BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES HOW TO KEEP HEALTHFUL AND YOUTHFUL MARGARET JOSEPHINE BLAIR— Teacher, Lecturer, Author BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES By MARGARET JOSEPHINE BLAIR Lecturer on Home Economics and Salesmanship in the Extension Department of the University of Minnesota RAND McNALLY & COMPANY CHICAGO NEW YORK Copyright, 191 7, by Rand McNally & Company ~~tD / £T~ AUG m 1917 LA473267 THE CONTENTS HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH PAGE Importance of Good Health 9 Influence of Air on Health 10 Sunlight 14 Sleep — Its Relation to Health . . . . . . . . 15 Vitality and How to Use It 16 Food and Its Effect on Health 18 Beverages . 23 The Teeth 24 Care of the Skin 24 Corsets and Shoes 25 Be Beautiful at Sixty 26 EXERCISING FOR HEALTH AND GRACE Health-Producing Exercises 29 Before-Rising Exercises 31 1. Relaxing Tense Muscles, 31; 2. A Cure for Constipa- tion, 31 ; 3. A Cure for Constipation, 34; 4. Relaxing Knee Joints, 34; 5. Relaxing Hip Joints, 38; 6. Muscular Exer- cises for the Feet, 38. After-Rising Exercises 38 7. Arm and Shoulder ' Exercises, 38; 8. Strengthening the Lungs, 42; 9. Expanding the Chest, 46; 10. For Kidneys and Abdomen, 46; 11. Stimulating the Liver, 50; 12. Developing Trunk and Neck Muscles, 50; 13. Improving the Waist Line, 50; 14. Developing the Leg Muscles, 52; 15. For Strength and Lightness, 52; 16. For Hip Reduction, 59; 17. For Body Poise, 59; 18. Reducing Flesh, 59; 19. Increasing Body Agility, 64; 20. For Poise in Walking, 64; 21. For the Double Chin, 64; 22. For Wrinkles, 67; 23. Strengthening the Eye Muscles, 67. HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES IMPORTANCE OF GOOD HEALTH Every one wishes "to have and to hold" good health. Why? Because to be well is to be com- fortable. To be ill is to be miserable, Money not alone in body but also in mind, for value of the condition of the body affects the mind for good or for ill. But comfort is not the only value attached to health. A sound body spells dollars, a most potent word. We know that the dollar-earning power of a machine in perfect running order is far greater than that of a defective mechan- ism. When the body is in prime condition, it is the ready servant of the will, and its efficiency and there- fore its earning capacity are at the maximum. An aching head, a distressed stomach, a painful back, a lame knee, smarting eyes, a sore throat, in short, "all the ills that flesh is heir to" serve to clog the wheels of physical action. They make the mind conscious of the body, and, to that extent, interfere with the legitimate work of the brain. It is given to but a few choice spirits, like Robert Louis Stevenson, to rise above a body racked by pain and weakness and, in spite of it, to make the world lighter and better with playful wit and 9 io BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES whimsical fancy. Most of us, to a greater or less degree, let our suffering bodies impair our efficiency Social an< ^ becloud our spirits, thus exacting value of a double penalty, one from ourselves and one from our associates. The man who said he never knew he had a stomach until he read of it in a book was to be congratulated on his ignorance. Not to be made conscious of any part of our bodily organism because of pain denotes health, and health is bliss. Much has been said and much more will be said on how to gain and maintain this state of bliss. It is easy enough to formulate rules for taking care of this body of ours. The only trouble lies in getting the rules practiced. We glibly recite "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," then proceed to ignore the prevention and pay the doctor for pounds of cure. It is stating nothing new to say that the great health-producing factors are air, food, exercise, and sleep. When these bear the right rela- factors ti°n to each other, and to the age and work of the individual, the problem of health is largely solved. It is the function of this book to consider these, and minor factors, laying especial stress, because of their importance, upon the exercises which make for bodily health and grace. INFLUENCE OF AIR ON HEALTH Air is free and common. Unfortunately, whatever costs us nothing is apt to be undervalued, so perhaps HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH n it is not surprising that not until recent years have the health-giving qualities of pure air and plenty of it been exploited. Physicians and laymen alike now cry that fresh air is preventive as well as curative, and we are more and more as a people sleeping out in the open because we are well and 1 1 . 