Fitness Challenge Meredith Chen helps seniors and others get fit BY ALEX GALLAGHER Meredith Chen has always had a love for fitness and being active. She enjoyed working out with her mom and brother. Going on walks and doing aerobics to VHS tapes were at the top of her list, too. As she grew older, she morphed from fitness enthusiast to coach. “I loved seeing them have results and feeling good about themselves,” the Scottsdale resident says about her friends. “I had that same feeling as well.” Once she found her footing as an instructor, Chen carried her talents to her YouTube channel in February 2019. A little over a year later, the channel exploded and became her only way of encouraging people to work out. She now has 27,000 subscribers. Last August, Chen and her Senior Fitness with Meredith partnered with SaltboxTV, a free streaming service. Her videos appeal to students of different skill levels: beginner, intermediate and ad-
vanced. Most workouts begin with low-impact cardiovascular exercises like marching and then ease into the day’s primary workout. They conclude with stretching. While Chen nailed teaching, she says it’s awkward to teach fitness to a camera held by her boyfriend. “When you talk into a camera, it’s not the same as talking face to face with someone,” she says. “But I will listen to constant comments and take Zoom calls with clients and participants which helps me stay engaged with them.”
Flexing her muscle Chen’s first fitness endeavor was a business that she ran out of her home. A client who worked for a senior living facility floated the idea of her teaching fitness classes for seniors. Chen was intrigued and gave it a whirl.
UPGRADE TO EASY ACCESS AND BETTER STORAGE Enjoy up to 50% more space in your kitchen and better access to your mostused items with our custom pull-out shelves installed in your existing cabinets
50% OFF INSTALLATION* *Limit one offer per household. Must purchase 5+ Classic/ Designer Shelves. EXP 12/31/21
®
Schedule Your FREE Design Consultation:
(855) 227-0135
Hours: Mon - Fri 7am-11pm; Sat - Sun 9am-7pm EST
12
|
NOVEMBER 2021
“When I went into a senior living comSenior Fitness munity, I realized how much I enjoyed with Meredith working with seniors,” she says. “It gave • seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com me the validation that I loved doing fit• meredith@ ness for people and I saw how much they seniorfitnesswithmeredith.com appreciated and needed it.” • saltboxtv.com/home With a newfound passion in her field, Chen became certified to become a fit- mom and brother,” says Chen, who enness coordinator for a senior living com- joys success stories. “I’ve had students tell me that these munity. videos have gotten them moving, made She admits that there were challenges to adapting her workouts to an older de- them feel healthier and one student has lost 100 pounds since she started the mographic of students. “I had to watch, learn and listen to the workouts. These stories motivate me by people at the community about how letting me know that I’m doing good for their bodies were different and similar so many people.” from a younger demographic and gauge it from there,” Chen says. “I know everyone is going to be different when they sit in front of the class so, my biggest thing is listening to people. I want to know what their ailments are, what they’ve been through and what their restrictions are.” Because of this, Chen stresses her classes are not just for seniors. “It’s not just for seniors. It’s adaptive care. It is for beginners and people who are obese,” she says. Chen, who attended Glendale Community College, says she has come full circle — from a kid working out to VHS tapes to teaching via SaltboxTV. “It brings me back to the Meredith Chen is a certified fitness coordinator specializing time when I was a kid work- in lower-impact exercises tailored toward safe senior fitness. ing out to recordings with my (Photos courtesy of David Minton) www.LovinLife.com
