Senior Fitness With Meredith

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. /// 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 MeredithSee 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! MeredithSee 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. /// 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 MeredithSee 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. MeredithSee 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. /// 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 MeredithSee 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. MeredithSee 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. /// 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 MeredithSee 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. MeredithSee 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. /// 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 MeredithSee 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. MeredithSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.