). Tips for other trainers who are looking to get into the business and what they should understand when it comes to working with seniors.
5). Her feedback on some of the things to avoid when looking for exercises online and her evaluations of some of the other exercise resources for seniors (or lack of).
6). Her goals and hopes for the next year and how she hopes to be able to reach and help more people around the world in all aspects of health and learn more from you by your feedback. Why it’s so important for her to hear what you have to say!
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Thank you again for joining us on this special episode! Getting to st down with Meredith and have her share her story is something we’ve been wanting to do for a long time. Hopefully you find this episode valuable and that it sheds some light on the woman behind the brand.
Thank you so much for supporting us on the podcast this past year, we can’t wait to celebrate year number 2!
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us n the podcast today!
This week we wanted to dive into an important topic that affects not only seniors but many others. Falling and fall prevention.
Falling is one of the biggest reasons for emergency room visits in seniors and most of which can be devastating. Recovering from a fall can take a long time and can also cause serious injury. Our best bet to combat against falls is to have as much knowledge on how we can avoid them as well as keep our bodies healthy in case a fall does occur.
Falls can cause many issues, not only physical but mental as well. Because events like this can cause so many problems, we wanted to share with you our best information on how we can avoid or protect ourselves.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). How September, the Fall Prevention Awareness Month inspired us to bring awareness of falls in not just seniors, but all people, to the forefront and why it’s so important to recognize.
2). Why building strength and continuing to move daily is most essential to protecting yourself from falls if and when they do occur.
3). How wearing certain shoes that don’t fit or work well can contribute to falls and why choosing the right type of feet wear is so important especially if you have limited mobility.
4). Why it’s so important to tell someone if you had a recent fall and not saying anything can lead to injury that you may no know about. This is particularly dangerous.
5). Why it’s important for trainers of healthcare providers to understand the why fall prevention needs to stay “top of mind” when caring for or training seniors or those with stability challenges.
6). Why many seniors don’t report when a fall has occurred and the fears involved with how they might be looked at and the level of freedoms they may lose. Why it shouldn’t be this way and how we should approach anyone with a fall on a case by case basis.
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Thank you so much for joining us today for this important discussion. Falling can cause many problems for not just the person who fell but for the loving family members around them. We all worry about loved one staying safe and we don’t want anyone losing out on moments in life because of something that could be prevented.
With a little awareness and care, we can avoid events like this and have everyone get on with living our healthy and happy lives. We hope you found the information in this discussion valuable especially if you have have fallen yourself or know someone who has.
Till the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thanks for joining us on the important episode!
This week we’re diving into a great discussion about the effects of alcohol especially in our senior population. Enjoying a beer or wine occasionally is a great way to get ourselves into “relax mode” and enjoy some down time.
It’s also a great way to bond with friends or loved ones. But what exactly do we need to know about the effect alcohol has on our bodies especially as we age? Are we at higher risk of being impaired? Is it safe to be mobile for a long period of time? What are the risks?
These are all great questions that we may overlook while partaking in a few drinks and we’re here today to provide some insight into a few things to keep in mind the next time we have a drink so we can enjoy safely and responsibly.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why we felt that discussing the effects of alcohol specifically in seniors is so important and why it can be overlooked and thought of as no different than drinking at any age.
2). How drinking and consuming alcohol in seniors is more often that not underestimated and how this can cause over assumptions about just how much seniors taken in alcohol which can lead to safety issues.
3). The most important things we should keep in mind so that anyone who does drink can do so safely especially in our senior generation.
4). Why it’s so important to understand why and when your drinking occurs and if this is causing problems not just with health but also safety which can lead to things like falling etc.
5). How the holiday season and especially now with COVID social distancing can raise some concern as levels of alcohol consumption rises and what to watch for if it becomes a problem.
6). Some tips on what you can do or where you can go if you feel that drinking has become a problem for you or for someone you know and why it’s so important to reach during this time. Your health, safety and well being are most important always!
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Thanks again for joining us on this great discussion. Having a few drinks with friends or at home is very common and we love having our time to relax. But also having the knowledge as to what we can keep in mind while drinking will contribute to help keeping us safe as well.
We hope you found this episode helpful to you or to anyone you know that drinks on occasion or has problems dealing with drinking too much alcohol. We want to make sure everyone drinks responsibly and lives long healthy lives.
See you soon!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us today on the podcast!
In this episode we breakdown the most important reasons why our posture is important and follow up with a few tips on how you can help improve your posture.
Having good posture is key to so many aspects of our physical lives. From standing up as straight as possible to sitting down with a balanced spine. These are all things that affect our daily lives and activities.
When it comes to exercising and physical activity, posture plays a big role in determining our outcomes. It can help or not help our abilities to injure ourselves either when twisting, turning or moving weights around.
We felt that posture gets overlooked when it comes to physical health which is why we decided to dedicate a full episode to just this topic.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why we felt it was so important to include an episode on posture and how we easily forget the importance of it in our day to day lives especially in seniors where injuries can easily occur if not taken care of.
2). Why goal of having good posture is to have a strong, straight spine but that doesn’t mean we all have the same posture. Everyone is different and we can’t compare one posture to another.
3). Things that contribute to back pain caused from bad posture over time and what we can do to help relieve some of that pain on a daily basis.
4). How having bad posture is a direct correlation to falling in seniors and what we can do to implement fall prevention techniques working with better posture exercises to stay safe and healthy.
5). Some simple exercises you can do right at home that will help build strength in your core, back, lower and upper body and will help improve the muscles that support your posture, including stretches in bed!
6). Why it’s important to keep watch over your own posture as often as you can by using mirrors or checking yourself frequently and making sure you are keeping yourself straight and upright as often as you can.
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Thank you again for joining us on the podcast! We hope you found some value in this discussion especially if you struggle with posture or just back issues in general. As we mentioned, our posture isn’t something we really think about much but it’s something that is very key to the success of a lot of the daily activities we partake in.
Hopefully the tips mentioned in the episode will give you some ideas on how to identify and improve any issues you’re having.
Til next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us on this podcast episode!
This week we are covering an important topic that affects many people every year, receiving a cancer diagnosis and how that affects your ability to stay active during this time.
There are many types of cancers and no one diagnosis means the same for everyone. Our bodies deal with this disease differently and if you or someone you know gets diagnosed, you may find yourself asking what does this mean when it comes to staying active?
Are you still able to exercise moderately if you have early stages of cancer?
First off, consulting your doctor is always the number one step to take when it comes to finding out if you can still be active. Your doctor will be your first point of contact on this. If they say you should try to stay physically active then Meredith breaks down a few ways you can achieve this not only physically but mentally as well.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why we felt it was so important to discuss this topic regarding exercise and cancer and why there are so many questions revolving around the question of whether exercise is a good idea during a cancer diagnosis.
2). Why the best resource on knowing what exercises you can still do is your doctor or physician but also being aware of how active you were before a diagnosis and knowing what your body and physical health is capable of.
3). How can you still stay motivated to exercise in this time and what will help keep you going and wanting to stay active.
4). Why understanding that not every day is going to be a good day especially for exercise. And also understanding that pushing too much may not benefit your health journey. Go at a pace that works for you even if it’s just stretching in bed one day and walking on another.
5). Why knowing that you are not alone in this journey and that reaching out online or to support groups can help keep you inspired and motivated to not only stay active but to keep fighting. This is so important!
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. Getting diagnosed with cancer is a life changing event not only on you but on your loved ones as well. It’s at this time that we need all the help and information we can get about what we are capable of and what’s best for us.
As mentioned always consult your doctor first when it comes to seeing what your options are. If physical activity to stay active and healthy is an option then hopefully this episode is helpful to you in knowing what is available to you about staying active and how to go about it.
Stay healthy, happy and safe.
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you again for joining us this week on the podcast!
This week is a great discussion on how regular exercise can naturally help lower high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a common problem in many people. Some are even born with it and if not looked after carefully it can cause major problems down the road.
But it doesn’t have to be that way!
Using regular exercise and watching our diets and food intake are the best natural ways to help lower levels and get your body back into great health shape. There are so many benefits to you body and immune system through exercise and examining the effects on high blood pressure is a great way to get started.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How there is a fear or misconception about how exercise might negatively affect someone with high blood pressure and why this isn’t true. Exercise will help improve your high blood pressure.
2). How common it is to have high blood pressure and the amount of people that are taking some kind of medication to help control it.
3). The different types of resistance exercises you can do that will be beneficial to your body and your health including high blood pressure levels like using resistance bands or light weights.
4). How HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) type exercises are great for your heart because it varies your heart rate during exercise which makes the heart pump blood better thus improving your overall cardiovascular system.
5). How often you should be exercising to get maximum benefits or how you can ease into it if you are curious about getting started with exercise.
6). Why it’s so important to know what your ideal blood pressure is and how important it is to stay on top of measuring your levels on a regular basis.
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Thanks again for listening to this episode. We hope this helps you if you suffer from high blood pressure and aren’t sure on how exercise will affect you. You are not alone.
We are striving to get our best content out to you in hopes that you are inspired and can make the right decisions for your health. High blood pressure can be a deterrent from exercising but the reality is it’s one of the best ways to help lower your levels if done correctly.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Greetings and thanks for joining us on today’s podcast!
In this episode we’re talking about an important subject that affects everyone at some time or another, getting better sleep. We all can struggle with this and for very different reasons. Be it a restless mind, physical pain or something else, not getting enough sleep affects everyone.
Why is getting good sleep so important?
Getting restful sleep is important to our bodies and mind. We recharge our physical and mental state during sleep and get our energy levels back to where they should be so you can take on the day. Not getting sleep affects this process and if compounded day after day it can have longer lasting negative effects.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How common not getting enough sleep really is and why we all struggle with it especially as we age.
2). Some of the common reasons that contribute to restless or bad sleeping habits like medications, medical problems or foods we may be consuming.
3). How setting up your bedroom and or sleeping routine ahead of time can help contribute to getting better sleep by keeping it dark, cooler and easy to navigate in case you do have to get up at night.
4). How exercising regularly helps with your sleeping habits and how it affects your body when you are ready to finally lay down to sleep.
5). Why limiting certain foods after a certain hour like caffeine and alcohol will help you fall asleep faster and attain REM sleep.
6). Why it’s important to have a set routine to follow throughout the day and before you head to bed that will help improve your sleeping habits over time.
