“ POSH YOUR CHEST OUT.”

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3434, 27 January 1912, Page 4

“ POSH YOUR CHEST OUT.”

Look at your figure in the next fulllength mirror you see. Nine chances out of ten your chest caves in, your shoulders round like a bow, your stomach protrudes and your chin is thrust forward like a prize fighter’s. Now try an experiment. Take a long breath, push your chest out and hold it to that position. Behold a miracle. Your shoulders straighten till your back is line a line, your stomach retreats and your chin assumes a position of modest dignity.. Now you are standing correctly and if you place any value at all upon a good appearance you must practice this position until it becomes second nature. Remember that the grand secret is “Push out the chest.” The rest of the figure will take care of itself.

If your chest is flat and narrow, you ought, in the interest of both health and beauty, to try to develop it. Breathing exercises are the best thing for this purpose. Singers and public speakers almost always have good chests, because they are trained to breathe deeply and correctly. Breathing exercises are best performed at night, when all heavy clothing, the corset in particular, lias been removed. The window should be open, for there is no profit in taking bad air into your lungs. Stand erect, with hands close to the sides. Inhale slowly and evenly through the nose. Hold the breath as long as you possibly can, then exhale slowly and evenly through the mouth. Do this ten times each night. You will soon notice an increase m the length of time .you can hold the breath. Practice taking long breaths when you are walking. Dumbbell and Indian club exercises are excellent for chest development. Go at them gently at first, especially if you are not very strong. There are other simple home exercises which will help you in this direction. For instance, lie flat on the back on the floor, with legs and arms straight and knees close together. Now try to rise to a sitting posture witho.ut touching the elbows on the floor. You won’t be able to do it at first, but you soon will be if you practice the exercise faithfully, and in the meantime your chest is reaping the benefit of the practice.—“ Woman’s World.”