Stretching for 50+ A Customized Program for Increasing Flexibility, Avoiding Injury and Enjoying an Active Lifestyle

228 Pages·2017·19.79 MB·English

by  Dr. Karl Knopf

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ISBN: 978-1-61243-710-1
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Publishers Group West Please Note: This book has been written and published strictly for informational
purposes, and in no way should be used as a substitute for consultation with health care professionals. You
should not consider educational material herein to be the practice of medicine or to replace consultation
with a physician or other medical practitioner. The author and publisher are providing you with information
in this work so that you can have the knowledge and can choose, at your own risk, to act on that knowledge.
The author and publisher also urge all readers to be aware of their health status and to consult health care
professionals before beginning any health program. This book is independently authored and published and
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CONTENTS
PART ONE: GETTING STARTED
Introduction
Flexibility and Aging
Tune In to Your Body
How to Stretch
Flexibility Self-Evaluations
PART TWO: SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS
Programs Overview
General Flexibility
Novice
Wake-Up Routine
Chronic Conditions
Recreational Pursuits
Daily Activities
PART THREE: STRETCHES
Neck
Head Tilt
Tennis Watcher
Skyscraper
Turtle
Hold/Relax Turtle
Neck Pull/Head Tilt
Neck Massage
Shoulder & Chest Region
Windmill
Windmill on Roller
Apple Picker
Double Wood Chop
Soup Can Pour
Rotator Cuff
Shoulder Box
Shoulder Roll
Prone Reverse Fly
Over the Top
Choker
Picture Frame
The Zipper
I, Y, & T
Elbow Touch
Elbow Touch against Wall
Hands behind Back
Pec Stretch
Chest Stretch
Forearm, Wrist, & Hands
Inward/Outward Wrist Stretch
Seated Wrist Stretch
Standing Wrist Stretch
Kneeling Wrist Stretch
Forearm Massage
Band Roll-Up
Squeezer
Finger Tap
Finger Spreader
V-W Stretch
Torso
Palm Tree
Twister
Side Bend
Side Bend with Band
Torso Rotation
Torso Relax
Knee Roll
Cross-Leg Drop
Diagonal Knee to Chest
Lower Back Region
Seated Knee to Chest
Single Knee to Chest
Double Knee to Chest
Roll into a Ball
Piriformis Stretch
Rock ’n’ Roll
Rock ’n’ Roll on Roller
Ab Stretch
Upper Legs
Kneeling Hip Flexor
Standing Hip Flexor
Supine Hip Flexor
The Butterfly
Seated Inner Thigh Stretch
Inner Thigh Stretch
Inner Thigh Massage
Sit & Reach
Bent-Over Toe Touch
V Stretch
Straight-Leg Stretch
Inverted Figure 4
Figure 4
Hamstring/Hip Release
Hamstring Massage
Double-Leg Stretch
Standing Quad Stretch
Side Quad Stretch
Prone Quad Stretch
Kneeling Quad Stretch
Quad Massage
Pretzel
Outer Thigh Stretch
Lower Legs, Feet, & Ankles
Rear Calf Stretch
Rear Calf Stretch with Strap
Drop-Off Stretch
Gas Pedal
Heel Raise/Heel Drop
Ankle Circle
Self ROM
Ankle Roller
Foot Massage
Total Body Relaxation
Mad Cat
Long Body Stretch
Acknowledgments
About the Author
PART ONE
Getting Started
Introduction
The secret to successful aging is to stay flexible in both your mind and
body.
This book is designed for people who know that health and fitness are not
achieved by luck but by staying active and doing as many good things for
themselves as they can. The decisions we make daily, such as choosing to eat
well and engage in regular physical activity, are the foundation of successful
living. A simple rule of thumb for healthy aging is the 80-20 rule: Do healthy,
positive things at least 80% of the time.
Most of us 50-plus folks were taught a number of outdated rules that could cause
us more harm than good, including the old paradigm of “more is better,” which
leads many of us to overdo it. The intent of this book is to assist you to train
smart, not hard.
In the ’70s, fitness was all about aerobics; in the ’90s, many of us started lifting
weights. All this time, unfortunately, we neglected an important aspect of
fitness: flexibility. Even now, we often fail to see how important flexibility is
until we get hurt overdoing something, or our chiropractor or therapist tells us
we have muscle imbalances (from poor posture, for example) that are
manifesting themselves in chronic neck and lower back pain. To maintain a fit
lifestyle, aim for 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five days a week, engage in
strength training two to three times a week, and stretch daily.
I often see students who fail to see the importance of flexibility work until it is
too late. They find themselves with hunched-over posture and a head that juts
forward, which makes them feel and look older than their years. I find it
interesting that folks will opt for plastic surgery, yet have poor posture that
makes them look like Grandma Moses. Most poor postures can be improved
with regular and sensible exercise done early on. I like the saying that most of
the things that get worse with age can be positively influenced with proper