1t Fresh air a want to keep so or because we are ill preventive and do not want to remain so. That and 5 curative man is unpopular in his neighborhood who grumblingly said, "Sleeping outdoors is not a fad; it is a disease, and I'm glad I haven't got it." But sleeping out in calm or storm, in heat or cold, accounts for only about one third of our time. What do we breathe and how do we breathe the other two thirds ? If we are in our own homes, in our own offices, or in positions of authority, we can usually breathe the air we choose; that is, we can, if we realize its value, see to it that air fresh as can be obtained, is admitted to our rooms in sufficient quantities. But if we are clerks, salespersons, stenographers, factory employees, or students, we must breathe the air chosen for us. This air will be good, bad, or indifferent according as those in charge recognize or fail to recognize the value of pure air. Air contains, in the main, two gases — oxygen and nitrogen. Another gas, carbonic acid, is formed by the burning of fuel, the lamp or gas jet, j 1 -u xt. -u 1-1 • Elements of and also by the burning which goes on in the air our bodies. It is in the air we exhale, therefore it is present in greater or less quantities in the air about us. When present in large quantities, i2 BLAIR S HEALTH EXERCISES it is harmful to animal life; not because it is a poisonous gas in itself, but because it displaces other gases that are essential to life. Scientists tell us that an adult of about one hundred and fifty pounds weight takes in about one pint of air with each inhalation. If this person is placed in a room ten feet square and ten feet high, with no means for the inlet of fresh air, he will exhaust the air in a short time and death will ensue, not immediately, but slowly. The oxygen of the air is used in the body and its place is taken by the carbonic acid gas exhaled by the lungs. This gas will not support animal life. Accepting the truth of these statements, the relation of ventilation to health is seen to be close and important. So far as lies in our and l a 10n power, there should be a current of fresh good health a [ T through all our rooms — workroom, office, living room, sleeping room — day and night, in season and out of season. A current implies an inlet and an outlet. If no other means offers, one can open the window, top and bottom, a few inches. A board placed across the opening at the bottom to deflect the current upward will prevent the draught, so needlessly fraught with terror to some persons. If one lives in a large city where even the outside air is necessarily filled with impurities of various kinds, a screen of thin cloth, cheesecloth or some similar material, placed across the opening will help to make the incoming air more fit to breathe. It may be well to add that the old belief that night air HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH 13 is dangerous to health has been shown to be an error. Night air, on the whole, especially in the large cities, is purer than day air. But what we breathe is not the only air factor in producing health. The manner of taking air into the lungs is of equal importance. It has been said that the majority of persons breathing live their whole lives and never learn how to breathe. If we are to believe the physiologists — and why should we not believe those who have made a thorough study and investigation of any subject? — learning how to breathe properly not only will prolong life, but it will make life better worth the living. Ordinarily we breathe about eighteen times a minute. This number varies with age, sex, general bodily condition, occupation, and so Tj PP er-chest forth, so that it can be given as only a or deep very general average, subject to much individual deviation. The capacity of the lungs is about twenty-seven cubic inches. Most persons are shallow breathers, upper-chest breathers. They seldom fill the lungs to their fullest capacity and thus the lower part of the lungs is peculiarly subject to disease, for any unused bodily tissue tends to shrivel and become non-usable. We pay the penalty for not using by losing the use. Chest breathing does not always bring on tuberculosis, but the person who does not habitually take deep draughts of pure air, exercising every particle of lung tissue and thoroughly aerating the blood, is more liable to i 4 BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES tubercular troubles, indigestion, and kindred ills than is one who breathes deeply. Breathing rightly means breathing deeply. It means not chest expan- sion alone, but the exercise of every muscle of the trunk. It means the flattening of the dome-like position of the diaphragm, thus enlarging the chest cavity and permitting full expansion of the lungs. The back, the abdomen especially, the sides, the chest, all take part in forcing into the farthest cell the life-giving, health-promoting air. The habit of deep breathing should be supplemented by extra daily exercises in exaggerated deep breathing. This subject will be treated more fully under "Exercises." SUNLIGHT Plants thrive in the sunlight and become weak and colorless when deprived of it. Man does like- Sunlight wise. While all recognize this general essential truth, the application of it to daily life is often neglected or forgotten. If it is possible to let the direct rays of the sun bathe the body after the daily bath, the' beneficial effects upon the health and spirits will be apparent. This sun bath is not always possible, because of lack of favoring environment, but the sun can and should be admitted to our homes. It is one of the best agents for killing germs, destroying, as it does, great numbers of harmful bacteria. Indeed, the sun's rays now