PHYSICAL CULTURE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3109, 6 February 1909, Page 3

PHYSICAL CULTURE.

ROUND SHOULDERS. THEIR PREVENTION AND C'OUE. (By R. 0. JAKRETT, 1 (Late Supervisor to Wanganui Education Board. Principal: V.anganui, Falmr-rstcn North, Fcildsng ai:d Foxton Pbyaud Culture Schools). How often are children chicled because they stoop so dreadiully. How often do we hear mothers say, "Gracious child, do straighten up; you look simply awful, the way \ou stoop, you are getting worse every day." For a few minutes, the child carries itself more erect, but to do so for more than a few minutes a physical impossibility. Stooping and round shoulders are the result of various causes, with which space will not, to-day, allow me to deal. My object is to explain how to prevent and cure this common weakness of children. Stooping in childhood I have invariably found accompanied by protruding abdomen. With the use of breathing exercises, the abdomen can be so strengthened, together with the trunk muscles, that the children naturally and easily carry themselves erect. Some are born weaklings, ofttimes the parents either one or both, bein'f burdened with the stooping habit. Others develop the I habit through lack of suitable exercise. The following illustrations show a number of exercises suitable for the prevention or cure of this complaint •

No. I.—Stand erect with hands by side. Slowly fill the lungs, inhaling through the nostrils, then exhale, contracting the abdomen, at the same time- preserving the arch of the chest. Practice the exercise four times daily, increasing the number of movements weekly. This advice applies to all of the exercises, increasing the times the exercises are performed regularly once a week until the time devoted to practice ex-

tends to 15 minutes, which is smple time for the strongest children to devote to exercise daily. Steady daily practice is what ensures success, not spasmodic attempts at in- , tervals. For instance, take Exorcise 2. Commence with four complete I movements at each practice. The ; next week increase to five mova- i merits. The third week increase to six movements, and continue to in- j crease to seven movements the fourth j week. And the same with each of the other exercises, until the maximum is reached. Exercise 2. —Place clenched hands with or without Light wooden dumbbell in front of thighp, carry arms out and upward above head, inhaling deeply while the arms are travelling,

stretching the arms to full extent throughout the movement; pause momentarily and return to original position, exhaling through the mouth. Exercise 3. —Stand with hands stretched out in front in line, with the shoulder, slowly pressing them backward till thr-y are horizontal, in. line with or just behind the shoulder line, stretching throughout !

and inhaling. Pause momentarily to ensure lungs being thoroughly filled, then carry arms quickly forward to original position, exhaling leaning well forward from the hips. Repeat. Exercise 4.—Lock both thumbs together, carry arms over head at full stretch, follow the itiovement With the eyes throughout, inhaling deeply while arms are travelling over the head. Bend quickly forward, keepj ing back shoulders and arms as j nearly in line as possible. Touch i the ground about 12 inches in front of the toes, exhaling through the ! mouth. The muscles directly affected and strengthened are the erector spinae, abdominal wall and the muscles behind and in the neighbourhood of the knees. | Exercise s.—Press arms back behind line of hips, chin up, neck pressed back, rising on toes inhaling slowly till lungs are completely fill--1

I ed, then sink quickly down on heels, forcing arms up in line with shoulders, knuckles upward, exhaling till lungs are emptied and repeat.

, Exercise 6.—Commence with hands out in the position in which the last exercise ended, i.e.,in front, in line with shoulders, with lungs empty. JTrom this position carry arms up in front nverhepd, inhaling deeply, pressing the hands and arms slowly backwards, rising on toes. Then finish the movement by pressing the arms quickly down behind, under, and up in front, exhaling quickly. Also practice the abdominal movement given in the chart for school children, Numbers 18. 19 and 20. Also lie flat on the back, arms by side. Sbwly raise arms upward overhead, press back to the floor, inhaling deeply, then reverse the movement, exhaling. , Another splendid exercise, from which the beneficial

resjlt is quickly seen, and as quickly felt, is to stand with heels together, knees pressed back, neck pressing back against collar stud or button, place finger tips of both hands together across chest, finger tip 3, should be in direct line with elbows, press tips of fingers hard together, resting palms of hands flat ■on the chest. Then fill the lungs, band forward, endeavour to hollow the back while doing so, using hips as a hinge and exhalf. Repeat till tired. If these exercises are steadily persisted in, mothers will have no cause to complain of the roundness of their children's shoulders or of that stooping habit which is so irritating and annoying to so many mothers, to say nothing of the relief to the child's feelings when the perpetual scoldings to which it is subjected cease. Next Saturday I purjiose dealing with curatiye exercises (illustrated) for curvature of spine.