Evening star., 1901-11-02
cHlLD's PHYSIQUE
SIMPLE EXERCISES FOR UNDEvEL-
opED MUSCLES.
Home Gymnastics Favored by a Ply
sician-Plenty Fresh Air
Necessity.


! Graceful, weli-buflt children are rare.
| This is due not SO much to lack of De-
neficence on the part of nature as to a ae-
glect of supervisonso on the. part of parents
| Children naturally acquire slovenly ways
! of sitting, walking and standing and nm
| less these are corrected their effects will
| appear later in bodily malformations suf-
| fcient to mar easy and correct carriage.
| Not only should the small gaucheries of
the little one be corrected, but when weak
points in the structure of the body are no
ticed simple exercise should be practiced
to build up undeveloped muscles.
One of the most obvious Juvenile faults
| is tendency to throw the weight on one
| leg in standing. This trick usually results
| in the bending of the body and the throw
| ing of one hip out of position. A slight
| curvature of the spine will be noticed in
children who habitually stand on one foot.
| In reading most children hold the book
| well under the eyes and hunch the body
| into most remarkable positions. In youth
| the bones are so soft that even occasional
| distortion is very harmful. To permit the
proper development of the frame childr IN
| should always be supplied at home with
| chairs suited to the size of their bodies
| Chairs used by older persons offer tempta-
| tion to lounge, which should never be toll
| Grated on the part of small folk. Besid IS,
1t is too much of a strain on the body OF
| a child to occupy chair which does not
|
the ground. Tho small chairs should have
! comfortable backs and broad seats and
| when the youngsters read or work each
| should be placed beside little table suffi-
I ciently low to bring the book or work with
| in proper distance of the eyes.
| The body of the healthy child is at first
| perfectly symmetrical. If the little one can
| be interested in keeping it So not only
good looks but comparative freedom from
| disease will be assured. Healthy children
| are happy children, and unless a child is
happy it is subject to disturbing lapses
| into naughtineSS.
The Open Air.
! Games in the open air afford children
great deal of natural exercise. Little girls
should be encouraged to play outdoors 1t
| was the free country life in the Island of
| Jersey, where she romped and climbed
| trees with ner brothers, that gave to Mrs.
Langtry the. splendid physique which
| neither time, trouble nor work seems in
| any degree to mar. In cities it is not al
ways possible to give the girls careers as
! tomboys, but plenty of exercise is possible
for all who will have it. Fresh air should
! be insisted upon with all exercise
Children should be early taught to stand
| properly. The correct position is with the
figure perfectly upright and the head
| thrown back.
well-known physician favors home
gymnastics for children, and has set of
exercises which he recommends to the at
| tention of mothers.
His first exercise develops the lungs. The
with both hands beside the body
| With closed mouth, slow, deep
| breath is taken through the nose. The ribs
should be expanded to the utmost extent
| After the chest muscles have been strength
ened the child should learn to hold the
| breath for few seconds before expelling it.
Exercise 2 Is also breathing one. The
| q m g hoo oh
| perfectly straight, with the palms of the
| hands turned upward, and take long deep
breaths through the nose, holding the
| breath as long as possible and then forcibly
| expelling it.
Exercise 3-To strengthen the body the
child should stand erect, with hands on
| hips, and bend forward as far as possible,
resuming the vertical position slowly and
| precisely. This exercise must be repeated
| several times in reasonably rapid success
| s1on Standing in the same position, the
child should raise the arms upward six
| times without bending them, although the
| trunk must be inclined backward.
| Exercise THE child should next place
| one knee upon the floor, repeating the arm
! raising and trunk bending exercises. After
| exercising upon the right knee the position
should be shifted to the left and the exer-
| else repeated.
| Strengthening Muscles.
| Exercise 5-An excellent exercise for
| strengthening the abdominal muscles is the
| following, which should never be attempted
| by nervous child and never by any one
without the assistance Of a grown person
| to hold the ankles firmly. The child must
| lie fiat on table, with the waist and head
| hanging down. The child should then raise
itself to a horizontal position, or as much
above 1t as possible. Stretching out on the
back, the exercise should be repeated, ris
| ing to a sitting position. If judiciously in
| 6rllt in tIviIl cfr n IN IL
| back. In case the child is too nervous to
| exercise on the table, the floor or couch
may serve as the support for the body.
Exercise helps to widen the chest and
heels together and body erect both arms
| extended that the clnched fists are on
level with the shoulders Then the arms
| are swung vigorously backward, describing
| a large circle.
| For the correction of round shoulders such
| exercises as will strengthen and contract
| the muscles of the shoulders are needed.
! Among those recommended are the forward
| and backward movements of head, body
| and shoulders, in addition to the exercises
| already mentioned. The bending is simple,
consisting Of letting the head, body or
| shoulders fall forward or backward as far
| as possible and then resuming the erect po-
| sition.
Some children draw the head noticeably
to one side. The trick may be due to Sp1-
| nal curvature. To determine this make the
| child when disrobing stand upright with
heels close together Tell the little one to
touch its toes without bending the knees,
and the bones of the spine will stand out
so that any lack of symmetry is discernible.
Should spinal curvature exist physician
| should be consulted Simple exercises of
the head, such as bending 1t to the side op-
posite the contraction, are the best means
of correction for side-tilted heads. The
side movement should be taken with the
body in an erect position and the hands
folded on the back. The head should be
tilted from the upright position as far to
the required side as the muscles will per-
| init. This should be repeated number Of
| times for each exercise.
For Turned I'm Feet.
| Turned-in feet NAV be Straightened by