have a well-recognized curative value in the treatment of skin diseases. The sun thus helps not only to purify and dry the air, but it gives buoyancy HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH 15 and lightness to the spirits, and thus directly con- duces to good health of body and mind. SLEEP— ITS RELATION TO HEALTH "God bless the man who first invented sleep!" So Sancho Panza said, and so say I, is the beginning of John Godfrey's Saxe's poem on ''Early Rising," and so say we all. The amount of sleep one takes at night is not of so How much much importance as the regularity of the sleep is hours and the conditions under which it is taken. No hard and fast rule can be laid down regarding the amount of sleep. Napoleon required only four hours; others, with not a tithe of the great soldier's brain or working power, require double that amount or even more. Seven or eight hours of untroubled sleep out of doors or in a room in which there is free circulation of air will, for the average adult, bring an awakening in which mind and body are attuned to the joy of living. There are those who require more sleep, but not many can take less and still keep the body in prime condition. Young children of course need much more than eight hours sleep. No garment worn through the day should be worn during the night also. The invention of the union suit has, indirectly, been conducive to health, for many persons who would clothes keep on a vest worn through the day unhesitatingly discard the union suit upon retiring. The exhalations of the body leave a residuum in 16 BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES the garments worn next to the skin which may be partially reabsorbed in the close contact of the garment with the body. Only a thorough shaking, drying, and airing during the night make them fit to don again the next day. Opinions differ somewhat on the best position in which to sleep, but most agree that it is better to Correct ^ e on tne right side in order to relieve sleeping the heart of pressure. All agree that to posi ion j. g ^^ ^ e J3 ac k- or w ith the arms over the head is not a good sleeping position. "I have no time to take a daily nap," says many a busy woman, housewife, saleswoman, or stenog- rapher. She might better say, "I have na p aiy no time not to take a daily nap." Ten minutes at the noon hour tells for health and beauty, woman's two greatest assets. "But I can't go to sleep in ten minutes or twice ten min- utes," is the objection often heard. No, not the first day, perhaps, but you can lie down, close the eyes, relax every muscle, breathe deeply and rest abso- lutely for ten minutes out of your allotted sixty. The second day you can do the same. The third day, sleep, "tired nature's sweet restorer," will lay its healing hand upon your eyes and you will awake a new woman, ready for another half day's struggle in the busy world. VITALITY AND HOW TO USE IT The parable of the servants to whom were given ten, five, and one talent, respectively, is applicable HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH 17 to the allotment to individuals of vitality, or joy in living. To each one of us is given a certain amount of energy to use as our working capital in life. We may use it wastefully in our vitality Vmg teens and early womanhood, conserving none for later life, or we may use it wisely, never taxing it beyond the normal rate of expenditure, and thus be in our prime when we are passing the half-century milestone. It is the part of wisdom to choose the latter course, for, if she will, the best of life may come to woman after she is fifty. In these days of social service much is being said about race suicide, better babies, the conservation of life, and "safety first." Much will need to be said and done before needless mortality and preventable injuries shall be reduced to a minimum. But even more should be said and done to conserve a healthy vitality in girls and young women, so that mother- hood shall mean health at birth for both the mother and the child. Some one has said that really to reform a man, you must begin with his grandfather. It is equally true that the best way to prevent the birth of weak and diseased babies is to teach girls and young women to make a right use of their allotted vitality. French and English mothers are wiser in this respect than are American mothers. Girls of twelve to eighteen in those countries are girls, not society buds. Their hours are early and regular, their amusements sane and adapted to their years. The American girl, in too many cases, is sated with society 1 8 BLAIR S HEALTH EXERCISES and sex emotions before she leaves the high school. Her vitality already has been frittered away, leaving little reserve for the stress and strain of motherhood. An exceedingly wasteful use of vitality, and hence harmful to health, is indulgence in anger, fear, or other strong emotions that do not vitality make for happiness. Strong anger or in strong fear, as also constant irritation over emotions trifles, keep mind and body alike in a condition unfavorable to health. Digestion is im- paired — we know how one becomes actually phys- ically ill under the strain of these emotions, and