Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode! Do you feel uncomfortable exercising in public places? If your answer is “Yes” then know that you are not alone. Studies have shown that many Americans still feel uncomfortable going to an indoor gym or public area to exercise whether it be in the form of feeling intimidated, overwhelmed or feeling anxious or feeling like an imposter. These feelings are very real for some people and moreover, can hinder physical activity and overall health. Fortunately this doesn’t have to be the case. Learning to cope with these feelings and knowing how to “work through” issues that make you feel alone or are hindering you from staying active and healthy is possible with practice. Knowing how this affects your mental health and how to overcome the feelings you have with time, can help you on your fitness journey and know that you don’t have to go at it alone. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). Why Meredith thought this was an important topic to shed light on and how she has felt these same feelings of being uncomfortable exercising in public places as well. 2). How the rise of home workouts have been very helpful for most people but could also add to feelings of anxiety when attempts are made to go back to a gym or class. 3). How some of our fears and thoughts about what other people think at a gym aren’t really as real as we think. 4). Why going to the gym with a trusted buddy can be a great idea and how it can make exercising less stressful especially if both people are at the same fitness level. Learning and growing together is always the best way to go! 5). The importance of knowing that you are good enough and deserve to exercise no matter where you are in your fitness journey without feelings of judgement, anxiety or intimidation is the key to long lasting health. /// Thank you again for joining us on this important episode! Staying active and healthy can be done in many ways. For most of us, going to a gym or public area is very common and accessible. But not feeling comfortable to exercise in these places can keep us on the sidelines. Hopefully the tips we share in this episode helps you or someone you know feel more comfortable with exercising no matter where you are. Staying active and healthy is the name of the game and we want to help keep you going for as long as possible! Til the next episode! Team Meredith

“There is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”-Amanda Gorman This motivation is the reminder of seeing the good around us, the light, and to be confident enough to be it. Meredith

Hello and thank you for joining us on this podcast episode! Staying consistently active no matter what age you are is an important part of living a long and healthy life. But what happens if we have physical limitations such as using a wheelchair, wearing a cast or a “boot cast”… should exercise still be something we need to do on a regular basis? Dealing with physical limitations can be challenging no matter what level of fitness you are. It is easy to assume that being in a wheelchair or cast should “slow us down” and we should take it easy. For many reasons this can be true, however it is still possible (and recommended) that we keep a level of exercise up even with these restrictions so as to not become complacent. Keeping the body active even with restrictions is very important to staying healthy through challenging times not only for your body but your mind as well. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). Why Meredith thought it was important to discuss the importance of knowing that exercise should still be a priority if you are restricted by wheelchair, cast or other. 2). How regular exercise helps the mind/body connection especially in situations where you are dealing with physical restrictions. 3). Tips on what you can still do for exercise if you are dealing with upper body, lower body or wheelchair limitations. 4). What happens to your body and mind if you stop exercising due to a restriction and how this can lead to complacency and a longer road to recovery. 5). Remembering the feelings you get when you do exercise regularly and the sense of accomplishment that can help motivate you to stay active during physically challenging times. /// Remaining active even through challenging times involving restrictions like using a wheelchair or dealing with being in a cast is very important. Limitations can happen to anyone at anytime and the important thing to remember is that it doesn’t have to slow us down. Making sure we are able to tell ourselves that our physical limitations won’t limit us from staying healthy can make all the difference. We hope our tips in this episode helps motivate you or someone you know to continue being active no matter the challenge and that is Ok to keep your body (and mind) moving always. Til the next episode! Team Meredith

“Remember no one can make you feel inferior without consent.”-Eleanor Roosevelt This motivation is about the reminder of being in charge of you and your feelings! Meredith