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Thanks again for joining us today for this important episode. Sleeping habits are so important to us and not getting enough sleep has long lasting effects on just about everything we do.
If you’re not getting good rest at night, we hops this episode helps inspire you to try some of these tips and improve your sleeping situation. We want to make sure you are healthy and that means being health not only while you’re awake but in dreamland as well:)
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us on this important episode!
Being proud of your accomplishments can seem like a no brainer but for some of us when it comes to fitness goals and achieving them we tend to dis-credit our efforts.
Why is that?
Getting down on our selves and no giving yourself the credit you deserve is crucial to making more progress and installing healthier habits. Being proud of your accomplishments and even celebrating them is important to your growth as a person living an active lifestyle.
We put so much work into getting our bodies healthy whether it be in both exercising and eating healthy so when it comes time to push past our goals we must remember to say to ourselves that it’s OK to say “I did it!” and be proud!
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we felt it was important to discuss this topic on being proud of your accomplishments and how we receive a lot of questions and comments regarding people not being sure if giving yourself credit is a good thing.
2). How being proud and celebrating our accomplishments leads to more goal setting and motivation with exercise and healthy living.
3). Why it’s so important to have people around you that support your efforts and celebrate with you when you accomplish your goals. Having a great support system can make a big difference.
4). How we can feel less worthy of an accomplishment when the particular task or workout was something that we could do before. Don’t dis-credit yourself when you get back to a level that you once were at before. Be proud!
5). How there is a direct correlation between feeling proud and self esteem and why we might feel like we’re being self centered if we think about ourselves too much. This is the farthest from the truth, let’s spend more time being confident and celebrating and supporting eachother!
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Staying positive about what we accomplish is so important. Whether it’s fitness goals or anything else you feel accomplished about is always something that we can say “It’s OK” to feel good about yourself. This gives us motivation to continue on and create more goals for ourselves.
We hope this podcast inspires you to keep reaching for new goals and to keep challenging yourself everyday. Stay positive and inspired always.
Team Meredith
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Hello and thank you again for joining us on the podcast!
This week we’re diving more into why practicing kindness is so important to us as a society. Being kind to others when we hold doubts about our feelings towards others, ourselves and possibly situations is so important. It helps keep us grounded in so many ways and benefits our happiness more than we mat know.
Showing kindness can easily be overlooked especially in the world we live in today. Hopefully you find this week’s episode valuable and that it helps all of us reinforce the value that kindness brings to ours and others lives.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why practicing kindness is not just beneficial for the person who is receiving your kindness but also just as beneficial to yourself as well.
2). Why it becomes so easy to forget how important being kind to others is because of our busy lives and responsibilities and ways we can remind ourselves about how important it is.
3). Some thoughts and influences that may deter us from being more positive and kind to others and how to identify them so that we can learn to better ourselves.
4). The many benefits that showing kindness to other has on your body, mind and soul and why it should always be top of mind when going through the situations life throws at us.
5). Why kindness is so important to the world right now and how showing kindness to others in this time of need can help ours and others situations when we need it most.
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Thank you again for joining us this week. Here at Senior Fitness With Meredith we have been so fortunate to meet so many new people around the world through our work and the one theme we find in everyone is kindness. It brings smiles to our faces and makes us feel so happy to know we are helping amazing people.
This motivates us to reiterate that kindness back to you as well and we can’t thank you all for being an inspiration to us.
Til our next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you again for joining us on this week’s podcast!
In this episode we are discussing the challenges of living an active lifestyle while dealing with the effects from living with fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. It can be challenging to stay active while dealing with these kinds of problems especially if all we feel is pain.
This can be de-motivating.
But it doesn’t have to be this way and there are things we can do to help manage the pain so that we stay motivated to exercise and stretch. In this episode Meredith offers some great tips that you can try.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). How fibromyalgia can be easily mis – diagnosed because of the many symptoms that you can have like tenderness, fatigue etc. Getting the right diagnosis is so important.
2). How physical workouts can very much still be done if you have fibromyalgia by modifying and monitoring your pace and why that can help you overall.
3). Some examples of great exercises you can try like water workouts, tai chi, low impact type workouts that are easy to follow and not as straining on joints and muscles.
4). Why eating healthy regularly, exercising and getting good rest will help you overall with fibromyalgia effects and making sure you stay active by doing regulated exercises can add to the quality of your life.
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Thank you again for joining us for this podcast. Fibromyalgia can challenge us and make exercising difficult. Staying motivated is so important and hopefully this episode gives you some useful tips that you can try if you suffer from this disease.
Stay safe, happy and healthy!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thanks for joining us on this episode!
In this podcast we are getting into a great discussion on how dancing actually has great benefits for you if incorporated as a regular workout exercise.
When we normally think of exercises that have great health benefits like heart health, cardiovascular health, endurance, strength and even brain health we usually don't think about dancing. But the truth is, dancing is a great way to help build up all of these areas!
Not only is it great for your health but also fun! Most people don't correlate exercising with something that they consider "fun" but dancing fits right into this category. Whether by yourself at home or in a group class, incorporating dance into your weekly workout routine has many benefits.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). The overall health benefits you can gain by incorporating regular dance into your workouts and why it's so popular and how it can be done either standing or seated.
2). How dancing not only is good for your body but also helps your mind stay healthy by challenging you to coordinate steps and getting both your mind and body involved in a fun way.
3). How all kinds of dance movements can be considered "Dance" and how most any kind of dance styles all have the same health benefits whether it's line dancing, ballroom dancing etc. They all help!
4). How listening to more music on a regular basis can help motivate you into exercising regularly with dance which helps make exercising fun!
5). How dance is similar to many other types of workouts and why the important thing to remember to is to move around on a regular basis and dance is a great way to do this regularly.
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Thank you again for joining us for the episode! We love dancing and the benefits that are offered by incorporating some dancing routines into your weekly workouts can benefit not just the body but the minds as well.
We hope that after listening to this podcast, you might consider adding a dance workout at least once a week to your exercise schedules. Visit our "workouts" page to find some of our great workouts videos to help you get started.
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Thank you for joining us on today’s podcast! For this episode we are talking about something that we all deal with from time to time.
Staying motivated.
This is the second episode that where we cover this topic, the first you can also check out here. We thought this is such an important topic to talk about especially during challenging times. Motivation to stay healthy no matter what age is what drives our actions. Our action to seek exercise on a regular basis.
Unfortunately we don’t always feel motivated and thus our actions fall by the wayside. It doesn’t always have to be this way and we wanted to share a few tips for you to help you stay motivated and find ways to keep active in your life.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we find ourselves easily unmotivated and what causes these feelings that we may not realize. And why it’s important to keep talking about motivation especially during challenging times.
2). How being isolated either due to health issues, living situation or having a smaller circle of people in your life can make you feel less motivated and how this can make it harder to begin the process of being motivated.
3). How there is a direct like between depression and motivation that can easily keep us sidelined when it comes to exercise and staying active especially as we get older.
4). The importance of achieving motivation slowly which can start to lead to more accomplishments and confidence. Especialy if being consistent in your exercise routines.
5). A few tips to help you stay on track and keep you motivated like scheduling and setting goals. These things can make you feel fulfilled and measure your progress which leads to installing better healthy habits.
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Thank you again for joining us on today’s podcast. Motivation is something we all struggle with at various times in our lives. Especially when it comes to staying active and getting in regular exercise.
Hopefully this episode has helped inspire you to try new ways to keep you motivated and stay on track. You are never too old, young, out of shape, or limited to get exercise in and we always love hearing your stories about challenges and overcoming them.
Til next episode, stay happy and healthy!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thanks for joining us for today’s episode!
For this podcast we wanted to discuss the challenges of living with arthritis and especially how that affects your active lifestyle.
Living with arthritis pain can be a challenge especially if you are very independent and active. The pain associated with arthritis can limit our ability to participate in activities that get us up and active. Not being able to do certain activities either on your own or with groups can be de-motivating and lead to a decline in physical activity.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Inheriting simple daily routines that are designed to help care for you body and areas where you suffer from arthritis will help improve your quality of life and levels of activity. Just because you have arthritis doesn’t mean things have to stop for you. As a matter of fact they don’t have to stop at all!
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). How believing that arthritis is a main limiter of an active lifestyle and why this isn’t true. Debunking the myth that this disease will now limit what you can and can’t do as an active senior.
2). Why movement is so important to your joints and muscles even when we think we should move less because of arthritis. Staying flexible and working through the pain associated with moving is key to staying active.
3). Some examples of low impact style exercises that you can do to stay active and that are easy on your joints and body. There is always a way to stay in shape and work through issues with arthritis.
4). How giving in to the pain and issues with arthritis can de-motivate and make you feel less likely to take steps to improve your level of activity. It’s so important to know that you can still do the things you want to do with proper care.
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Thank you again for joining us on the podcast. Learning how to live with arthritis can be challenging no matter what level of fitness you are at. Staying active and healthy is so important and arthritis can be a de-motivator when it comes to staying active.
If you live with arthritis or know someone who does then hopefully this episode helps shed some light on the issue and that it doesn’t mean that you have to stop doing the activities you love. With proper care and persistence you can get back on track.
Stay happy and healthy!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode of the podcast!
For this episode Meredith is going in depth about proper skin care and how to avoid problems with skin that can evolve over time.
Having healthy skin is so important especially as we age. With our skin being exposed to so many elements over time, we can quickly start to see how it affects our health.
Fortunately there are things we can do at any age to help protect ourselves from the harmful rays of the sun or any kind of outdoor weather. It’s never too late to start taking care of your skin especially if you are noticing wear and tear.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What are some of the most common complaints we have about our skin and why we feel the need to visit the doctor when we notice something.
2). Why applying sunscreen is so important and our best defense against damage from the sun and no matter where you are. It also helps moisturize your skin and can also be applied indoors.
3). How limiting the amounts of showers we take during a week can actually be beneficial for your skin because it will be less dry and allowing your skin’s natural oils to sink in.
4). The possibility of investing in a humidifier to bring more moisture into the air to help keep your skin moist especially in a dry climate or colder weather.
5). Why looking into eating certain foods like fruits and vegetables that provide natural waters can be good for your skin by helping replenish fluids etc.
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Thank you again for joining us on the podcast. Skin health is very important to us and it sometimes gets overlooked by other health issues. However our skin is the first line of defense against a “weathery” world and making sure we are taking care of it should be on our list or priorities.
