Functional Fitness with Suzanne Andrews

Ease Arthritis Pain

by Suzanne Andrews

 5 Ways Water Aerobics Eases Arthritis Pain

Water aerobics are one of the best ways to ease arthritis pain with benefits lasting long after you’ve completed your water aerobics session. If exercising on land is difficult for you due to joint pain, water aerobics are the perfect way to gain muscle strength without having to worry about excess pressure on hurting joints. Listed below are five ways that water aerobics ease arthritis pain.

1. Water Provides a Cushion

   Simply being in water for Water Aerobics provides a cushion for fragile bones and joints affected by arthritis. Most water aerobics are done when you are immersed in water to your waist and at that level of water your body will be bearing only 50% of its weight. The buoyancy of water allows movement with less pain than traditional out-of-the-water exercise for joints and muscles stiffened from arthritis.

2. Water Decreases Swelling and Soothes Stiff Joints

   Nothing feels as good as something warm on stiff joints and water not only provides that soothing relief but it can also relax sore muscles, decrease joint swelling and provide comfort when exercising is difficult and painful. Pools heated from the summer sun are an enjoyable way to ease arthritis pain as you can experience immediate relief in the water. Performing water exercise in a pool that is between approximately 82 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal for pain relief. Heated pools can do for your whole body what other forms of heat can only do for specific areas to which it is applied. Warm water provides the ideal environment to do exercises that a person with arthritis might not normally do.

3. Water Is Less Stressful

   Water Aerobics provides an environment for exercise that decreases the stress on painful joints compromised by arthritis. Some people have referred to water aerobics as "floating traction" as it stretches, loosens and flexes joints in ways that would be impossible if they were not in water. During water aerobics, painful joints are relieved and their range of motion and flexibility are increased. All these difficulties make living with arthritis painful but with water aerobics they can be dealt with in an environment that accommodates each individual's fitness and health.

4. Water Builds Up

   Water Aerobic exercise works all the muscles at the same time and increases the cardiovascular endurance without the impact on your body of traditional aerobic exercises on land. Being immersed to your waist, upper torso or neck increases the return of blood flow to the heart from the extremities. Increased blood circulation to the joints and muscles facilitates recovery and strength-building, all of which can lead to a less painful life with arthritis.

5. Water Workouts Burns Calories

   Swimming, water aerobics, and water walking all contribute to weight loss. Losing weight can help reduce the impact of daily living on painful joints due to arthritis and lead to less pain. Water aerobics reduces swelling due to increased circulation from the low-impact movements that exercising in water allows, leaving the painful areas free of stiffness and swelling, which in turn relieves the friction that causes pain in joints.

If you have arthritis, what are you waiting for?  Make a dash to splash in a pool and start relieving your arthritis pain!

Suzanne Andrews founded Functional Fitness in 2008, the most popular fitness series for boomers and seniors broadcasting on over 159 Public Television stations throughout the US and Canada. Read Suzanne’s inspiring comeback story of how she survived a near fatal accident, From Deaths Door to Producing a National Fitness Series. Feel free to send Suzanne a message here.

Creamy Potato Egg Casserole for Osteoporosis

by Suzanne Andrews

Calcium Enriched Creamy Potato & Egg Casserole

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cups of grated cheese
• 2 links of turkey sausage
• 3 large potatoes, sliced
• 3 hard-boiled eggs
• 4 green onions
• 1 TBSP low fat butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 1/4 cup low-fat light sour cream

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
2. Heat butter or margarine in a skillet and add onions.
3. Add flour, milk, let it reduce, and then add the sour cream.
4. Add more milk as needed. Take off heat.
5. In a large casserole dish, spread sauce and layer potatoes, sausage, eggs, cheese, and cream sauce.
6. Place casserole in oven.
7. Occasionally mix the casserole to ensure proper cooking.
8. Once your fork easily goes through the potatoes, sprinkle cheese on top (optional).
9. Serve and Enjoy!

Serves: 6 people

Get Stronger Bones NOW!

