Stretching Your Way to a Pain-Free Life
Aaron Taylor
Made for Success Publishing (2021)
ISBN: 978-1-64146585-4
Reviewed by Amy Lignor for Reader Views (12/2021)
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I come from that major majority (as doctors state) who are constantly looking for some type of exercise or exercise machine to truly help the body. No, I’m not into those “best” diets or pills, or any type of chemical that swears you lose weight and gain better health, because they’ve proven time and time again that they don’t do any of that. I’ve also seen a great deal of people end up hurting themselves from “one-of-a-kind” things such as those in more ways than one. My mother was old school; she believed walking was the best thing for your health, and I’ve followed that routine as much as possible. But as I sit here now—foot up on a pillow, looking at the bruises that came from breaking three bones—and feeling beyond annoyed that no machine, cane, crutch, or anything else helps me simply walk to the next room; I saw this title, opened the cover, eyed the easy-to follow pictures, and NOW I can’t wait until this foot is better so I can throw myself into all of these stretches instead of just the ones for the body’s upper half.
Certainly I knew that stretching was good for your muscles before you entered into a run or some other exercise activity; I also knew it was good for your posture and getting out the “kinks” in the bones that you end up “listening to” as you leave your forties and wonder where the heck it all went. However, this book told me so much more. This is not only an exercise system, it’s a guide that also provides the reader with factual information ranging from the differences in flexibility between males and females, to various truths about the muscles and about the high percentage rate of humans who suffer from back pain, the days they have to lose from work over any given year because of said pain, and how many billions of dollars come out of our pockets to spend on treating pain annually.
As I watch my sister experience the first signs of arthritis, I hear her and I “popping” so much that we remind me of some boy band’s songs that are backed up by that constant beat, allowing them to jump around in perfect synchronicity. By reading and studying the pages of this book, however, I completely understand the term “range of motion” and how this author gifted the rest of us with almost three hundred stretches to reduce not only aches and pains but also stress and anxiety which comes upon us all on a daily basis, let alone annually. He also went one step further by adding in programs for those in the medical and sports arena that will help them with different things that occur.
One other thing I wish to express is my thanks to Stephanie Izard, celebrity chef. She came along on this book trip and added recipes that are not only truly healthy but also great tasting, which is a nice change.
I’ve never met a flexibility therapist, which is the career of this author, Aaron Taylor. But I shouldn’t be surprised. Apparently, for the past two decades, this man has provided stretching routines to those who need them. Everything from therapy for knee and hip replacements to those with Parkinson’s have been aided by his taking stock of the human body, and finding a way to help it. Whether you’re the age of 12 or 90, this man has developed great stretches that I will not only utilize, but now I have a guide to look back on and make sure I’m doing everything right. I’m looking forward to better and easier mobility as I age with this great text. All I wish now is that Harry Potter was real and could come and heal my foot so I can go at this 100%! I will also pass this along to my sister because, frankly, she and I would make a really bad boy band.
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