Bonnie Prudden's After fifty fitness guide [Paperback]

BONNIE PRUDDEN (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 12, 1987

"It is pain that ages us, not years." A book that can really change your life? Yes! Bonnie Prudden does more than inspire. She shows you, step-by-step how to maintain, repair, tune up, and take charge of your body, your mind, and your spirit. "Anyone can look and feel younger by getting rid of their muscle pain," says Bonnie Prudden. "And the old saw, 'No pain,no gain.' is bunk!" she adds. In AFTER FIFTY FITNESS GUIDE, Bonnie specifically tailors her proven trigger point Myotherapy pain relief and corrective exercise techniques to the needs of senior Americans. Prudden sees the over-50 crowd as "the last fit Americans. This group is comprised of the naturally fit generations whose childhoods were spent in body-building chores and creative, active play out of doors. They are the last to walk to school no matter what the weather," Prudden explains. Their bodies can be reclaimed and with the help of trigger point Myotherapy made more comfortable and efficient. Bonnie Pruden's After Fifty Fitness Guide, filled with photographs, charts, and drawing, will help you discover ways to keep fit, supple, and strong with over 100 completely illustrated exercises, from warm-ups, stretches, and strenuous exercises for the already fit, to "Bed Ballet" for the convalescent and stretches and bends that can be done in a chair or with a walker. "Most people think of a walker as a bridge from bed to crutches. I think of it as an inexpensive piece of exercise equipment." You'll also learn how to get rid of muscle-related pain using Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy pain erasure techniques. Improve the quality of your life through work, play and good relationships, boundless joy and...above all...exercise every day.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"It's pain that ages usnot years," argues Prudden (Pain Erasure, etc.), fitness adviser to the Eisenhower administration, in this book that is brimming with almost 200 helpful exercises (illustrated with photographs and cross-referenced in charts for ailments and professions) to relieve pain and build everything from muscle to self-image. She debunks myths, such as "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" and thatsex ends at 50 or 60, but her tedious diet advises listing and weighing each morsel, and her theory of myotherapy (trigger-point therapy) for lower back pain is a combination of common sense and shiatsu. The text is disorganized, full of simplistic statements ("Birth is very hard on women but it's hard on babies too") and irrelevancies about herself and the sad state of children's fitness in the U.S., and does not focus solely on readers over 50. This is the first book in the publisher's Good Life series, edited by Butler, chairman of geriatric medicine at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

These books take a similar stance: Exercise is for all ages and the older person is capable of living a vigorous, healthy life. Another similarity is the autobiographical information. Prudden, well known for her fitness activities (writing, demonstrating, lecturing, developing programs for all ages) and her pioneering work with myotherapy, weaves her life story into her book. The three authors of Exercise as You Grow Older intersperse pictures of themselves and describe events from their lives. This unique exercise book is written by three generationsgrandmother, daughter, and granddaughter. It contains a limited number of exercises but establishes an excellent, workable exercise program and philosophy for an older adult. Prudden's text encompasses exercise myths, common illnesses, occupational hazards, and a liberal dose of homespun philosophy. She devotes significant space to the treatment of injuries and pain with myotherapy and the use of exercises to overcome and prevent physical problems. She uses an in-depth approach, whereas Exercise as You Grow Older is ideal for the older person looking for a useful and easily attainable exercise program. Kenneth Tillman, Health & Physical Education Dept., Trenton State College, N.J.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (September 12, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345318072
• ISBN-13: 978-0345318077
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,243,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Aging > Exercise

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete, safe, imaginative, fun exercise for people over 50, April 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bonnie Prudden's After Fifty Fitness Guide (Long life) (Hardcover)

Bonnie Prudden calls people over 50 "the last fit Americans." By this she means that older people built their bodies to be strong and functional, by playing outdoors as children, walking to school, etc. Even if their fitness has declined, it can be regained. Ms. Prudden debunks myths about older people ("you can't teach an old dog new tricks," "all old people end up in nursing homes," etc.) and presents a clear, simple fitness test to use in taking stock of one's life and current fitness level. She presents her time-tested exercise program, relating exercises to specific problems such as "gardener's back," "stairs - going up and coming down," etc. Along with the exercises, Ms. Prudden discusses Myotherapy, the pain relief method she developed, and gives corrective exercises for many pain problems (migraine, sciatica, whiplash, etc.)as well as "immediate mobilization" techniques to use after an acute injury. Interspersed with more exercises are descriptions of pain problems related to various occupations and sports. For those who are chair-bound or unsteady on their feet, exercises that can be done in a chair are presented.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bonnie Prudden's After Fifty Fitness Guide, June 30, 2010

By 

k.c. - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Bonnie Prudden's After fifty fitness guide (Paperback)

In her 90's, this work reflects her many, many years of proven exercises, formulas, routines, and advise.