The Vance Stance [Paperback]

If you are looking for help, this book provides some answers: most of the pages are filled with descriptions and pictures of posture-friendly stretches and exercises. A daily regimen of these will tone muscles and form habits of good carriage. (But, like any "book" answer, the real challenge is the daily discipline to exercise.)

Beyond its stretches, what makes this book so very different is the "Vance Stance." Ready? Stand up straight as you can, bend your knees slightly, and place your feet about six inches apart: you have the Vance Stance. With a very noticeable bend at the knees, the Stance goes beyond the good sense admonition not to lock your knees while standing.

Vance has credentials and convincing arguments, but not everyone is a believer. My grandparents would have found the Stance odd-looking and unnecessary: our posture problems, they would declare, result from our lack of training as children and our unconcerned attitude as adults. My only objection to this useful book is the great energy and space devoted to defending the peculiar Vance Stance at the expense, perhaps, of more practical advice for the rest of us.

Anyway, several years and two small children later, here I am with back pain, neck pain, knee pain. I remembered this book and dug it out of the bookshelf. After reviewing the concepts and the 34 exercises, I did just 3 of the 34 exercises. I know it sounds unbelievable, but just after doing those three, my body felt different. It felt more like NOTHING than ever before. And believe me, if you've got back and neck pain, feeling NOTHING is where it's at!

I woke up the next morning and still felt NOTHING. Went through that day quite conscious of the difference in my posture and movements. Decided that I need to practice this method regularly, even if it's just 15 minutes a day, or on those really crazy, busy days, just 5 minutes to do 3 exercises.

And that's where this book fits reality. Although 34 exercises sounds like A LOT (and it is!), Bonner says that you don't have to do all of them at once. She suggests that you try them all to find out where you need work, but you can put your own set of exercises together to put the focus on where YOU need help. She identifies which exercises are helpful for certain problems or certain activities that you are involved in.

It was easy for me to pinpoint a few exercises that I need to do faithfully and another handful that are helpful to sprinkle in occasionally. If I had even more time, I'd do more exercises. But doing something is better than nothing...try it and I think you'll agree.