The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-09-25

Some people advocats dumb-beTs eoR
building I'D OF the chest. but DO not
deem them necessary, as the same ex-
ercises can be gone through without
them and with the same results. For
instance, one OF the best known exsr-
cises Is to rest the hands easily an
the shoulders and then throw tho arms
out and back ten times. alternating
first the right and then tho left The
bells add a little weight to be SURE
and viii admit they are a tang1bis
something to hold on to. but the
clenched fists do quite as well and IL
is not necessary to so to this additional
expense.
The great point about taking any
exercise is to be persistent IN It. After
a certain time there is bound to come
a period OF deadly monotony and IL II
at this time that you must get right
down to business, for you have reached
the place where the work II telling and
really beneflting you.
You cannot develop your chest IN q
day or a week. or any other part OK
your body for that matter. but you
can do a great deal toward II IN
three or four months. No matter how
inpatient you are to forge ahead. never
exercise when overfatigued. or directly
after eating, for IT will DO you far
more harm than good.
Do you know what makes girls fiat
chested? Simply this: When the lungs
are fully expanded they press the ribs
and the breast-bone outward and OF
course It follows that when the air
cells are never opened the ribs are
not forced into their proper place and
the result Is a caved in appearances.
And for this reason the simplest ex-
ercises are correct. Anything that viii
call for repeated lung expansion. Hop
ping, skipping and jumping are all
good, especially for children, and after
one has passed a certain number OF
years singing lessons take their place
and are truly excellent
There are few women who read q
great deal, who write persistently or
who are afflicted with defective vision
that are not more or less troubled with
round shoulders. This is one OF the
most exasperating Affections IN the
world to cure and the first thing to do
Is to make up your mind fully TO
straighten up Immediately. You will
have to exert your will power Just the
same as every one else has to deter
mine fully to break bad habit. While
round shoulders are sometimes the re-
suit Of weakness they are more often
the result OF absolute carelessness and
when such Is the case it should be a
mental and not physical sxertion.
Nearly every stopper sleeps on a very
high pillow. and this should be the very
first change. for really no pillow at all
Is necessary, and particularly under
these circumstances. But during the
waking hours try to remember to stand
erect. Stand up and look up. not down
Round shouldered persons are not gem
orally aware OF the fact that they
rarely look people IN the eye as they
walk. Thy are too busy thinking OF
their own troubles. and II Is the easiest
thing IN the world to acquire the habit
Of prowling about looking at the ground
and just glancing up often enough to
keep from being stepped on
Now for this there are two cures. One
Is to practice walking about your room
with book balanced on your head, and
the other is to lace your hands behind
the back and pull the shoulders back
and force the arms downward as Tar
as is possible, as In Fig. 4. Then raise
the arms as high as you can and re-
peat some ten or twelve times up and
down. At the end Of this time hold the
arms down and roll the shoulders from
front to rear, alternating the up and
down exercise with the rolling one.
And I want to tell you a little some
thing about this particular exercise
II has been adopted for general use in
the German army and has been Dor
rowed for West Point as well and all
on account Of this. Some Of the men,
especially In Germany, were powerful.
big fellows, but they couldn't stand
erect to save their lives. Perhaps their
work had been picking up vegetables
or working with a hoo. where they were
continually bending over In all other
ways their bodies were strong and
powerful, but IN this respect they were
sadly lacking, and the looks OF thu
army were anything but pleasing. Yet
the fault could not be laid at the door
of the soldiers. They honestly tried to
stand up, but Il was physical impos-
sibility. Instead OF giving than AL
sorts and conditions Of exercises 70 de-
velop first this part and then that, the
officers put them to work It this ons
alone, and to-day there II not an army
that boasts Of more erect soldisry men
than that OF Germany.
There Is but one more exercise that
I wish to speak OF. and that II No 3.
The diaphragm Is drawn up into the
chest as far as Il possible, and the
breath is exhaled by saying moi"
Don't think this II a bit Of foolish
ness, but, believe me, unless 'hoi" Is
said IN loud, sharp tone, the results
are very far from being satisfactory,
for it is this sudden pressurs that In
so beneficial
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