Hello and thank you for joining us for this week’s episode! Mohammed Ali, Mike Tyson… and You! Ok maybe not to that extent, but have you ever considered boxing as a great workout? If so then this episode is for you. Boxing or “shadow boxing” is a great exercise to consider if you are thinking about spicing up your weekly exercise routines. Shadow boxing is a great way to build up your hand – eye coordination as well as help build up your cardio vascular system. Here at SFWM we have some great routines that you can check out in both seated and standing formats if you aren’t familiar with cardio boxing. No matter your age, fitness level or limitations, there is something for everyone when it comes to having fun with boxing workouts. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). What we really mean when we say “boxing workouts” and how “air boxing” or “shadow boxing” mimics the movements of real boxing and provides a great way to build mental and physical health. 2). Why it’s easy to get started with boxing exercises because it requires no equipment and you can do it in the comfort of your own home either standing or seated. 3). How Meredith designs her boxing workout routines and her approach to making them very accessible to anyone at any fitness level. 4). The differences between a shadow boxingworkout and an “impact” style workout where you are striking a surface like a punching bag. Both can be beneficial but shadow boxing is preferred to help avoid injury. 5).  The empowering feeling you get after doing a boxing workout and how it makes you feel accomplished in a way that is unlike any other type of workout. /// Thank you again for joining us on this episode. Boxing workouts can be a great way to add variety to your workout routines. Gone are the days of boxing stereotypes only being for the young and fit. We can all benefit from the mental and physical aspects of boxing in both seated and standing formats, advanced, intermediate or beginner levels. We hope this episode inspires you to give it a try if you’re new to boxing exercises and don’t forget to check out our library of boxing routines here. Tile the next episode! Team Meredith

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”-T.S. Eliot This motivation is about continuing to pursue your goals, and keep going! Meredith

Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode today! Stress is something we all encounter normally during the days, weeks and months of the year. To live a life that has no stress most likely isn’t much of a life. But what happens when we let it consume us where we start to have mental, emotional and physical problems? What can we do to help “dial down” our stress levels? Fortunately the one thing we can do and have control of is our level of physical activity which has shown to help curb levels of stress especially if practiced regularly. Regular exercise can help curb stress levels to where they can be manageable and dealt with in a safe and proper manner. This has been shown many times over in scientific studies and today we share some if our best knowledge on the importance of exercise as stress relief. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). How having high stress levels without addressing them can lead us down a path to where we may become very sedentary and avoid exercise altogether which is an un favorable outcome. 2). Why exercise is usually the first thing that gets sacrificed when we are stressed out and what we can do to help avoid this scenario. 3). How learning from people that do exercise regularly to dial down stress can inspire and help you embrace this practice during stressful times in your own life. 4). Why exercising is not only good for our stress levels but also provides protection to our immune system which also helps guard us from getting sick thus, adding more stress especially if you live a busy lifestyle. 5). Why it’s important to start off slow and small if you aren’t used to exercising regularly to give your body the best chance to progress properly into a schedule that allows you to be active and help control stress. /// Thanks again for joining us for this important episode. Stress levels can be affect anyone at anytime and making sure we take the proper steps to keep our mind and bodies healthy is one of the best ways to combat against rising stress. Staying active on a regular basis is the one thing we have control over and one of our best defenses to avoiding overwhelming stress. We hope our tips and suggestions in this episode helps you or someone you know who may be weighed down by stress. Staying healthy physically, mentally and emotionally is the name of the game and we want to keep everyone active when it comes to living your best life. Tile the next episode! Team Meredith

“I never lose. Either I win or learn.”-Nelson Mandela This motivation is about learning from every experience. Meredith

Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode! Travelling can be a fun experience especially if you are headed out on a long vacation that you’ve been waiting for or are travelling out to visit close friends and family. But it can also take a toll on the body with things like long plane rides or car rides. Making sure we take care of ourselves during the process of travel and arrival to our destination is crucial to keeping us healthy, active and capable especially as we age. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). Some of the tolls that travelling in general, takes on your body that we may not realize. 2). Things to think about when we leave the comforts of our home and go somewhere new where we may not have access to the same exercise amenities that we have at home. 3). Tips on how to stay loose and flexible when travelling in a confined space like an airplane or a packed car. 4). Tips on “re-awakening” our bodies in a safe manner after we have been confined for a long period of time on a plane or car. 5). The effects of stress on our bodies while we travel and dealing with either long lines at airports or long car rides. /// Thank you for joining us on this episode! Travelling is a big part of what we do no matter if you fly or drive. Making sure our bodies can handle the rigors of travel is important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We hope the tips we’ve shared in this episode help you prepare for your next trip so you can enjoy the process and keep your body feeling ready for the next exciting experience. Tile the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“Make up your mind that no matter what comes your way, no matter how difficult, no matter how unfair, you will do more than simply survive. You will thrive in spite of it.” —Joel Osteen This motivation is about continuing to thrive in life, no matter the obstacles that come your way. Meredith

Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode! We love getting the chance to test out new exercise equipment and this week we are doing a product review on the “Bells Of Steel” Rubber Hex Dumbbells. Making sure you have safe and effective exercise equipment when you workout is very important. We always put our bodies under high amounts of stress when we exercise and knowing you have the right equipment that won’t break, will last a long time and most importantly, is safe to use can be the difference between a great workout and/or risking injury. For this product review episode we are taking a closer look at the Bells of Steel rubber hex dumbbells and giving you our honest thoughts and recommendations. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). Our thoughts on the fitness industry and the rise in companies that offer exercise equipment online. 2). Why Meredith prefers to use dumbbells that are rubber hex shaped instead of round and how this helps you when placing your weights down in a safe manner. 3). Why we feel that the design of this line of dumbbell will last a long time and you won’t need to worry about spending more money to replace them later. 4). Meredith’s thoughts on the grip of these dumbbells and why that is important when exercising. 5). Why we’ve chosen to become an affiliate of these line of dumbbells and the Bells Of Steel company. /// Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope the information we shared in this podcast helps spark your interest in the Bells Of Steel dumbbell offerings. Using safe, effective and long lasting equipment when exercising is very important and hopefully our review and support of this line of dumbbells will be helpful to you or someone you know that’s shopping for a new set of dumbbells. Tile the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

"I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done." -Lucille Ball This motivation is about remembering to keep doing, keep trying new things, and never have regrets. Meredith

Hello and thank you for joining us today on this episode! Pickleball has become quite popular around the world as a fun and enjoyable sport to play especially for people of all ages. It’s easy to play, you can play in groups and it has a very low barrier of entry. If you are someone that enjoys this sport and is looking to improve your game then this episode is just for you! Similar to tennis, pickleball boasts many of the same movements and actions, but is less taxing on your body. This allows the sport to be much more accessible and is a great way to get exercise on a regular basis. With the exercises suggested in this episode, you can help your body get stronger, more flexible and prepared to level up your game! In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). What is Pickleball and why has it become so popular in recent times? 2). The primary muscles and areas of your body that you use the most when playing pickleball. 3). Why marching in place and low impact cardio exercises are a great way to start warming up your body and preparing it to play. 4). Some of the best balance exercises you can try to help steady your foot placement and keep you centered when moving around the court. 5). Meredith’s suggestions of great upper and lower body exercises that will help build strength and flexibility, both of which are important when playing pickleball. /// Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope the tips and suggestions here are helpful to you or someone you know who loves pickleball! Having fun while playing is the name of the game and keeping your body in shape to continue to hit the courts everyday is what it’s all about. Til the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” —Ernest Hemingway This motivation is about not giving up, and growing stronger after difficult times. Meredith

Hello and thank you for joining us for this episode! Staying hydrated while exercising is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. Making sure you have enough water with you at all times is a must and also making sure the apparatus you use to store your refreshing water is clean can get overlooked. Whether you use as regular plastic bottle or fancy ThermoFlask, it’s always a good idea to take a little extra time and make sure what you’re drinking out of is clean. It may sound like a no brainer, but we often underestimate what it takes to keep our water bottles clean. If gone unchecked over time, bacteria and mold can build which can lead to longer health effects. And we definitely don’t want that! In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). How the water bottle market has become quite popular in today’s fitness realm and why that’s a good thing:) 2). Why it’s important to create the habit of carrying a water bottle around with you even if you’re not in the gym or exercising. Hydrating should happen all day long. 3). How bacteria can slowly start to form without us noticing if we don’t make it a point to really give our water bottle a good cleaning on a regular basis. 4). How keeping track of the cleanliness of your water bottle is even more important if you like to add flavoring/fruit etc. to your water. 5). Meredith’s recommendations on how often you should give your water bottle a thorough cleansing including rinsing and deep cleaning. /// Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope the information and tips here will help you keep an eye out on the cleanliness of your own water bottles. Making sure you sanitize them regularly and have them washed is the key to keeping your body healthy and ready for the next workout always:) Tile the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” —Arnold Schwarzenegger This motivation is about remembering every time we go through a difficulty, it makes us stronger, and develops our strengths! Meredith