We hope you were able to take away some value from this episode as we care about all aspects of health not just in seniors but for everyone. Having healthy skin definitely fall into line with what Meredith wants to spread awareness about.
Til the next episode, stay happy and healthy!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Greetings and thank you for joining us for this episode!
Today we are discussing an important issue that doesn’t get much attention when it comes to fitness, seniors and living an active and healthy lifestyle.
Vertigo and ailments that affect balance.
Dealing with issues due to vertigo can cause real problems everyday because it can affect all of your movements from getting out of bed to walking up and down stairs. If you live an active lifestyle it can be a problem when exercising which can cause a lack of motivation to stay active.
Fortunately there are things we can do to make sure we still are able to do the things we want to do even if we suffer from balance issues and other issues related to vertigo etc.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). The definition of vertigo and why many Americans feel that they suffer from it. There could be many reasons why you feel like you may have dizziness caused by vertigo and we break down what those could be.
2). How taking multiple medications can affect your balance and cause feelings of vertigo based on the combinations of side effects.
3). How having blurred vision and improper glasses can contribute to feelings of un-balance and vertigo. It’s so important to make sure your prescription glasses are up to date with your eyesight.
4). Some tips from Meredith about what you can do to still stay active if you do any kind of exercise and have issues with balance and stability. There are many things to help us with balance and issues caused by vertigo so you can still live an active lifestyle.
5). If you like walking as exercise but are feeling the effects of vertigo, some tips to help keep you walking and things you can try like mapping out your walk first and knowing points along the way that you can stop to rest will help keep you active.
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Thanks again for joining us for this important discussion. Issues pertaining to vertigo and balance don’t get discussed as much as we’d like to see them talked about. Having stable balance and being able to do the things we do to get through the day is very important. Vertigo can severely affect us not only physically but mentally.
Hopefully this podcast is helpful to you if you do experience these kinds of symptoms and that we can provide some kind of guidance to help get you back on track to living a healthy life.
Stay happy and healthy!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello again and thank you for joining us on today’s podcast!
In this episode, Meredith will be discussing some great tips on how to help you avoid dehydration which seems like something easy to do (drink water!) but in reality, many people forget to take in enough liquids during the day which easily leads to feeling worn out and in some cases require a hospital visit.
Drinking liquids is something we do all the time but how much thought have you really put into the kind of fluids you’re taking in and how often? These are two crucial factors to consider when you’re thinking about your overall hydration health.
It’s no secret that the body needs water to survive and making sure we stay on top of the right amounts with the right kind of fluids is important.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why dehydration can be a problem for more people than we think no matter what age you are and how it can also lead to other health problems if not taken seriously. It can be the number one reason why seniors end up in the emergency room as well.
2). Why it’s so easy to assume that we are taking in enough water during our day when in reality we are probably not taking as much as we should be.
3). When are the ideal times to take water breaks during your exercising sessions and how to remember to take them!
4). How keeping a thermos or water jug filled with ice cold water around you as much as possible will help you take in more water during the day. There’s nothing better than a nice cold sip of water throughout your day!
5). Why dehydration can still occur if you exercise regularly in the water or during water workouts even if you don’t feel thirsty. it’s still very important to manage your water intake during these times as well.
6). Why it’s a good idea to set reminders about drinking water throughout the day either on a calendar, using your phone or writing small notes around the house to help you. Dehydration can be avoided if we take steps necessary to be more aware of our hydration levels.
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Thank you again for joining us today. Staying hydrated is very important no matter what climate you live in across the globe. It’s also one of the things that we take for granted because it seems the solution is simple but as you can see from this episode, it can lead to many problems if you don’t have a hydration plan.
We hope this episode was helpful to you and you found some value in learning more about ways to remember to stay hydrated from day to day to keep your body running healthy.
Til the next episode, stay happy and healthy!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you again for joining us today on the podcast!
In this episode, Meredith is discussing something that almost everyone has to deal with at some point or time. Back pain or what can also be referred to as “Sciatica”.
What causes back pain? How do we deal with it? Can we still live an active lifestyle if we struggle with it?
These are all great questions and very commonly asked especially if back pain has changed the way you live your life. It doesn’t have to be that way and it doesn’t mean you have to end being active. Far from it actually!
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). What is Sciatica, how it is related to your sciatic nerve and how this affects your body, back, legs and/or hips etc.
2). Some of the common questions and comments that Meredith receives from seniors who struggle with back pain and what they can do to work through the pain either in daily life and exercise.
3). Some exercises you should consider that are lower impact and easier on your back if you do suffer from back pain. There are still many ways you can stay active!
4). Areas of your body to focus on that you use in your every day life to help strengthen your back and legs so you can avoid further injury.
5). Why continuing to move and staying active is actually good for your body if you suffer from back pain and how avoiding staying dormant for too long can help keep you healthier.
6). Why you should consider using assistive devices or back braces to help keep you aware of proper form and balance.
7). Some tips to help you with stretches and ways to keep you flexible and loose when you start your day.
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Thank you again for being with us on this important episode about sciatica and back pain. Back pain affects many people no matter what age you are. It can be a debilitating experience and de-motivate you but with proper care, advice from your doctor and practicing safe methods of training, you can work through these challenges.
Staying healthy, active and happy is important and just because you suffer from sciatica doesn’t mean you can’t have those things in your life. We hope this podcast helps inspire you to know that there is always a way to stay healthy no matter what you’re going through!
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thanks for joining us on this podcast!
For this episode, we are diving into a topic that we feel is important to consider no matter what age you are.
Regular meditation.
What is meditation and why should you try it? A great question! And precisely the reason why we wanted to do a podcast on it. Meditation can be a great way to improve brain function, relieve stress, provide clarity, and promote a calmer way of life if performed regularly.
However, it’s not easy to adopt meditation into our daily lives. We are busy with work, projects, and other responsibilities that can put daily meditation on the back burner. However, if you’ve ever been curious about meditation or are looking to learn more about how it can help improve your daily life then this episode is for you.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why meditation may have a misunderstood stigma attached to it based on stereotypes and why these things could be farthest from the truth.
2). How meditation can help clear your mind from many of these stresses that we encounter during the day or week and how only a few minutes a day or every other day can make a big difference.
3). Why it’s hard for us to find the time to meditate during our day because we feel we don’t have enough time but also how we don’t realize that you only need a few minutes a day.
4). How trying a guided meditation class or group setting may be a great way for you to get introduced to meditation and how it can help you feel more relaxed when trying it out.
5). How aging puts a lot of strain on our minds with so many things we deal with from family, work, money, responsibilities etc. and how meditation could be a tool you can use to help manage all of these things.
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Thank you again for joining us today for this episode. We hope our discussion on meditation has opened up the possibilities of trying it out for yourself. If you are someone that already meditates on a regular basis then hopefully you will agree with what we have to offer here and of course, we would love to hear what your opinions are on meditation.
Feel free to leave a message on our Facebook page and let us know how you feel about regular meditation, does it help you? We would love to know!
Til next episode, stay safe!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thanks for joining us on this episode!
Today’s podcast is all about agility training. What is it? Why is it important? and how does this pertain to seniors? All great questions and indeed good reasons why we felt it was important to dedicate an episode to this topic.
Agility training involves a lot of different types of physical movements geared towards improving your body’s ability to function through space. Playing sports like racquetball, ping pong, golf etc; all require agility and athletic type movements. Training for these types of activities at any age can not only help you perform better but also help improve your everyday activities like walking, jogging, standing up, walking downstairs, and just about anything else you encounter.
Focusing on staying agile and exercises that help you work on these muscles and body parts can help improve your overall “functioning” so to speak. This is so important for anyone who lives an active lifestyle or is looking to improve their physical abilities.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). The definition of “Agility Training” in relation to senior activities and why it is so important for this age group and how it helps them not only with their favorite activities but also daily life.
2). The importance of the mind and body connection when it comes to staying agile and keeping your overall health in shape.
3). How often should we be focusing on agility training and what areas of the body will help us with staying agile when we exercise correctly.
4). The different exercises we can do to help build up agility from upper body to lower body as well as cardio based exercises.
5). Why smaller areas of your body like hands, feet etc. should be taken into consideration during your workouts so you can build support and strength in these areas.
6). How participating in agility type exercises can improve your mood and mental state overall and keep you motivated to stay active.
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Thanks again for joining us for this episode. We hope our discussion on agility and its importance helps inspire you to consider training exercises that promote agility and movement in your everyday life. Whether you are an athlete, enjoy sports casually, or just enjoy a more active lifestyle, focusing on staying agile, nimble, and flexible should be important aspects of your weekly exercise routine.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
We often get comments on our videos with viewers commenting on how they like the reminders of breathing during the workouts. Also, questions and comments arise about why water breaks are taken. We believe that both are equally important, and good reminders!
Breathing: Seems like a silly thing to “remind” someone to breath but how easy it is to forget when we are concentrating on a move, what muscle we are supposed to work, standing tall without falling, sitting tall with good posture…the list goes on and on…and the face gets redder and redder as we hold our breath or breath improperly.
Drinking: Dehydration is one of the most common ailments that bring seniors to the hospital. It is masked by lethargy, low blood pressure, fainting, nausea, sore and tired bodies, memory loss, among countless others. Staying hydrated is so important all year round, no matter where you live or your activity level-but those do play a role in why intake is different for everyone.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Deep, full, controlled inhales and exhales -Really work on taking in full, deep inhalations and releasing that fully during the exhalation.
2). Regulate breathing – During different types of exercise, learn to train the brain to regulate breathing. Stretching with deep inhales and exhales to help the body release deeper. Regulate during cardiovascular exercise when the heart rate goes up and the breath tends to shorten. Exhale during exertion while doing strength and resistance training exercises.
3). Make controlled breaths as important as the workout you are doing!
4). Drink small sips during workouts of all types. Then drink lots after you finish your activity:)
5). Set timers, or use commercial breaks while watching tv, as times to drink.
6). Set a goal to finish a pitcher or bottle of water, or other good liquid, each day.
Liquid comes in many forms…good ol water, fruit juices, fruits and vegetables, broth-based soups, coffee and tea(not in excess), just a few good choices.
With age, thirst sensation decreases; some medications require you to drink more; it is harder to get up and get a beverage when necessary… these are all reasons staying hydrated, and finding ways to make that possible, are so very important!
