Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1848-07-01
EXPANDING THE CHEST.

hose in easy rcumstanccs, or who pur-
sue sedentary employments within DOORS
generally use their lungs but very little
breathe very little air into the chest-and
thus, independently of bad positions, contract
a wretchedly narrow, small chest, and lay
the foundation for the loss of all health and
beauty. All this can be perfectly obviated
by little attention to the manner of breath
ing Recollect the lungs are like bladder in
their structure, and can be stretched to dou-
bic their ordinary size, with perfect safety,
giving a noble chest and perfect immunity
from consumption.-Thc agent and all the
agent required, is the common air we breathe
supposng, however, that no obstacle exist,
external to the chest, such as lacing or tying
it arounding with stays or tight dresses, or
having the shoulders lay upon it.
On rising from the bed in the morning,
place yourself i'll an erect posture, your chest
thrown back, and shoulders entirely off the
chest; now inhale or suck III all the air you
can, so as to fill the chest to the very bottom
of it, so that no more air can be got in now
hold your breath and throw your arms off be-
hind, holding in your breath as long as can !;
again fill your chest and walk about, holding
in your breath as long as possible. Repeat
these long breath as many times as you please
Done in cold room much better, because
the air is heavier and denser, and will act
much more powerful in expanding the chest.
Exercising the chest in this manner, it will
become very flexible and expansion, and
will enlarge the capacity and size of the
lungs.
While forming fine chest, and after it is
formed, great care is requisite to establish
perfect and correct positions, SO ,hat the
chest shall no. be contracted. and all your ec-
forts counteracied by bad positions. If your
positions are habitually bad, insspile of all
you can otherwise do, the chest will be more
or less contracted The rule which should be,
and the rule of health is, to keep the bottom
| of the chest, the ends of the short ribs and
the lower end of the breast bone, as far out
from the back bone as possible. To effect
this the chest must be perfectly straight, and
thrown little backwards from the waist al
all times.
The small of the back is made flexible,
but the hip joints are the points from which
TO stoop either backward or forward. The
Joints are ball-and-socket joints, like a swivel
in some degree. The trunk ofthe body may
bend forward as much as you please, for all
useful purposes, and the chest, and the whole
spine and neck be kept perfectly straight.
Hence no lady should ever make table OF
her lap, either for sewing, reading or writing
or any occupation whatever. Let all these,
and all the work you do, be arranged on a
table before you and that table be raised to
the armpits or as high as possible, so as tc
keep the chest straight
A little practice will make this infinitely
more agreeable than to stoop, whilst little ol
no fatigue will be experienced at your occu
pa,ions, compared to what is experienced
whilst STOPPING, or from habitual STOPPING
The weight of the shoulders will thus be
kept off the chest, which is one of the gran'
causes of fatigue from manual labor, Yo'
will thus entirely prevent the mark OF servi
tude being impressed upon your person, in I
pair of round, STOPPING shoulders, and fiat
contracted chest--Fitehs's Lectures