SEARCHING FOR HEALTH

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 15 February 1930, Page 13

SEARCHING FOR HEALTH

EXERCISES FOR WEAK CHESTS BEWARE OF EXTREMES (By ITiysieaJ Cultuirist.) (All rights reserved.) Health lies in the mean and not in dhe extreme. While deep breathing is invigorating and one oi the greatest factors in physical culture, 1 would issue a warning that extremes hi this, as m all things, are to be avoided. Perhaps nothing is so convincing as personal experience; it will be admitted that experience is a great teacher. In the summer qi 1906 i was cycling past a country store in the Manawaitu. h eeling the effects of the sun, I stopped to inuu'ige in a soft drink. Something in the apeparance of the storekeeper impelled me to question, "‘Do you not enjoy good health?” to which he replied “No.” '

To my further enquiry as to what was the nature of his aiiment, he replied “Lung, trouble.” He ihadi to sacrifice a good position, his reason for establishing the country store being to enable him to live more of an outdoor life. With the best of mtentiop, 1 offered the suggestion that I might be ab.e bo assist him a little. He enquired in what way. I then ventured the opinion that breathing exercises would help him and offered to show him how to begin. To my astonishment, he exploded with the exclamation, “Breathing exercises! Don’t talk to mo about breathing exercises. They mined me,” a statement which 1 queried, requesting him to verify it before i would bo convinced, at the same time- assuring him that I knew what I was talking about, and in any case there was no need for him to get excited, as my offer was made with the best intention. He then cooled down. Continuing the conversation. 1 gathered! that he had been a jpupil of a teacher of “physical culture,’’ who claimed to be a specialist in deep breathing exercises. Inter alia, I may say, the said 1 teacher died of heart failure at an early age. The storekeeper informed me that he was this teacher’s “golid medalist” in a certain town. At the date of the competition he could hold, a breath while he walked 200 yards. I was not surprised when lie" told me his trouble was emphysema, a ~ medical term for over-expansion of lungs which, having lost their elasticity, remain distended.

Those who have perused what I have writen on the subject of deep breathing wifi need no reminder to avoid strain when exercising the lungs. SOME USEFUL EXERCISES.

in a previous article 1 indiealeu seven exercises as neing useful iOi tiiose wnu were amicteu witn muiigreuou. mis wees i purpose (o outline some exercises u&efip. JU “body building,'’ commencing wito. tne onesu. rearing mastered the first exercise m oreatiung stand erecx, nee Is tegeuner, cue liecK. pressing back against an imaginary collar stud. The nantis may rest on the nips ’in .tlie same position a 3 in exercise No. 3. hirst exnaie; next inhale, as in exercise No, 3. Then continue inhaling untp the upper lungs are fuii. If tins movement is performed correctly the ciiest will be arched and the aodomen appear inilailed, but not distended. iNow, retaining; the arch of the chest, exhale thiougii ti) e mouth, using the diaphrani to squeeze the bottom oi the mugs, upward, at the same time retaining the air m the top portion of the lungs. Again inhale, tilling the lower part otoe lungs. Continue, to inhale and exhale in this manner ior, say, liali-a-dozen times. On the fourth day increase to seven times, and on every subsequent fourth day increase one more. If this number be .too strenuous ior the individual!, increase every fifth or sixth day. One must use one's own discretion as to the rate of increase and be guided accordingly. Next stand in same position, raise the aims in front, extended in hue with chin clenching the hands. Slowly carry amis, pressing hack in ‘.line with shoulders. Inhale throughout the movements until the lungs are full. Pause momentarily, then press the arms forward until the hands almost meet, at the fame time exhaling forcibly hrough the mouth. In all the exercises described in this series, the approximate time required for breathing is two seconds to inhale and one second to exhale.

For the next exercise, one of the most valuable for deepening the chest, lie flat with back on the floor, with clenched hands on either side; feel that the arms are being pulled hard from the shoulders and legs stretched away from flips to heels, toes turned* hard toward the knees. Then . raise tin arms slowly hi front of chest and back oyer the head until they rest on the floor, stretching throughout, at the same time inhaling through itfle nostrils ; pause momentarily. Then return. arms to original position by the side, stretching throughout, at the fame time and exhale deeply' and forcibly though the mouth until the abdomen becomes quite flat or hollow, repeat several, say half-a-dozen, times.

BROADENING THE CHEST. The following exercise is designed to broaden the chest, an ilis a factor in developing the lower pectoral pectoral muscles. St-ui d with hedis together, lxxly bent slightly forward from the hips; clenching the hands, bring these almost together, middle knuckles of hands o-pposite each other ; at the same time filling the lungs, raise the arms _in line with shoulder out from the sides; carry them up over the head, turning the clenched hands inward until they are brought allmost together _ stretching throughout, at the same time straightening the bodv and following the movement of the hanclls with the eyes. After pausing monien(Continued at foot of next column).