Suzanne Andrews founded Functional Fitness in 2008, the most popular fitness series for boomers and seniors broadcasting on over 159 Public Television stations throughout the US and Canada. Read Suzanne’s inspiring comeback story of how she survived a near fatal accident, From Deaths Door to Producing a National Fitness Series. Feel free to send Suzanne a message here.

4 FABULOUS WALK MOVES for STRONGER BONES!

by Suzanne Andrews

Do you know that Osteoporosis is known as the silent disease because women don't know they have it until they get a bone density test which is usually done after they fracture a bone!  As important as it is to work out when you have osteoporosis, it's equally important to know what movements are safe for thinning bones. 

If you have osteoporosis, one of the things to remember is to make sure you don't round your back. Some of my patients that I have on my caseload fractured their back bending down in the shower.  Yes, if you have thinning bones, fractures are not always caused from a fall.  Fractures can be caused from the wrong move. You're better off investing in a $10.00 reacher so you can pick up items without rounding your back.  In the mean time, bone building exercises are vital for bone strength.

Since walking for bone strength is easy and fun, it's a good option for bone health. Sometimes those Spring showers can stop the best of intentions of going for a walk outdoors so if you don't have much space in your home, here's four fabulous walk moves for you to get stronger bones in a small space.  Enjoy!

Healthiest blessings,

Suzanne Andrews 

Suzanne Andrews founded Functional Fitness in 2008, the most popular fitness series for boomers and seniors broadcasting on over 159 Public Television stations throughout the US and Canada. Read Suzanne’s inspiring comeback story of how she survived a near fatal accident, From Deaths Door to Producing a National Fitness Series. Feel free to send Suzanne a message here.

Tips To Stay Young

by Suzanne Andrews

1. After age 50, you lose 1 -2% of muscle strength per year.  After 60, you lose 3% a year, which comes out to about 4.5 pounds of muscle strength a year. 

2. Your legs get weaker three years before your arms start becoming weak and that's why you'll notice it's becoming difficult to walk like you used to. 

3. Your bicep muscles in your arms help you lift stuff and your triceps help you push up to a stand. 

4. Not all the muscles that are important to move your arms are located in your arms: your latissimus dorsi (located in your back) pulls your shoulders back and your arms to your sides.)  

While strong legs are important, strong arms are also vital for a fully functional life.  With strong arms you can lift your baby/grand-baby out of a car seat with ease, carry in groceries, get items of the top shelf and get in and out of the tub without injuring yourself. 
You don't have to let nature take it course. With Functional Fitness, one day longer is one day stronger! Fight Back with this Functional Fitness move...  

• Arm and Leg Strengthen and Stretch 

Place one leg forward as shown.  Place back leg on an angle as shown.  Bend your knees and make sure not to allow your knee to go past your toes. Raise your arms to shoulder level.  Hold this position for 5 seconds.  Release the position, stand up straight for 2 seconds and repeat 12x.  

• Suzanne Andrews Functional Fitness Tip 

Holding the position for 5 seconds recruits your muscle power and increases your strength quicker.  When you do exercises quickly, you work momentum instead of muscle. 

• Functional Fitness Challenge 

Too Easy?  Hold a dumbbell.  Start with 1 lb and workout your way up in increments of 1 lb per week as tolerated until you've reached 5 lbs. Bonus! This move will also increase your bone strength and is osteoporosis safe.  54 million people over the age of 50 have thinning bones (Osteoporosis)!  

Healthiest blessings,
Suzanne Andrews founded Functional Fitness in 2008, the most popular fitness series for boomers and seniors broadcasting on over 159 Public Television stations throughout the US and Canada. Read Suzanne’s inspiring comeback story of how she survived a near fatal accident, From Deaths Door to Producing a National Fitness Series. Feel free to send Suzanne a message here.