that each recurrence of illness so induced renders one weaker and less able to resist the domination of the feelings. A wise regard for health, then, dictates that one should strongly prohibit indulgence in either anger, irritability, or fear. FOOD AND ITS EFFECT ON HEALTH ' ' A healthy stomach is a healthy body " is a truism believed by all, in theory, but made practically Results worthless as a working formula by the of wrong foolish abuse of that organ which is cus- tomary among the American people. We eat too much, we eat too fast, we eat at wrong times, and we eat the wrong things. Any observer may verify the truth of these indictments by even ordinary attention to those eating at restaurants, lunch coun- ters, cafeterias, or hotels. We need cite but one in- stance. Any one who frequents public eating places can match the observation with hundreds of others. HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH 19 Enter a gentleman and lady, both florid in com- plexion, both overblessed with flesh. They order and devour a full five-course dinner — soup, fish, beefsteak (over an inch thick), vegetable accom- paniments, salad, and strawberry shortcake with whipped cream. Each order in each course would have been ample for three or even four persons, but these two send the whole mass to their helpless stomachs, thus increasing their floridity and avoir- dupois, and preparing the way for all kinds of inter- nal disorders. If this case were unique, no importance other than individual would need to be attached thereto, but it is not unique; it is typical of the class whose bank accounts permit of such gormandizing, and whose number is not small. Not only do we eat too much, but we bolt the food, half chewed, into our stomachs, leaving to that overtasked organ the work which should chewine be done by the teeth. The doctor who for placed on the door of his office this notice, "Gone to lunch — back in 5 min.," should have considered himself the patient, and should have given himself a drastic prescription of common sense. Imperfectly chewed food is imperfectly salivated food. If saliva is not mixed with the food, a necessary chemical change fails to take place in certain portions of it. Every physician knows this; every intelligent layman knows it. We may even say every school child over twelve years of age knows this, but in the hurry and bustle which 2o BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES make up what Americans call living, we fail to do what we know to be obligatory and trust to luck for a successful outcome. Fortunately a wise Creator has anticipated the needs of this great nation of hustlers and has provided a juice in the intestines which will, in part, rectify the errors of the mouth, but this juice cannot readily penetrate chunks of food, hence imperfect digestion waits on imperfect mastication. This means not only dis- comfort and bad complexions due to poor blood and clogged circulation, but also, in time, actual disease of one or more of the digestive organs, dependent No woman can be beautiful or even upon good attractive in appearance if the complexion digestion ^^ ^ be thick, muddy, or blotched, while one without a single good feature is pleasing -to the eye if she but have a skin fresh and free of blemish and be of good color. It follows that women, for beauty's sake, if not for health's sake, should eat sparingly and slowly, and should masticate thoroughly. One need not become an extremist in chewing, a devotee of Fletcherism, but common-sense dictates a reason- able adherence to this wise man's rules. It is a mooted question as to how many times a day it is necessary to eat. The number varies from five to two meals daily. Probably three i^eathig 7 meals is a good average. Five meals, light in character and taken regularly, may be better for the health than three heavy meals. The amount, kind, and regularity are of more importance than the number. The no-breakfast HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH 21 faddists find some followers, but their arguments do not seem to be well founded in the body's needs. A perfectly safe rule to follow is this : Send no new food into the stomach until that already taken is digested and the stomach has been given a chance to rest. This rule will eliminate indiscriminate 11 piecing" between meals, a habit baneful in its influence on health, spirits, efficiency, and, of course, complexion. Society women, salesgirls, stenogra- phers, and high-school girls are the ones who most commonly abuse their stomachs by this practice of indiscriminate eating. Some of them have digestions strong enough and complexions clear enough to withstand the harmful effects for a time, but sooner or later nature exacts the penalty for broken laws. The lunch of the average woman worker in the city affords a striking illustration of the charge that we eat the wrong things. Ice cream, chocolate eclairs, and pastry furnish little destroyer nutriment. Supplemented by sweets eaten surreptitiously at odd moments in the after- noon, this kind of lunch is a health destroyer. If the results are not violent, but slow and insidious, that only makes the practice the more dangerous. In