CARE OF THE FEET 



321 



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Importance of good posture. It is the duty of every girl and 

 boy to have good posture and erect carriage, not only because of 

 the better state of health which comes 

 with it, but also because self-respect de- 

 mands that we make the best of the gifts ^...skoickter- 

 that nature has given us. An erect head, 

 straight shoulders, and elastic carriage go 

 far toward making their owner both liked 

 and respected. The person who stands 

 erect and has good posture is usually the 

 one who has good mental poise as well. 



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Practical Exercise 3. Make an outline of 

 what you would do to correct (a) flat feet, (6) a 

 lateral spine curvature, (c) round shoulders, 

 (d) protruding abdomen. 



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In good posture, the head is 

 directly over the feet. A line 

 dropped from the ear passes 

 through the middle of the 

 shoulder, the hip, knee, and ankle. 



Care of the feet. Our health depends 

 to a large degree upon exercise. Little 

 exercise is possible without the use of the feet. Most of us have 

 known foot discomfort of one sort or another. Let us see how 

 to avoid such difficulties. 



Many foot troubles come from either too tight or too loose 

 shoes chafing the foot, thus causing the skin to respond to the 

 irritation by forming callous spots which grow thicker and thicker, 

 developing into corns. But a much more serious effect comes 

 from the use of badly shaped shoes with high heels. If you look 

 at the human skeleton, you will see that the bones of the foot form 

 an arch from the toes to the heel, so that the foot, between the ball 

 and the heel, should touch the ground only slightly. High-heeled 

 shoes throw the weight forward to the ball of the foot, pressing the 

 bones of the arch into unnatural positions and straining the ten- 

 dons which fasten the muscles to the bones. The foot in a natural 

 position on the ground is also seen to touch along the edges outside, 

 but not in the middle of the foot. This arch is weakened by the 

 use of too narrow and too pointed-toed shoes. 



Practical Exercise 4. Make an outline drawing of the sole of your shoe as 

 you stand. Then make an outline of your bare foot as you stand on the first 

 outline. How do the two outlines compare? Are you wearing proper shoes ? 



