The very great value of maintaining the body in a proper position cannot
be too strongly emphasized. Man is the only animal that walks erect. He
is the only animal in whom old age brings a forward bending of the
spine. The hanging head, which is the attitude of hopelessness, and
which is caused to a very large extent by the mental attitude that goes
with approaching old age, no doubt does a great deal to quicken physical
decline.
Therefore it would be wise to remember the very grave importance of a
straight, erect spine. Each day of your life should be to a certain
extent a fight for the best that there is in life and a struggle to hold
the spine as nearly erect as possible. If you are sitting in a chair,
sit up straight, head back, chin in. If you are walking or standing,
the same rule should apply. The more nearly you can assume the position
which is sometimes criticized by the sarcastic statement that "He looks
as though he had swallowed a poker," the more nearly you will
approximate the ideal position.
As will be shown in the succeeding chapter, it is not necessary to make
extraordinary efforts to hold the shoulders back or to arch the chest.
The one idea-chin in, down and backward-will accomplish all that is
needed. The chest and shoulders will naturally take care of themselves.
Furthermore, it is well to remember that this attitude in itself has a
tremendous influence upon both the physical and mental organism.
The mind, for instance, is affected to an extraordinary degree by this
position. It quickens the reasoning capacity, helps to clear the
brain of "cobwebs" and unquestionably adds to one's courage. The man
who is afraid hangs his head. He who is void of fear holds his head
erect, "looks the world in the face!" There is no question that if a
man without fear were to assume the position of fear, with hanging
head and shrinking body, he would quickly find himself stirred by the
emotions associated with such a posture. He would soon "get scared!" In
fact, the attitude of the body has so much to do with one's mental and
emotional state that the question of self-confidence or lack of
confidence may often be decided simply by throwing your head up and back
and assuming the general bodily posture that goes with confidence. It
not only expresses confidence: it also develops confidence. There is a
great truth here that psychologists and those who write "character
building" books have not sufficiently understood or emphasized. And
when you feel discouraged, the best way to overcome the sense of
depression is to "brace up" physically. It will help you to "brace up"
mentally. Try it.
Then there are the definite physiological results of maintaining an
erect spine. The mechanical arrangement of the spine itself is such that
if it is held erect the important nerves that radiate to all parts of
the body from this central "bureau" are able more perfectly to perform
their functions. Where there is pressure on these nerves there is
bound to be imperfect functioning. The affected organ will work
lazily, indifferently. In fact, the entire science of the osteopaths and
chiropractors is based almost wholly upon the value of spinal
stimulation and the remedying of spinal defects.
There is another way in which an erect carriage has a direct physical
influence, namely, in maintaining the proper position of the vital
organs. When the body is held erect the chest is full, round and
somewhat expanded, affording plenty of room for the heart and lungs.
This, in itself, is conducive to vitality as compared with the flat-
chested attitude. The stomach, liver, spleen, pancreas and intestines
all tend to drop or sag below their normal position when the body bends
forward. In maintaining an erect position all these organs are drawn
upward and held in their natural position, and this means greater
vigor and better functioning on the part of each. This particular
consideration is of special importance in the case of women. It all
goes to show the truly wonderful value of maintaining the spine in a
properly erect attitude.
The sitting position usually assumed is far from what it should be in
order to insure health. As a rule, we sit humped forward, with a
decided bend in the spine, ultimately developing splendid examples of
what we call round shoulders. The spine, while sitting, should be held
as nearly straight as possible. The position of the head, to a very
large extent, determines the general posture of the body. As nearly as
possible the chin should be held inward, downward and backward. I will
admit that this position is almost impossible when one is using the
ordinary type of chair.
An extraordinary effort is required to sit properly in the conventional
chair. Furniture of this sort should be made to fit the body in the same
way as our clothing does. The back of a chair should be made to fit the
backs of those who are to occupy the chair. The chair-back should, at
least to a reasonable extent, approximate the normal shape of the spine.
If the chair, throughout its entire back, cannot be thus shaped, then
it should be cut off even with the waist line of the occupant. Such a
low-back chair will usually allow one to sit erect without
serious discomfort.
There has been much criticism of American men on the ground that they
are inclined to sit down on the small of the back. They slide forward
in the chair, with the back bent over and the shoulders humped forward.
But the fault really lies with the construction of the chair. The back
of a chair does not fit the human back, and the seat is not at the right
angle to rest the body.