the foregoing paragraphs stress has been laid on our sins of commission as eaters. No talk on health or any other subject is helpful if it is merely censorious, destructive. Posi- suggestions tive, constructive suggestions should fol- low criticism or little good will result. With this in mind, the following suggestions are offered, not 22 BLAIR S HEALTH EXERCISES as a treatise on dietetics, but as an aid in attaining and maintaining health. A light breakfast, not made up of, but chosen from, a menu of cereals, fruit, toast, coffee or cocoa, and bacon and eggs will furnish nutriment and sufficient variety for any one, no matter what the occupation. The lunch should also be light in character, espe- cially where the afternoon's work demands an active brain and clear thinking. Fruit, vegetables, cooked or in a salad, soups and broths, ices and nuts, offer a choice that will nourish but not overwork the digestive organs. A four-course dinner, made up of a soup, the meat course, salad, and dessert, with the possible addition of a relish preceding the soup, makes a meal heavy enough to satisfy the most exacting appetite. Any additions to such a menu are super- fluities, not necessities. One or more courses can be subtracted from this menu with less danger to health than can one be added. Vegetables, especially carrots, onions, spinach, and asparagus, should form a large part of the dietary. Fruits aid in the sewerage of the body and thus contribute to health. It is said that an apple eaten every day will save a doctor's bill. The present prohibitive prices of meats may be a benefit to the American people, for they are thus « forced to find substitutes, and these are, probably, on the whole, more healthful than is meat. The quantity of meat which the body can use benefi- cially depends upon the occupation of the individual, HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH 23 but a minimum of meat is better for the health than a maximum. When the time comes that Americans are no longer called a nation of "pork eaters," we shall see a people less prone to indigestion and all the ills that follow in its train. Nuts and raisins, if well masticated, and eaten as a part of the meal, not as an addition to a full meal, are of great nutritive value. When forced into a stomach already given its full allowance of food, they overload and break down, instead of building up. Sweets as a part of our food are necessary and healthful, but as an extra or as a substitute are injurious to teeth, stomach, and complexion. BEVERAGES If man had never invented any drink, but had accepted what nature provides in abundance, we can almost say that his health would have been assured. Physicians are more and more advocating the use of water in liberal quantities to flush the body. Some authorities claim that a gallon a day is none too much water to keep the body in prime condition. This seems rather like an ^ater t ^ e overdose of a good thing, but one cannot most health- possibly receive any harm from taking the full prescription. From half a gallon up daily, taken a half hour before meals and before retiring, is a safe rule to follow. The benefits in bodily comfort, increased buoyancy, and clearness of skin are almost unbelievable to those who have drunk water only in small quantities. 24 BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES THE TEETH It is only in recent times that physicians have realized what a close relation exists between the Relation of condition of the teeth and bodily health, teeth to Many ailments, hitherto unexplainable, such as serious disorders of the digestive system, rheumatism, neuralgia, neuritis, and other nerve diseases, are now traced, rightly or wrongly, to defective teeth. Only frequent and regular visits to the dentist can enable one to be sure that the sys- tem is not absorbing infection from these trouble makers. Personal care of the teeth should include a careful brushing night and morning with tooth powder or paste, and a more frequent rinsing of the mouth with some antiseptic wash like peroxide or listerine. CARE OF THE SKIN Daily bathing and massage are the two means of keeping the skin in the best condition. Many women are interested in the state of their body massage*" 1 covering through a desire to be beautiful. Fortunately beauty and health go hand in hand, for a skin kept thoroughly cleansed is more healthful and at the same time more beautiful than one the pores of which are clogged with excretions from the body or accumulations of dirt. The daily hot bath, plunge or sponge, is a neces- sity to some; to others it is . weakening. The daily morning cold bath, shower or sponge, gives the whole body the glow of health and vigor. It stimulates HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH 25 the circulation and thus serves to send new blood to the tissues for their upbuilding. Perhaps three hot baths a week plus a daily cold wash will be about what the average person needs to keep the skin in good health. An evening massage of cold cream into the skin of the face, the movements being light and always outward and upward, then a light rubbing with a soft cloth to remove the cream and a cleaning in cold water