20 Stretching Tools I Always Recommend
The motto for my studio has always been: “Come here and learn… go home and do.”
Research shows that consistency is the key to experiencing the biggest benefits of stretching. A little bit everyday goes a long way.
At the studio, we learn how to use a lot of different types of stretching tools to help us target specific areas of the body. I am always sending Amazon links for these tools to my students!
I am now putting them all in one place so they are easy to find and access. Have fun stretching!
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Her Doctor Had Never Seen Someone Her Age Move So Well
This life-changing story from one of my students is too powerful not to share with you all…
After a recent private session, one of my students excitedly shared the results from her latest annual physical checkup. She had some incredible news.
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She Didn't Have to Quit Her Job + 2 More Stretching Success Stories
I’ve seen lives changed from Stretch Therapy.
My own life — and the lives of my students.
Here are a 3 success stories from my students:
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From Feet Pain to Relief: A Stretching Success Story
Most everyone that I work with, privately or in a group class, has a story about how they wound up seeking Stretch Therapy to relieve some form of pain in their body.
For some, stretching is a last resort effort to avoid surgery.
Some want to avoid injuries so they can stay active.
Some just want to feel good in their body all the time.
Some of my students have become so tight that they can hardly move — so they move less and less.
I always know my private student’s stories because we spend a lot of time together. I don’t always know the stories of the many students who attend my classes at my studio or at the local YMCA that I teach at.
A few weeks ago, at the end of my stretch class at the Y, a man approached me to ask me if he could tell me his story.
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4 Holiday Health Hints to Keep Your Body Happy
Holidays are here… and too often, in all the busyness, we can forget to take care of our bodies! Here are 4 easy ways to keep your body happy this holiday season.
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It Doesn't Come in a Bottle
This is a really hard question to ask, but…
Are you addicted to Ibuprofen?
If the answer is “yes,” then you are in good company because so many people are.
I have decided to write about it in hopes that this will give people hope that they can find alternative ways to deal with pain and feel better in their mind and body!
I have students that tell me that they have to take Ibuprofen before they work out in order to go through movements without pain.
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Could it be magic?
Could “it” be magic? I can’t seem to get this question out of my head. You see, I have a new private student who is an avid golfer. She loves it and seems to be a bit competitive with her fellow golfers.
At our first session, I told her that stretching would improve her golf game.
She looked a me with skepticism, but said “well, if you think so, I hope so, I’ll give it a try.”
She has been stretching with me for 4 weeks now. Yesterday, she casually mentioned to me that she had her best golf game ever the day before.
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Hydrate... and then hydrate some more!
Hydration is essential to life!
Think about it…
Every human, every animal, every plant, every tree, every blade of grass needs water to survive. If it doesn’t get enough, it shrivels, dries up, and dies.
What does hydration have to do with stretching, you ask?
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Where It is, It Ain’t: How the Point of Pain is Never the Source of Pain
“The point of pain is usually never the source.”
On my first journey to California searching for stretching guidance, research, and knowledge, my stretch workshop instructor said this to us as he began his session.
“That is crazy,” I thought.
So, if your back hurts, it’s not your back?
How could that be?
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Feet: The Foundation Of Our Body
26 bones.
33 joints.
19 muscles.
100s of ligaments & tendons.
… are in each foot!
There are more of these in the foot than any other part of our body… and we put them in shoes all day!
In the “stretching world,” shoes are considered “coffins for your feet.”
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Healing Your Body from the Inside: How My Stretch Student Avoided Foot Surgery
A student approached me this week with an incredible transformation story.
She told me she had suffered for years with foot pain.
She has had many visits to her podiatrist who only offers surgery as an option for treatment. She was determined not to have surgery, so she sought a different route.
One of those routes was Stretch Therapy. She has been attending my class for about 6 months now.
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A True Stretching Success Story: From 5 ft. 10 in. to 5 ft. 8 in. to 5 ft. 10 in.
I have a married couple that has been coming to my studio twice a week for private Stretch Therapy sessions for the last 6 months. The wife loves it and cannot wait to get to every session. The husband... not so much. I think he really does like to stretch on the inside, but on the outside, he comes kicking and screaming—but still, he comes.
A little background about the reluctant husband…
He is in his 70s, and he is very fit. In fact, he works out for hours every day. He is extremely tight and has had to modify movements to reduce pain in his body. He wants to stay active.
A few days ago, as we were finishing up a session, out of the blue he asked me if I had a tape measure. I said that I did and asked him why he needed it.
He said that on his doctor visit last year, his height was measured as being 5 ft. 8 in. He was upset because he had been 5 ft. 10 in. his whole life. He wanted me to measure his height again to see if it had changed.
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Longer, Taller, Younger, Smarter, Leaner, Sweeter, Happier, Healthier: The 8 “-er”s of Stretching
I always say to my students at the end of every stretch session that I teach...
You are now… longer, taller, younger, smarter, leaner, sweeter, happier, healthier.
Everyone laughs, but I am telling them the truth!
All of these amazing things happen when you stretch — I call them the 8 “-er”s of Stretch Therapy.
Let me break it down for you.
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2 Partner Stretches for Your Quads, Low Back & Upper Body
Did you know…
Our flexibility decreases by 10% every decade!
It does not matter if you are an extreme athlete, a fitness buff, play a sport, walker, runner, biker, swimmer, or if you’re none of these.
Muscle tissue tightens over time just by doing daily life!
One of the most beneficial ways to decrease tight muscle tissue is a form of Stretch Therapy known as Partner Stretching.
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Are You Listening to Your Body? The Hard Lesson My Ankle Injury Taught Me
A few weeks ago, I woke up with my left ankle swollen like a grapefruit.
I could barely put weight on it to walk.
What happened? What did I do?
I had to scroll back in my brain to remember what I may have done to cause my injury. I could not recall a specific movement or moment that would have caused it.
Hmm….
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Debunking Common Stretching Myths: Stretching Is NOT About Touching Your Toes
Many people have the misconception that you have to be flexible to be able to stretch. They think that an Assisted Stretching class means trying to touch your toes or strain your muscles.
This is not true at all.
Assisted Stretching is NOT about trying to touch your toes or straining to stretch.
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5 Inspiring Stretching Transformation Stories
Recently, I looked back through my notes from all the stretching workshops I have attended and the blog posts I have written.
Something profound really caught my attention: MEN!
All my workshop instructors have been MEN!
Some of the most transformative stretch stories that I have written about in my blog posts were about MEN!
Men with stories like…
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This is How it Goes: The Risks of NOT Stretching
This is how it goes... Muscles tighten as we do daily life and climb in age... When muscles tighten, they shorten… When muscles shorten, they restrict range of motion and cause pain in our joints… When joints become painful, we move less… When we move less, joints stiffen and body functions slow down… When body functions slow down, circulation of blood and oxygen is reduced… When circulation is reduced, other health issues occur… Now we are so tight that we can’t move without pain, so we restrict our mobility even more to avoid it. And then we are set up for even more health issues.
You know what I’m going to say...
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