Collage Video Blog

Functional Fitness Tips & Motivations Now Posted!

Check out this week's Functional Fitness Motivational Moment!
Learn more Age Reversing & Weight Loss Tips every Thursday here by Suzanne Andrews.

Women Over 40: Listen Up

by Suzanne Andrews

Six Unexpected Reasons Why You Should Strengthen Your Abs!

We all know that flat abs are attractive, but there are even more important (and surprising) reasons you need to blast belly fat and strengthen your core…

1. To play sports and other awesome activities. With a strong core, you can be flexible and ready to take on activities such as putting the grandkids in and out of the car, (and to keep up with them!) Tennis anyone? You need a strong core so you don’t hurt yourself when you swing the racket. The same goes for golf. What about activities that involve balance? A strong core gives you better balance.

2. To tackle housework. If you don’t have a magic genie to do the housework then you have to have a strong core to be able to make home repairs, to carry stuff, mop, vacuum and to make the many household chores and activities easier.

3. To ward off a heart attack. A weak core is usually accompanied by belly fat. You need a strong core because belly fat puts you at high risk of having a heart attack. In a study of over 5,000 participants, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute found that the risk of heart failure was 34 percent higher for overweight individuals and 104 percent higher for people classified as "obese."

4. To have good posture. You’re not getting any younger and poor posture will only make you look older and tired. Improve your posture by strengthening your abs and you will literally slash off years from your looks.

5. To develop a healthy back. Back pains are often caused by weak abs. Since most back pain can be successfully treated with therapeutic exercises, when back pain strikes, rehab therapists, including myself, recommend a string of core-strengthening exercises. A study by researchers at Duke University suggests that not exercising is an especially effective way to put on belly fat. The study, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, found that just eight months of inactivity increased visceral fat -- the potentially dangerous layer of belly fat -- by about 9 percent. On the bright side, people who exercised vigorously for eight months actually reduced their visceral fat by about 8 percent. You can get an amazingly strong core with chair exercises or standing exercises instead of engaging in floor crunches that can hurt your neck. 

6. To enjoy good sex. When you get older it makes it tougher to enjoy sex and a strong core is your powerhouse and will help you enjoy better sex!

Start training now and live your life the way it was intended – a functional life filled with energy and abundant 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.

Functional Fitness Tips & Motivations Now Posted!

Check out this week's Functional Fitness Motivational Moment!
Learn more Age Reversing Tips every Thursday here by Suzanne Andrews.

New “Fit Forever with Kathy” Blog Now Posted!

The latest blog from Kathy Smith is now posted!

You can read it HERE!!!

Thanks!

Wash Away Stress in 2 Minutes

by Kathy Smith

Wow…what a week! I just wrapped up a video shoot and I’m taking time this weekend to focus on mindfulness and yoga. While a busy life can be energizing, balance is important in all things in life, including fitness. By acknowledging a natural ebb and flow in life, your body and mind will let you know it’s time for a balance check. This weekend, take a few minutes to sit quietly and be still. By doing so, you’ll be rewarded with more energy, creativity and joy

Stress is a messenger. Even though there’s a lot of talk about reducing and eliminating stress, it’s important to see it as a friendly emotion that reminds you about the need for balance in your life.  When you view stress as a tool, it’s easier to make peace with it.

Stress is our body’s natural response to change in our environment, and the automatic fight-or-flight response that stress triggers is genetically coded within us. When you experience too much stress, though, hormones like cortisol and adrenaline flood your body and that can wreak havoc on your health.

Another reason you’d be doing your body a favor if you take stress down a notch is because your heart rate increases when you’re stressed, which leads to higher blood pressure and blood being shunted away from your stomach, causing poor digestion.

When stress taps you on the shoulder and says you need more balance in your life, it’s important to listen to it.

If you need more balance in your life, creating inner peace is easier than you might think. For me, nothing provides as much relief, energy, clarity, positive feelings, and an incredible feeling of rejuvenation than taking a minute to pause in stillness, and then stretch my body. Just those few seconds of stillness to mindfully connect with your body allows you to be your best self, and completely restore body and mind.

That’s why in the video above, I’ll guide you through a 2-minute relaxing stretching routine that will help you shed stress so you can replenish the vibrant energy within you.

Kathy Smith, New York Times bestselling author, has stood at the forefront of the fitness and health industries for over 30 years. The numbers speak for themselves: Kathy has sold more than 20 million exercise DVDs - landing her in the Video Hall of Fame - and $500 million in Kathy Smith products. With her revolutionary approach to fitness, Smith has touched millions of people, inspiring them to move, live, and love.

Love Notes Blog by Jari Love Now Available!

Love Notes Blog by Jari Love is now posted.

Read it HERE.

Functional Fitness Tips & Motivations Now Posted!

Check out this week's Functional Fitness Motivational Moment!
Learn more Age Reversing & Weight Loss Tips every Thursday here by Suzanne Andrews.

New ASK GILAD Blog Now Up!

Gilad's New "Ask Gilad" blog is now posted.

Find it HERE.

Love Notes Blog by Jari Love Now Available!

Love Notes Blog by Jari Love is now posted.

Read it HERE.

New “Fit Forever with Kathy” Blog Now Posted!

The latest blog from Kathy Smith is now posted!

You can read it HERE!!!

Thanks!