Senior Fitness With Meredith

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