00:20¶¶
00:49In all kinds of halls all over the country, keep fit classes for girls and women are being held.
00:55These two don't mean to be late if they can help it.
00:58People of all types and classes take part and they soon make friends and conversation.
01:06And of course you never know when you may need a friend to get you out of a dilemma, especially
01:10if it's a bit tight.
01:13The leader sees that the hall is well aired and then gathers the class together for the first skip round.
01:19Everyone joins in and if you're a bit late you find a place wherever you fit in.
01:43After this first limber up there's some quiet walking to give you time to get back control of your breath.
01:49Some of the newcomers who have only just joined are a bit out of condition and this chance of a
01:53rest is very welcome.
01:55The work of the class is adapted to the age of its members. No one is asked to do anything
02:00too strenuous.
02:01When the music stops they all sit down for a foot movement.
02:05Our feet ought to be very much more flexible than they are and well exercised feet help you to keep
02:10fresh in housework or shopping or standing about at your job.
02:15Feet are not always lovely to look at.
02:17Many of the girls you see on a bathing beach are perfectly beautiful from head to ankle but from the
02:21ankle downwards they spoil the effect.
02:24Some girls are more afraid of a sandal than a scandal.
02:27But this exercise also helps to beautify the feet so it's worthwhile taking a little trouble.
02:32Now for the next movement.
02:34See how she peels her foot off the ground.
02:37This is making her feet supple for all her walking or running or dancing.
02:44D vamp.
02:58I'm Damon.
03:01We'll be on the back of the night.
03:01To Broadway.
03:01She's a great boy.
03:01The next movement.
03:01From Broadway.
03:02I'm Damon.
03:02And the next movement.
03:02I'm Damon.
03:03Okay, we're the next movement.
03:03On the left.
03:04I'm Damon.
03:06I'm Damon.
03:10It's an attractive exercise and girls who are in the habit of kicking off their shoes
03:14in a cinema might pass the time exercising their toes.
03:18But you should make all your joints flexible, not only in your feet, but also in your chest
03:22and the upper part of your back.
03:24Can you do this?
03:26It will help you to hold yourself well.
03:29It looks quite simple, but naturally there is a right way and a wrong way of doing this
03:33as there is of everything else.
03:35When they go down again, we're going to show you what happens to the hands, for the hands
03:39play an important part.
03:40They relax and then turn round, not by an arm movement but by shoulder movement.
03:45Look how the shoulder blades pull together.
03:54If you look very hard, you can see very well.
03:57Every muscle is playing its part in the movement.
04:00Now the lady has got dressed again, we can go back to the class and show you another movement
04:03in the scheme of keeping fit.
04:06If you have been able to do that shoulder exercise well, you'll particularly enjoy this
04:11one.
04:23Now learn to balance, for balance is most important.
04:27Let's watch how they do it in groups of three.
04:40Swing up early, hold it, some find it very difficult and look worried about it.
04:45But here is a really good poise.
04:50Now they break up from their little groups and reform for the next movement.
04:53This time it is a movement for the arms and for this you must be upright, not giving anywhere.
05:05This is an example of how not to do it.
05:10This is the correct way.
05:12Poise yourself so that your arms can move freely.
05:23By now you should be ready to exercise your whole body, not just a bit at a time.
05:28And this is the perfect movement to give you that exercise.
05:32Ready, go.
05:51You'll like the next one because it is specially created to give you a slim waistline.
05:54By this time the class has got rid of all those creaks in the joints.
05:59Toes touching your opposite number, and now up with the knees and away with those rolls
06:03of fat round the middle.
06:05This is another fascinating movement, reminiscent of the hammers on a grand piano.
06:23Up till now they have all been exercising.
06:25So for a change they are going to try relaxing.
06:28In these strenuous days it is worthwhile to know how to relax properly.
06:32And the experienced eye of the instructor looks round the class and tells at once who is relaxing properly
06:37and who has just passed out.
06:42Well we said we wanted them to relax and here they are doing it properly.
06:46They all look about as full of life as if it were time to get up in the morning.
06:50But as soon as we give the word they will come very much to life.
06:53They have exercised and relaxed and now they feel in perfect physical condition, buoyant and light as air.
07:20The next part of the class is composed of different activities and each member may choose to do which one
07:25she likes best.
07:27Nine of them are skipping, which is a fine all round exercise but hard work.
07:35It needs frequent periods of rest.
07:40Notice how alive and springy the feet are.
07:43Notice the excellent poise of the body and the easy rhythmic action of arms and shoulders.
08:08If you don't fancy skipping, you can try a little practice with the medicine balls.
08:12A dead weight of two pounds each.
08:14To catch without a jerk, the whole body must give.
08:18There is a beautiful stretch as the ball is thrown up.
08:21And of course there are several variations in the exercise with the medicine ball.
08:25Another one is the swing.
08:27And to do this movement correctly, you need lots of rhythm and no stiff muscles at all.
08:31As an exercise for wrists and hands, it is hard to beat.
08:34If you do this properly and regularly, you'll find that it's costing you less in broken crockery when it comes
08:39to washing up time.
08:40And now for an overhead exercise for the whole body.
08:43From toes to fingertips, every muscle and fibre is getting a job to do.
08:48Don't forget that the medicine ball weighs two pounds.
08:51Yet these girls control it with their fingertips as if it were a balloon.
08:54These slow motion studies enable you to appreciate the rhythm of this movement.
08:58In fact, it has in it all the grace of the famous balloon dance.
09:02But of course you can do this version without starting the neighbours talking.
09:12And this exercise comprises the same movement as the previous one, although it is slightly different in execution.
09:18For while you continue the swing of the body and arms, you let the ball go.
09:22If you want to do this exercise before breakfast at home, you can easily persuade your husband or brother to
09:27catch the ball while he's shaving.
09:30Now that's enough of that. Some of the members who find the medicine ball too strenuous try an easy game
09:35with the bean bags.
09:36The idea is to pick them up and pass them along to the leader.
09:39After that, the two teams run across and each player catches her bag and throws it back.
09:43Then they all form the line again, pass the bags again and try to beat the time of the opposite
09:48line.
09:55It's great fun, quite simple and a dead heat.
09:59But whatever forms of activity they may have been enjoying, all the class joins in the dance that ends the
10:04lesson.
10:05K.
10:06An.
10:08Fortunes.
10:16Tramies.
10:28Ha ha ha ha ha ha.
10:29After the sing.
10:31And.
10:34We're on track for course.
10:34It's great fun.
10:44After that they come out much fresher than they went in and still full of conversation.
10:50Many halls nowadays are equipped with shower bars and after all that exercise there's nothing
10:55in the world to equal a shower bar.
11:03Is it cold, yes, but she feels fine and fit.
11:27It's cold, it's cold, it's cold.
11:30It's cold, it's cold.
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