will bring out and preserve the best qualities of the skin. CORSETS AND SHOES Two articles of dress give much concern to the woman who cares for bodily comfort and health. These are corsets and shoes. The former are, per- haps, a necessary evil in modern dress. This evil may be a serious menace to health if the corsets are ill fitting or are worn too tight ; however, the danger may be reduced to its lowest terms by D an a er s of having the corsets fitted to the figure ill-fitting corsets and worn loose. Corsets that press on soft tissues may cause incurable diseases. This is said, not to awaken fear unduly, but to emphasize the great care necessary in purchasing corsets. The high-heeled shoe may bea " thing of beauty ' ' to the beholder, but it is certainly never meant for service. It seriously threatens a Jf[ ena ce S the health of the woman who stands at her work. It throws her body "out of plumb," it 26 BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES creates an unnatural gait, and it may bring about spinal disorders. Besides these evils, standing or walking on high heels for any considerable length of time adds greatly to the fatigue of the wearer. For this present-day abnormality in footwear there seems to be no advantage that will counterbalance the harm it works. BE BEAUTIFUL AT SIXTY In most of what has been said in the foregoing pages, no account has been taken of the influence Choose vour °^ ^ e m i n d on bodily health. One need mental not be a follower of New Thought or any other cult to know that there is a direct and close relation between mind and the bodily functions. A mind at peace with itself and the world helps the body to function properly. One at war with either will disturb such functioning. It behooves us, then, if we wish perfect health, to close our minds to disturbing influences whenever possible and to open them to whatever will conduce to peace and happiness. It has been said that a girl may or may not be beautiful at sixteen according as nature has or has not endowed her with good health, fine carriage, pure skin, clear eyes, and regular features. But the woman who is not beautiful at sixty has only herself to blame, for, by right living and thinking, by care of person and health, she may acquire a beauty that is unattainable in youth. EXERCISING FOR HEALTH AND GRACE HEALTH -PRODUCING EXERCISES The exercises which follow are designed to develop and strengthen every muscle of the body, to stimu- late the circulation of the blood, to reduce Exertisine flesh, and to cultivate grace. Whatever for health tends to keep the circulation healthfully an grace normal promotes the well-being of the body. The blood flowing through the body may be compared to a running brook. If for any reason the water in the brook is impeded in its flow, it becomes stag- nant and foul. The same is true of the blood, and therefore such a condition in any place in the body brings on disease. The right kind of exercise taken at the right times and in the right manner maintains the blood circulation at normal and thus prevents stagnation and resulting ills. It helps one to look younger and to be younger. All the exercises should be taken slowly but with vigor and enjoyment, if the highest good is to result. Deep breathing is to be understood in R epe titi ns each exercise. The number of repetitions should be should be small at first, and should gradually increase until the maximum named in the exercise can be taken with ease. The exercises should be practiced in front of the glass until the muscular habit is formed for making vertical and horizontal lines and other correct positions. 29 i f 1 ) EXERCISING FOR HEALTH AND GRACE 31 BEFORE -RISING EXERCISES 1. Relaxing Tense Muscles Purpose : To limber the muscles after their long main- tenance in one position. This exercise brings about a general relaxation of tense muscles, thus putting them into condition for active service. One has only to watch the awakening of a baby or a cat to see this exercise taken naturally. The cat puts out one paw, then another, until all have been stretched, then braces his feet, flexes his claws, and stretches every muscle in the body. This may serve as our guide. Manner: Remove the pillow. Lie flat on the back. Stretch each arm successively to its fullest extent, flexing and relaxing the fingers and hands. Stretch each leg in turn, as far as possible, flexing the toes at the same time. 2. A Cure for Constipation Purpose : To bring about a natural and regular daily movement of the bowels. Physicians claim that over 75 per cent of our people are troubled more or less with constipation. The cause may be and often is, especially with working women, carelessness on the part of the individual in attending to this necessary bodily function at a regular period each day. But whatever the cause, constipation may be cured by going through this and the following exercise systematically and thoroughly. 34 BLAIR S HEALTH EXERCISES Manner: Lie perfectly flat on the back, pillow removed, limbs stretched straight, arms extended straight over the head, palms up. (Fig. i.) Slowly rise to a sitting position, bringing the hands straight over in a half circle to the hips and following with them the line of the legs to the ankles. (Fig. 2.) Repeat this from three to five times, increasing the number of times each succeeding morning until the exercise can be taken easily fifteen times. 