Plumeria (above) and Gardenia's are in bloom in Lakes Park (Fort Myers), right now, for you to enjoy! They're smelling SOOO good!  Photo Courtesy of Charly Caldwell II.

Most people have suffered the excruciatingly painful experience of a leg cramp at least once in their life, often in bed at night.

A cramp is a painful spasm or contraction (shortening) of the muscle, usually in the calf, but sometimes in the foot or thigh muscles.

Cramps are involuntary – you have no control over the muscle spasm.

Fortunately, cramps usually only last a few seconds or minutes and usually get better when you stretch the affected muscles.

Walking around often helps relieve foot cramps.

After a cramp, the affected muscles may be sore and tender for a few hours.

Sometimes there is even mild swelling afterwards. Although they are extremely painful, ordinary leg cramps are more of a nuisance than anything else and are not usually a sign of anything seriously wrong.

Leg cramps (especially night...

Last Friday's Southwest Florida sunset on Naples Beach was gorgeous!  Enjoy exercise wherever and whenever you can, even walking the beach!  Photo Courtesy of Charly Caldwell II.

How often do you incorporate balance work into your training sessions?

I’m going to hedge a guess at not much. Most people don’t even think about our body’s ability to balance.

After all, that’s just a concern for the elderly, right?

Well, no. 

Balance training is important for everyone.

It is as important a factor in fitness as cardiovascular, resistance and flexibility training.

In fact, without good balance, your ability to perform the other components smoothly and with efficiency is compromised.  

Good balance not only plays a significant role in strengthening and stabilizing joints but it also increases proprioception, or the body’s ability to recognize where it is in space and to help control movements.

With increased proprioception, the body is able...

If you can't get to the beach to walk or run, here's some ideas for exercising from the office!  Naples Beach - March 18, 2022. Photo Courtesy of Charly Caldwell II.

It’s never ending...

Clients are referred to exercise physiologists because they either have several risk factors predisposing them to chronic disease and/or conditions (i.e. high blood pressure, high cholesterol), or they have developed a chronic disease and/or condition and their health care provider wants exercise to be a component of their treatment.

Simple, or at least you’d think so right?

Many of these referred patients have very busy lives: work and family (kids and often grandchildren too), so a big part of successful planning is to find ‘potential exercise/physical activity’ time in their day, which is often no easy task.

If the average person sleeps 7.5 hours per night, that leaves potentially 16.5 hours, to complete 30 minutes of exercise (minimum recommended daily amount by the...

A beautiful late February day for running, walking or biking in Lakes Park (Fort Myers). Photo Courtesy of Charly Caldwell II.

We're two months into 2022, and...

People have been asking how to restart their fitness program!

If your last workout feels like a distant memory, do not despair.

Now is a perfect time to find your way back into a fitness routine.

However, be mindful. You don’t need to rush into it head first.

By doing a little planning and adopting a gradual approach, you will reduce your risk of injury and perhaps even get a little more enjoyment from it.

First, be realistic.

If you’ve ever taken a break from exercise (holiday, injury), you know trying to fit the weeks you have missed into the first two weeks back doesn’t work.

I have an adage I use in these situations:

‘It’s not about where you’ve been, it’s about where you’re going.’

When it comes to the cardio, go easy on yourself here too.

This means being able to...

Enjoying a brisk walk on this clear, crisp winter day in Lakes Park in Fort Myers. Photo courtesy of Charly Caldwell II

People often associate exercise with weight loss as if the two a synonymous.

While it is true that people who exercise regularly tend to maintain a healthier weight, exercise has so many more benefits for the body.  

Here's 15 Benefits of Exercise:

1) Exercise helps your brain.

Exercise has been shown to ease anxiety, improve mood and fight depression. It promotes the release of a mood-lifting brain chemical called serotonin and the release of endorphins, natural feel-good painkilling substances. Exercise also improves cognitive function and decreases the risk of dementia.

2) Good for your skin.

Moderate exercise stimulates circulation and so brings oxygen and nutrients to the skin. Sweating allows the body to excrete wastes via the surface of the skin.

3) Lungs.

