Functional Fitness with Suzanne Andrews

Posts in the fitness success category

I Want To Exercise BUT I Don’t Have Money for a Gym or DVD

by Suzanne Andrews

What is Your Health Really Costing You?

We often think of medical expenses at a time when we are least capable of coping with them - when we're sick. With healthcare costs increasing as we age, the sooner we plan for our health, the sooner we'll start saving more money.  According to the National Foundation for anti-aging, "most aging is premature." Poor posture, low energy, brittle bones are not aging, but a disease.  Most of my patients with complex medical problems end up needing care as a result of an actual medical diagnoses called, “Generalized Weakness,” leading to frailness and aging at a much faster rate.

According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a woman retiring at 65 and living until 85 means she'll need $88k to $146k for insurance premiums and out of pocket expenses.  So what does this have to do with you if you’re younger than retirement age? 

Nearly 70% of what is wrong with us can be avoided by changing daily habits!

By incorporating healthy lifestyle choices, you will save hours, days and months in the doctor’s office, hospital and/or operating room. 

By 2030, 40.5% of the US population is projected to have some form of Cardio Vascular Disease. Between 2010 and 2030, total direct medical costs of Cardio Vascular Disease are projected to triple, from $273 billion to $818 billion. Real indirect costs (due to lost productivity) are estimated to increase from $172 billion in 2010 to $276 billion in 2030, an increase of 61%. 

My patients often say they can’t afford a $45.00 a month gym membership, more expensive but leaner cut of meat or a $19.99 Functional Fitness DVD.  These same people think nothing about spending $200.00 – $400.00 a month eating out.  All that money literally flushed down the toilet!    I’m not saying it’s all totally avoidable, but nearly 70% of what is wrong with us can be avoided by changing daily habits. Your daily actions are your best health care plan.  

Health is accumulative.  How you treat your body today affects your life tomorrow.  You are working long and hard for your retirement and you can't afford to lose it all to overeating and a sedentary lifestyle.  So next time you are thinking you can’t afford it, change your mindset to, “I can’t afford not to workout.”

In her newest DVD, Arthritis Relief Walking Workout, licensed Occupational Therapy Clinician, Suzanne Andrews, guides you to make the change and live the richness of life as it was intended:  one of balance, joy, pleasure and the new exquisite awareness of who you truly are – a fully functioning adult with a life of abundant energy, functional strength and restored balance ahead of you.  

Start today, save the $105.00 weekly co-pay with a Functional Fitness DVD and Suzanne Andrews will be with you every step of the way!

I Want to Work Out "BUT" I Have Osteoporosis

All of us are at risk for osteoporosis and there are simple things you can do to help prevent this debilitating disease. Studies prove that resistance exercises can reduce the risk of fractures by almost three times. Since people who have osteoporosis are more susceptible to fractures, prevention is your best plan of action. Weight bearing exercises help stimulate osteoblasts. (They are the cells responsible for bone matter formation). If you have osteoporosis strengthening your bones is vital to reduce your risk of fractures. But how do you know which exercises are safe and what movements can actually break a bone?
What I want you to remember when working out is no BLT. And I don't mean the sandwich. 
Three Things You Should Never Do With Osteoporosis
No...
1. Bending
2. Lifting
3. Twisting your spine.  
This means no sit ups, side bends or spinal twists.  
Your bones undergo a great deal of changes throughout your life. To keep them functioning at their best, schedule a certain time every day to take care of you with weighted exercises and a calcium rich diet that will help you hold up the rest of your world.
Healthiest Blessings,
Suzanne Andrews

I want to exercise BUT I feel like I’m too old

by Suzanne Andrews

Reverse Age with Exercise- the How, What and Why!

When I was born, coke was a soft drink, and weed was something you removed from your flower beds.

I was born before color television, automatic dishwashers – and lucky for me –the birth control pill.  My, how time flies! Yes I’ve dedicated my life to fitness, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel like Frankenstein’s bride when I get up in the morning.

We all have an angel on one side saying, “get up, get going, do the right thing."  On the other side is that little voice that says, “skip your workout, eat the donut, you can start your diet tomorrow.” How do I know?  My two sides argue every day.  I just have to make sure the angel wins most of the time.

We Baby Boomers don’t want to get old, but we do want to grow old by staying healthy and remaining functional.  And we should; the first of the baby boomers are now turning 65 and today's 50 year old will live on average to be 81.  So every day the 5,000 women and 5,000 men who turn 50 are beginning to realize what George Burns stated so eloquently, “If I’d known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.”

Many exercisers feel that the key to an effective workout is to try to move the body as quickly as possible. The thinking is that more movement leads to more energy consumption, which leads to fat loss and strength gaining. However, when it comes to looking and more importantly feeling younger, slower is often better.

The reason why slow weight lifting is much more effective than fast weight training is that the muscles are put in a state of contraction for longer. The muscles have to continually exert force in order to keep the weights in position. The more that muscles are placed in a position where they must bear weight, the more that the muscles are forced to adapt to this situation, causing your muscles and body to tone up much more quickly.

The muscles must be placed under enough strain so that they become fatigued. When this happens, they send signals to the rest of your body to strengthen the supporting muscles so they can avoid fatigue in the future. Lifting weights slower might seem easier, but it is actually more challenging and will tire most people out more quickly.

Those who develop more of their skeletal muscles will have the strength needed to get through the day and perform activities with greater ease. They will also have an improved lung capacity, a better heart rate, improved oxygen saturation and lower cholesterol. All of these factors, combined with the overall improvement in body tone, will make you feel younger!

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