Leather Stretching

Because leather is so pliable, (especially wet leather) you can change its shape and size. The basic principal is to make the leather moist (not soaked) and apply heat or cold.

For example, leather specialists will use extreme heat followed by extreme cold to coax torn leather back to its original shape and position before they apply adhesive when repairing tears. A commercial stripping gun and a decent size of metal that has been in the refrigerator are recommended, no kidding! Find out the proper technique first before attempting this maneuver.

If you have shoes, for example that are a bit small, you have a couple of different options for stretching them. You can take them to a cobbler and have them stretched with an industrial strength leather stretching shoe device, or if you want to risk it you can stretch your shoes on your own.

Home Remedy Leather Stretching

I've heard stories that some boot salespeople recommend wetting your shoes with rubbing alcohol and while still wet, putting the shoes back on, as almost any wet leather will stretch. The alcohol evaporates quickly so there should not be any spotting with this leather stretching technique.

Another thing I have heard is that some people have successfully filled a quart bag with water and placed it in the shoe. Put the whole deal in the freezer and as the water freezes, it will expand right along with the shoe. You might want to try this with an old boot first to see what happens.

If home remedy solutions make you nervous, you can buy your own leather stretching shoe device. Type "stretch shoe" into a search engine for some ideas.

Sizing a Hat

If you have a leather hat that feels too snug, consider buying a hat form or wig stand that is the right size and then placing the hat on it so the hat can dry to the right size. You could also wear the hat after getting it nice and pliable, but it may not dry while on your head because of your own natural moisture. So consider the humidity and temperature that day if you try this method

If the hat is big enough to fit even though it might be tight, wait to see if regular wear creates new memory. You can always take the hat to a cobbler since they have the equipment and should be able to stretch it out for you. If you are not sure where to look, start with your local yellow pages to see if you have a hat maker locally.

Breaking-In Shoes

One of the best ways to break in a new pair of shoes is to wear them around the house for short periods of time. Just remember that since the leather is stiff, if you walk around too long you'll develop blisters. However, the natural moisture produced from your feet helps to soften and break in the boots or shoes without using stretchers.

One option that should be a last resort before heading to the cobbler is to lightly wet them with a damp sponge inside and out, taking care not to soak them. After all, leather and water are not the best of pals. Wear them for a couple hours that way.

Just keep in mind that wearing new leather boots or shoes on a regular basis will keep the leather supple and help them form to your feet. If you don't use them for a long period, wear them for a couple of hours on occasion to keep the leather soft and pliable.

As your boots begin to break in, you will see two creases - one right behind the toe of the boot and the second higher up on the foot, but below your ankle. If the boots dry out from disuse, you may have to take it easy for a couple of days when you put them on again.

You can also hand break boots by bending them back and forth a bit. Lastly, you can buy boots that do not require a long break-in or painful break-in period. Having to break-in a boot is compensation for the boot being hard.

These days, most high quality boots are made in leathers that are strong without being crippling. It is possible to buy a pair of sturdy boots that will not cause pain every time you wear them. Ask the retailer about the break in period and the quality of boot in their line.

In reality, leather stretching can be relatively easy if you take your time and think it through.

*** Hey! Want To Make Something Out Of Leather? *** Discover How To Make Leather Crafts for Fun and Profit  Leather Craft

Jake's love of leather and the constant questions drove him to write everything down.

The Importance of Proper Hydration and Stretching

Whether you're taking a brisk walk or running a 26 mile marathon, hydration and stretching are extremely important to preventing injury and to maintaining optimum fitness. However, there are many myths about both these things that have crept into most people's thinking.

The number one myth about hydration is that you should let your level of thirst signal when you need to drink. This is absolutely untrue. Most athletes only replace about 2/3 of the water they lose when they follow this rule. Instead, drink fluids on a schedule. A general rule of thumb, depending on your weight and weather conditions is to drink 8 ounces of water about 15 minutes before beginning exercise and 8 ounces for each 15 minutes during your workout.

Another hydration myth is that everyone needs eight glasses of water a day. This may not be enough for some people who engage in higher intensity sports. It may be too much for sedentary people. This is because, although it is true that the average person loses 80 ounces of water a day, he or she also gains about 32 ounces of water from food. That means, in order to replace lost fluids a person only needs to drink about 48 ounces of water rather than the 64 ounces contained in eight glasses of water.

A recent study about over hydration has scared people into believing that you can get sick from drinking too much water during exercise. While this may be true in isolated cases, typically among endurance athletes, the average person will not get sick from drinking too much water unless they have an existing heart, liver or kidney problem. If you have one of these conditions, checking with your doctor about the proper amount of liquid to drink during exercise is advisable.

Stretching is another source of myths and misinformation. Contrary to popular belief, stretching will not "warm you up." Warming up is done by starting a low level of activity and working up to your desired intensity. Stretching before exercise also will not prevent injury although research has shown that it will reduce pain and muscle soreness after exercise. Only a proper warm-up routine will help prevent injuries.

Many people also believe that stretching is most beneficial when done before a workout. Actually, gentle stretching after a workout can help reduce cramping and muscular pain. Also, there is the belief that any stretching is better than none. Improper stretching can actually increase the risk of muscular injuries. It's worth taking the time to learn stretches appropriate to the activity you're planning to perform.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Fitness, Food, and Consumer Information

STRETCHING; Why Should I?

 by: Brad Walker

This short article looks at some of the tips, tricks and helpful hints you can use to help prevent sports injury and do-away with stiff, aching muscles & joints. It's been put together to answer some of the more common questions we get regarding stretching and sports injury, and details a number of useful sports injury prevention techniques. I hope it proves useful to you.