Hello and thank you for joining us on the podcast! We have a very important episode this week because it’s all about you! We are very fortunate to be in a position where we get to receive feedback from people all over the globe about how our fitness content helps them in many ways. We receive comments, messages and emails ranging on a variety of topics that help us shape how we create our content. We always encourage everyone to send us questions, comments and even constructive criticism to let us know how we are doing or how we can improve. Getting the chance to hear your feedback is one of the most important aspects of Senior Fitness With Meredith and this week we wanted to share with you exactly how important it is to us. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). How receiving your feedback helps us in all areas of our content creation from workouts, podcasts and how it is the base inspiration for all of our planning. 2). Meredith’s thoughts on how she shapes her workouts based on direct feedback from our community and also how this gives her ideas on some aspects of workouts that we may not have thought of before. 3). Why we wouldn’t have been able to continue putting out our best health and fitness content for this long without your valuable feedback. 4). Why we LOVE our monthly livestream workouts with our little global community because we get to chat and exercise with you in “real time” which gives us great joy along with learning more from your immediate feedback. 5). How “constructive criticism” also plays an important role in helping us create our best content and why we always encourage your feedback no matter positive or negative. /// Thank you again for joining us on this episode! We are so grateful for getting the chance to receive feedback from you. It helps us create the best workouts, podcasts, blogs and more which hopefully translates back to helping you or someone you know. We appreciate your time and effort to reach out and hopefully this episode shows you how inspiring you are to us. Til the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” —Edmund Hillary This motivation is about being in control of ourselves, which will help us get through anything, even the highest and hardest of climbs. Meredith

Hello, and thank you for joining us on this episode! This week on the podcast we are diving into how our new “Basics” series exercises can be helpful to you no matter what fitness level you may be at. Our new basics series is all about getting back to the basics of movement, posture, form and energy to help you during your exercise routines to not only promote safety but also maximize returns on your efforts. As we move through our fitness journeys it may be easy to forget what we learned in the beginning about using proper form and technique when exercising. It is easy to assume that we are exercising correctly and safely but that may not be the case. If not careful, we can injure ourselves or we may not be benefitting from the amount of effort we are exerting when exercising because of improper form etc. Our new basics series exercises are designed to re-center your exercise routines and help you focus on the fundamentals no matter your fitness level. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). The general idea behind our new “Basics” series workouts and why Meredith thought it was important to focus on a series of videos that emphasize getting “back to the basics” for all levels of fitness. 2). How it’s easy to start losing proper form during the course of our fitness journeys as we move through levels of fitness (intermediate, advanced etc.) and how this can make us more prone to injury. 3). What you can expect from our Basics series in terms of upper body and lower body exercises in both seated and standing positions and how they can help benefit you. 4). How you will be able to “Mix and Match” our Basics series exercises in with the rest of our workouts to help you build your perfect routine no matter what level of fitness you’re at. 5). Why we value your feedback on this and all of our workout videos to help us design exercises that help you and your needs. Let us know what you think by sending us an email of message us on our Facebook page. /// Thank you again for joining us today! We hope the information we’ve shared in this episode provides some value to you and encourages you to try our new “Basics” series exercises. As mentioned, these exercises are designed for all levels of fitness no matter where you are in your fitness journey. Making sure you stay injury free and gain the benefits of your commitment to exercise is what it’s all about. Til the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power.” —Lao T This motivation is about mastering ourselves fully, not trying to control others, to feel in control. Meredith

Hello and thank you for joining us on this week’s episode! Stretching is often a part of part of staying healthy that gets easily overlooked. Living an active lifestyle means we use our bodies often and in doing so we can create problems or injuries down the road. To make sure our bodies can handle physical activity we have to take measures to keep it healthy and stretching is a big part of this maintenance. But what kind of stretching is needed? Not all stretching is created equal and making sure you get the best kind of stretching in during your workouts can make a big difference in helping you avoid injury and stay healthy and active longer. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). How stretching gets easily overlooked when we train and in doing so, it can cause tight muscles, in-flexibility or even injury. 2). What stretching actually does for us at an internal level by lengthening our muscles and lubricating joints. 3). How upper back and chest stretches are helpful and some of Meredith’s examples of these types of stretches that you should be doing. 4). How lower back and legs stretches are helpful and some of Meredith’s examples of these types of stretches that you should be doing. 5). Why you should be doing wrist and ankle stretches and why this type of stretching often gets overlooked. /// Thank you for joining us on this episode! Stretching is a big part of keeping your body ready for exercise and making sure you are doing the right stretches is very important. Staying injury free and mobile is the name of the game for longevity and we hope the tips in this episode help you on your own personal journey. Til the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” —Marcus Aurelius This motivation is about the power of our mind is in our control, nothing else…realize this and be stronger from it! MeredithSupport the show