Surprising Fitness Facts after 50

by Suzanne Andrews

One surprising aspect of practicing fitness after 50 is how it affects your endocrine system. That's the system of organs in your body that produce and regulates hormones in your bloodstream. Just like a thermostat signals your heating and air conditioning system when to turn on and off, so does your body. If you're going through menopause, you feel how important it is to regulate your hormones every time you get a hot flash. So what can you do besides stripping and throwing a bucket of ice water on you? First, and bear with me, I need to explain how your body works…

The pituitary gland in your brain produces growth hormone (GH) and that production is increased during aerobic exercise. This is vital for muscle tone and bone density and also helps strengthen your tendons, cartilage and ligaments which literally holds you together. So if you're having a mood swing that even chocolate can't fix and someone says, "Get it together," if you exercise, you can proudly claim, "I'm being held together quite nicely, thank you".

Growth hormone also communicates fat deposits to be used as fuel instead of blood glucose which helps you to stay energized longer while exercising, which is also why exercise is vital for people who have diabetes and why it helps to keep your metabolism running smoothly during menopause.

You've probably heard that the longer you exercise, the easier or less painful it gets. The pituitary gland also produces endorphins. This is one of my favorites because it sends a chemical signal to the brain to reduce anxiety, tension, decreases your appetite, blocks pain and gives you sense of euphoria known as "runners high" where you can exercise for longer periods of time with less pain. Now, you don't have to be a runner to experience this. An increased sensitivity to endorphins can be achieved if you've exercised for several months because it winds up staying in your blood for longer periods causing that "runners high" to last longer as well. Good stuff.

Testosterone is produced in both sexes, in the ovaries in women and the testes in men. Women have about one tenth the amounts of men but it still affects your metabolism by burning fat during exercise along with increasing muscle strength and tone, and producing a sense of self confidence. When you're healthy and strong you feel good! Testosterone can remain in your bloodstream at elevated levels up to three hours after exercise. In women it can also benefit the intensity of orgasms and that's never a bad thing.

Here's another reason to exercise. Another hormone that helps to breakdown unwanted body fat is estrogen. It increases your metabolism (burns fat as fuel), increases both your libido and your mood. The ovaries produce less of it as menopause is reached but exercising can elevate its levels in the blood for up to four hours after exercising so you feel sexier and happier. Now that's better than a valium and has much better side effects than any anti-depressant.

The thyroid gland produces thyroxine which again increases your metabolism in nearly all cells in your body. The increase induces a feeling of being more energetic, burns more calories which promotes weight loss. You get about 30% more thyroxine in the blood during exercise and it remains for several hours afterwards. The longer and harder you exercise the longer it flows through the blood even at rest. You can literally be burning fat stores long after exercising.

The adrenal medulla produces epinephrine (adrenaline) whose primary purpose is to signal the heart to pump harder and it also directs blood flow to the muscles being worked using the stored fat in those muscles as fuel/energy. While this chemical is flowing through your bloodstream it also activates the breakdown of carbohydrates (glycogen) in the liver and the active muscles. The higher the time and intensity of exercise the more epinephrine is released into the blood. But more is not always better. If you haven't exercises for a while it's best to start off with a beginner's fat burning program and progress as tolerated to avoid injury.

The human body is an amazing biological machine that isn't programmed so much as it responds to inputs we decide to place upon it. If you sit and eat, it responds by weakening, fattening and sickening. If you exercise and eat nutritious foods; it strengthens, tones and fights illness and disease. You ultimately choose the way your body reacts to the lifestyle you live. Exercising on a regular schedule causes the body to react with chemical signals that strengthen cells, burn fat deposits and increase blood flow to all the organs responsible for better bodily functions and health.

Suzanne Andrews founded Functional Fitness in 2008, the most popular fitness series for boomers and seniors broadcasting on over 159 Public Television stations throughout the US and Canada. Read Suzanne’s inspiring comeback story of how she survived a near fatal accident, From Deaths Door to Producing a National Fitness Series. Feel free to send Suzanne a message here.

Celebrity Weight Loss Secrets

by Suzanne Andrews

Every time I see a magazine featuring a celebrity who lost weight quickly, I wonder how many people think that if they did whatever the celebrity is promoting, it would work for them too?

