Mary Bagot Stack facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Bagot Stack
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"Seal" posture, now called Salabhasana or Locust Pose
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| Born | 12 June 1883 |
| Died | 26 January 1935 (aged 51) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Alexandra College, Dublin |
| Known for | Mass market keep-fit system in 1930s Britain |
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Notable work
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Building the Body Beautiful, the Bagot Stack Stretch-and-Swing System, 1931 |
| Spouse(s) | Albert Thomas James McCreery (divorced) Edward Hugh Bagot Stack (d. 1914) |
Mary Bagot Stack (born June 12, 1883 – died January 26, 1935), also known as Mollie Bagot Stack, was a British fitness pioneer. In 1930, she started the Women's League of Health & Beauty. This was the first and most important large-scale fitness program in the UK during the 1930s. Her exercise system is still used today.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Mollie Bagot Stack grew up in Dublin, Ireland. She went to Alexandra School and Alexandra College there. In 1907, she moved to London to become a fitness teacher. She trained at Mrs. Josef Conn's Institute of Physical Training. Mrs. Conn inspired her with exercises that helped people stay healthy.
By 1910, Mollie had opened her own fitness center in Manchester. She taught private classes and large groups of women who worked in factories. She also helped people with special health needs.
Creating a New Exercise System
In the 1920s, Mollie started teaching classes again. She began by teaching children at her home. By 1926, she was training teachers in her own special system. This happened at the Bagot Stack Health School in Holland Park, London.
Her system included 12 exercise routines. These were designed to train the body based on seven main ideas. She also taught dance and exercise classes for women and children. Mollie got ideas for her system from a trip to India. There, she saw how different clothes affected how women moved. She also learned about hatha yoga during her travels.
Mollie believed that movement was very important for a healthy life. Her ideas fit with new thoughts across Europe about how exercise could help women. Her classes were not just about exercise; they were also social. This was helpful for many women who had recently lost loved ones.
Reaching Many People
Mollie's big idea was to make fitness available to many people, not just a few private students. In 1930, her work grew into a large organization called the Women's League of Health and Beauty. They used the YMCA building in Regent Street, London, for their classes.
Public shows in London helped the League become well-known. By 1932, new centers opened in many towns across the UK. These included Bromley, Southend, Slough, and Birmingham. Soon, there were franchised centers all over the country.
The League's classes combined different types of exercise. They used elements from dance, calisthenics (exercises using your own body weight), and exercises for slimming or rhythm. They also used music. The League even had its own magazine, Mother and Daughter, from 1933 to 1935. It shared ideas about self-improvement and healthy living. In 1931, Mollie published her book, Building the Body Beautiful - The Bagot Stack stretch-and-swing system.
The Women's League of Health and Beauty became the most popular women's fitness group in Britain. It encouraged women to be strong and healthy. By 1934, the League had 47,000 members. This number grew to 166,000 by 1937. After Mollie's death, her daughter, Prunella Stack, and others continued her work. Today, the "Flexercise" movement continues as a national fitness program in the UK.
Personal Life
Mary Meta Bagot Stack was born in Dublin on June 12, 1883. Her family was part of the Irish Protestant professional class. Her father was a dentist. When she was 17, she became ill with rheumatic fever.
In 1909, she married Albert Thomas James McCreery, a doctor, but they later divorced. On March 10, 1912, she married again to Edward Hugh Bagot Stack. He was a captain in the Gurkha Rifles. He was killed in the First World War in 1914.
Mollie traveled with her second husband to India. They lived in Lansdowne, a town in the mountains near the Himalayas. When the war started, she returned to the UK with her newborn daughter. Her first child had died at birth in 1913. Her second child, Ann Prunella, was born in India on July 28, 1914.
Mollie Bagot Stack died in London on January 26, 1935, at the age of 50. She had been ill with thyroid cancer.
Images for kids
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Mollie Bagot Stack demonstrating the "Seal" posture, now known as Locust Pose.
