Health: Your Posture (1953)

[Music] here it is at last the night of the party that everyone's been looking forward to for weeks that's Betty brand at the piano she's the kind of girl who puts life in a party and here are Jimmy and Sue and Jean and the rest of the Gang they seem to be having a wonderful time over here are the ones who'd rather talk than play and oh yes here is adrine adrine who usually sits all alone slumped in her chair in the corner adrine knows that for some reason she doesn't fit into the picture but she doesn't know why her party dress is just as pretty just as becoming as the clothing the others are wearing and adrene has a sense of humor she can laugh right along with the others when she knows what it is they're laughing about but why do they sometimes laugh for no good reason what is it that creates this unfavorable impression the others have of her there's a mirror adrine go on look at yourself see if you can discover what it is your face is all right adrine you're neat and clean and healthy looking you're neither too fat nor too thin why there's nothing wrong with the way you look what in the world the mirror's gone crazy you hold one hand up it holds the other one down who ever heard of a mirror like this now look here you you're supposed to do what I do you're supposed to show me how I look no you listen to me for a change for years I've never had a motion of my own I've just done exactly what you do when you're in front of me but I'm tired of helping you pretend I can't show you how you really look because when you're around me you put on an ax you smile your best Mile and you stand up straight I've always had to show you how you thought you look do you want to see how you really look Adeline this is it your head pokes forward your shoulders slump your stomach will take a look yes adrine the mirror may have gone crazy but for the first time it's telling you the truth like a lot of boys and girls your posture is your problem what are you going to do about it I'll tell you what I'm going to do about it I'm going to make you reflect what I want to see because I'm going to have good posture you just wait and see H add a girl Adine yes adrine you have just taken the most important step toward good posture wanting to have it but determination isn't always enough what is good posture how can you make it a habit maybe you'd better ask someone for help your friend Tom no his posture is not much better than yours the best person to ask might be Mr Riley your science teacher he has been teaching you some other things about health maybe he can give you some pointers about posture when you and Tom tell Mr Riley about your problem he agrees that posture is important to all young people so important that he will ask Dr Martin to come to class to talk with you about it Dr Martin is not concerned with how poor posture makes you look to other people he talks about what good posture Ure means to your health in the first place poor posture may be a sign of something wrong with you you may be run down physically or over tired or upset you need a thorough checkup by your family doctor to discover the cause of your posture defects even if your poor posture is only a matter of careless habits you should see a doctor before you start corrective measures you see our skeletons and muscles are designed to support our vital organs so that they can do their best work if we sag these organs are pushed out of their proper positions the muscles are stretched too under a strain which they were not designed to take stretched muscles and displaced organs Tire more quickly and work less efficiently the health of the whole body is affected and here's where habit comes in if you usually slump when you're sitting or walking as this boy does your body will accustom itself to poor posture so that it actually becomes difficult for you to sit up tall or walk correctly to develop good posture habits the kind this girl has there are several things you must do first exercise go in for active stretching bending games which will build good hard muscles to help hold your body in line work will do it too any activity which takes balancing or stretching is good for developing the muscles of your shoulders and chest spend some time every day working or playing vigorously to have good posture get enough exercise but wait a minute if you work or play too hard for too long a time you'll become over tired it's easy to slump when your muscles are tired so get enough rest too take time out to relax when you get home from school or anytime you feel tired if you rest for a while before dinner you'll feel more like sitting up straight at the table go to bed early enough to get plenty of sleep and sleep on a firm mattress which will support your weight without sagging remember to have good posture you must have enough rest your shoes are important to your posture too choose new shoes for comfort and good workmanship your shoe should be long enough and wi enough to allow your feet action room and sturdily made to give your foot complete protection and support wear the proper shoes the foundation of good posture is in your feet make it a strong Foundation yes adrine Dr Martin has given you and your classmates a new idea of the importance of good posture you know now how important it is to your health he has pointed out three important ways a healthy person can develop what it takes for good posture boys and girls must eat foods which help keep them well only a healthy body can respond to the training which makes good posture a habit fortunately most of you have good health you're all set to train your body in good posture habits but what is good posture is it the ramrod stiffness of a parade marcher no good standing posture is a comfortable easy position such that a straight line could be drawn from your ear through your shoulder the center of your hip and your ankle when you stand and walk with your body in a straight line you don't have to throw out your chest and your stomach flattens out naturally good sitting posture means sitting with your head directly above your hips with your hips and back against the chair your feet should be flat on the floor that's all there is to it adrene it seems easy doesn't it but it's not as easy as it looks you can't expect to correct posture defects overnight you'll have to find out from your doctor which exercises will help you the most and then practice those exercises regularly your teachers and your parents will give you encouragement but the Standing Tall and Walking Tall are up to you you and Tom already had the will for good posture now you know the ways if both of you practice good posture until its second nature well Tom is going to have a set of habits that can make him look better and feel better all of his life but you adrine you can not only do good things for your health but before too long you can walk right up to that crazy mirror in your room and this time the mirror will be surprised you will have the last laugh and what is more important you'll know that you can be proud proud of your posture [Music]