Stretching to Keep Younger: Easy Exercises to Hold You Versatile, Energized, and Ache Free

Buy this book
This book is so well written and illustrated. You can tell the author really cares about helping you to feel better and is very knowledgeable on the subject. Also, she really covers it all! This is the best stretching book I’ve ever read and you can tell she put a lot of time and energy into it. I did some of the stretches for my neck/ shoulder pain last night– and felt 90% better by morning. (Ya, she def worked her butt off on this book! lol.) Great job!

Matthews Teaches Stretching
In January as I proceeded to step up my daily exercise routine, a problem developed with tightness in my back, which quickly caused me to re-evaluate my fitness objective. Consulting with a friend who is a personal trainer, she advised me to revise my warm-up routine to lengthen my stretches and add a few new ones to my routine. It worked. My tightness relaxed; I am back to my new workout strategy; and I went looking for a book to learn more about stretches. My search led me to Jessica Matthews’ book: Stretching to Stay Young.Matthews writes about having a similar experience as a fitness instructor, but observed:“Once I was stretching regularly, however, I began to move more easily—not just while exercising but in my everyday life as well. I increased my range of motion and fain immense flexibility, reducing the aches and pain I had become accustomed to.” (8-9)In my case, stretching not only helped me reduce tightness, it helped me workout harder and I ended up overdoing it a bit, which caused a different set of issues.Matthews cites studies showing these benefits: decreased stiffness, improved function, reduced pain, enhanced performance, improved range of motion, improved balance, and decreased anxiety and depression (17). Medical benefits include reduced: stress, blood pressure and heart rate, breathing rate, and chronic back pain. (18)For me, these benefits have been real. My basic warm up routine began in the summer of 2008 when I experienced several episodes of extreme, lower-back pain that left me unable to work—I had to lie on my back on the floor all day at one for three days running. On advice of my doctors, I began doing core exercises, which included stretching and Pilates, about seven days a week. After beginning this new warm up routine before swimming laps, I never again experienced that kind of pain and, with minor tweaks, I have continued this warm up routine since then.Matthews is located in San Diego, California and cites her background as: Kinesiology Professor (Point Loma Nazarene University), Yoga Studies Professor (MiraCosta College), President & CEO of Integrative Wellness Education, Senior Advisor for Health & Fitness Education at American Council on Exercise (ACE), and a contributing editor at Shape Magazine. She writes her book in three parts—the science, the stretches, and the workouts—which are proceeded by an introduction and followed by lists of resource and references, and by a subject index. The book is printed on high-quality, rather stiff paper that might help the book survive a few trips to the gym. The illustrations are also large enough that you might be able to make out the routines without your glasses.Jessica Matthew’s book, Stretching to Stay Young, is an interesting read. I loved to find that some of my stretches have catchy names like “Standing Crescent Moon” (74-75), “Bird Dog” (82-83) and “Figure 4” (92-93) and that I need to adjust my routine to do them correctly. The Standing Crescent Moon, for example, is best done as a static stretch, not a dynamic stretch (bobbing), while the Bird Dog is just the opposite, contrary in both cases to my current practice. I was also pleased to learn what people down at the gym are doing with foam rollers—exercising muscle attachments called fascia. If you are new to the proper way to do stretches, as I am, then this is a book that you want to check out.

Way to much floor stretching
I didn’t know this was going to be mostly floor work. I would return but since I purchased the spiral bound it’s not worth it.Great book if you want floor stretching.

This book will be essential for years to come! Instructions are clear and detailed, and drawings show target areas. Also the sample workouts feel like bonus content, there are so many.

The book is not suitable for me. Given to a friend who wants it. Works well.

Bought this on impulse in the hope that it will supplement and complement the exercises that I must undertake post-operatively in the future. Many of the exercises are familiar, and some are beyond me. BUT – what I love is the way these exercises are handled and the structure of the book. Every exercise is clearly explained, including a diagram, – and all have an addendum where they can be eased or increased. This means that everything is achievable.The author explains what each exercise will benefit. She also suggests groups of exercise to achieve certain ends, or before and after certain activities. I’m pretty sure that in this way she covers everyone’s needs.I am no longer young, so I guess the title is optimistic for me – but I can see how readily these exercises and suggestions will fit into what I have to do, and help me regain parts of my life that I thought had gone forever.Highly recommended.