Stretch & Strengthen

This book has small drawings that partially demonstrate exercises. Many exercises have no drawings, so the reader must use her imagination to picture the movement. Maybe this was a good resource 30 years ago, but today there are better alternatives for learning on this topic.

This is a great book for people who are just starting out with an exercise regimen as well as for people who are already active. I used this book to help me train for the Avon 3-Day Walk (60 miles in 3 days) and am proud to say that after doing the stretches in this book (even at the beginner level), I could walk 15-20 miles in a day and never have even shin splints. This is a great way to make exercise (relatively) painless.

I own this and have given it as a gift many times. I challenge you to learn and do the series of stretches "For All Active People" every day for a week, and see how much more un-tense and flexible you feel! You may not even be aware of just how tight and tense your muscles habitually are from your everyday living, until you release them with these stretches. There are also other stretch series included, some examples being for Dancers and Professional Athletes, or People Who Sit a Lot. Alter lists stretches which benefit every part of the body from head to toe, and gives easy to follow instructions on how to do each one, with troubleshooting text on how not to do them as well, and clear line drawings.I have found that the best time to do these stretches is at night after exercise, then take a hot shower and go to sleep. I wake in the morning feeling utterly relaxed, with my leg muscles twitching as though they'd LIKE to tense up as usual, but can't :-D Unfortunately I am a morning person with a fairly physically stressful job, and am almost always way too tired to do this... it takes me a good 45 minutes to work through the "For All Active People" series. So I usually end up doing them in the morning before work, since that is when I have the most energy. If I'm on the Nordic Track by 5:15 I have time to stretch and shower before running out the door to work :-D

This book and Judy Alter's earlier book, Surviving Exercise, have the answers I've been looking for. I love to exercise, but I've been plagued with injuries for years. And of course, the injuries set me back and have kept me from exercising as much as I'd like. I've been looking for some sound, scientific information on stretching, but have found very little. I had the feeling stretching would help prevent injuries, but what's the right way to stretch? I had found scientific evidence that stretching can CAUSE injuries, too. It's amazing to me how many books are available about stretching that have no scientific basis whatsoever. Some get their authority from tradition (like yoga) and some are merely the author's opinion. But finally someone has written a book about how to stretch so the stretching actually helps and doesn't harm you. Judy tells you exactly how to do the exercises. Sometimes the stretches are a lot like the ones I've done before, but small differences -- how you hold your foot, the position of your head, whether or not you're keeping your back straight -- can make the difference between hurting yourself with the stretch or helping yourself. I'm the author of the book, Self-Help Stuff That Works, and one of the most important things I recommend is exercise. It makes a big difference in your general attitude and sense of well-being. Alter's book tells you how you can KEEP exercising for your lifetime, without pain or injury. I love this book and highly recommend it.

This book was recommended to a friend by her doctor to help her recover from a car accident. It helped me recover from my car accident, too - even though my accident was in 1969! She explains why one must hold a gentle stretch UNTIL YOUR MUSCLES RELAX - as long as that may take. This is why classes and videos don't work for everyone. At first, it took me almost 2 minutes for each stretch, but I experienced immediate relief from pain before I finished my first time through the Beginners set. An easy to understand book. I buy copies to give away.

This book has really helped me. I'm age 47 and have been plagued by upper back & neck problems; now I manage that condition with both stretching & strengthening exercises based on Alter's book. I've also learned from this book how to position pillows when I sleep, how to manage my son's tendancy for shin splints, and more. I found this book to contain a lot of wisdom, tons of exercises (most are easy to do) very specific to areas of the body or to problems, and written in a clear and very straightforward way.