Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-06

CUFFICIENT exercise Of the proper
y kind, taken regularly. will work
wonders with the human system.
When a man who works indoors COM
plains about not feeling well. his physi-
clan suggests regular exercise. night and
morning. In Washington there are thou
sands of clerks in the government de-
partments. very small percentage of
whom take any regular exercise at all.
After three or four years of confinement,
which goes hand-in-hand with work in
the departments. they begin to feel the
effect of physical stagnation. The remedy
is simple one-just the adoption and
faithful application of the rules of the
setting-up exercises which have been
adopted for use in the United States
Navy.
Without doubt the navy can today
boast of a cleaner bill of health than any
other military organization in the world
This condition is attributed to proper,
regular exercise. Eight or ten years ago,
when the setting-up drills were made COM
pulsCry, health conditions in the navy
were very bad There appeared every
where among the enlisted personnel a
laziness and inefficiency which were
caused by no other reason than physical
lQlGHGSS. 1H6Tc were lueu no PHYSICAL
drills. A man stretched himself If he SO
desired
The problem was the building up the
physique of the service. The space on
shipboard was very limited and the medi-
cal department of the navy took 1t upon
itself to promulgate the best physical
culture exercises possible. Rules for the
setting-up drills were made. On every
warship Of the nation daily drills are
now held, but no drill longer than ten
or fifteen minutes at a time. 1t has ac-
complished wonders for the service.
Any one can profit by the results shown
in the navy. No larger space is needed
than the floor in front of ones bed or a
small space in the office during the lunch
hour The exercises appear to be the most
rudimentary, but they a. designed to
give every muscle in the body sufficient
exercise every day to keep that muscle
well fabricated and in trim.
The first movemnt consists Of standing
erect with hands on the hips and slowly
the arms are extended and slowly circled
so that the hands move in circle of
about one foot diameter. While the arms
are being circled the. fingers should be
rapidly opened and closed.
Full sweep Is the next movement. The
arms are extended straight above the
head and the body is bent forward until
the fingers touch the floor. At first it will
be found quite difficult to touch the floor,
but after two or three days one can bend
over stiff kneed. until the palms Of his
hands are fiat on the carpet.
Next comes knee stoop. Up and down,
ten or more times, with hands on the
hips and head and shoulders erect. is the
greatest exercise in the world for the legs
and back.
Body circle consists of standing with
legs stiff, and moving the body in a cir
Gle first forward, to the right. as far back
as one can, and to the left and front
again. The head should be held as nearly |
upright as possible. This movement exer- |
cises the muscles Of the neck, back and
waist.
One Of the best exercises Is side stoop." |
upright the hands are placed on l
the hips and the body Is bent first to one /
side and then the other. One hand touches
the floor and the other is extended up-
ward from the body.
The exercise should be completed by /
what is known as leaning rest" This |
Is an excellent exercise. to say the least.
and no one has ever found out why the |
rest was tackled on to the name. 1t Is |
often brought into play at the Naval |
when an upper classman wishes /
to haze a ''plebe." Ask the ''plebe'' ana