Thanks again for joining us on this episode, we hope the information here helps you decide how often you should be focusing on your breathing and water breaks during exercise. Two things that will help keep you going for years to come!
Til next episode, stay safe, and take care!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thanks for joining us on this podcast episode! For this session, we’re discussing different and helpful tips on taking care of your back.
The entire back area, from the upper back, down the spine, into the lower back, is one of the most injury prone, and complained about due to pain. Time takes a toll on the body, as gravity wears down on us.
This compresses the spine causing pain. Also, rounding in of the shoulders and curving of the spine, causing our posture to get worse and worsening pain down the back. Some issues are inevitable with the body, but many can be reversed or helped.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why lifting with your legs is so important – Any lifting off the floor should be done using the large lower body muscles instead of putting it all into the lower back.
2). How focusing on your posture while standing and sitting and keeping length in the spine, crown of the head towards the sky is so important.
3). How strengthening the abdominals will protect the lower back, and help with posture. Also, strengthen the lower back so when it is used it is strong and healthy. The sides of the waist, obliques, will help with twisting and bending.
4). Why working on lengthening the spine and visualizing air between each individual vertebrae is key and how these stretches can be done seated or laying down.
5). The importance of spine mobility – Keep the body twisting and bending at the waist. This will protect it from pulls and strains.
6). The proper use of a walker – Walkers can cause the body to bend forward if not at the correct height, and used properly. These assistive devices are just that, assisting with walking properly. This means light pressure and staying tall while using it.
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Thanks again for joining us on this episode. Taking care of your back especially as we age is so important. We tend to forget just how much we use our backs on a daily basis until injury occurs.
The trick is to do preventive exercise daily to avoid injury and strengthen your core. This will help you get through the many challenges we face on a daily basis that require us to use our backs.
Til next episode, take care!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Greetings and thanks for joining us on this podcast episode!
In this episode we are covering one of the most important aspects of staying active and healthy: Stretching!
Stretching on a daily basis can help your body in many ways and help make your exercising easier on your body. You’ll also benefit from the lengthening in your spine and flexibility in your joints to help better stabilize you during your day’s activities.
No matter what age you are you can still reap the benefits that stretching provides.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why it’s important to consider stretching as part of your daily routine no matter what age you are and how it benefits your body
2). What happens to your body when you do stretch and how it helps prevent tightening of your muscles, ligaments, bones etc. All around lengthening.
3). The importance of the mind and body connection when stretching and how it helps your stretching more effective.
4). The importance of paying attention to your spine when stretching and why that is the starting point for getting good length and openness while stretching.
5). Some great examples of daily upper body stretches.
6). Why remembering to breathe is so very important while you stretch and focusing on relaxing the body and staying loose.
7). Some great examples of daily lower body stretches.
8). Why focusing on our smaller joints and muscles like hands, ankles and feet are just as important as the larger muscle groups like back, arms and legs.
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Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We felt strongly about including stretching in a dedicated episode because it’s so important.
Keeping your body loose, flexible and ready for daily movements is a great way to stay active and keep you motivated for exercise when you are ready.
Hopefully this episode has inspired you to try adding regular stretching to your daily routine.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Greetings and thanks for joining us on today's podcast!
For this episode we wanted to talk about an important aspect of living an active lifestyle.
Being sick or ill.
It's not something anyone looks forward to but it is a fact of life. We all get sick at times and it's hard to stay active and motivated when it happens. There is also the question of when is it safe to get back into exercising after being sick and how do we know we won't relapse?
These are all valid questions and when contemplating exercise after fighting an illness and there are many factors to consider if you are looking forward to getting back to being active.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). The importance of knowing your body and it's limitations when you are battling any kind of illness and why it's important not to push yourself and risk a relapse.
2). How it can be hard to get back into exercising after fighting an illness or injury and how it can lead to losing motivation for being active if you're not mindful of your activity levels.
3). Things to consider when you feel you are ready to start exercising again and how you can slowly get back into your routine. There are important things to consider before you start again to help you avoid relapsing.
4). Some simple stretching exercises you can try to get your body slowly moving and loosened up again. You can even try these in bed while laying down!
5). Some suggestions on nutrition and some of the foods that will help you build your energy back up when your body in on the mend.
6). Why making sure you are taking in enough calories before you consider getting back to exercising.
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Thank you again for joining us today on the podcast. No one ever looks forward to being sick and getting back into living an active lifestyle after being sick can be challenging.
We hope this podcast helps motivate you if you are currently ill or just getting over an illness and are looking to get back into exercising again soon.
Your health should be number one priority always and hopefully this episode will help guide you on your own path to recovery and activity.
Til the next episode, take care!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello! and thank you for joining us on today’s podcast. For this episode, we’ll be discussing some of the best strength training exercises for seniors ages 65+
There are some myths about using weights to exercise no matter what age group you’re in. “Will I get too big?”, “Will I lose weight?”.
There are many misconceptions that go along with weight training and we wanted to spend some time discussing these things as well as talk about why weight training is so important especially in seniors.
Even at a later age, weight training has many benefits that not only include strengthen your muscles but helps build up your heart health, balance, posture and mental health as well.
If you’ve been wondering whether or not weight training is something you want t try then this episode is for you.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Some of the reasons why strength training is important especially in the ages of 65+ and up and how this helps seniors live healthier lives during everyday activities.
2). Some areas of the body that are important for building up strength in seniors to help make it easier to manage everyday tasks.
3). Some of Meredith’s recommendations on exercises you should do to strengthen your upper body.
4). Why focusing on the muscle groups that you are exercising is important when doing your strength training and how that is going to always give you a better workout.
5). Why it’s important to not only focus on big muscle groups when strength training but also smaller ones like ankles, feet, and hands.
6). How strengthening your core (lower back, abdominals, etc) is important to keep you balanced and some examples of routines you can do to strengthen this area.
7). Why it is important to work on your grip strength and some of the exercises you can do every day to help build it up.
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Thank you again for joining us on this podcast. We hope the information we talk about here helps you in deciding if it’s right for you to start incorporating more weight training into your regular workouts.
5lb dumbbells, resistance bands, even common items at home like water bottles or cans of soup. It all can be used to help strengthen your body and help you live a healthy and strong life far into your years.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thanks for joining us on today’s podcast. Today’s topic is important as we go through challenging times right now.
Today we’re discussing ways to stay positive and active during challenging times. More specifically right now as we are all challenged by the COVID-19 virus.
Times like this where we are required to social distance ourselves from others and cut ourselves off from loved ones, friends, work, and just about every thing else we are used to.
We felt it was important to address this and give you tips on how to stay motivated, positive and active during this time.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). With COVID-19 disrupting everyone’s lives, what you can do to stay positive and keep moving.
2). Schedule your workout time: Put it on the schedule, and make that time for yourself to get your movement in.
3). Watch your diet: Continue to eat healthy; don’t drastically change your workout now; avoid fatty and fried foods.
4). Stay social: True, we can’t go out and meet in our groups, or do our fitness classes together. But we can get on the phone, we can get apps on our phones or computers that allow us to use the cameras and actually see our loved ones as you talk to them.
5). Get good sleep: With our thoughts going constantly, and in all directions it is hard to sleep. It is so important to try and sleep at night, or get naps throughout the day. Disrupted sleep causes balance issues, memory loss, etc.
6). Limit tv/news time: Remember that it is important to turn off the news and let the mind relax from all the negative we are hearing. We think we will miss breaking news, but I can almost guarantee we will be up to date even if the tv gets turned off for a while.
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Thank you again for joining us on today’s podcast. We hope you have some new ideas and motivation after listening to this episode and if you are going through challenging times right now.
Whether it’s a personal struggle or dealing with our current pandemic situation, it’s so very important to stay positive and healthy.
Til the next episode!
Take Care
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Greetings and thank you for joining us on today’s podcast!
In this episode we discuss how we have decided to now categorize our workout videos which we post weekly on YouTube into 4 different levels of fitness.
We’ve decided to make this change to the way we post workouts because like all generations, not everyone is at the same level of fitness.
The same goes for seniors. Just because you are of a certain age doesn’t mean that you can’t have different levels of fitness for certain workouts.
In doing so, we wanted to challenge this stereotype by offering more varieties of exercises to cater to a broader variety of fitness levels. We hope to have something for everyone. Whether you are just starting out, looking to learn or are very active already and looking for something to challenge yourself. It is now our goal to have a workout(s) for you!
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why we felt it was important to categorize our workout videos into different fitness levels and how we think that will help better serve our audience in the long run and help break down stereotypes of an aging population.
2). Meredith’s experience in working with seniors of all ages and how she has found the big differences in abilities which isn’t necessarily restricted by age. There are older seniors who are just as capable as younger seniors and vice versa.
3). Our definition of the first level which we call the “Learning Level” and why we think this is important to help educate those that wish to know more about proper movements and how they affect your body and your health.
4). Why we felt it was important to include a “Beginner Level” for those who are just starting out and looking to gain confidence with exercising or who prefer a more low impact/seated type of workout. Still very challenging with full ranges of motion and some resistance.
5). How our “Intermediate Level” will serve those that feel they are looking for a little more impact and pacing with their workouts. More intensity than the beginner level with full body range of motion, medium resistance with both sitting and or standing routines.
6). The benefits of our “Advanced Level” workouts which are designed to be a higher impact with resistance, HIIT style workouts with possible ground transitions using some weight resistance. If you feel that you are ready to take your workouts to the next level then the advanced level is for you.
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Thank you again for joining us on this special podcast episode. We are very excited to roll out this new plan of categorizing our workout videos and hope that you find value in this as well.
We want to help you feel comfortable at any level or also give you the confidence to advance farther if you feel that is for you. Whatever your fitness journey is, we want to help you get there.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Greetings and thank you again for joining us on the podcast today!
In this episode, we'll be talking about some tips on improving your balance and posture.
Balance and posture is one of the most important aspects of handling the challenges that we see every day. In seniors, this can be even more difficult if our balance is off or the strength we need to stand tall and stabilize ourselves is lacking
Furthermore, we can't have one without the other. Having a firm posture helps our balance and vice versa.
Fortunately, there are many areas of strengthening our posture and stabilizing our balance that we can work on. Small things that we can concentrate on and practice every day that will help build the stability to handle tasks like getting up out of a chair, walking up some stairs, picking up items off the floor or of course exercising!
