KEEP FIT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 305, 19 August 1932, Page 3

KEEP FIT

R. M.

Blomfield.)

PRESERVATION OF HEALTH ESSENTIAL IN BEAUTY CULTURE. CARE OF THE SKIN. (Specially Written for the "Post" by

The sane conception of beauty is inseparable from health; therefore, this factor must be earnestly considered. Want of sunshine, fresh-air and exercise, improper diet and laziness, are heauty's chief enemies. It is not everyone who has time for much outdoor life, but a short, brisk wallt can generally be squeezed into the day's routine, and five minutes devoted to a few simple exercises immediately on rising will improve the. circulation and the digestive organs, and strengthen the body. There are many beneficial exercises, but it is better to practise three regularly every day than occasionally to perform a dozen. Benefits from Daily Exercise. By improving the circulation, cold hands and feet, and that uncomfortable state of the skin known as gooseflesh, are eventually banished, and the given exercises preserve the figure by reducing superfluous flesh and lceeping the muscles elastic. For those who can enjoy sport-and outdoor games, the great henefit to be derived, besides the muscular development, is the natural promotion of parspiration, thus eliminating poison from the system. In order to obtain full advantage from such activities of the pores, on returning home a brisk rubbing with a rough towel, followed by a tepid bath, is the right course. Bathing This course of athletic exercise — perspiration, heing rubbed, and bathing — was the basic principle of Greek phySical culture. The health in general, and the skin in particular, are so dependent on the opening of the pores that for those who cannot gat sufficient exercise, a Turkish' bath once or twice a month is to be recommended.- The cold plunge bath is a splendid invigorator for the robust, but for cleansing purposes and the preservation of health, wann water is best. The water employed should he either naturally soft or some suitable softening agent added. Affcer leaving the bath, the risk of chill must be adequately guarded against. Care, brisk towelling, and quiclc towelling, will ordinarily suffice. Turkish haths should be taken under proper directions and supervision.

Diet. Diet is th'e next factor to be considered. The common mistake is not only in eating too much, but in eating the wrong kinds of food together. Where there is a tendency to stout- j ness, particular care should be taken ' to avoid starch, sugar and fats. So , many people let themselves go in this matter of stoutness, and then in ; middle life fly to drastic measures ! for reduction. The mistake of this ' is that after youth the skin loses a certain amount of its elasticity, and whsn the over-stretched skin relaxes : it bags and wrinkles. Flaccid sagging of skin and muscles caused by lack , of healthful exercise must be guarded against. Alcohol, except on rare festive occasions, should be taboo. , Also coffee, tea or cocoa must not be indulged in to excess. The first two : stimulants often cause indigestion, j with flushing or sallowness as a re- | sult, and the latter over-heating. 1 Roughness, blotchiness and redness of the skin are usually caused by acidity. The habit of sipping a glass of water between meals and at night should be cultivated — a sort of internal bath — wash and be clean. Eating sweets between meals is a mistake for the healthiest person, and at least eight hours' sleep in a well ventilated room is an essential part of beauty culture. There is no doubt whatever that early rising has a beneficial effect on the liver, which organ so largely determines a clear 01* muddy complexion.