For most, even those who have an active lifestyle and hit the gym regularly, stretching is something that you engage in to warm up or cool down. But this seemingly unimportant and low-calorie exercise can keep you fit and fluid in many more ways, than you think. As we age, we begin to think of ways to stay young, and try to look for exercises to stay young. In Stretching to Stay Young, the author explains how stretching contributes to your overall muscular health and is one of the main components for mobility.
Jessica Matthews, M.S., Certified Yoga Teacher (E-RYT-500) is a Kinesiology Professor at Point Loma Nazarene University and Professor of Yoga Studies at MiraCosta College in San Diego, California. She serves as Senior Advisor for Health and Fitness Education for the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and a Contributing Editor for SHAPE magazine.
Stretching to Stay Young: Simple Workouts to Keep You Flexible, Energized, and Pain Free
Author: Jessica Matthews
Paperback: 210 pages
Publisher: Althea Press (December 13, 2016)
ISBN: 1623158060, 978-1623158064
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Stretching to Stay Young Summary
When you exercise injuries are bound to happen once in a while. When you do not exercise at all, these can be more common. As we age and move less, our muscles become less flexible. The less flexible they become, the more vulnerable we become to aches and sprains. The author explains this theory in an easy to understand way in the initial chapters of the book. From basics of muscle groups and definition of flexibility, the author takes the reader thought what and why of stretching. All of this information is supported with relevant research, but without the numbers and the stats.
But as important as stretching is, it is also important to know your body. The author explain how to stretch and the kind of stretching that you should avoid.
Once you have the basics right, the author then explains with diagrams different stretches for different muscle groups that you can use to increase you mobility and improve muscle strength. She also gives notes on how to use props to ease certain aches and pointers to make the stretches easy or more difficult. Each of the figures also highlight the muscle groups that are engaged in the exercise, so that you know you are doing it right and feel the tension in the right spot.
In the later chapters of Stretching to Stay Young, the author shares some routines for your daily activity. These range from easy to intense. The author also mentions different exercises for the aches and pulls that we all encounter every now and then like Stiff Neck or a Frozen Shoulder.
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Stretching to Stay Young Reviews
Readers like that the book explains everything in an easy to understand and easy to follow instructions. The illustrations are a big hit for everyone who have purchased the book. For experienced readers, the suggestions to increase the intensity of each stretch seems to work well.