This New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling guide to reversing the effects of aging through gentle, scientifically designed exercises has been updated with a new chapter about the emerging research on the importance of healthy connective tissue—which reinforces the wisdom and science behind Miranda's pioneering approach to exercise.

It's never too late to slow down, or even reverse, the effects of aging. Our bodies are designed to function for the full length of our lives—and with gentle, full-body flexibility and strengthening exercises, we can look and feel tremendous, vibrant and active at any age, and well into our senior years.

But as we grow older, we often assume that we should take it easy—exactly the wrong idea. It causes us to neglect the single most important system in the body, the one that makes all of the others work: our muscles and connective tissue. The old adage of "use it or lose it" is true, but Miranda Esmonde-White's fitness and anti-aging breakthrough has come from understanding that how you use it is all-important. You need to strengthen and stretch all 650 muscles along with the fascia and other connective tissue in the body in a balanced way that enhances overall strength, posture, cardiovascular health and mobility; eliminates joint pain; and burns calories. In this revised and updated edition of Aging Backwards, Esmonde-White shares her remarkable conclusions about how to keep your body young and shows you exactly how to stretch and strengthen.

Miranda Esmonde-White's profile page

MIRANDA ESMONDE-WHITE is one of North America's greatest educators on healthy aging and pain-free living. She is best known for her PBS specials and her fitness series, Classical Stretch, on-air since 1999 and rated the #1 fitness show on the network. She is a classically trained ballerina who danced with the National Ballet of Canada. Esmonde-White created the Essentrics technique, which uses low-intensity strengthening and stretching exercises to relieve pain, prevent injury and slenderize and tone the body. Based in Montreal, her company works with professional and Olympic athletes and celebrities, offering classes to tens of thousands of students worldwide each year. She is the author of Aging Backwards, a New York Times and Globe and Mail bestseller that sparked an award-winning PBS pledge-documentary of the same name. Her subsequent bestseller, Forever Painless, also became a PBS pledge-documentary mega hit.

“Our bodies were made to move, no matter our age. This new guide on how to reverse the effects of aging from the founder of the popular PBS show Classical Stretch and a former dancer with the Canadian National Ballet, describes how we can actually repair joint pain and muscle loss, as well as boost energy and weight loss through a series of gentle, scientifically-based stretch workouts. If you’ve been meaning to start a fitness program but are put off by vigorous gym or yoga sessions, or if you’re hindered by joint or muscle pain, pick up this book.” —Zoomer

“Inside [Aging Backwards] there’s an appealing mix of advice and exercises that looks like maybe not quite a fountain of youth but something that could do a body good.” —Nancy Szokan, The Washington Post

“Scientific, yet entertaining and accessible” —Arizona Public Media

“Essentrics helped bring me back into the game after near retirement. My body was unable to function, injured and in constant pain. After the first session with Miranda I felt the pain disappearing. I really believe that this program has something in it for everyone; whether you’re looking to relieve pain, improve your sport or change your body, Essentrics is it.” —Jonathon Power, former world squash champion

“I was in constant pain from arthritis and had difficulty moving. . . . After finding Miranda and beginning Essentrics, I became flexible and able to move freely without pain.” —Kimberley Dahme, of the rock band Boston

“Miranda explores a large variety of physiological mechanisms that will help contribute to maintaining a youthful body as we inevitably enter into later stages of life. Her fundamental preaching is correct.” —Claudio Cuello, MD, D.Sc., FRSC, OC, professor and former chair of the Pharmacology and Therapeutics Department, McGill University