PHYSICAL CULTURE is the development of the body by exercise to promote and maintain good health or to correct defects or weaknesses of the body. Benefit to the body is the main object and recreation derived therefrom is incidental. Physical culture in its simplest form is taking exercises such as setting-up exercises or calisthenics. The use of equipment—dumb-bells, wands or weight machines—though not necessary, adds interest and variety to the exercises.
The value of exercise to promote health and physical strength has probably always been recognized by man kind. In ancient and mediaeval times building up of the body was principally for purposes of war, or, as in ancient Greece, pre liminary training for sports. Systematic physical culture first appeared during the last part of the ISth century in Germany. In
Basedow founded at Dessau a school in which running, wrestling, riding and manual labour were prescribed as exercise for the students. In 1785, Guts Muth started a system of gym nastics in a school near Gotha, and in 1793 published a book, Gymnastics for the Young. At about the same time Nachtigall in Denmark, and Ling in Sweden, were introducing physical training in those countries.
To Professor Ludwig Jahn of Germany should probably go the greatest credit for organizing physical training on a broad scale for the benefit of all the people of the country. Under the direc tion of Jahn, boys, youths and men of all classes of society took part in exercises for physical development throughout Germany (about 181o). Even with Jahn the idea was physical culture with the ultimate object of physically strengthening the man power of Germany for war. Physical culture first appeared in the United States and England about 1825, and probably in other European countries at about the same time. It developed slowly between 1825 and 1875. Since 1875, due to the rapid growth of the machine, mechanical transportation and labour-saving de vices, the occupations of millions of adults have changed from manual labour to office work; the play of children has been re stricted in large densely populated cities, thus the necessity for and practice of physical culture has grown rapidly.
From io to 15 minutes daily is sufficient for physical culture exercises; preferably in the middle of the morning or in the afternoon. Exercise immediately before or after a meal should be avoided. Children should be given exercises under the supervision of teachers or parents. If the exercise must be taken before breakfast it should be immediately after rising and be followed by a warm bath and dressing leisurely; if the daily bath is taken at night the exercises should precede the bath. The air in the room should be fresh but not chillingly cold. Clothing should be light and loose. All parts of the body should be exercised during each period even when the object is to strengthen a par ticular part, but no part should be given more than two exercises in succession. For example, take an arm exercise, a trunk exercise, a leg exercise, etc., following some system of rotation. After an exercise that causes muscular strain, take one that loosens the muscles. Take the breathing exercise at the middle and end of the period. The exercises may be made harder by going to full positions, increasing the cadence or number of repetitions and by the use of equipment. They may be made easier by going to quarter positions and executing slowly. For those who are old or weak the milder exercises should be selected, and regulated to result in good circulation of the blood and loosening up and exercising the muscles without exhaustion.
Start the exercises from the position of attention, heels together and on the same line, toes turned out equally at about
weight resting on the balls of the feet, legs straight but not stiff, hips level, stomach drawn in, chest raised, back straight, shoulders back and sloping equally, neck and head vertical, chin raised, body and mind alert. In moving the shoul ders back keep the stomach drawn in; otherwise a swayed back position will result. Standing with the back to a flat wall and attempting to make the back touch it from head to heel will indicate how the stomach must be drawn in to make the back straight. Repeat each exercise from 5 to 15 times. Words in parentheses, below, indicate parts of the body that will be bene fited.