All tasks that we can improve upon and feel comfortable doing by being aware of our posture and our balance.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why posture and balance are easily overlooked but is so important to us. It affects just about everything we do physically everyday and can make activities more difficult if not tended to.
2). The side effects that can happen if you experience a fall due to bad balance and how that not only affects you physically but also mentally.
3). The importance of making a point to focus on your posture and standing tall throughout the day. It is easy to forget how often we need to review our posture and it may help to keep reminders on your phone or write them down.
4). Why exercising regularly will help keep your muscles strong to reinforce your balance. Making sure you utilize some resistance training on a regular basis will help strengthen your body overall which in turn will help your balance.
5). How choosing the right footwear can make a big difference in t way we walk, stand and move throughout the day. Having the right shoes that are comfortable and stable will make you feel more confidant and help improve your balance and posture.
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Thank you again for joining us for this important episode. Our balance and posture help us every day in just about everything we do and maintaining strength and stability should be key to an active healthy lifestyle no matter what age.
We hope you found our tips and advice valuable here as we want to provide you with the best information we have to help you feel confidant about improving your posture and balance if it is a problem area for you.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Welcome to another episode of the Senior Fitness With Meredith Podcast!
In this episode, we are taking a closer look at how to set up a schedule for exercise that will give you the best chances of consistency and success.
It’s not easy staying on top of our exercising schedule especially when life can get busy, no matter what age you’re at. Furthermore, exercising may not always be on top of the list as one of the activities we plan for.
So how do we stay consistent?
Great question!:)
Making sure we consider exercise not just another task on the list but also a change of priority in our mindset is key to staying on schedule. It’s not always easy especially if you’re not used to it but it is achievable!
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why keeping a consistent schedule or routine throughout your week is important if you want to see real changes in your health and fitness levels.
2). Why keeping a schedule is not enough, we must prioritize our exercise sessions so that they don’t take a back seat among all of the other activities that we schedule as well.
3). Why mixing up your workouts and adding variety is a good idea when it comes to keeping you excited and interested in maintaining a consistent workout schedule.
4). How scheduling workouts with friends or even a trainer can also help you stay accountable to a workout schedule. Sometimes knowing someone is counting on you can help.
5). 4 – 5 actual real world steps you can take to get your schedule started with exercising and how to set it up so that it works for you in the long run.
6). How keeping track of what you’ve already accomplished or achieved is a great way to help you stay motivated and organized about your fitness goals
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Thank you again as always for joining us for this podcast. We really hope that the tips and advice we present here help you in your own quest to take control of your health and wellness.
It’s not easy making changes in your life to set up a schedule for exercise but with some planning, encouragement, and support we have all the confidence in the world that you can do it and we will be there to help you.
Til the next episode, take care!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Greetings and thanks for joining us on the podcast today!
For this episode, we wanted to get back to the basics of weight loss. There is so much information available now about losing weight that it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
What weight loss strategies are best for you? How can you ensure that they will work?
These are all questions we ask ourselves as we start out on our weight loss journeys. No two paths will be the same as everyone is different.
Knowing the basics of how to lose weight is important when it comes to being successful in a way that works for you.
Diving into this episode, we discuss everything you need to know to get started.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). How it can be overwhelming when learning about weight loss because of all of the information available online which can lead to mis-implementing a weight loss plan that doesn’t lead to the results you are looking for.
2). Meredith’s recommendations on how often you should be exercising per week and some great cardio exercises you can incorporate into your weekly workouts that can help ignite your weight loss.
3). Why strength training and building muscle benefits when it comes to weight loss. Debunking the myth that putting on muscle weight doesn’t help you lose weight.
4). Why keeping track of nutrition and what you’re eating is just as important or perhaps more than just exercising on a regular basis when it comes to successful weight loss.
5). Why it’s important to take time to learn how many calories are in the foods you regularly eat and what your caloric intake should be per day to give you a better idea of how many calories you consume in one day.
6). Why weight loss and “dieting” doesn’t mean you can never eat some of your favorite foods again. Moderation and balance is what’s important and making sure you primarily take in healthy calories but also not depriving your body of what you crave from time to time.
7). Why true weight loss isn’t about measuring numbers on a scale but feeling good about how you feel. Creating the “habit” of eating healthier and exercising regularly is the main goal and weight loss will be a side effect of that.
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Thanks again for joining us today. We hope this podcast is helpful to you and your goals of gaining health which leads to losing weight but more importantly feeling better overall.
Your journey to a healthier you is your own to follow and staying on course is what it’s all about. Hopefully, we can help you get started on the right track and celebrate your success!
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thanks for joining us today for this great episode!
On today’s podcast, we’re diving into something that affects everyone, especially in our seniors.
Stress!
Stress affects everyone on a daily basis and depending on who you are, what you have going on in life and many other factors, stress can wreak havoc on your mind a body.
Seniors especially deal with stress on a daily basis. The idea that they aren’t as stressed as younger generations because they are retired and have less to worry about is very far from the truth.
Dealing with stress is important and we all do it differently. However one f the best ways to counteract the effects of stress is regular exercise. No matter what age you are, this is one of the best ways to bring your stress levels down and allow you to focus.
This also means seniors as well. We are never too old or too young to learn how to handle the challenges that stress brings upon us.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). The myth that as you get older, there should be less stress with retirement etc. and how seniors carry immense amounts of stress dealing with life events that occur during later stages in life.
2). Some things you can do outside of exercise that can help manage stress levels on a daily basis including working on your breathing, talking to someone or focusing on a hobby or activity.
3). How there is a direct link between physically feeling better from exercise and feeling better mentally and emotionally about yourself and your environment.
4). Some examples of workouts or exercises you can try at home that will help you deal with stress levels as well as referrals to the workouts we offer for free at www.SeniorFitnessWithMeredith.com/workouts that will help you manage your stress.
5). How both cardio and weight training help you focus on the task you are doing and help get your mind off of the things that are contributing to your stress.
6). The benefits of adopting breathing and meditation as stress deterrent techniques and how this is also true for high impact type cardio exercises. Getting your heart rate up or slowing down through meditation both have significant benefits.
7). How often you should be exercising on a weekly basis to help make a difference in managing your stress.
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Thanks again for joining us today. Our hopes are that this helps inspire you to adopt a fitness regimen if you find yourself challenged by a stressful life.
It is proven that exercise can help with the demands that stress brings upon our bodies and minds and hopefully you find this true as well.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thanks for joining us today on the podcast!
In this episode, we are discussing one of the more popular items of workout equipment that we found our seniors love to use, resistance bands!
Resistance bands are one of the best ways to add strength training to any workout. They are very versatile and can be used to work just about any body part.
Adding resistance to your exercises is a great way to build muscle which will help you with balance, posture and keep you flexible. Doing common things every day like lifting objects, moving through crowds or just walking up stairs all require good balance and having strong limbs will help keep you active.
Resistance bands are very easy to use and are perfect for your “home gym” or workout area since they require no space and can be packed away easily.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What resistance bands are, what they are made of, how they got popular and the basics of we can use them.
2). A quick break down of how resistance bands come in different “weight” sizes and how that can benefit you as you get stronger.
3). Some great examples of upper body workouts you can do with resistance bands. For examples visit us at www.SeniorFitnessWithMeredith.com/workouts
4). More great examples of how you can use resistance bands to work your lower body like legs, hips etc. For examples visit us at www.SeniorFitnessWithMeredith.com/workouts
5). Tips on how you can get started with resistance bands and some things you can keep in mind when deciding what weight to start with.
6). Why resistance bands make a great addition to your home workouts and also the benefits of being able to travel with them to get workouts in when you’re away from home or your gym.
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Thanks again for joining us for this episode. We hope you have gained some insight into how resistance bands are a great “low impact” way to add strength and stability to your whole body.
If you haven’t tried them yet then we hope this episode gives you some insight into their benefits.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thanks for joining us for this episode!
We wanted to devote a full podcast to osteoporosis and how that can affect your active and physical life.
Osteoporosis is a very common disease and is a condition in which the bones become weak and brittle often causing complications during falls or other physical activity that can threaten a bone break.
The disease is responsible for an estimated two million broken bones per year, yet nearly 80 percent of older Americans who suffer bone breaks are not tested or treated for osteoporosis. One in two women and up to one in four men over age 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
So how does this affect you if you suffer from this disease and yet still want to live an active lifestyle with exercise and physical activity?
Obviously there are safety concerns that must be taken into consideration but that doesn’t mean you have to live a non-active life.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). What osteoporosis is and why this is cause for concern in our senior population.
2). Answering the question “Can I still exercise with this disease?” and why it’s so important to know what will work for you.
3). Some of the reasons why exercise is avoided by those who live with this disease and how the fear of falling or breaking a bone can sideline someone for partaking in physical activity.
4). Great examples of exercises that you can do to help strengthen the body which is your best defense against falls or breaks which are low impact and use light weights and resistance.
5). Tips for healthcare workers or physical trainers on how listening to your patients and clients are important and understanding their limitations or needs to better serve them.
6). Some motivational tips on staying active even if you live with this disease and why it doesn’t have to stop you from being active, healthy and feeling great.
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Thank you again for joining us. Osteoporosis is a very common fact for many baby boomers and can affect the way we live our lives. Fear of falling or having a bone break can sideline us mentally yet it doesn’t have to be that way.
We hope this podcast provided some insight into how you can still live a very active lifestyle while managing this disease.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello again and thanks for swinging by for this episode of the senior fitness podcast with Meredith.
In this sit down session, we are talking about one of our favorite subjects: In-Home Workouts!
Why are these kinds of workouts so much fun to talk about? Because you don't need a gym or in some cases, even equipment to do them!
Gym memberships are all the rage these days and we can easily see why. Physical fitness is becoming more popular among many age groups especially baby boomers and gyms want to capitalize on this.
But do you really need to go to a gym to feel good and exercise? We think that you can still get a great low or high impact workout at home with little to no equipment necessary.
By sticking to a weekly routine and saving that gym membership fee, we believe that you can stay in shape, feel good about yourself and save money all at the same time. You can even invite a friend over to exercise with you!
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). How working out at home has become easier than ever with all of the available resources online, especially our YouTube channel and website www.SeniorFitnessWithMeredith.com!