Hello and thank you for joining us on this podcast episode! Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is always the focus of what we are looking to achieve. No matter your fitness level, there is always goals we can work towards to better ourselves. This week we wanted to share and focus on 5 of the best goals that we feel cover a lot of ground when it comes to living healthy and active. Having goals can help keep you motivated especially on days when you aren’t feeling 100%. Hopefully you’ll agree that these 5 goals can be considered in your daily or weekly workouts. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). Meredith personal thoughts on why tracking goals are important even if you start small and build from there. Having something to attain is always good when it comes to staying healthy and living an active lifestyle. 2). How achieving smaller goals over time can help lead to having the motivation not only continue on, but also set more challenging goals as you progress. 3). The benefits of keeping a goal that helps us stay grounded and focused especially when life gets busy and can throw curve balls at you. 4). The importance of keeping good form when you exercise as this can help you avoid injury and sidelining you from staying active. 5). Why understanding that movement in general is healthy for the body, even if that means small amounts of exercise per day or week. Doing something is always better than doing nothing. /// Thank you again for joining us on the podcast episode. Maintaining consistent exercise throughout the week is so important and tracking your goals and progress can help make a big difference at the end of the day. Making sure you’re focusing on the right goals for you is key and we hope that you found our 5 best suggestions helpful:) Tile the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven’t.” —Thomas A. Edison This motivation is about remembering even when we think there is no other way, there always is! MeredithSupport the show

Hello and thank you for joining us for this podcast episode! This week we are celebrating a HUGE milestone for our brand, reaching 50,000 YouTube subscribers WOW!! This is an achievement we never could have dreamed of upon starting out and getting to share this  accomplishment with you is an honor for us. In reaching this goal we’ve learned a lot of things from the people who have reached out to us. Your stories have given us so much insight into your health challenges, goals and achievements along the way. These experiences have been invaluable to us and we wanted to share some of what we’ve learned. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). Meredith’s thoughts on how YouTube has continuously grown to become a top resource for exercise and fitness with seniors and people of all ages. 2). How it can be challenging to find the right workouts online since there is so much content in the health and fitness category which have different degrees of value. 3). Why responding to the growing amount of comments that come in has become an important part of running the YouTube channel and why it’s important to try and respond to everyone even as our subscriber base grows. 4). How having more subscribers has impacted our livestream classes that we hold at least once a month and the benefits and feedback we’ve gained getting to interact with our YouTube followers in real time. 5). How having more people be a part of our fitness brand has helped in more ways than we could have imagined and how it helps shape everything we do from our workouts, podcasts and more. We are eternally grateful for the support and could not have accomplished this without you. Thank You! /// Thank you again for joining us on this episode and sharing this huge accomplishment with us. We couldn’t have reached this milestone without your support and we hope to continue bringing you our best health and fitness content for next 50,000 subscriber milestone! Tile the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” —Maya Angelou This motivation is about allowing the things that happen to us to change us…but never reduce us to feel bad about ourselves.  MeredithSupport the show

Hello and thank you for joining us today for this episode! In today’s world it may not always be practical to attend a gym for regular exercise. There are health regulations to consider, crowds and perhaps not feeling as comfortable as we would like to be in a gym environment. Luckily for us, if you have space in your room equivalent to a living room then you may just have one of the best exercise areas ever invented! Getting a great workout in doesn’t always mean that you need access to the fanciest gym equipment. You can get a great workout in (at any level of fitness) in the comfort of your own living room with no equipment. All you need is some space, no fall or trip hazards around you and a “can do” attitude:) In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). Why a living room can be the perfect workout space provided you have enough room to move around, preferably within a 6×8 or 8×8 area. 2). Some suggestions on how to get good cardio exercises in your living room workout area with no equipment. 3). Some upper body exercise suggestions that you can try in your living room workout area. 4). The importance of the “mind and body” connection that helps you focus in on the muscles you are exercising. 5). Meredith’s suggestions on how to do some lower body and core exercises in your living room exercise area. /// Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope the tips and suggestions here give you some of your own ideas on how you can exercise in your own living room. We have many alternatives in this era on how and where to exercise. Keeping your options open including your own living room is the best way to ensure your ability to live a long, happy and healthy life no matter where you are or what level of fitness you are at. Til the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.” —Peter Marshall This motivation is about staying positive during challenging times and knowing that we gain strength through diversity which helps us live longer and healthier lives. MeredithSupport the show

