Building Resilience When the Future Feels Unsteady
Resilience—the capacity to adapt, recover, and keep moving forward—is a mental skillset that matters more than ever in a world defined by rapid change, economic uncertainty, and constant information overload. For people who feel anxious about what lies ahead, future-proofing the mind isn’t about predicting outcomes; it’s about strengthening how you meet whatever comes next. A Quick Orientation Before We…
Shifting Your Teen’s Relationship with Social Media
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and author of the book, Calming Teenage Anxiety: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Your Teenager Cope with Worry, I am frequently asked about the relationship between adolescent anxiety and current social media use. While it is near impossible to disregard the impact of social media on teen mental health, I do not recommend prohibiting…
The Wellness Reframe: The Strategic Power of Doing Nothing
I used to think rest days were for quitters. Then plantar fasciitis—and too many injuries—taught me otherwise. In a fitness culture that glorifies the grind, doing nothing feels like giving up. But what if your rest days are the most important training days of all? Rest isn't weakness. It's wisdom. Learning About Recovery the Hard Way Mid-40s. Marathon training. Convinced…
The Big Toe and Your Health
The Big Toe and Your Health by William Smith, MS, NSCA, CSCS, MEPD Do you ever run, walk, navigate stairs, squat, lunge or jump? Chances are you perform some if not all of these movement daily. Involved in everyone is your big toe. Stop and take a peek downward, you see it? (more…)
Top 5 Mobility Moves for Golfers
Core Strength: Top 5 Mobility Moves for Golfers by Michael Volkmar, MS, CSCS, PES, CPT Summer is here. The Golf Clubs are out. You vowed this summer to drop 3-5 strokes off your handicap. I can help by getting more distance off the tee and building a healthier body that allows you to practice more. (more…)
Core Strength: 3 New Moves You Have Never Tried
Core Strength: 3 New Moves You Have Never Tried by Michael Volkmar, MS, CSCS, PES, CPT Add these exercises into your workout 2-3 days a week before your lift or run. Think of me the next morning when it hurts to sneeze, cough, or laugh. Those are your deep core stabilizing muscles that you have been ignoring. (more…)
Sign Up for Your First Obstacle Race!
Sign Up for Your First Obstacle Race! by Mike Volkmar, MS, CSCS, PES and Matt Carroll, USAW LVL 1, AFAA CPT The rise in popularity of obstacle races is undeniable. The obstacle course race (OCR) community is growing every day with a plethora of different types of races becoming available. There are races for those in the best shape of…
5 Best Exercises for Knee Health
5 Best Exercises for Knee Health by Mike Volkmar, MS, CSCS, PES, CPT Knee pain be the most frustrating injury to have. It affects your daily activities. It can take months to go away. Of course it is best to add special exercises to prevent knee pain but sadly what do you do if you are already experiencing pain? Your…
3 Best Exercises for Shoulder Health
3 Best Exercises for Shoulder Health by Mike Volkmar, MS, CSCS, PES, CPT The shoulder is a very common joint to have pain. The majority of exercisers experience pain in the front or on top of the shoulder joint. This can be for a few reasons. The two major culprits are muscle imbalances and overuse injuries. (more…)
Best Recovery Strategies for Improved Performance
We all want to train hard, but do you put equal effort into your recovery? Most people do not and that is why injuries are on the rise. Doing a simple Google search for overuse injuries will give you an idea of how this is affecting younger athletes specifically. (more…)
9 Steps to Building MAX SPEED
9 Steps to Building MAX SPEED by Michael Volkmar, MS, CSCS, PES, CPT Every athlete at every level wants to build MAX SPEED. Here are the 9 steps high school to pro athletes take to build game breaking speed! (more…)
