Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1895-07-11
WOMAN'S EXERCISE.
BEFORE BREAKFAST CAllSTHENIcS
IN THEIR BEDROOMS.
Simple and Graceful Poses That Are Great
Muscle Makcrs-Use of the Ordinary
Broomstick and other Easy Methods
Greatly In Vogue.

Muscle Makers-Use of the Ordinary
Broomstick and other Easy Methods
Greatly In Vogue.
While the womcns gymnaSlums have
hundreds of pupils, there are scores o
other women who get their exercise in
their own homes and according to well
tried rules. The bedroom may be made to
answer the purpose of u gymnasium, and
the outfit is such rs may be set up in any
household.
If you should chance to know OF girl
who n few months ago was thin and al
most conSumptive looking, but who is now
full chested, rounded perfectly in arm and
leg square of shoulder and graceful OF
carriage, and if you know she has not at.
tended gymnasium, you may depend
upon it that she has practiced boudoir cal
isthcnics.
The chances are that as soon as she is
out of bed in the morning loose flowing
chcmisclike garment is put on, beltcd at
the waist by ribbon. The bed is pushed
to one corner to give plenty of room, and
her exercises begin. The only gymnasium.
like implement she uses is n stick about 5
feet long and an inch in diameter; possibly
With this she goes through series of gen
tie but strengthening exercises. A window
is raised, if the weather Is not too cold to
admit fresh air.
Her first exercise Is filling and expanding
the lungs. She stands perfectly erect, heels
together and arms extended straight to the
front, palms touching. Tho palms are
now separated and the arms sweep back
ward; ut the same time she draws in u full
breath. When the arms are thrown rs far
backward as convenient, and the lungs are
expanded, the operation is reversed. the
arms being brought to the first position
and the breath eXhalcd.
After this is repeated several times she
varies the exercises by dropping tho arms
close to her hips and raising them above
her head without bending the elbow, draw
ing in the breath all the while and letting
it out as the arms are dropped to the hips
again. Now she doubles her fists and
draws them toward her until they strike
her shCuldcrs, the elbows being close by
her sides Then she extends them full to
tho front, rs though striking at an imagi.
nary foe, inhaling and eXhaling tho breath
with each motion.
by this time the muscles of her arms are
limbcrcd, her lungs expanded with fresh
air and the blood is tingling in her veins
She is now ready FOR the neck exercise. In
this she simply lets her head drop forward
rs though the muscles of the neck had lost
their power. The head is then rolled with
u circular motion from side to side, as
though she were trying to see how large n
circle she could describe in tho air with
the crown of her head rs marker.
In the course of the moving of the head
in this manner every muscle of the neck is
brought into action ut some point of tho
circle. This is favorite exercise of ac-
trcssos and society girls and is productive
of full, we'll rounded nccks.
Tho next boudoir exercise is that with
tho hroomstick. The first movement is to
extend the arms ut full lcngth to the front,
graSEing the stick in both hands. The
young woman then raises them slowly to u
position over the head and then down be-
hind, keeping the arms rigid. AT first her
hands had to be widely separated on the
stick to enable her to do this, but as she
progressed it was not long before the feat
could DO done with the hands no more
than two feet apart. This exercise devel
OBS tho muscles Of the arms. chest and
back.
She begins another exercise by holding
the stick in the same manner and putting
her foot through without removing either
hand. Her dainty toes got many crack
before she could put her foot over the stick
without striking it, but perseverance con-
qurrCd, and now she puts either foot over
and back again equally well without
touching the stick with her toes She will
soon be able to jump through it, both feet
at once, quite rs easily as she skipped a
rope at chic IA. In this movement tho
muscles of tho arms, legs, hips and back
arc brought into action, and it requires
just enough vigor to create bodily warmth.
Another movement that gives strength
and supplcness to the back is that of lean.
ing forward until the tips of the fingers
touch the toes In this woman shows her
superiority over man, for no Adam can
compete with an Eve in the ease and grace
with which she can execute this movement
A woman is equally adept ut leaning back
ward, and the trained athletes among
them can catch hold of their heels before a
man can recover from his first effort at the
backward bend There is no exercise that
the athletic young woman takes to more
easily than the forward and backward
bend
The young lady at exercise Is now ready
for tho leg swing. In this she tries to see
how large q circle she can describe in the
air, with great toes rs markers by swing
ing first one leg and then the other As a
developer Of the thigh this movement beats
high kicking, as it brings into action all
the muscles of the leg from the ankle to
the hip. Sometimes she may vary this
movement by balancing on one foot and
describing circle on the floor with the
other, and she may cnliven 1t with a little
high kicking and other maneuvers which
she would consider quite improper outside
the precincts Of her own sanctum.
In these exercises she is careful To avoid
overexertlon, and with equal care she en-.
dcavors to develop all muscles equally =
New York World
How Fashions Originate.