Senior Fitness With Meredith

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.

///

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

///

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

///

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

///

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Meredith

See 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!

Meredith

See 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 Meredith

See 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!

Meredith

See 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 Meredith

See 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!

Meredith

See 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 Meredith

See 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.

Meredith

See 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 Meredith

See 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!

Meredith

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

///

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.