Vitality Supreme | Page 7

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