Hello and thank you for joining us on the podcast this week! HIIT workouts stand for “High Intensity Interval Training” and this week we are diving into why we think incorporating HIIT workouts into your weekly routine is a good idea. HIIT focuses on raising and resting your heart rate during short durations of exercise which helps strengthen your cardiovascular system. Incorporating light weights during a HIIT workout will also add strength training to your muscles which will give you a “best of both worlds” added benefit during exercise. HIIT exercises are also available for all levels of fitness and can be done by anyone in either standing or seated positions. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). Meredith’s in depth explanation of a HIIT workout, it’s history and some of the high level health benefits that are available at any age. 2). How you can easily modify your normal regular exercise routines into more HIIT style movements to gain health benefits that continue to help you during the course of your day. 3). Why there can be a misunderstanding about HIIT workouts which can make people shy away from doing them but in reality they are very accessible to anyone at any level of fitness. 4). How HIIT workouts are not just standing routines but can also be performed as a seated workouts as well for those who may have standing limitations. 5). How to find YOUR level of high intensity when performing a HIIT workout. /// Thank you again for joining us this week! We hope the information in this episode helps motivate you to incorporate HIIT workouts into your regular exercise regimen if you aren’t already. No matter what level of fitness you are, HIIT has something for everyone:) Til the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” —Mahatma Gandhi This motivation is about remembering to forgive is to be strong…it does not mean you forget, but you keep going and forgive! MeredithSupport the show

Strength training workouts are a great way to help build muscle, add strength and stability that will help you get through the tasks of the day. Similarly, cardio exercises are also the perfect way to help build up you stamina, cardiovascular system and help give you the energy you need to tackle the day as well. But which one is more important? Finding time to exercise during the day/week can be challenging and making sure you’re getting the right exercises in is important to your overall health. Deciding whether to focus on either your cardio or strength training can make scheduling pretty tricky especially if you feel that you are lacking in one or the other. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). Meredith’s personal experience in working with clients over the years and their attitudes about the importance of strength training and cardio exercises. 2). The difference in opinions on both strength training and cardio between men and women and how that affects their choices in activities for exercise. 3). Some thoughts on how often you should “intermingle” both strength training workouts and cardio workouts and/or how to balance them out if you feel you favor one of the other. 4). Some of the push back Meredith would receive from teaching strength classes in senior communities and how she was able to show the importance of why using weights/bands for resistance is beneficial to you at any age. 5). Tips on how to balance both types of workouts to give you the benefits of both worlds which in turn promotes health and longevity. /// Thank you again for joining us on this episode! Deciding whether strength training or cardio exercises are more important for you depends on a lot of factors and in a lot of cases you need the perfect balance of both. We hope the tips in this episode helps you determine how to go about setting up your exercise schedule so that you don’t feel you are lacking in any area. Maintaining the perfect balance in the long run is always best when it comes to long term health and wellness. Til the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“And one has to understand that braveness is not the absence of fear but rather the strength to keep on going forward despite the fear.” —Paulo Coelho This motivation is about going forward even when you are fearful of doing it, that is true bravery! MeredithSupport the show

Hello and thank you for joining us on this podcast! Feeling like you are running out of time during your day is very common for most of us. We get busy with chores, tasks and running around that it feels like we have very little time to exercise. Fortunately exercising doesn’t have to take hours out of your day. There are still very effective workouts that you can do during your busy day that will be just as effective as longer ones if you have the right mindset and “can do” attitude:) In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). How common it is for most people to feel like they don’t have enough time to exercise for all ages, not just seniors who may be retired. 2). Whether or not it’s a good idea to try and focus on both strength training AND cardio exercises if you are short on time for that day. 3). What could be the optimal timeframe for an abbreviated workout, 10min, 15min, 20min or more? 4). Why the mind/muscle connection is so important when you exercise especially when you are fitting in a shorter workout. 5). Why the “quality” of your workout is more important than the “quantity” and how we should avoid exercising just to go through the motions. Getting meaningful exercise in is the goal no matter how long or how often. /// Thank you again for joining us on this episode. Making time for exercise during your schedule doesn’t mean you have to block off hours at a time. We hope the tips we’ve shared in this podcast helps you set up your exercise week even when you feel like you only have a short window to get it done. Planning ahead and focusing on what’s important is key to sustaining a consistent exercise schedule now and into the future. Tile next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“We will either find a way, or make one.” —Anibal Barca This motivation is about not letting a failure stop you…find new ways to succeed and continue on! MeredithSupport the show

