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Rating: 
Summary: Flexible
Review: Good, safe, practical exercises. Sometimes I put a copy in my suitcase for hotel-room inspiration.
Rating:
Summary: EVERYONE can benefit from this book
Review: 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
Rating:
Summary: EVERYONE can benefit from this book
Review: 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
Rating:
Summary: really good stretches
Review: I've just started looking at this book and the stretches really do seem effective. The descriptions are detailed and the program is very complete. I wish it had photos of the stretches instead of drawn diagrams but this does not take away from the book. All in all, definitely worth buying.
Rating:
Summary: The perfect compliment to a desire to exercise.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A wise and well written guide
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Stretching
Review: This book was wonderful and detailed. Not only is it a great book but it has great pictures of the stretches. I recomend this book to anyone who needs to be more informed on stretching properly. I am a person who works out consistantly but felt like I always did the same stretches and never felt like I was getting all of my muscles. Now I know a lot more and feel I am compitant enough to work every muscle group.
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