Regular exercise increases lung capacity and strengthens the respiratory muscles. Exercise also...

Take time to get up & move throughout your day.  Can you see the two people walking in the park? Photo courtesy of Charly Caldwell II

There is no denying it, since the onset of the pandemic, a lot of things have changed.

For the most part, we're all navigating uncharted waters.

Whether you are home-schooling children, working from home or caring for an elderly family member, we all need to be aware of our actions and how these affect our health and well-being.

Our dependence on technology has been higher than ever.

People reach for portable electronic devices such as tablets, smartphones and laptops to remain socially connected and employable.

This increased reliance on technology combined with more extended periods of use can lead to an increased prevalence of postural low back and neck pain.

Such injuries typically occur because, unlike with desktop computers, we usually do not use portable devices within an ergonomic workstation setup.

The size of the screen, distance to...

Enjoying a beautiful December day in Lakes Park (Fort Myers, Florida). Photo courtesy of Charly Caldwell II

The holidays are that time each year when people come together to celebrate, be merry, let bygones be bygones and love our neighbors.

As lovely as this sounds, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), it is also one of the most dangerous times for our health and wellbeing!

You read that right.

Beneath all the tinsel, carefully wrapped presents and winter activities, there is a frenzy of injuries just waiting to happen.

Considering this revelation, I am taking a slightly different approach this week and taking it upon myself to expose the dangers of the holidays with the hopes of maximizing your joy and eliminating or at least minimizing your risk of harm and injury this season.

In 2017, 3.5 trillion was paid in national health expenditures, which was up 3.9% from the previous year.

Of those health care expenditures, nearly 10,000 involved injuries to children...

Guitar strapped to his back, enjoying a nice December evening in beautiful Lakes Park (Fort Myers, Florida). Walk every day for 30 minutes to increase the quality of your sleep. Photo Courtesy of Charly Caldwell II

Ring in the New Year with Better Sleep — well, here’s an oxymoron:

An article about sleeping on New Year’s Eve.

While it may see counterintuitive to talk about sleeping on the one night most of the world doesn’t sleep enough, it’s worth a conversation.

The health costs that arise from sleep deprivation include over $2+ billion spent treating conditions associated with sleep deprivation including:

• sleep apnea,
• narcolepsy,
• restless leg syndrome and
• seizures.

Accidents result in the loss of a further $3.5 billion, and economic inefficiency costs more than $400 billion.

The study titled ‘Why sleep matters..’ as reported in Fortune magazine determined that lack of sleep or poor sleep habits is costing the US workforce...

Whether your working from home, or at the office, get outside & enjoy a walk!  Photo Courtesy of Charly Caldwell II

With more of us continuing to do screen-based work in non-professional settings, i.e, spending hours crouched over laptop screens on sofa’s or kitchen tables, it is essential that we set ourselves up for success.

This means creating work spaces that are both comfortable and healthy and do not negatively impact us physically (cue sore necks, shoulders and upper backs).
 
With some thoughtful planning, you can create a more ergonomic workstation that makes your time spent working from home a little less uncomfortable.
 
Keep all angles at 90 degrees
If you have a height-adjustable desk and desk chair, make sure you adjust them to a 90-degree angle to avoid slouching. Your knees, hips, and back should also be of utmost priority.

Flat feet
Whether you put them on the ground or use a footrest, you should keep your feet flat. This will help to...

What would your self talk look like as you walked or ran on this beautiful path in Lakes Park?  Photo Courtesy of Charly Caldwell II

It’s been said that life begins at the end of your comfort zone and that certainly resonates in athletic and fitness pursuits.

Have you ever purposefully listened and been mindful of the messages you send yourself during a training session?  

Our brains are more powerful than any muscle in our body and our thoughts can impact the effectiveness and enjoyment of our workouts.

To get the most out of each training session, negate any negative thoughts and put yourself in the optimal mindset for performance.

“I can’t do it!”

It is natural for our mind to tell us to back off when we are experiencing discomfort, fatigue or pain. It’s a survival mechanism the body uses to protect itself.

The challenge becomes recognizing which thoughts come from credible physical threats and which thoughts are simply there as we are...