Staying motivated to exercise can be challenging. Throw in a busy schedule, lack of time, days where we don’t feel 100% and regular exercise can slowly fall by the wayside for most of us. What happens next are feelings of laziness, lethargy, and a possible lack of energy. Falling into a fitness “rut” isn’t something we usually plan to do, it just sometimes happens and can be attributed to many factors. Life throws a lot of curve balls at us and sometimes responding to them makes us feel like we have to take time away from some things to make room for others. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Staying active can still be a part of your life even “jump-starting” your active lifestyle is something we all need to do from time to time. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). Our definition of the “Fitness Rut” and some of Meredith’s personal experiences in working with clients that encounter a fitness downturn. 2). How going through a fitness rut can affect you both mentally AND physically. 3). Some of the things that can potentially lead us into a fitness rut and some of the signs that may push us in that direction. 4). Some of Meredith’s best tips on how getting back to basic “movement” and moving around in any form can slowly help you back to being physically active. 5). Why it’s OK to sometimes feel like you’re in a slump and that it happens to everyone. What’s important is to always stay focused on getting back to being physically active when you feel like you’ve hit a wall and to not give up! /// Thank you for joining us on this episode! We hope the tips and suggestions here help you or someone you know work out of a fitness rut. It can be a challenge, but getting you back on track with exercise is important especially as we age. Staying active throughout the year and always coming back to exercise even when we get into a slump will always be a healthy option:) Til the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” —Nelson Mandela This motivation is about persevering, and being judged based upon how we can get through obstacles and continue on. MeredithSupport the show

Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode! We are heading into Thanksgiving for this episode and taking a moment to talk about why it’s important to be thankful for the fitness accomplishments you achieved this year. It may seem like a “no-brainer” to appreciate what you have accomplished but most of us rarely look back and take a moment to really relish in the hard work you’ve put in and the goals you’ve reached. Even if you feel like you didn’t accomplish what you had hoped, it’s still important to “pat yourself on the back” and be proud of your work:) In This episode You Will Learn: 1). How being Thankful and grateful for your life has a big part to do with being healthy both physically and mentally and why it’s so important. 2). Why it’s important to remember to be thankful throughout the year and during life’s ups and down and setbacks and accomplishments. 3). Some of the differences in opinions between younger and older generations about their perspectives on thankfulness when it comes to fitness and wellness. 4). How we sometimes get caught up in the “what’s next?” mentality and never really take time to revel in our accomplishments thus far. 5). Some of Meredith’s best tips on how to help us stay grateful and thankful during a busy life and how to remember what’s important as you continue down your fitness journey. /// Thank you again for joining us on this special episode! Making sure you take time to be thankful for you accomplishments and your abilities to live a healthy lifestyle is just as important as getting up and being active on most days of the week. We hope this episode helps shed some light on the many things to be thankful for and also how proud we are of you for making the choice to live an active lifestyle. We are your biggest fans! Til the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“All dreams are within reach. All you have to do is keep moving towards them.”- Viola Davis This motivation is about moving towards what you want… keep dreaming and keep trying! MeredithSupport the show

Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode! Shoulders are a body part we use everyday but how much do we actually think about them when we exercise or do strenuous work? The shoulder is made up of many muscles, ligaments and bone all working together to give us full range of upper body motion. There is also many chances for injury in this area as well if not looked after correctly. Our shoulders are key in many of the activities we do from carrying groceries, driving a car, holding a hand railing etc. Making sure we protect our shoulders during our day should be a priority when living an active lifestyle and in general. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). Meredith’s initial thoughts on why our shoulders are so important especially while living actively and how injuries can easily occur. 2). How we can go about protecting areas of the shoulder and not just be making the shoulder stronger but by strengthening areas around the shoulder. 3). Meredith breaks down the reasons why she guides you in her exercise videos into moves that help protect the shoulder and some examples of this. 4). Why using a lighter weight for shoulder exercises is important and why the shoulder shouldn’t be treated as a “heavy lifting” area of the body. 5). How we can “re-learn” better ways to protect areas of our body during exercise and still be very active but most importantly, stay safe. /// Thank you again for joining us on this episode. We hope this information is valuable to you if you are dealing with shoulder pain or have limitations with your range of motion in this area. Keeping you safe while you go throughout your day is so important and keeping in mind the tips in this episode will hopefully help you stay exercising longer into your years:) Tile the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“A ship is always safe a shore but that is not what it’s built for.”- Albert Einstein This motivation is about remembering you are built to move, try, keep going even when the waters are scary! MeredithSupport the show

“There is nothing impossible to they who will try.”-Alexander The Great This motivation is about trying, knowing we CAN do it but it starts with trying! MeredithSupport the show