2). How there is a growing demand among seniors to gain more access to fitness and wellness resources whether that would be online or in the home or living centers.
3). Some of the pros and cons of exercising at home and how these could either benefit you or be difficult to manage depending on your lifestyle.
4). Examples of some great in-home workouts that will work your upper and lower body and that don't require any equipment.
5). Why resistance bands are great for workouts at home because they are cheap, easy to use and don't require any extra storage space.
6). How you can still get a great cardio workout at home or in your neighborhood without the need of a treadmill or stationary bike.
7). Why getting used to working out at home also means you can workout anywhere like vacations, trips to visit relatives or just about anywhere without relying on a gym membership.
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Hopefully after listening to this episode you will feel just as inspired as we are at team Meredith about workouts that you can do in your very own home.
Gyms are great and have perks that you may not have in your residence but that doesn't mean they are the end-all way to get exercise. Far from it as you can see.
We hope you enjoy this episode and you find the motivation to save that gym money and use what you already have to feel great every day.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Thanks for joining us on this weeks podcast! For this episode we will be discussing important information on falling prevention in seniors.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: One in four Americans aged 65+ falls each year. Every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall; every 19 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall.
Falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults. Falls result in more than 2.8 million injuries treated in emergency departments annually, including over 800,000 hospitalizations and more than 27,000 deaths.
Source: https://www.ncoa.org/news/resources-for-reporters/get-the-facts/falls-prevention-facts/
Fall prevention awareness is crucial to sustaining a healthy and active lifestyle as a senior. Moreover, if you work in health care, having people knowledge about fall prevention can help you and others in times of need.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). The overall definition of what fall prevention is and why it is a cause for concern in seniors.
2). The different kinds of injuries that can occur during a fall and how it can go un-reported thus causing after effects that can be serious later on.
3). Why being aware of your surroundings and slowing down will greatly reduce the chances of a fall. Also, being mindful of your own movements will help with avoiding serious falls.
4). How keeping your body strong by exercising and focusing on areas like your core, back and legs will allow you to build good balance and strength for support.
5). Different types of exercises that will help build your muscles and core strong that you can do at home, anytime.
6). How using assistive devices like walkers or cranes can help with your balance and strength and tips on how to use them correctly.
7). How the fear of falling can affect confidence and ways to go about building up your confidence so that fear doesn't affect your choices in life.
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Thank you again for joining us today on the podcast. Going into detail about fall prevention was one of our goals this year as it affects so many seniors in our communities.
Keeping yourself aware of the problems it causes not just for seniors but for their loved ones is an important step into preventing these events.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredtih
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello again and thanks for joining us for this week’s podcast!
For today’s discussion we’re diving into the best cardio based exercises for seniors ages 65+.
Cardio exercise has many benefits and should always be included into your weekly routines. The good news is that there are many ways to get cardio exercise in and in some ways may be much easier than you think.
No matter what age you are, ability, limitation or flexibility, cardio health can be achieved with simple movements and modifications.
Being in great cardio shape helps greatly with things like going up and down stairs, walking, carrying grandbabies, swimming and many more daily routine type activities.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). The definition of great cardio health and why it’s so important to us at any age. So many activities we do everyday are affected by our cardio shape.
2). Why walking is one of the best exercises for seniors and how you can vary your speed and or incline to get a great workout with just a simple activity.
3). The benefits of riding a recumbent bike and how it’s great for folks who may have issues with knees and joints. It’s a great way to get a low impact cardio work out in even if you have physical limitations.
4). Why working out in water or “aqua” workouts are a great way to get your cardio exercise in due to it’s supportive and low impact nature. There are many moves and routines you can do in water which may be difficult on land,
5). Some great examples of easy cardio workouts that you can do in the comfort of your own home, in a chair or in any room of your house. Cardio exercises can be done anywhere!
6). How adding light resistance to your cardio workouts (hand weights etc) can help with building up your cardio health much faster as well.
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Thank you again for listening to us today. Hopefully this episode has inspired you to adopt some great cardio exercises into your weekly routines on a regular basis.
Of course all of the activities mentioned here in this podcast are great for all ages. Good cardio health is the foundation for everyone to build an active lifestyle on and will give you the energy you need to conquer your day!
See you at the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thanks for joining us on this week's episode!
This podcast is all about working out in the water or "aqua workouts". This could mean many things but primarily we are referring to exercising in some kind of pool or could also be at a beach setting.
There are many benefits to getting your exercise in a pool. Being in water is easier on your joints and muscles because of the buoyancy of the water, not to mention helping with balance and control of your movements.
Of course if you choose a beach setting, the open ocean behave differently than a pool but still has great opportunities for strengthening your balance as well.
Swimming laps is good for your cardio health and also provides great resistance training at the same time.
If you've never considered working out in a pool then hopefully this episode opens you up to the idea. Especially if you already have existing join or muscle issues.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). A few reasons and benefits you gain from working out or exercising in the water like less pressure on your joints and knees.
2). How joining a good water exercise class can make a big difference in teaching you new movements and workouts that you might not have been able to do in normal land based classes.
3). Why safety should always be taken into consideration first when entering the water for a workout and the importance of either working out in a group or letting someone know you are exercising in the water in case of emergency.
4). The benefits of getting a workout at the beach in the water and how it differs from exercising in a pool under more controlled circumstances.
5). Why joining a water class can also be a social experience as well with other members that can make working out in a pool lots of fun!
6). Learning about "Aqua Therapy" and the benefits of having physical therapy sessions in a pool setting.
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Thank you again for visiting us for this episode! Aqua workouts are a great way to mix up your exercising and keep things fresh!
Doing simple laps, stretching, balancing, arm and leg movements all benefit your body in a low impact manner and helps ease the pressure your joints would feel during a normal workout.
We hope you give water workouts a try if you haven't already!
Til the next episode,
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Greetings and thanks for swinging by for this week's podcast!
For this episode we are wrapping up 2019 and talking about how you can establish new health goals for 2020 and also how to make sure you stick with them.
Setting goals and following through to achieve them can be difficult to do. Everyone looks at things he or she wants to improve and a new year is always a popular time to try and do just that.
But how do we stick to them?
For our last podcast of the year, we wanted to discuss this idea of setting goals or "resolutions" and what that really means. It's not always easy to keep them going especially if your goals are health based.
Lose weight, eat better, get more rest, more exercise etc. These are all common goals we all have at one point or another and hopefully this podcast will help you plan your goals and conquer them!
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why setting "goals" instead of "resolutions" is a better way to approach the things you'd like to accomplish in the new year.
2). How setting goals and looking to better yourself health wise isn't tied to age and how seniors still take advantage of setting health goals as any other generation would.
3). Some great tips on how to get started on your fitness goals and some resources and ideas you can look into in your own communities.
4). Ways that can help you stick to your goals and keep you motivated to work on them when the initial excitement phase has decreased.
5). How healthcare workers or trainers can/should help motivate you to stay on track and hold you accountable for the goals you have by using positive feedback and progress meters.
6). Some insight into the growth of the senior generation adopting better health habits like exercise and diet and how it's creating a healthier generation.
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Thanks again for joining us today. Setting goals and sticking to them isn't easy. We all want to improve ourselves and if your goals are to get healthier with exercise and diet this next year then hopefully you found this episode useful to you.
No matter what your goals are, being able to focus on what you want to achieve and doing the things necessary to stick to them is key in being successful.
Happy New Year and we will see you at the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thanks for joining us on this episode of the Senior Fitness Podcast with Meredith.
Today's discussion focuses around "High Intensity Interval Training" or "HIIT" workouts for short. If you exercise regularly or keep up with workout trends then you may have heard of this term before.
But what it is it?
Hit workouts can pretty much be summed up in their name... high intensity movements that get your heart rate up for short bursts of time followed by a small rest period and then repeated over multiple sets.
However, the moves you do and the exercises you fit into those "work" periods can vary greatly depending on your age, level and condition. The good news is that anyone can do them, including seniors!
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). The detailed definition of a HIIT workout is and how it compares to a normal workout routine when it comes to your cardio health.
2). How HIIT workouts still apply to seniors and how they can help your lung capacity, mobility and everyday activities.
3). Some great examples of doing a seated HIIT workout that applies to anyone who may prefer sitting while working out. You can still reap the benefits of HIIT training!
4). More examples of a full body HIIT workout that incorporates cardio and weights (resistance) but also without weights. The movements will still benefit your health.
5). How often HIIT workouts should be included into your weekly exercise routines and why you should always go at your own pace.
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Thanks again for swinging by the podcast today and joining us for our HIIT workout discussion. These type of workouts can be useful to anyone if done correctly and with the right up front preparation.
The benefits of incorporating HIIT workouts into your own routine can help jump start your cardio and strength conditioning and improve your overall health.
Researching before you start is important especially if you have limitations or are new to exercising in general. We highly recommend you do a little bit of research on what movements would work best for you first before diving in.
Once you have a plan for what you'd like to try for your HIIT workout, give it a go and try to stick with it a few times a week. You'll definitely start to feel a difference in your overall health.
Thanks again and we'll see you at the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thank you for joining us on today’s podcast!
For this episode, we are talking about one of the more popular health and fitness topics, how to trim belly fat.
Fat around the waist (Or wherever you feel you have it) is something we all have and that we all either love it, don’t mind it or aren’t a fan. If you fall into the category of “not a fan” then perhaps this podcast can help clear some things up about how to help lower it.
Belly fat is an area that can be misunderstood in fitness and not everyone will go about losing this weight the right way.
If your attempts at trimming your belly fat or problem areas aren’t giving you the kind of results you’re looking for then we hope this podcast can help get you back on track!
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why there is a misunderstanding about belly fat and why people think that doing crunches or sit ups are supposed to be the solution to getting rid of it.
2). How your diet, portion size and what you eat has a big effect on fat not only around your waistline but throughout your whole body and why you’ll need to look at your eating habits if you want a slimmer waist.
3). Why sometimes losing weight or belly fat can be difficult to do because it requires both consistent regular exercise and healthy eating habits which can mean lifestyle changes for some.
4). A few examples of exercising that you can start today or incorporate into your own workouts to focus on burning more fat consistently.
5). How getting proper rest can also directly affect your weight and why incorporating restful hours of sleep is important when it comes to losing weight around your belly and overall.
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Thanks again for listening to this episode! We hope that it helps clear up some of the misunderstandings that exist about how to lower fat not just around the belly but overall.
