Thank you for the kind remarks! So glad you found it helpful!

An indoor pool would be great!

Thank you!

Thanks for the questions SleeperMan! There are two general rules of thought regarding muscle cramping during exercise. The traditional view of muscle cramping is that it is caused by dehydration and loss of electrolytes such as sodium and potassium. So the classic advise is to make sure you are hydrated and load up on potassium rich foods (bananas). However, there is not an abundant amount of research linking dehydration and electrolyte imbalances as the root cause of cramping (on the flip side this maybe due to the lack of research and the difficulty in performing or recreating these conditions in a lab setting). Another theory of muscle cramping is from neuromuscular fatigue (muscle becoming fatigued or exhausted). Each person will have their own point of muscle fatigue, but this maybe a reason that some people cramp and other don’t. The theory states that when muscles become fatigued, the mechanisms that usually prevent over-contraction of the muscle misfire and cramping occurs.

Like most things, its probably a little combination of both and so the general advice is to be adequately hydrated, eat food rich in potassium and sodium, pickle juice (more research is needed here), training adjustments (periodization), and the warm-up and stretching advise in the blog. Hope this helps.

Barbara-

Thank you for the kind words!