The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-27
CORRECT POSTURES.
Learn to Sit Well and Walk Prop
erIy.
washington Starr

| erly.
washington Starr
Half the bad figures one notices
among women who are more than 40
years OF age are due to the incorrect
way IN which II has been the custom
TO sit and to walk. Carriage and
presence" that do so much to give one
style and attraction are entirely i'm
possible simply because the woman has
been careless and sloppy in her man.
ner of holding herself, and muscles that
should give support are limp and with
out strength.
To sit properly and maintain ones
| inquire II is absolutely necessary that
the spine shall support the weight of
the upper part of the body. Now, as
every one knows, the spinal column is
long and thin, like a pole, and it can
form no support unless the weight is
hung from the top as it were.
Put any load in the middle and the
pole will bend. This Is precisely what
happens in wrong sitting instead of the
weight coming on the top of the spine,
| that is, from the base of the head, and
| being braced from the other end, the
column is allowed to bend at the small
OF the back, the abdomen is thus
thrown out Of plumb trying to help the
pole" the tip of the spine bows under,
and the whole figure is wrong. Sit so
the end of the spine is directly against
the seat and the seat back and the
figure is properly held. There will then
be no bending of the pole.
Let woman notice how she sits in a
street car, for instance. Usually, in
stead of being way back on the cush-
ions she has her shoulder blades against
the back and the tip of her spine is at
least four inches in advance of that
line on the seat. She can prove this to
her satisfaction merely by trying to
get further back on the seat. Nine
times out of ten she win find that she
can push back anywhere from three to
five inches. Unless she does this and
forms the habit of sitting with the tip
of the spine upright instead of curved
she will have the usual large hips and
protruding abdomen with which most
women are disfigured To keep the
spine constantly curved while sitting is
fatal to any grace of figure.
1t is not sufficient, however. to sit
properly. One must stand with the
weight evenly distributed, making the
spine between the shoulder blades do
its share; not allowing it to slump and
bow.
Also the abdomen must be held in.
and not unconsciously made to pro-
tTude.
Every woman knows that when she
goes to a dresSmaker she holds herself
well in, trying to have her gown made
10 mt. She throws back her shoulders
and generally squares herself. The
same woman later will let her shoul-
ders come forward and lean when she
walks. Then she wonders why her fig
ure is not good and that her frocks
do not fit
L know of no better was for throw
ing back the shoulders and expanding
the chest than to try to make the ell
BOWS meet behind ones back. Few per-
sons can accomplish it, but the effort
VIII be sufficient to develop the chest
and straighten the upper part of the
back. Another good way is to try lit
orally to raise the chest. This can be
done somewhat, but not unless the
shoulders are back TO admit of it.
To keep the proper pOise of the body
means not to make the abdomen promi-
nent, but to hold it in. Once it grows
in size this is more difficult to do, but
the bending exercise will both help and
prevent enlargement. 1t consists in try
ing to touch the toes with the finger
tips without bending the knees.
All women should try every day to do
this If they hope to preserve their waist
line. 1t should be done without cor
sets, and the chances are that few wo-
men can do it, certainly at first. But
it is worth struggling for day after day,
because the longer one tries the more
sure is success, and fulfllment means
that the waist line has been decreased
sometimes several inches.
To try five times in succession is
enough at the beginning, but after the
first one may do it ten times. morning
and night, and the putting and painting
it produces will do no harm. Raise the
hands high above the head at the start
and try to touch the toes.
This is good exercise for every mem
Der of the family.