LACK OF OCCUPATION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 October 1938, Page 10

LACK OF OCCUPATION

RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY ILLS. Lack of occupation is probably responsible for more ills, physical and mental, than too much work. But overwork, when coupled with certain undesirable states of being, may ‘quite easily precipitate the gravest dangers to the health. Nature works by a series of compensatory processes. Given fresh air, good food, plenty of sleep and a reasonably satisfactory environment, not to say good habits generally, a man or woman can safely undertake what, under other conditions, would soon rob him or her of energy and fitness. Overwork is bad only when the balance of nature is upset. Most of the evils arising from it are due to ignorance of, or disregard for this primary consideration. Those whose business or professional duties make exceptionally heavy calls on their bodily and mental strengths, should therefore be careful to study the other side of their health account. Relaxation is a most valuable means to this end, especially when indulged in out of doors. A few minutes a day given to the practice of it will obviate many of the ills and discomforts that follow a too-prounced application to hard work. Heavy Worker’s Food. The heavy worker’s food again should be as simple as possible, so that the digestion is not unduly taxed. Special care should be given to the chewing and digestion of meals. Half an hour’s rest at ledst after food should be taken whenever possible. Few people realise the havoc wrought on the digestive organs, as a result of a too speedy return to strong mental efforts after meals—a process which draws from the stomach the energy essential to the perfect assimilation of food. Overwork then, need not be the bugbear to existence that many suppose it to be, if only these few simple rules of living are carried out. All illness is the result of upsetting the bodily

and mental rhythms. Maintain the necessary balance, and your risks of breaking down are reduced to a minimum. “False Faces.” “False faces” come in for a goodly share of criticism when good fellows get together. Sooner or later every man in the crowd makes the same remark: “But my girl uses no make-up —she doesn’t have to.” And women smile. They know full well that many a girl has a reputation for natural beauty when she is merely a clever It isn’t the use of make-up that gives rise to adverse comment, but the shameful misuse. “Whether men object for artistic reasons, or because “false faces” have a disagreeable habit of coming off, is a question that remains unanswered. Certainly, no man wants to wear his girl friend’s complexion on his sleeve! The real purpose of make-up is to enhance beauty. Powder was never intended as a subterfuge to hide a blemished complexion, and it is asking too much of a lip-stick to provide

lips as well as colour. Rouge may prove friend or traitor, depending upon the skill with which it is applied. An invaluable aid to successful make-up is a good mirror, well lighted. Poor mirrors and insufficient lighting will have a lot to answer for if a day of reckoning ever comes. Powder should be chosen with care ’ and should be patted on instead of rubbed on. The shade of one’s powder should be governed by the shade and the texture of. the skin. Lipstick should match the rouge. Eye shadings are for evening only, unless one is a real artist at make-up. After you have finished with the make-up boxes study your profile in the mirror. Good Way to Health. To be well and happy the body muscles must be kept fit and the limbs supple. Brisk walking should be made a daily habit. Only the minority can ride every morning, or play tennis summer or winter. But for those who can’t, walking is the best and the cheapest of all exercises. Walking has a wonderful effect on the mind as well as the body. After a brisk walk the brain feels clearer, the blood circulates briskly. Walking brings more muscles and joints into action, than any other form of exercise. It helps to carry away fat, because of the increased blood flow, and produces well toned muscles. A slim figure and a clear complexion, and a general feeling of well-being will reward those who give a fair chance to this simplest of all exercises. Rain Way to Beauty. People who submit their features to all manners of pommellings and cause tucks and pleats to be taken in their faces will doubtless look upon the modest beauty-treatment that I am about to set forth with disdain. Still, it has the merit of being perfectly simple, and costs nothing, and if you do not like it, you need not do it again. It is briefly, rain. Leave off your hat and forget to powder your nose. Put on your mackintosh and stout shoes ,and then start forth on a good old tramp. After an hour and a half you may come in, take a deep breath and look in the mirror. Frankly, you won’t look your best. But don’t be discouraged. Let the rain dry on your face and rub your hair with a towel, set it in its waves, but do not brush it. And then, after a bit look once more into the mirror. Your hair will be soft and wavy, from the rain and full of lights. Your skin will be cobl and smooth from the rain and will take powder like velvet —all because of the rain.