Senior Fitness With Meredith

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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