Physical Education For Girls.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 70, 23 March 1935, Page 7 (Supplement)

Physical Education For Girls.

HOW we sit, how we stand, how wo walk, how we run—all these make a tremendous difference to one's health. Take, for instance, our position when standing. Look at our first illustration, and then again at our second one. Which would you rather be like? Now look at the child taking the "slumped" position in sitting, and see how fine she looks sitting upright in our top picture. What I want you to realise is that thk good position must live with you, not for ten minutes when you exercise, but all the (lay; for whether we walk or run, or sit or swim, our bodies should hold this eamc position. Let us find out if we can make our bodies obey us and stand in a really good position. Stand against a perfectly flat wall, your heels three inches from it, but

make your hips, your shoulders and your head touch it. Place your hands at "neck rest." Now slip one hand down to the middle part of your back and see if it touches the wall. If it will not at first, tense the muscles of the front wall of your abdomen, and this will bring your back nearer, but be eure to keep head, shoulders and hips back while

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THE ART OF KEEPING FIT-

We take pleasure in presenting to our New Zealand girls this, the first of a comprehensive series of articles on physical education and the art of keeping 6t. Nothing on earth is so valuable to one as a sound body; in a sound body dwells a sound mind. In this article and in succeeding articles a well-known New Zealand instructor will explain how best to acquire physical fitness.

touch the floor when you stand. This part on the inner side is the long arch; if we tilt our foot over on to the outer side (invert) this; arch increases. If on the other hand we tilt one foot over on the inside our lonj arch flattens, our ankle becomes stretched, and we have one of the conditions of flat foot. Now sit down, and curl up your toes as tightly as you can, and you will find another arch is made by doing this. If you look you will see it. This comes in the anterior or front part of your foot. Now stretch out your toes and this arch will go. It is very important to have good

you do this. Get your dad to test you for good posture. If he stands a straight rod as tall as you are beside you when you are facing sideways on, these parts of you will be in line: Ear, front of shoulder, front of hip, front of knee, and middle front of instep. Now a word about feet. Look at your bare feet and see if there is a part of your foot which does not

If you persevere with these I little exercises, part of the I ground-work will be covered, | and we will be able to pass on : to other sections of the work i more active and interesting. | Next week, skipping, marching, ! and jumping will be explained in I our drill series. j

strong arches to your feet, because they act like the springs or tyres of cars and absorb shocks when we walk, run, jump, etc. I want you to get into the habit of strengthening these arches. The long arch is strengthened and increased by slightly - tilting the foot over so that the soles look at each other. You can only successfully practise this with bare feet. The other exercises you can try often during the day. Claw or curl the toes as if picking up a marble. If you practise these little exercises we will go on to something more active and interesting next week.