Senior Fitness With Meredith

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.

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

“No great thing is created suddenly.”-Epictetus This motivation is about remembering great things, and change, take time! MeredithSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.