Falling Is Not an Option: A Way to Lifelong Balance is a nonfiction health and fitness book written by George Locker. Locker has studied Chinese martial arts for over forty years. In this book, he shares exercises, and the principles behind them, for maintaining balance and moving with fluidity and strength. Students of all ages can benefit from the Postural Retraining Routine he sets out. Locker explains how the wide stance often taught to seniors will actually lessen stability rather than improve it. He shows how bent leg positions and a more narrow stance work together to ensure balance and stability.

Locker also contrasts weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing exercises and lists the benefits of the former. He sets out a reasonable goal for anyone who’s willing to work towards greater balance and lessen their chances of falling and being injured. The Postural Retraining Routine is discussed in full, and photographs are included of each movement and change in position. He differentiates between single and double-weighted stances and illustrates how one transfers from the former to the latter. He also includes exercises for arms and hands and illustrates how standing up from and sitting down in a chair can be accomplished in a non-stressful and pain-free manner. In his afterword, he compares Postural Retraining and Tai Chi. He also includes a glossary of terms and endnotes.

George Locker’s Falling Is Not an Option was of particular interest to me as I have had knee problems for some years now, and balance is of considerable concern to me. I was impressed by both his depth of understanding of the topic and his presentation, and quickly began to understand why my earlier attempts at Tai Chi were accompanied by pain. The photographs he includes are quite helpful and make working through the Postural Retraining Routine doable. I especially appreciated the photographs that show both the correct and incorrect postures and found them invaluable for someone who would be working through the routines on their own. Falling Is Not an Option is a book I plan to be working with for some time. It’s most highly recommended.

In Falling Is Not an Option by George Locker, as we get older, our overall balance and stability will naturally decline. Once this occurs, there are simple methods that can restore our balance once more. Using his many years of experience as a teacher of T'ai Chi, discover how balance can be regained through Postural Retraining, a series of exercises that not only improves balance but also mobility. What are the myths and misconceptions of balance, how can you maintain a strong posture, and what are the common reasons for the deterioration of balance as you get older? You will also be surprised to discover there is much to learn from babies regarding balance. The second section of the guide teaches you 15 highly effective Postural Retraining exercises which can improve bone density, relaxation, blood circulation, and improve flexibility. With colored step by step illustrations and instructions, you will understand which postural muscle groups you are improving with each exercise.

Falling Is Not an Option by George Locker is a comprehensive guide into the little known subject of improving balance and stability for the elderly. If you have older relatives, you will completely understand the problems that arise when a loved one suffers a fall. The longer-term physical and mental issues can completely destroy their confidence. I loved this book because it not only deals with improving balance and stability but also how to improve the ability to turn, maneuver yourself around, and walk with increased confidence. I found the section on Issac Newton's insights into stability absolutely fascinating as well as the history of T'ai Chi. This well-written book certainly dispels the myth that T'ai Chi is for the young and active only. The contents of this book are going to help so many senior citizens regain control of their lives. As they increase their mobility and balance, it ultimately follows that they will recapture a little independence too. The exercises are so easy to follow and I believe anyone can gain something from this book to improve overall mobility, bone structure, or posture.

Falling Is Not an Option: A Way to Lifelong Balance is a work of non-fiction that offers advice and guidance for life in the health and fitness sub-genre and was penned by author George Locker. Derived from the movements and principles of the Chinese martial art of T’ai Chi Chuan, the author presents his trademark concept of Postural Retraining with extensive and informative instructions on how to accomplish it. This is done with the goal that physical and bio-mechanical balance can be improved, producing greater stability which combats the common loss of balance later in life but can also improve performance for those who are very active and sporty now.

Author George Locker has crafted a devoted volume with plenty of content to inspire his readers into action and self-improvement. Essential for this kind of work is tone, and it’s clear in Locker’s eloquent and confident presentation that he truly believes in the system of Postural Retraining, which will certainly be empowering for the reading audience to feel in his words. I thought that the photographic demonstration of the exercises was a wonderful touch, one which endears the author to us and also helps add clarity to the work. The exercises look very achievable whatever your current abilities may be, and I certainly think it is an excellent book for groups to learn from together. Overall, I would highly recommend Falling Is Not an Option: A Way to Lifelong Balance to readers seeking gentle but very worthwhile improvements to their physical health in the long term.

Falling Is Not an Option: A Way to Lifelong Balance by George Locker is a self-help book to help people regain their balance. He uses a form of T’ai Chi to teach people how to fix their balance. George Locker uses photos as well as explaining how to do it. The book is in two parts. The first describes what balance is and why people need to fix it. The second part gives you the exercises. He also has a handy glossary at the end.

I thought that Falling Is Not an Option by George Locker was a fascinating book. I loved that he explained why you need to learn how to balance yourself. I also loved that he had a glossary at the end so I did not have to look up words, but it was pretty easy to read. I loved that George Locker used photos to show how to do the exercises. Sometimes it can be confusing to tell if you are doing it right. It is nice that this is for any age. Not only does he teach seniors how to remember to balance, but also to teach the younger generation, so that they will not have a balance issue when they get older. It is a pretty quick read. I liked that the exercises did not look too difficult, but are still challenging. If you are someone with balance issues, or just want to make sure you do not have them, this book is a must-read.