Let's face it, finding time to cook healthy and exercise is hard. If you're like the rest of us, you don't have a cook, a maid, a driver, a make-up artist, hair stylist and a personal assistant who takes care of your daily chores.

Because I've worked with numerous celebrities, traveled with them and been in their homes, I know the reason they can lose weight with greater ease is because they have employees take care of the day-to-day chores. All they have to do is focus on work. Can you imagine if you had someone taking care of everything for you and all you had to do was get up and go to work?  You wouldn't have to shop, cook, clean or run around doing errands on your lunch hour and after work.

You may be thinking, "Suzanne, you're on national television, don't you have a cook, a maid and a personal assistant?" Far from it. Functional Fitness with Suzanne Andrews® is a labor of love to help people like yourself get healthy, stay healthy and put the personal in personal training.  I designed the workouts to be quick and effective so people like us don't have to spend hours at the gym.  I mean really - who has time? Most of us have been trained to think we have to jump up and down and exert ourselves until we're in pain to lose weight.  I lost 60 pounds by working out to Functional Fitness and Yoga moves just 30 minutes a day.  Because the workouts were smart, not hard, I wasn't  sore the next day.  That meant I could work out every day if I wanted to and that's what you need to lose weight - consistency with your workout and your nutrition plan.  

Functional Fitness began as a public service to my community. Why would I sacrifice 12 hour days, often 7 days a week without pay to help others take charge of their health? Because as an Occupational Therapy practitioner I've seen countless preventable lifestyle diseases and it just breaks my heart to see people suffer needlessly. If I can help you avoid the pain and frustration of a preventable illness, than I know I've done something valuable with my life because your life is priceless!

Love and Healthiest blessings,

Suzanne Andrews

Suzanne Andrews founded Functional Fitness in 2008, the most popular fitness series for boomers and seniors broadcasting on over 159 Public Television stations throughout the US and Canada. Read Suzanne’s inspiring comeback story of how she survived a near fatal accident, From Deaths Door to Producing a National Fitness Series. Feel free to send Suzanne a message here.

What Does Your Body Say About Your Health?

by Suzanne Andrews

Did you know your reflection is an echo of what your body is trying to tell you?  Find out what your body is saying to you now!

Belly Fat = increased risk of heart attack, diabetes and back pain.

So what do you do when you want to eat health sabotaging foods? Redirect yourself with a healthy distraction. Take 3 deep breaths, go for a walk, call a friend for moral support. The craving will pass and you'll feel so much better! 

Wide Hip Bones = normal part of aging.

Don't fret, it's not your imagination, your bones really do widen as you age. I gained 2 inches of width! What you should be concerned with is if you have excess fat over your hips as that can cause hip, back and knee pain. According to the Arthritis Foundation, every pound of excess fat exerts four pounds of pressure on your knees which is another great reason to get the weight off if you're having knee pain.  You may even save yourself the cost, time and pain of knee replacement surgery! Not sure what exercises to do that are safe for arthritis and help you lose weight?  Check out Arthritis Walking Workout.

Arm Fat = risk of shoulder injuries.

Shoulder injuries are one of the most painful types of injuries. How do I know? I injured myself working working with a patient that required over 400 pounds of muscle power to save her from getting crushed. I had accident two when I saved a patient from a fall. I needed surgery on my shoulders. As bad as it was, the doctor said it could have been much worse. My arms were strong before the accident and I went from 0% function to  a full recovery with consistent therapy, determination and a mindset to work through the pain during therapy and just trudge through to regain full use of my shoulders. You need a well rounded arm workout to remain functional and strong -not to mention if you want to wear those sleeveless dresses!

Thanks for spending time with a very important person...YOU!

Love and healthiest blessings,
Suzanne Andrews
www.healthwiseexercise.com

Suzanne Andrews founded Functional Fitness in 2008, the most popular fitness series for boomers and seniors broadcasting on over 159 Public Television stations throughout the US and Canada. Read Suzanne’s inspiring comeback story of how she survived a near fatal accident, From Deaths Door to Producing a National Fitness Series. Feel free to send Suzanne a message here.

