Coastal Fitness & Wellness: A Holistic Approach to Wellness By Suzanne Driscoll With a focus on exercise, stretch therapy, massage, and selfcare management, Edie Mercado is excited to relocate her thriving Coastal Fitness & Wellness business from Tybee Island, Ga., to St. Petersburg. “I was simply overwhelmed with work in Tybee, and decided I was up for a change,” she reports. “My sister lives here, and I always loved visiting St. Pete. When I found the studio at 21 Beach Drive (NE), I knew this was the right move for me.” Mercado brings more than 30 years of experience in the health and wellness field. A graduate of the Somerset School of Massage Therapy in New Jersey (now the Cortiva Institute), she also completed a course in Shiatsu and headache pain. Mercado has maintained certification in personal and group training with the American Council on Exercise since 1990.
Unique, Individualized Treatments
Owner of Coastal Fitness & Wellness, Edie Mercado, LMMT, NMT, CPT. Photos by Kristina Holman
Coastal Fitness & Wellness is distinctive in that Mercado combines her expertise in exercise with massage and other therapies to offer unique, individualized treatments to each client. “I have a good understanding of how pain begins and how it can be diminished,” Mercado says. “Whether it’s a sports injury or overuse of certain muscles while exercising, I try to pinpoint the source of the pain and use techniques such as myofascial release or trigger-point therapy and acupressure. I use light, moderate or deep pressure to release constricted muscle tightness and alleviate spasms, in order to increase blood flow throughout the body.” A particular specialty of Mercado’s is working with women during and after pregnancy. “Massage therapy during pregnancy is a wonderful complementary choice for prenatal care,” Mercado says. “Massage relieves many of the normal discomforts experienced during pregnancy, such as backaches, stiff neck, leg cramps, headaches and edema (swelling). In addition, massage for pregnant women reduces stress on weight-bearing joints, encourages blood and lymph circulation, helps to relax nervous tension – which aids in better sleep – and can help relieve depression or anxiety caused by hormonal changes.” Daily exercises are suggested to help ensure a smooth delivery and heal and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles postpartum.
Most Popular: Pilates One of the most popular offerings at Coastal Fitness is individualized Pilates classes. “People can be very sedentary these days sitting at a computer or driving a lot. If you are taking Pilates in a large class with other people, the instructor can’t focus on your individual needs,” says Mercado. “I take the time to hone in on a person’s body to determine if it’s a neck issue or low back pain, for
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GREENBENCHMONTHLY.COM / OCTOBER 2021