Belly fat can be troublesome for some people though and having clear knowledge about what you can do to feel better about lowering it (if you feel you want to) can help get you going in the right direction so that you see results over time and stay inspired to keep healthy habits.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
In this episode of our podcast we're discussing a topic that affects many people of all ages but specifically in our senior population.
Depression is a serious mental health issue and we wanted to dedicate an episode to shining the light on ways to cope and heal from it.
Depression can affect anyone and there are many reasons why it can occur. What's more important though is how to overcome it.
The difficulty of dealing with depression is that most people who are depressed don't know it and therefore it can go un-diagnosed and un-treated.
This can easily lead to isolation and declining health both mentally and physically. This is what we want to avoid especially for our seniors.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why depression doesn't get enough attention or isn't talked about enough in our senior population and how we can better address it to help.
2). The correlation between depression, mental health and physical health and why they are tightly related to each other. Feelings of depression can physically wear you down and how to overcome it.
3). Some examples that can trigger depression in our seniors and identifying the signs of someone who could be depressed.
4). Ways to help someone who may be depressed including support groups, therapy, daily check ins, physical exercise and communication to name a few.
5). How simple physical activities like walking or swimming can help someone who may be depressed and allow them to begin the process of healing.
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Thank you for listening to this episode. We wanted to make sure that we took time to address this side of mental health that not only affects one person, but everyone around them.
Finding ways overcome depression should always be number one priority if you know a loved one who may shows signs. Physical activity should also be a part of recovery as it helps the body heal from the weight of depressed feelings
We hope this episode helps those out there who are dealing with depression themselves or know someone who is. Always try to seek help and stay active.
Til next episode,
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
On today's podcast we'll be looking at some common misconceptions about exercise and how they can affect motivation or stifle physical activity all together.
Getting regular exercise is healthy for the body no matter what age you are. But if you have certain doubts or misconceptions about how exercise is good for your body (or how it isn't) then this could lead to adopting unhealthy habits or unproductive workouts that show little to no results.
This can be frustrating for some, especially if you're not a big fan of exercising and getting regular physical activity to begin with.
We wanted to dedicate this episode to tackling some of these myths in hopes to help you better understand why exercising is good for your body and help clear out any misconceptions you may have.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). How having misconceptions about exercising can sometimes prevent someone from not wanting to workout at all thus missing great health benefits that they may not be aware of.
2). Why having the fear of getting too many "muscles" or getting too big with lifting weights isn't necessarily a truth and how using resistance with weights can be a good thing.
3). Common misconceptions about back related injuries and how this affects many people where they might think exercise will cause more problems for them and why this isn't necessarily the case.
4). How implementing a slow and steady workout pace to start will help your confidence when either just starting out or returning from injury. This will help calm a lot of fears that we can have when exercising.
5). Why there is a misconception about exercising but not necessarily maintaining a healthy diet and how that can lead to little results with your workouts. Both diet and exercise are important
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Thanks again for joining us on this episode. We hope this helps clarify the role that exercise can play in your life and why we shouldn't be afraid to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Defining true exercise routines and educating ourselves on how they really help us is important, especially if you're just starting out.
Here's to a long and healthy life!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Greetings and thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Senior Fitness Podcast with Meredith.
Not getting enough sleep is a problem for many people and especially can be true for our senior demographic. Surprisingly the older we get, the less sleep we seem to achieve.
There are many reasons that could contribute to less than restful sleeping habits like dealing with medical conditions, frequent trips to the bathroom, restless legs etc.
Some of these can be helped with proper advice from your doctor there are also many other things we can take a look at that don't necessarily require medication.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). The overall reason why getting good sleep is important and how it helps your body both physically and mentally, also some of the side effects we can experience from lack of good rest.
2). How sticking to a consistent schedule every night when it's time to get your rest can help your body slow down and prepare for sleep. This can help improve your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
3). Why checking with your doctor if any combination of medications that you could be taking can have the side effects of keeping you up at night or not allowing you to fall asleep naturally.
4). How sleeping with your pets on your bed can have negative effects on your sleeping consistency by their movement or attentiveness which can keep you awake without you even knowing it.
5). How frequent bathroom visits during the night disturbs your sleeping habits and how important it is to do your best to empty your bladder before you got to bed starting at least 2 hours ahead of time. Or if you need to, consider wearing an adult diaper to help with the frequency of your bathroom visits. Your sleep is most important!
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Thanks again for joining us on this episode. Getting good sleep is something that we all would like to have more of. Aside from using safe and prescribed medications, as you can see by this episode there are many other options to try that could help improve your sleeping habits.
We hope that after listening to this podcast you are able to try some of these tips mentioned here to help you focus on your sleeping routine. Getting better sleep not only helps the body recover but also helps rest the mind.
A good's night rest is the best way to be prepared for the daily challenges we face at any age and especially in our senior generation.
Til next episode.
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Greetings and thank you again for joining us on this episode of the Senior Fitness Podcast with Meredith.
In this episode, we’re discussing ways you can still stay active even if you have physical limitations either from a past injury or any kind of limited movement.
Being able to stay active is important to maintaining not only physical health but mental health as well. Sometime we may feel like we can’t exercise because of pain or limits that we feel our bodies have.
This is not always true and we are most likely capable of doing a little more than we think we can. Of course everyone is different and what may work for one person may not work for someone else.
However, with some important research, dedication and practice, there are ways to find movements that can help you body stay healthy and strong even with physical limitations.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why we sometimes think having a physical limitation or injury has to sideline us from doing any kind of physical activity and why doctors should be more proactive in encouraging activity even with limitations.
2). Why learning about the human body and it’s capabilities is important when teaching classes or exercising on your own so you have the knowledge on when to stress certain areas of movement and when to modify safely for limitations.
3). How knowing the correlation between physical activity and mental health is important and how fear of exercising can stifle physical activity which then affects mental state. There are ways to build up confidence to get back into an exercise routine.
4). What “Range Of Motion” exercising is and why it might be the best way to get back into a schedule of working out especially if you’ve been away from it for a while.
5). The important notion that you should always consider some kind of exercise and motion even if you have an injury or a limitation. Being able to stay motivated to move will get you through challenging times and allow you to learn that you can still exercise and work with you limitations instead of letting them sideline you.
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Thanks again for joining us today on this episode. Dealing with physical limitations and working through injuries is not always easy. We may want to exercise but our bodies can make us feel like we are limited which can lead to feeling un-motivated and un-inspired.
But hopefully in this podcast you can take away some value as to how you can still remain active even while having some sort of physical limitation.
There are always ways we can stay happy and healthy and our hopes are that this helps inspire if you’re struggling with exercise or if you are a healthcare industry worker and would like to help inspire your clients.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Greetings and thanks again for joining us on the Senior Fitness with Meredith podcast
Today's topic dives into the relation between physical health and mental health and how they closely affect each other.
Staying in great physical health has many benefits, a lot of which keep the body feeling great and in top shape. But there is also a strong correlation between physical health and mental health that affects things like your mood, attitude and emotions.
This affects all of us but can also be detrimental to our seniors especially if there is not enough physical activity.
Staying in a positive state of mind at any age is important as it keeps us mentally able to handle the ins and outs of our daily lives.
Stress can easily add up as we go through the week and adding exercise to our daily routines can help combat mental exhaustion
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why people who stay physically active tend to be in better moods, have positive attitudes, feel more independent and overall have a positive outlook on life especially in the senior population.
2). Why being physically active doesn't just mean working out or going to the gym. This also means easily doing things like walking regularly or stretching. Staying mobile and keeping yourself active also matters.
3). The reason mental health is important especially in the senior community and how good health leads to feeling more independent and feeling more confidant to overcome everyday challenges.
4). Some great easy workouts that you can try at home to help get you started which will help you feel better not only physically but mentally as well.
5). Why it's important to keep track of you mood, stay in check, and how you can embrace easy regular physical activity to help stay mentally well overall and improve your quality of life personally and socially.
Thanks again for listening to this episode. We hope that it helps you better understand why it's important to stay physically active especially for seniors.
Being in a healthy state of mind comes from many things in our lives and being in great physical health with weekly exercise is a major contributor to our mental wellness.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and welcome to another Senior Fitness Podcast with Meredith! For this episode we are talking about the importance of stretching and flexibility.
Keeping your body loose and relaxed is an important aspect of living a healthy lifestyle. Life can get busy and and cause us to tense our bodies, to the point where we may not even realize we are doing it.
Stretching on a daily basis and keeping ourselves relaxed can make a big difference in how we feel and carry ourselves.
The great thing about stretching is that you can do it anytime, and anywhere. Even if you don't have the energy to do a full workout, you can still do some simple stretching exercises to help you feel more relaxed.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why flexibility and stretching are so important to us and how they can affect our daily lives in a positive and healthy way
2). Why our flexibility declines with age and how muscle pain and aches can deter you from stretching regularly and how to avoid this.
3). Some examples of stretching exercises you can try at home (seated if you like) that will help your back, lower body and arms.
4). More examples of stretches that will help you upper back, neck, legs and core.
5). What "Range of Motion" is and why being aware of your limitations at start can help you build up your range of motion over time with consistent stretching.
6). Why starting off your day with simple stretching when your body is just waking up may be better for most people and then going into heavier full body stretching later in the day or evening can give you the best benefits.
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Thank you again for listening to this week's podcast. We hope this episode on the benefits of stretching and flexibility helps you decide on what is best for you.
Everyone is different and our bodies respond differently to stretching so always take the time to figure out what works best for your body. There are no rules to follow that works for everyone, only what you feel comfortable with.
Til the next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Welcome to another Senior Fitness Podcast with Meredith, we’re glad you could join us!
In this episode we are looking at ways to help you find the right fitness classes, gym or trainer.
Getting started in fitness can be overwhelming or intimidating and if you’re not quite sure where to start then let us just say that you are not alone!:)
If you are ready to start your fitness journey and are curious about whether you should join a group class, a gym or perhaps hire a personal trainer then we want to help get you on the right path.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
1). Why being more proactive by researching and communicating with people when it comes to finding a fitness program that works for you is the best way to start.
2). Why you should always consult with your doctor before you get started about any limitations or things to be aware of especially if you’ve had past surgeries or injuries.
3). How “sitting in” or just observing a group fitness class first before you try it out can help give you a better idea on whether or not the class will work for you.
