Dr. Dio Lewis's School for Young Ladies

This was the first institution for young ladies in the United States in which a determined and successful attempt was made to combine a thorough scientific physical training with a broad and complete intellectual and moral culture.

[1] A large corps of the best teachers in mathematics, sciences, languages, belle lettres, and music, to be found in the country, were engaged, and the opening announced.

The school soon grew to 150 young women, gathered from all parts of the country, the Pacific Coast, Central America, and the West Indies.

[2] Lewis developed a system of gymnastics and he then moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to establish the Normal Institute for Physical Education, from which 270 students graduated.

Almost without exception, within a few months, those most delicate girls found themselves able to practice the more active gymnastic exercises for more than two hours a day, and on occasions walked 5–10 miles (8.0–16.1 km).

It was found that the average gain in a single year's training was about 2.5 inches (64 mm) in the chest, and much in the same proportion about the waist, arms, and shoulders.