3. A Cure for Constipation Purpose: Same as Exercise 2. Manner: Lie flat on the back. Bend the knees so that the feet are flat on the bed. Massage the bowels with both hands, not too hard, but with a firm, even pressure. The first movement should be circular, from right to left, then back and forth, so that the whole abdom- inal surface is gone over. Then place the hand on the abdomen and lightly shake every part, especially over the liver and stomach. . 4. Relaxing Knee Joints Purpose: To limber up the knees. Manner: Lie flat on the back. Bring the right knee as near to the body as possible, with the toes pointing straight out. (Fig. 3.) Stretch the leg with vigor. (Fig. 4.) Repeat ten times. Perform the same exercise with the left leg. Fig. 6 Fig. 7 3 8 BLAIR S HEALTH EXERCISES 5. Relaxing Hip Joints Purpose: To limber up the hips and round out the limbs. Manner: Commencing with the right leg, swing it from the hips in a rotary motion, circling (Fig. 5) ten times. Repeat with the left. 6. Muscular Exercises for the Feet Purpose: To- relax and strengthen the muscles of the feet. Manner: Lie flat on the back. Stretch the feet for- ward, then back, both at once; repeat ten times. Turn the feet out, one to the right, the other to the left; then in; repeat ten times. AFTER -RISING EXERCISES 7. Arm and Shoulder Exercises These exercises are the familiar Swedish movements that were taught us in our school days. Their purpose is to exercise the arms and the shoulders. They should be taken each morning before dressing. (A) Manner : Stand with heels together, toes turned some- what out, arms at sides. (Fig. 6.) With palms up, bring hands to the shoulders. (Fig. 7.) Stretch the arms straight out. Bring hands back to the shoulders. Repeat the exercise ten times. Fig. 8 Fig. 9 Fig. 10 42 BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES (B) Manner: Same position as shown in Fig. 6. Stretch the arms straight up, keeping them close to the head. (Fig. 8.) Bring hands to shoulders. Repeat ten times. Care must be taken to stretch the arms vertically, like the picture, not slantingly. (C) Manner: Position as in Fig. 6. Close the hands; bring from sides to the chest. (Fig. 9.) Repeat ten times. (D) Manner: Position of feet as in Fig. 6 and of hands as in the preceding exercise (C) (on the chest). Stretch the arms straight in front, palms open and facing, and return to first position. (Fig. 10.) Repeat this exercise ten times. (£) Manner: Standing position as in Fig. 6. Bring the hands to the arm pits. (Fig. 11.) Return to sides. Repeat ten times. 8. Strengthening the Lungs Purpose: To expand the chest and strengthen the lungs. Manner: Stand before an open window in the same position as shown in Fig. 6. Bring the hands back to back in front of the abdomen. (Fig. 12.) With the mouth closed inhale deeply while raising the hands straight above the head, backs of finger tips together. (Fig. 13.)' Fig. 11 Fig. 12 Fig. 13 46 BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES Turn the palms outward and, with an outward move- ment, bring the arms to the sides, at the same time exhal- ing with vigor. (Fig. 14.) Repeat the exercise ten times, being careful to inflate the lungs to their fullest capacity each time. 9. Expanding the Chest Purpose: To expand the chest and reduce the flesh under the shoulder blades. Manner: Position as shown in Fig. 6. Bring the hands together in front, then to the'back, forcing them to meet each time with a vigorous clapping. With no pause between movements, repeat the exercise ten times. 10. For Kidneys and Abdomen Purpose : To invigorate the kidneys, reduce the abdo- men, and improve the waist line. Manner: Position as in Fig. 6. Raise the arms high above the head, at the same time bending backward as far as possible. (Fig. 15.) Bring the arms forward, bending the body but keeping the knees straight, until the finger tips touch the floor. (Fig. 16.) Repeat ten times. Caution : In the beginning, no attempt should be made to touch the floor, otherwise . strain may result. How- ever, as the body becomes more pliable and the muscles develop, it will become very easy to do the exercise in the way directed. Fig. 14 Fig. 15 Fig. 16 5 o BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES 11. Stimulating the Liver Purpose : To stimulate a torpid liver and improve the waist line. Manner: Stand with the feet well apart, arms at side. Raise the right arm and right heel, at the same time moving the left hand down the left leg as far as possible. (Fig. 17.) Raise the left arm and heel and move the right hand down the right leg. (Fig. 18.) Repeat alternately ten times. 