4). Some important aspects to keep in mind if you are looking to hire a personal trainer for one on one type training sessions.
5). Tips on researching whether a bigger class size or smaller group setting provides a comfortable workout experience for you. Or if you may prefer one on one training.
6). Why communicating with other people and looking into multiple options for either group classes, gyms or trainers will give you the best results when you are ready to start your exercise regimen that you will feel comfortable with.
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Thank you so much for joining us today for this episode.
Finding the right fitness classes, gyms or trainers can be overwhelming especially if you are new to exercise and fitness.
There’s no shame in asking questions and trying different classes out before you decide on what works for you.
I hope you have enjoyed this episode and that it’s helps you with your fitness journey.
Til next episode!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Welcome to another episode of the Senior Fitness Podcast with Meredith.
For this session, we’re breaking down the importance of maintaining a regular schedule for your exercise sessions and how to stay motivated to stick with them.
Staying motivated to exercise is something that we all deal with no matter what age, level or ability you’re at. It’s something that challenges us all.
Luckily, there are things we can do and remember to help keep us on track whether you live independently, in assisted living, or if you are a trainer or healthcare worker and want to find ways to get your clients motivated.
Hopefully, this episode will help provide some clear insight into what derailments to avoid, how to prioritize your exercise and most importantly, how to stay motivated through it all.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why scheduling your workouts and staying motivated go hand in hand when it comes to staying on track and making exercise a priority in your life.
2). How staying on a consistent workout schedule for seniors is the best way to get exercise in regardless if you live or work in an assisted or independent living facility or if you live at home.
3). How procrastination affects motivation and how it can de-rail your scheduling plans and fitness goals. Also some great tips on how to avoid procrastinating and keeping yourself accountable.
4). The importance of working out in a group setting or classes and how they can be fun and help keep you motivated.
5). How finding the right motivation to exercise (better balance, feeling better etc) is important to define once you start working out and how this will help you feel better about your progress.
6). How exercising regularly not only helps keep you physically healthy but also can have positive effects on mental and emotional state.
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Thanks for joining us on this week’s podcast. We hope you are able to gain some value from this episode and either help you with staying on track in your own workouts, or if you work in the health care industry, give you some great tips on how to get your clients motivated to exercise.
Also if you have any suggestions, comments or feedback please feel free to reach out at anytime. We’d love to hear from you!
Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Greetings and welcome to another episode of the Senior Fitness Podcast with Meredith.
In this episode, Meredith discusses yoga and how it can benefit the body and mind at any age.
In today's world yoga has become much more accepted as a form of exercise and is seen as another great way to strengthen your body and mind.
For our senior generation, there is really no better time than now to try yoga. There are moves and modifications to traditional poses that are specifically designed to feel comfortable for seniors, even if you are seated.
If you've ever been curious about what all the hype is about or are just wanting to try something new then this episode is for you.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). How yoga has become much more accepted as a fitness exercise for people of all ages and some of the misconceptions that mislead folks to think that yoga isn't for them. You can do it too!
2). Why practicing yoga correctly has the ability to relax your body as well as provide strengthening and cardio all in one.
3). How yoga can benefit our senior generation (ages 65+) in the same way that younger generations benefit but by using more focused poses and routines specifically tailored to this age group.
4). How yoga is not only standing and posing but can also be done in a chair or tailored to your comfort level so you can benefit from it no matter what physical limitations you may have.
5). Some recommendations on how often you should incorporate yoga into your weekly schedule.
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Thank you again for joining us today. As mentioned above yoga is a great workout no matter what age or level of fitness you are at.
There are moves and positions that can be utilized by seniors to give you the same strength in your body and restfulness of the mind.
Practicing yoga on a regular basis and adding it to your workouts is a great way to give you body new ways to strengthen itself to provide balance and stability it needs and uses every day.
I hope you found this episode useful and helpful. As always, only try workouts that feel comfortable for you and never try to force yourself beyond what you feel may cause discomfort. If you have any questions or comments feel free to reach out at any time.
Meredith@seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com
Keeping you healthy is the number one priority at all times.
Til the next episode!
Mike - Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Hello and thanks for joining us on the podcast today!
For this episode, we wanted to dive right into discussing some great exercises targeted towards ages 65+, our senior generation.
Exercising and fitness benefit the body, mind and health no matter what age you are at. Keeping your body in good health by regular exercise along with eating a healthy diet provides the body what it needs to help us with day to day activities.
In this episode, Meredith discusses some of these beneficial exercises that you can do in your own home and how they help your body stay in the kind of shape it needs.
As always, you’ll want to only do movements and exercises that you feel comfortable with as everyone has specific needs that pertain to them.
Meredith discusses many movements in this podcast, most of which you can see some examples of on our YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/seniorfitnesswithmeredith) as well as our website www.SeniorFitnessWithMeredith.com.
In This Podcast You Will Learn:
1). Why the 65+ age group is a generation that requires a certain level of attention when coming up with workouts and exercises that will benefit the body.
2). Some great cardio workouts for seniors that focus on building up heart health and is lower impact to prevent injury or fatigue.
3). Resistance and strengthening workouts that you can do easily at home for your upper body and back to help with standing, sitting and carrying heavier objects.
4). How workouts that help build strength in your lower body or legs can help with everyday movements like standing and walking. Having a little more strength can go a long way!
5). How you can incorporate these simple and easy workout suggestions into your daily life so that they don’t feel like a chore and can be enjoyable to do while at home.
6). Why focusing on your core (stomach, abdomen etc.) is the foundation for your body to move and why it’s important for seniors to embrace workouts that strengthen the core and how it can help them.
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Thank you again for listening to our podcast! Hopefully, you find some useful information here that can help you build and maintain a healthy body and mind.
As stated earlier, staying fit with exercise helps our bodies no matter what age we are at and hopefully this episode was helpful to you.
We always aim to inform all of our seniors looking to find more information on health and fitness as well as healthcare workers, physical trainers, and instructors.
Til the next episode!
Mike – Team Meredith
Support the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
Welcome to the podcast friends, we are very excited about this episode because we get to talk about one of our favorite subjects... food!Well, nutrition in general and how we can make sure our seniors get the best information and coaching on nutritional needs today.In most cases, knowledge of nutrition has been passed down from year to year but that doesn't always mean that good nutritional information is available. Especially in our "Baby Boomer" population, the information on nutrition and food has changed over the years and making sure we serve and cook the healthiest of meals is important to sustaining the body and mind at any age.In This Episode You Will Learn:1). Some of the common habits that seniors have about diet which can unknowingly have negative health effects on the aging body and how to help modify for healthier options.2). Why portion sizes and protein intake are still very important at a later age and how it should still be a priority to include in any meal for seniors.3). A few ways to help gently emphasize healthier eating habits (a balanced plate) in seniors that may need to adjust their diet because of health issues like digestive complications, chewing or diabetes.4). How doing research on different options in fruits and vegetables can help provide the same benefits for seniors without possible side effects. 5). Why including research with your meals is important to putting together balanced and healthy meals for yourself or for someone you may care for and the health benefits behind it.///Thank you again for joining us here. Getting to chat about food and nutrition should always be an open topic and hopefully you found some value in this episode.Whether you work in healthcare, fitness training or are a senior yourself, we aim to give you the best information on helping you understand nutrition for seniors and how to go about approaching trying new healthy options and learning about existing ones.Til the next episode!Mike - Team MeredithSupport the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
In this episode, we’ll be talking about some very useful tips on how to help seniors get motivated to exercise and help explain why it’s helpful to their overall health.Let’s face it, exercising can be very intimidating for some seniors and we don’t always do a great job of explaining the health benefits or most importantly, making it fun! There are many reasons why simple fitness routines may not appeal to the senior generation and in this episode Meredith breaks down some great & simple ways to approach emphasizing fitness in seniors and how to make it fun and meaningful for everyone.Whether you’re a fitness trainer, healthcare worker, or a senior yourself looking to find more information on why exercising is a great way to live healthier then hopefully you will find this podcast very useful.In This Podcast You Will Learn:1). Why it’s important to make sure that keeping seniors motivated about exercising and feeling healthy is important.2). How motivating seniors and keeping them interested in fitness should be considered part of your responsibilities if you are looking to get into training or caretaking.3). Why it’s important to always make anyone you are training with feel comfortable about their movements and never force any uncomfortable moves. Make it comfortable and fun for them!4). How it’s good practice to breakdown your workouts and let your seniors know how the exercises can help with everyday functions like carrying groceries or picking up items from the floor. Everything has a function.5). Always to stay happy, friendly and personable which will help keep them motivated and want to keep exercising.// Exercise and movement when done at the correct comfort level is a great way to stay active and healthy, no matter what age you are.Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. Hopefully, you find some great information here that will help you and perhaps answer some of your questions about motivating our seniors to live more active lives.Til the next episode!Mike – Team MeredithSupport the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)
We’re finally rolling out our very first podcast series! And to kick things off we’re diving right into learning more about Meredith herself starting with this episode: “Introduction To Senior Fitness With Meredith”!Our goal behind starting a podcast is to have the opportunity to go into more detail on issues surrounding senior wellness and health. To touch on topics that not only include physical fitness, but overall mental and emotional state of our quickly growing senior population.With this first episode, we’re taking the opportunity to get to know Meredith in depth and how her passion for fitness led her to working with seniors and loving it!In This Podcast You Will Learn:1). What sparked her passion for health, wellness and fitness and how that transitioned into working with seniors.2). What makes working with seniors so rewarding and how it challenges her to be more educated in overall senior health and empathetic to their unique needs.3). Some of the differences between younger seniors (ages 55 – 70) and the older seniors (75 +) when approaching wellness or physical activities.4). Some advice for anyone who is looking to get into senior fitness training and/or wellness and why it’s different than training a younger demographic.5). The hopes in reaching seniors who may not have access to the kind of information here on our website and to help provide value to other healthcare industry workers so that they can gain knowledge about senior care and wellness.Thank you so much for taking a moment to check out this podcast, especially our very first episode! Hopefully we’ve been able to provide some value to you in regards to why we believe starting a fitness and wellness channel for seniors is so important.We also hope you feel comfortable with the goals we have set and getting to know Meredith and her passion for serving seniors and would love to see you again at the next episode.Thanks and have a great day! – Team MeredithSupport the show (https://www.seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com/donate)