Hello and thank you for joining us on the episode! Embracing an active lifestyle and exercising regularly every week has shown to improve your quality of life especially as we age. But did you know there is more work that can be done to keep your body healthy in addition to regular exercise? Making sure we embrace recovery techniques post workout can also be just as effective with keeping you healthy as well, in a sense taking care of our bodies after a workout can be just as important as the workout itself! In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). What we mean when we say “recovery” and how does it affect the overall effectiveness of our workouts in the long term. 2). Some explanations on the different types of recovery techniques for different exercises. 3). How nutrition plays a big role in helping your body recover from regular exercise. 4). Other types of recovery like cold water therapy etc. that can contribute to replenishing our bodies after hard exercise. 5). Why recovery is often over looked for most active people and ways we should remember to include it in our regular exercise schedules to reap the benefits. /// Thank you for joining us on this episode! Self care and recovery habits are very important to help extend the years you will have being physically active. Our bodies do a lot for us and taking care of it after we exercise is very important. We hope the tips and suggestions in this episode help inspire you to embrace recovery if haven’t already. Til the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. IT DOES.”-William James This motivation is about having intention with all you do, knowing you make a difference in this world. MeredithSupport the show

“Tough times never last, but tough people do.”-Robert H. Schuller This motivation is about getting through tough times by staying positive, brave, and tough! MeredithSupport the show

Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode! The beginning of a new year is always an exciting time and if you value your health and fitness as much as we do then you know that setting health goals is always a point of focus during this time. But how do we come up with attainable/realistic goals based on our progress from the current year? This can be challenging for some as we all have different ups and downs during the year. We may start strong… and end at a crawl. This is very common for many people who are looking to achieve consistent exercise throughout the year. Luckily there are ways we can evaluate our current year’s progress to predict and plan for a more effective new year. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). Meredith’s thoughts the importance of having fitness goals and why they can be helpful to the overall achievements of an active lifestyle. 2). Why “looking back” at your year in regards to health and fitness is so important even if you didn’t achieve the goals you set in the beginning of the year. 3). How our “Custom 7 Day Workout Plan”is a great place to start when it comes to setting up your goals for the new year. 4). Realizing that life doesn’t always go as we plan and not hitting our goals that we previously set for ourselves is OK. 5). The idea that fitness goals may not always make sense for a new year but perhaps at regularly scheduled intervals as the year progresses. (Quarterly etc.) /// Thank you again for joining us on this episode. Planning for a strong new year in regards to your health and fitness goals can be tricky. We all want to succeed so we can look back at the end of the year and feel proud of our accomplishments. We hope the tips and suggestions in this episode are valuable to you and give you some motivation and ideas to help set your new goals for the upcoming year. Tile the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“Happiness is not something ready made; it comes from your own actions.”-Dalai Lama This motivation is about reminding ourselves that we have to work hard for ourselves to attain our goals and ultimate happiness! MeredithSupport the show

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”-Albert Einstein This motivation is about making mistakes in life, which means you are trying new things and pushing yourself! MeredithSupport the show

Hello and thank you for joining us on this episode! If you have ever owned a pet or currently own one now then you know how much they can impact our lives. Having pets as part of the family can have many benefits but can also be challenging at times. They love us dearly and we love them, but how do they really affect our mental health? In this episode we dive into the many ways caring for and owning pets (of any kind!) can impact our mental health in ways that we may not realize. In This Episode You Will Learn: 1). Some of Meredith’s experiences in working with clients and how their pets have affected their lives when it came to keeping them in a mentally and emotionally healthy state. 2). How mental health awareness has become much more prevalent in modern society and why it is now getting the attention it deserves. 3). Why caring for pets can benefit both owner and pet mentally as we tend to see our pets more as “family” members then pets. 4). The possible differences in owning pets when we are older vs younger and why we may be able to have a bigger bond with our animals later in life. 5). How the use of therapy dogs or service dogs has shown to drastically improve the lives of people who may struggle with mental health issues like post traumatic stress syndrome etc. /// Thank you again for joining us today! We love getting the chance to talk about some of our favorite topics and pets are definitely one of them. Caring for pets can bring many benefits to our lives and help us in so many ways from physically, emotionally and of course mentally. We hope you found value in this episode and as always we would love to hear from you as well! Til the next episode! Team MeredithSupport the show

“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” -Billie Jean King This motivation is about not giving up…to be a Champion means to keep going! MeredithSupport the show

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”- Thomas Edison This motivation is about working hard to get to where we want to go, towards the opportunity! MeredithSupport the show