12. Developing Trunk and Neck Muscles Purpose: To develop the muscles of the trunk and neck. Manner: Position as in Fig. 6. Rotate the entire trunk from left to right (contrary to the hands of the clock), at the same time rotating the arms in the same direction. (Fig. 19.) Repeat as many times as strength permits. Rotate the trunk and arms from right to left (with the hands of the clock, Fig. 20). Repeat as before. As this exercise is a difficult and tiring one, no attempt should be made at first to repeat ten times, once or twice each day being sufficient until the muscles become hard- ened. 13. Improving the Waist Line Purpose: To improve the waist line and reduce the flesh under the shoulder blades. Manner : Standing as shown in Fig. 6, swing the trunk to the right, throwing the left arm in the same direction Fig. 17 5 2 BLAIR S HEALTH EXERCISES until the hand clasps the right upper arm. (Fig. 21.) Swing in the opposite direction and follow the movement with the right arm as directed for the left. Repeat ten times. 14. Developing the Leg Muscles Purpose: To develop and exercise the muscles of the legs. Manner: Position as in Fig. 6, but with hands on hips, fingers directed forward, thumbs meeting at the back if possible, elbows and body in straight line. Advance the right leg, elevating the heel so that only the tips of the toes touch the floor. (Fig. 22.) Lift the leg until the knee and hip are in a horizontal straight line, toes point- ing downward, keeping trunk erect. (Fig. 23 .) Straighten the leg to a position with the toe tips touching the floor. Repeat ten times with the left leg. Go through the same exercise with the right leg. This exercise is a close imitation of the pawing of the horse. 15. For Strength and Lightness Purpose : To limber the whole body and give strength to the limbs. Manner : Standing with the feet well apart, with hands on hips, give a springing jump, landing with feet together and on tips of toes. Repeat the exercise from five to ten times. Fig. 18 ' Fig. 19 Fig. 20 Fig. 21 Fig. 22 Fig. 23 EXERCISING FOR HEALTH AND GRACE 50 16. For Hip Reduction Purpose: To reduce the hips. Manner: With arms extended straight above the head, and feet about twelve inches apart, bend the knees deeply, bringing the body into the position known as sitting on the haunches, at the same time placing the hands with palms flat on the back of the neck. Repeat five to ten times. 17. For Body Poise Purpose : To get the body in poise. Manner: With hands on hips and fingers forward, swing the right leg in front of the left, describing a half circle, and come to rest on the tips of the toes. (Fig. 24.) Swing back (Fig. 25) until the right leg, passing back of the left leg, reaches the point touched in Fig. 24, complet- ing the whole circle. (Fig. 26.) Repeat ten times. Then take the same exercise with the left lee. 18. Reducing Flesh Purpose: To reduce flesh and to limber the whole body. Manner: Run eight steps on tiptoe; on the eighth step, cross the right leg over the left and, with a little spring, stoop as though picking up something with both hands. (Fig. 27.) Continue ten times, alternating the left leg with the right in crossing. Fig. 24 Fig. 25 Fig. 26 Fig. 27 64 BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES 19. Increasing Body Agility Purpose : Same as preceding with an additional value to the arms and hands. Manner: Run on tiptoes, throwing the arms above the shoulders and back to original position at sides, shak- ing the hands and fingers constantly. Count steps and continue from fifty to one hundred, depending upon fatigue. 20. For Poise in Walking Purpose: To gain and maintain the proper position of the body in walking. Manner: An incorrect walking position is shown in Fig. 28. The shoulders are drooping, the head lowered and brought forward, and the muscles of the ribs and sides are allowed to relax, bringing weight on the stomach and other internal organs, and forcing the abdomen into prominence. Fig. 29 shows the body poised correctly in walking. The head should be held erect, the chest expanded, the abdomen completing the curve of the chest, but not protruding. 21. For the Double Chin Purpose: To reduce a double chin and to remove wrinkles. Manner: Bend the head straight back as far as possi- ble, then forward, dropping the chin on to the chest. Repeat ten times. Fig. 28 Fig. 29 EXERCISING FOR HEALTH AND GRACE 67 22. For Wrinkles Purpose: To remove wrinkles under the ears. Manner: Keeping the shoulders motionless, turn the head as far as possible to the right, then to the left, alter- nating; repeat ten times. Keeping the head and chin well up, as a habit, not simply as an exercise, will tend to reduce an overabun- dance of flesh at the nape of the neck. 23. Strenghtening the Eye Muscles Purpose: To strengthen the muscles of the eyes. Manner: This exercise may be taken while lying flat on the back or sitting with head erect. 1. Keeping the head perfectly still, focus the eyes on the right of the room as far as the range of vision. Very slowly, let the eyes focus successively in a complete circle over to the left and back to the point of starting. Repeat three to five times. 2. With no movement of the head, focus both eyes on the point farthest to the right that can be seen, then to the point on the extreme left, alternating; repeat from three to five times. 3. Holding the head perfectly motionless, focus both eyes on the highest point in the range of vision, then lower to the floor; repeat from three to five times. LIBRARY OF CONGRFqc sum * v* 3 708 287 5 I