* Overcoming & Preventing Sports Injury

If youre involved in the health & fitness industry, whether it be participating in your favourite sport, coaching, training or just keeping fit, you'll know how annoying and debilitating a sports injury can be. In reality, when you have a sports injury youre actually losing on two fronts. Firstly, youre losing simply because your body has been hurt and now needs time and care to repair itself. And on top of this, youre also losing the time you could have been putting into training and improving your sporting ability.

A sports injury is a bit like losing money. Not only do you lose whatever you were going to buy with that money, but you also have to work hard to make up the money you've lost. Take it from me; a sports injury is one of the most frustrating and debilitating occurrences that can happen to anyone whos serious about their health, fitness, sport or exercise.

* The Cold, Hard Facts

I recently read an article titled "Managing Sports Injuries" where the author estimated that over 27,000 American's sprain their ankle every day. (And no, that's not a typo, EVERY DAY!) On top of this, Sports Medicine Australia estimates that 1 in every 17 participants of sport and exercise are injured playing their favourite sport. This figure is even higher for contact sports like Football and Gridiron. However, the truly disturbing fact is that up to 50 percent of these injuries may have been prevented.

* The Professionals Secret Weapon

While there are a number of basic preventative measures that will assist in the prevention of sports injury, there is one technique that has slowly been gaining in popularity. Its still not used as often as it should be by the average sports participant, but with the professionals using it more and more, its only a matter of time before it starts to catch on. Before we dive into this little used technique for minimizing your likelihood of sports injury, let's take a quick look at some other techniques to help you prevent sports injury.

* So, Where Do You Start?

Most people are coming to understand both the importance and the benefits of a good warm-up. A correct warm-up will help to raise body temperature, increase blood flow and promote oxygen supply to the muscles. It will also help to prepare the mind, body, muscles and joints for the physical activity to come.

While warming-up is important, a good cool-down also plays a vital role in helping to prevent sports injury. How? A good cool-down will prevent blood from pooling in your limbs. It will also prevent waste products, such as lactic acid, building up in your muscles. Not only that, a good cool-down will help your muscles and tendons to relax and loosen, stopping them from becoming stiff and tight.

While preventative measures such as warming-up and cooling-down play a vital role in minimizing the likelihood of sports injury, other techniques such as obeying the rules, using protective equipment and plain common sense are all useful.

* The One Technique to Cut Your Chance of Injury by More Than Half

So what is this magic technique? Why is it such a secret? And how come you haven't heard of it before? Well chances are you have, and also, its not that secret and its definitely not magic. You've probably used this technique yourself at some point or at least seen others using it. But the real question is, how dedicated have you been to making this technique a consistent part of your athletic preparation?

What is it? STRETCHING. Yes, stretching. The simple technique of stretching can play an imperative role in helping you to prevent the occurrence of sports injury. Unfortunately stretching is one area of athletic preparation often neglected. Do not underestimate its benefits. Don't make the mistake of thinking that something as simple as stretching won't be effective. Stretching is a vital part of any exercise program and should be looked upon as being as important as any other part of your health and fitness.

In recent time the professionals have been getting more and more serious about stretching and ultimately, their flexibility. The coaches and trainers are just starting to realize how important flexible muscles are to helping prevent sports injury. Flexibility has often been neglected in the overall conditioning of modern athletes. Its only now that its benefits are proving invaluable to all those serious about staying injury free.

* How Does Stretching Prevent Injury?

One of the greatest benefits of stretching is that youre able to increase the length of both your muscles and tendons. This leads to an increased range of movement, which means your limbs and joints can move further before an injury occurs. Let's take a look at a few examples.

If the muscles in your neck are tight and stiff this limits your ability to look behind or turn your head around. If for some reason your head is turned backwards, past its' normal range of movement, in a football scrum or tackle for example, this could result in a muscle tear or strain. You can help to prevent this from happening by increasing the flexibility, and the range of movement, of the muscles and tendons in your neck.

And what about the muscles in the back of your legs? The Hamstring muscles. These muscles are put under a huge strain when doing any sort of sport which involves running and especially for sports which require kicking. Short, tight hamstring muscles can spell disaster for many sports people. By ensuring these muscles are loose and flexible, you'll cut your chance of a hamstring injury dramatically.

How else can stretching help? While injuries can occur at any time, they are more likely to occur if the muscles are fatigued, tight and depleted of energy. Fatigued, tight muscles are also less capable of performing the skills required for your particular sport or activity. Stretching can help to prevent an injury by promoting recovery and decreasing soreness. Stretching ensures that your muscles and tendons are in good working order. The more conditioned your muscles and tendons are, the better they can handle the rigors of sport and exercise, and the less likely that they'll become injured.

So as you can see, there's more to stretching than most people think. Stretching is a simple and effective activity which will help you to enhance your athletic performance, decrease your likelihood of sports injury and minimise muscle soreness. If you'd like to know more about stretching and how it can help you, visit http://www.TheStretchingHandbook.com/ today.

Article by Brad Walker. Brad is a leading stretching and sports injury consultant with over 15 years experience in the health and fitness industry. For more information and articles on stretching and the prevention & treatment of sports injury, subscribe to The Stretching & Sports Injury Newsletter by visiting http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/.admin@thestretchinghandbook.com