Why is it that men commonly like to tilt a chair backward on the hind
legs? Even when they do not place their feet on a convenient table
they are prone to tip the chair back and partly balance it on the hind
legs. Why do people instinctively prefer a rocking chair as a
source of comfort, even when they do not rock? The fact is that it is
not the rocking that makes a rocking chair comfortable, but the position
of the seat of the chair, with its downward slope toward the back. The
rocking chair is comfortable for just the same reason that the ordinary
dining chair is made more comfortable when a man tilts it back upon its
hind legs. The reason is that in this position one does not tend to
slide forward off the chair, the weight of the body naturally carrying
the hips to the back of the chair, where it is supported naturally. In
order to avoid the "sliding down the cellar door" character of the
conventional chair a change should be made in the incline of the seat
similar to that found in the ordinary rocking chair and in the chair
when tipped back in the manner I have described.
The photograph which has been reproduced on the preceding page
illustrates the point I wish to make. In this particular instance I have
used an ordinary chair to show what can be done to improve the chairs
in the ordinary home. Both of the back legs of this chair were sawed
off some three or four inches-thus elevating the front part of the
chair and lowering the back part, giving the seat an incline toward
the rear which more comfortably accommodates the body. This position
approximates that of the ordinary swivel desk chair tilted back by
business men when they are not leaning forward over their desks. This
suggestion can be adopted very easily and cheaply in almost any home,
for any ordinary chair treated in this manner will be very greatly
improved, and far greater comfort will be experienced as a result of the
change. Civilized men and women spend such a very large part of the
time in a sitting position that the bodily posture when sitting down is
a very great factor in the bodily welfare and health. Special
thought and study, therefore, should be given the question of the
sitting posture. Unfortunately, this particular subject seems to have
been ignored absolutely for hundreds of years in the making of our
chairs.
It is just as harmful to sit all humped over as it is to stand in such a
position. The nervous system cannot be maintained at its best unless
the spine is held reasonably erect. Whether sitting or standing,
therefore, it is important that you should make a never-ending struggle
for a straight spine.
If the back of the chair in which you sit is not properly made then it
is better, in most cases, to ignore the back altogether. Sit
slightly forward from the back and maintain an erect position, with the
chin held in, downward and backward. In this position you should
sit well balanced, as it were. The chest should occupy the same
relative position as when standing erect. If you will hold the head in
the position I have indicated it will help you to keep the chest and
back in the right position. As a general thing, it is a much more
simple matter to maintain this erect position when sitting, if either
one foot, or both feet, are drawn back under the chair. When both feet
are stretched out forward upon the floor a person is inclined to sag
backward in a partially reclining position upon the chair. By holding
one foot underneath the chair in such a manner that you could rise to a
standing position, if desired, without lurching forward, you will find
it easy to maintain a well balanced and erect posture. If at any
time you find yourself slumping forward or slouching in your seat, it is
good to stretch your arms high above the head, or to expand the chest
and draw your shoulders backward in the position commonly assumed
when yawning and stretching. Either of these stretching movements
will give you an erect position, and you can maintain this thereafter by
keeping the head in the right position-chin inward, downward and
backward. These stretching movements will be equally effective for
improving the carriage when standing.
The same complaint that I have made against the ordinary chair can be
registered with special force against the desks used in the
schoolrooms. There is no question that a great deal of spinal curvature
in childhood, to say nothing of round shoulders and flat chests, are
directly the result of the improper sitting posture in the schools
which is enforced upon the children because of the unsuitable character
of their seating arrangements. Thus we practically begin life hampered
by an unsatisfactory environment, so far as our sitting posture is
concerned.
The chair back or the desk chair should fit the human back. It. should
favor and not hamper one in assuming a normal and straight position
of the spine.
When you get up in the morning, exercise yourself a little in
straightening the spine, chin in, downward and backward. When you walk
to business or when you go about your duties, keep the same thought in
mind. Force the head back. Take the exercises which you will find
in the next chapter, referring to the thyroid gland, at very frequent
intervals during the day.
Remember that in fighting for a straight spine you are fighting for
youth and health and life and energy and courage and enthusiasm. You
are fighting for everything that is best in life, and you should strive
and struggle with all the energy you possess to win the rewards
associated therewith.
Each day of your life will bring difficulties, worries. Life at its best
is not a bed of roses. All these various influences are inclined to
make you hang your head. You may have moments when you are hopeless,
when life seems forbidding and cheerless. Fight against such
inclinations with all the power you possess. Struggle against such
discouragements with all your might and main, not only through your
mental attitude but through your determination to maintain an erect
spine. Hold your head up and look the world in the face.
Don't shirk your duty. Don't deviate from the path along which your best
impulses and highest ideals would lead you. Life is worth while. It is
filled with glorious opportunities. Reach out and grasp them as they
come up. Hold your head up and be a man or a woman to the fullest extent
of your abilities.