ON RESTING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 69, 14 December 1907, Page 11

ON RESTING.

We many of us take too kindly to restless .activity (says a writer in the "Quce.n")_ anrl show it in our faces, so-* that we spoil f.ll the effects of beauty culture. We seem quite unable to learn to rest in such » manner as to improve our beauty, and fit ourselves to re-enter the arena of activity benefited and rejuvenated. Our nerves need soothing, and there would be far less nerve troubles if wo could at off times rest well. In resting the body, we should at the same time relnx the nerves and the muscles. So many of our sex think if they, throw/themselves ona sofa, that is all that, is necessary. Nine times out of ton they curl themselves uyion it, surrounded with soft cushions, and, beginning to read, arc wearing out their eyes and not resting their bodies. When you are curled up in this way the muscles are not relaxed. Real rest means lying, flat on your back, ypur head not raised at all, the arm muscles as relaxed as possible, • also the legs and the small muscles of the back. If you can give your mind a rest, too, awl try not to think for ten minutes, you will ho. ready to fight life's battle again as you have never fought before. Dri not' lie prone, faco sideways, resting on your elbows. Let no part of your body he stretched to its. full extent, nor yet curled up, hut resting limply. Avoid the spine being twisted—so much depends on our spines, the nerve centre of our frames. In many women's faces there is an anxious, worried look, a tension, mental and bodily, that takes all .the youthful aspect away. We are not half sensible enough of the folly of letting nerves und worry leave their marks on our face. Once the. lines get there they stay. Worrying makes lines: the drawn, bard look should yield to smiles. If we practised smiling more often, and enjoyed our smiles and enjoyed our lives, picking out from the tangled web of existence what to enjoy, not what to complain of,-our faces and our skins would have.il far happier aspect. ../ Those who manicure can tell as they touch a .woman's hand whether she has exercised her power of relaxing those particular muscles or not; fifteen minntes a day given up to- bodily and mental, relaxation would do wonders for the improvement of feminine beauty, temper, and sprightliness. People, who tax their powers by going into town for hours of shopping and rush, trying to do in an hour what would fake two, eating quickly, or even satisfying themselves by gobbling down some lemon squash arid a bun —a combination. which few constitutions could resist—are doing .what few people can do with their.internal economy, . aiid .throwing away the benefits of weeks of tender.tfaro.'bestowed .on their skin. But, having done it. do not eat a. heavy meal because yon are hungry at once, but take if it is only ten minutes of this real rest, and you .will be astonished, at the. result.. .One of, the. best-looking ' and youngestlooking Women I have ever known, a mother and' a grandmother to hoot, has done this for years, and has had her reward. And she is not by nature placid; it comes ofgcoil bringing up and common sense. Happy is the woman who sleeps well at night, for she can do more than her sisters who are, not equally fortunate lin wooing "nature's balmy liealth restorer." Those who canriot s sleep should wrap themselves well up'in a warm dressing gown;''walk about a little, and cat-a biscuit, or two. That is one recipe which answers; but wo do not all want to-get up from our warm beds, and some have neither the energy nor,the courage. For such wo. can give another suggestion: Cross the arms over the. breast, and let the tips of the fingers touch the ■ points of the shoulders. This rests the, heart, relieving any strain upon it, and'in nine cases out- of ten is effective. When you are resting in the way suggested, cither on the floor or a flat couch, with no pillow,' or a ' very little one, take some long breaths, so as to exercise and relieve the lungs. How many people know liqw to rest on their chairs? Not one in a dozen. They torture their spines by sitting as we were taught not to sit in the school-s-room —crooked, with y round backs and a ' drooping neck. You- are not resting anyniuscle; on the contrnrv. von

' ' . ', , arelgiving double, work, contracting the chest at'the, same time, and impeding the free action of the lungs. Restby lying down. Everybody may not at first, take kindly to having the head so low and the back so flat; accustom yourself tn it by degrees, resting for a while a little on one side or another, but keep the arms to the sido, not stretched over the head. So many women exhaust their systems by not taking daily care of their health. Those'who are troubled to know how lo proceed should take a tablespoonful of olive oil daily. It is so good for the skin, the digestion, and the liver, making them do their work well.. Fill a wineglass partly with water, then put in the oil, and morn water'atop: gulp it down, and you will not taste it. ~Get-tho'best olive oil that is to he got. This is a treatment that may .lot suit everybody—it does suit most people; hut ask your doctor, because he may know ofsnmo bodily peculiarity that might make it disagree. ■ There is ' no treatment that will suit everybody: but in nine cases out of ten "those who follow our advice on this point will testify to its wisdom, and w:ll be quite astonished at the result. It makes you vigorous; brisk, and not over-burdened. Happily we are rebelling against i'ip suifoiting that, characterised society some year or tivo hack, which clogged the system.' We have now one plat where we bad thr-j?, aid rest our digestions in consequence.