Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-13
THE QUEST OF BEAUTY
With an Ordinary Hoop, You
May Gain Health.
VARIED EXERCISES
WILL DEVELOP ALL PARTS OF
THE BODY.
If Rightly Used a Graceful Figure
Must Be the Happy
Result.
VARIED EXERCISES

Did YOU know that an ordinary hoop, such
| as you and your mother ana your rather
| and your grandmother and your grand
| father all rolled when they were IN snort
| frocks and trousers, can De made the
means of gaining health and beauty?
| Sometimes girls write to me and ask how
| they can get good all-around exercise with
| out going to the expense OF goif CLUBS ana
! tennis rackets Now l am going to tell you
| how a common wooden hoop, which costs
| from to % cents, can give you as good
| exercise as you need, either INDOORS or out.
| In the first place choose a large hoop.
| Otherwise you will be hampered when II
| comes to the more difhcult exercises IN
which you put yourself through the hoop'
so to speak,. In fact, If it Is big enough
| and you are persistent enough you may
| train like a veritable circus performer, and
scott at the ladies who think they are dong
| something remarkable in the ring.
| Be careful to choose hoop that Is per-
fectly smooth Do not run the risk of get
| ting splinters into your hands. And, by
the way, if you ever are the victim of this
| common little accident do not waste a mo-
| ment in removing the foreign substance or
| having a surgeon do so, If it is beyond the
| reach of your effort Take a hne needle,
never a pin; dip it in boiling water to ster-
| ilize it: then probe very gently SO as to in
| flame the spot as little as possible. AFTER
| the splinter is removed you should dip the
wound in the hottest water you can pear 10
| dispose of any possible germ. All this may
sound like a great deal of foolishness, but
| a dangerous felon arising from the PRICK Oh
| a pineapple thorn has lately come to my
| notice and made me realize the risk OF pol
| soning that a pretty hand runs.
| AS to the exercises. Take the hoop out
| doors If it is good weather, for all exercise
| gains infinitely in the open air. If you
| have within reach smooth stretch OF
ground, sidewalk or pavement start Off
| with a good roliickng scamper after the
| rolling hoop the kind Of scamper that
you have thought you had outgrown. You
| have not. No woman is too Old for whole
| some exercise. If your running Is out of
practice and therefore slow, you may be-
| gin with the hoop on level, but you soon
! should be able to take it down long slopes,
| where it will tear along ahead of you at
pretty pace, one that gives you a good
| chase to keep up with it. This exercise is
especially recommended for the stout. Did
| you ever see a professional Splinter who
| had more flesh than he wanted?
Will Reduce Flesh.
Jumping the hoop will also reduce flesh,
just as jumping the rope will. The reason
in all these cases is that the exercise is SO
violent that 1t must start perspiration,
and perspiration is what takes the pounds
off. People who perspire profusely in sum-
mer always lose flesh at that time. Boxers
bring their weight down or push 1t up at
will by inducing checking perspirat ton.
San Francisco is known as the home of
plump women, and this is explained by
physicians. who say that there is no hot
weather during the entire year in that
city, hence very little perspiraten.
You may jump the hoop in two ways, just
as you would with a rope. Either skip
through, one foot forward, with light,
dancing motion, or jump with both feet at
once. The former step is more easily ac-
Quired and the exercise less violent, hence
it is better for the beginning.
TO reduce large hips or increase small
ones, lie fiat on the floor, face downward.
Now slip the hoop over the ankles while
you hold the feet raised in the air. AS the
hoop is large you will be able to slip 1t
over your head and clasp it near the chest
with both hands. Now pull as hard
as you can, making your ankles
sist the Juggling of your hands. Re-
sist with all the strength of your legs
from the hips down. You will soon find
! yourself in the midst of a hard tug Of war,
! while you appear to be quite motioness
| and in repose, and the observer may find
| it hard to understand why the beads of
| perspiration are standing out upon your
| forehead.
Follow the Count.
Lying in the same position, pull your an
kles forward with the hoop In regular
counts. stretching them back as far as
possible on the even counts
| Turn over on your back raise your legs
vertically, place the hoop over them and
| tug them toward your head, forcing them
| to resist as before. Then go through the
counts, drawing them toward the head and
| stretching them out on the floor as in the
| previous position.
Turn on one side, raise the upper leg
straight in the air, throw the hoop over 1t
and proceed as in the other exercises. Be
sure to pull the foot directly up on line
with the upper shoulder; do not let the leg
slope forward. Allow yourself ten counts
then turn to the other side and take ten
counts with the other foot
TO develop the legs, making strong an
kle and rounded calf, try this. Stand on
one foot, raise the other a foot or so from
the ground and forward Now mt the
hoop over 1t, grasp the hoop with both
sides and pull hard, making the foot nress
forward as you do so You will feel the
effort to keep the leg straight and extanded
Affecting all the muscles from the hin
down AT the same time the balancing ex-
ercise is of use. Give an equal time to the
otnel loot. Always be careful to let no
exercises become sided
You can vary this exercise nv, raising Tho
Ioot toward the side and toward the rear
In doing the latter you will find that the
tween the legs F
Things to Remember.
Don't neglect neck and shoulders Pass
Tie Hoop over the neck, let it rest at the
back of the neck, then pull it forw ard
while the neck grows strong by resisting
the effort of your hands Shift the pres
sure so that the neck resists at each side in
turn.
By and by, after you have grown very
athletic, you must learn to take a running
Jump through the hoop. Get some one to
hoid IL Tor you, or hang it if YOU can't find
an assistant Hanging however, is not
convenient for the hoop is likely to sway
ana annoy you in jumping. Begin by
placing 1t near the floor gradually raise it
until you are performing a really clever feat
by clearing Its curves. If YOU ever choose
to give jolly little performance for the
entertainment Of some girl chums. paste
paper over the hoop and go through it
IKE genuine circus rider Vary this per-
torrance by jumping from the floor from
STOOL, from a chair up, down, across in
every conceivable direction and at different
Many pretty dancing steps can be devised
invent little hoop dance for yourself
rms may be done by taking dainty skip
ping steps through it. holding it in front
ana shiftlng 1t to each side. For instance,
suppose you are accompanied by schot-
tische music. Make two stems through it
during the march time then hold it high