Barbara & Jamie Templeton's 'Complete Idiot's Guide to Stretching Illustrated' contains plenty of general information on why stretching practices are important to your health no matter how active or inactive you are. There's also a ton of very specific information to make the most of your own body's issues.

Do you suffer from some sort of pain or discomfort? There are stretches aimed at relieving head and neck discomfort, TMJ (jaw) pain, joint pain and stiffness, hip and knee pain, carpal tunnel, back soreness or pain, and sciatica.

There are different courses of stretching recommended for a handful of sports, such as walking, running, hiking, cycling, swimming, golf, and tennis. There are gentle stretches for seniors, and stretches for women meant to relieve menopause symptoms, PMS, stress, etc.

One thing I always look for in such books is a responsible set of warnings. Many stretches can harm as well as heal if done incorrectly or in the presence of certain injuries. The book is very good at including, in obvious side-bars, warnings about contra-indicated conditions, as well as the sorts of pain and sensations that indicate you should stop or see your doctor.

I do have a reservation. Unlike photos, drawings tend to lack a certain degree of perspective (in particular, a background), and this can make it hard to tell exactly where a given limb should be placed in relation to the floor or whatever. The sort of simple illustrations they use in here in particular sometimes lack that necessary perspective. Photos would have worked better.

For a longer version of this review, visit Errant Dreams. ( )