Product Description

Did you long ago learn to fear and dread stretching because of overbearing P.E. teachers who forced you to touch your toes? It doesn't have to be that way anymore. Stretching is a powerful tool that can bring you new ease of movement, an increase in your physical capabilities, and deep composure that requires you to do nothing more than breathe. You can always have access to it—and best of all, it's free!

Stretching for Dummies shows you that stretching is actually easy to do—and reveals how you can reap the amazing benefits of stretching anywhere, anytime. It explains in simple terms how you can stand taller, look thinner, keep stress from getting the best of you, keep your muscles from feeling achy, and nip injuries in the bud. You'll discover:

• The why’s, where’s, when’s, and how’s of letting loose and snapping back
• How to keep from hurting yourself
• The benefits of stretching with a partner
• How to target specific areas: such as head, shoulders, knees, and toes
• The art of breathing correctly
• How to use stretching to sooth lower back pain
• Stretches to start and end your day right
• Stretches you can do at your desk
• Stretches for various stages of life—including stretches for kids and seniors

This easy-to-use reference also includes a list of ten surprising around-the house stretching accessories, along with ten common aches and pain that stretching can help. Regardless of how old or young you are, Stretching for Dummies will introduce you to a kinder and gentler form of flexibility that will reduce that nagging tension and tenderness in your muscles and truly make you feel good all over.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41733 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780470067413
• Condition: USED - VERY GOOD
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"…the ideal book for beginners who want to improve their flexibility, wellbeing and get rid of nagging aches and pains." (Women's Fitness, Issue 38)

From the Back Cover
Includes routines for pregnant women, kids, and seniors

Get stronger, look thinner, and nip injuries in the bud

Stretching does much more than increase your flexibility — it promotes relaxation, relieves pain, boosts your energy, and improves posture and performance. This plain-English guide starts you on a safe, healthy stretching regimen, giving you an array of practices for home, work, and on the go as well as specific stretches for target areas, such as the back.

Discover how to

• Establish a stretching routine
• Warm up and cool down
• Stretch for specific activities
• Prevent athletic injury
• Relieve computer-desk stress
• Stretch with a partner

About the Author
LaReine Chabut is a lifestyle and fitness expert, model, and mom. She’s the author of Exercise Balls For Dummies (Wiley) and Lose That Baby Fat! (M. Evans) and is a contributing fitness expert for Shape Fit Pregnancy magazine. LaReine has served as the lead instructor for America’s number one exercise video series The Firm (over three million copies sold worldwide) and has graced the covers of such high-profile fitness publications as Shape, Health, New Body, and Runner’s World. She has appeared on CNN, ABC, FOX News, EXTRA, Access Hollywood, Good Day LA, and KABC and is a premier trainer for Ipods (see www.podfitness.com/lareinechabut) along with Kathy Smith, David Kirsch, and other top trainers in their field.
As an actress, LaReine penned a sitcom with Meg Ryan entitled Below the Radar for the Fox Network and Castle Rock Entertainment. She has co-written and starred in two short films: Separation Anxiety, which broadcast on Lifetime Television, and Good Jill Hunting, which aired on the Sundance Channel. Her series regular and guest starring appearances include Linc’s, Nash Bridges, The Secret World of Alex Mack, USA High, The Single Guy, Strange Luck, Murder She Wrote, and Quantum Leap, to name a handful.

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive book for the exercise dummy
I bought this book because I really was a stretching dummy. After being pretty sedentary for a few years, I have started working out again. I kept getting tightness in my arms and legs that I couldn't figure out how to stretch away. This book has cured that, showing me specific stretches for each area of tightness. Now I know how to stretch after I work out. I've never felt any tightness that this book didn't address.

As a bonus, it even explains why you should be warmed up before you stretch, that you need to hold a stretch for 30 seconds for the most effectiveness, what you need to stretch effectively (a towel wrapped around an extremity will help you stretch what you can't reach), and gives a few specific stretching routines for the office, pregnant women, children, seniors, and those participating in specific sports (basketball, skiing, swimming, and racquet sports). The only actual routine I've used is the office one... mostly I just stretch the muscles I worked.

The reason for the four stars is the organization of the book. It does go through by body region, but curiously doesn't include each stretch in that section. For instance, in the "upper body" area, it includes one chest stretch. But it lists two different ones in the "office" stretch. Why didn't it list all of the chest stretches all together so I could easily try all three to see which one worked best for me? I was able to navigate the book much more easily when I realized there was an index in the back. I looked up "chest" and it gave me the page numbers of all the chest stretches.

Still, all of the photographs were good, the writing was easy to understand, and it resolved my after-workout tightness issue.

Let's all stretch!
This is a great book for covering stretches for all the places that need it. Also covers why and how we should stretch. A big help.

Good Book
This book has a variety of good stretches. They are well explained and well illustrated. They even have a special section on stretches that can be done at your desk.