End Chronic Pain and Reclaim Your Life in 30 Minutes a Day

Very thoughtful examination of the anatomy and science of the body with a really easy and down to earth presentation on how you can take control of your pain conditions. This enlightened approach needs to be promoted as an alternative to more traditional approaches. The exercises are modest yet yield great results, anyone can follow and benefit from these exercises.

There is much controversy about the pain that often accompanies fitness programs. The main misunderstandings seem to be due to the widespread lack of scientific knowledge as well as some old archaic attitudes toward these programs. In her book Forever Painless, author Miranda Edmond-White tries to discredit old concepts by using modern science as well as recent research.

Consider, for example, the old saying 'No pain no gain’ . Over time, this has given the impression that fitness is meant to be painful, while in fact exercise has been scientifically proven to improve physical and mental abilities in human beings. Pain, and especially chronic pain, has been considerably reduced, and often wiped out, through simple, slow and mild exercises. Some now consider exercise as a form of medicine and creationists believe the human body was designed to move.

Having established the fact that gentle exercises are the best way to keep our bodies pain-free, one has to wonder why so many people do not exercise regularly (other than those prevented by sickness and unnatural causes). The biggest enemy is said to be excessive sitting and immobility! Sitting too long has been viewed to be as harmful as smoking! Not only does it slacken the muscles and the connecting tissues, but it also deactivates the vital systems that nourish the body. It is now recommended that one should not sit more than six hours per day.

Much as we need to exercise we need to observe certain recommendations. To be most effective, exercise should be gentle and repetitive and should avoid painful movements at all times. Exercise should be balanced which is why walking is not considered adequate in itself because the emphasis is on the lower body parts alone. We need to exercise all parts of our body to be totally fit and pain-free; over-building muscles in one area only would not be considered as balanced. We should also remember that not all exercises are suitable for all parts of our bodies; we should consult trainers for directions.

This book is rich with advice and scientific clarifications as well as suggested exercises for various parts of the body - the back, the knees, the abdomen etc. Sadly, however, these are based on static pictures which often are not sufficiently clear. In this modern age people have been accustomed to using videos to clarify the suggested types of movement. When in doubt, the reader will just have to search elsewhere for more clarifications (e.g. TV programs, sports cassettes,...).

The info is solid, but this could have been simply and succinctly put into an infographic or 3 page PDF ebook of images. People are stretching out info in order to make tons of money and waste people's time.

Forever Painless: End Chronic Pain and Reclaim Your Life in 30 Minutes a Day by Miranda Esmonde-White is simple and direct. It's a throwback to the exercise videos in the 1980s. Not to say it is old, but to see how sometimes the simplest solutions may very well be the most effective. As readers start off the first few chapters, the author explains to us what pain is, how it developed, why it develops and how we move and react makes a huge impact. Though many of us may claim "we already knew that," the question lies in how many knew but did nothing about it? Or how many knew but went about ways that not only didn't help but aggravated it?

Personally, I like what I've read and tried so far in Forever Painless. The later chapters each included a workout that targets a specific area. I've only tried "The Upper Back and Shoulder Workout." Just so you know, I was a yoga kind of gal, and when it comes to gym in school, I dreaded it. The workout in Forever Painless may seem simple, it's anything but. Wait. It is simple. Simple movements. Simple routines. What makes it not, is the fact that when you put them all together, you do get quite the workout. It's just stretches! How?! Well, that reminds me of yoga, but it's not aerobic in nature, but you do get a workout and you will sweat. That goes for the workouts in Forever Painless too. One thing I do recommend is to come out a companion video. It was a tad bit difficult when I had to stop and turn the pages for the next movements, reread it a bit, and then do it. I do like that I had to read it first, since it sticks better when I read the intro and then the steps. But if I had a companion video, I can continue on for future workout sessions.

In all, a great resourceful book on pain and what to do about it in the fitness sense. It may be a bit dry, but it makes sense and I can see myself referring to it periodically.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.

This book gives a clear and practical guide on how to heal yourself from chronic pain without drugs or medication. In my early 20's I've suffered from sciatic pain caused by scoliosis and a rotated pelvis. After spending hundreds of dollars and many sleepless nights, I'm so grateful to not only be out of pain, but to have the ability to guide my own body out of pain through intelligent movement. The information in this book is empowering.

This book is NOT RECOMMENDED FOR FROZEN SHOULDER. It provides inaccurate and harmful information about frozen shoulder. If that is your purpose, to use the guide to cure frozen shoulder in a couple weeks, then thus book os NOT recommended. The stretches suggested for adhesive capsulitis are impossible or exruciatingly painful to perform.