Is Political Correctness Causing Weight Gain?

by Suzanne Andrews

Is political correctness sabotaging your weight loss goals?  Let’s face it, having to watch every word we say is a huge stressor that can provoke your stress hormones into overdrive. When stress happens, so does cravings for comfort treats.  I call them “C-Foods” - cakes, cookies, chocolate, chips and creamy foods.

Just when I thought political correctness couldn’t go any further, I was hit with one of my videos being blocked because of political correctness.

That was enough to get me off the weight loss wagon and head straight for the chocolate. Then I thought better of it and went for a walk.  Instead of getting the “I shouldn’t have guilts,” I was actually proud of myself for resisting the urge to down a large Hershey’s chocolate bar. Especially since I tape my next Functional Fitness series in three months.

Obviously the person who blocked it had no idea the words, Urinary Incontinence is an actual medical diagnosis.  Many women are embarrassed enough about this problem, to say that helping women overcome this problem is offensive is ridiculous, don’t you think? 

I’m not just a rehab practitioner that teaches women how to naturally overcome urinary incontinence/overactive bladder and prolapse, I had this problem and find it offensive that someone took it upon himself to ban this video.  But that’s OK, I’m a big girl and I can take it!

Here’s the video that was banned. If you’re tired of political correctness, share it, post it and tweet it to your unpolitical correctness hearts content.

Suzanne Andrews founded Functional Fitness in 2008, the most popular fitness series for boomers and seniors broadcasting on over 159 Public Television stations throughout the US and Canada. Read Suzanne’s inspiring comeback story of how she survived a near fatal accident, From Deaths Door to Producing a National Fitness Series. Feel free to send Suzanne a message here.

What Body Part Does Weight Loss Begin With?

by Suzanne Andrews

 

When I tell people I lost 60 pounds, people often ask, "how did you do it?" Frankly, I got sick and tired of being sick and tired. I just decided that I'd had enough joint pain, fatigue and excuses that stopped me from being healthy.

But it took me a while to arrive at that destination. My wake up call came when I saw myself on video taken from my sons birthday party. Until that time, I justified all the usual excuses: too tired, not enough time, exercise programs were just too expensive, etc.

But once I committed to exercising just 30 minutes a day, the fatigue was replaced by tons of energy. I decided to stop watching the morning news and work-out instead. By beginning with changing my mindset, I made time for my health and felt so much better not hearing about the bad events first thing in the morning.

As far as expense, I was spending more money on one meal out than I was on an exercise program. I learned that by adjusting your thinking, you can lose weight and feel great! I also learned to work smart and not hard. No insane high impact moves that could hurt your joints. That was the beginning of Functional Fitness. I had no idea that it was going to be a national fitness series on PBS, but I knew there must be other people like me who preferred low impact moves with a choice of fitness levels, an instructor that didn't scream and exercises that were proven safe for various health conditions.

It's amazing what you can do when you set your mind to it!

Suzanne Andrews founded Functional Fitness in 2008, the most popular fitness series for boomers and seniors broadcasting on over 159 Public Television stations throughout the US and Canada. Read Suzanne’s inspiring comeback story of how she survived a near fatal accident, From Deaths Door to Producing a National Fitness Series. Feel free to send Suzanne a message here.

Get Stronger Bones

by Suzanne Andrews

Most of us ladies are aware that getting extra calcium in our diet is a good preventive measure against osteoporosis. However, what you may not realize is how often you should take calcium and exactly what you need to take it with for absorption. 

Check out today's post with my special guest, Dr. Heather Metchick who explains some surprising facts about calcium followed by a preview of the newest Get Stronger Bones DVD to help you strengthen your bones with three fabulous osteoporosis safe workouts! 

 

Suzanne Andrews founded Functional Fitness in 2008, the most popular fitness series for boomers and seniors broadcasting on over 159 Public Television stations throughout the US and Canada. Read Suzanne’s inspiring comeback story of how she survived a near fatal accident, From Deaths Door to Producing a National Fitness Series. Feel free to send Suzanne a message here.