FAIR, FIT, AND FORTY

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume VLI, Issue 3416, 4 December 1935, Page 3

FAIR, FIT, AND FORTY

THE PRIME OF LIFE. At 40 a woman is in the prime of hei- life, or should be. The adolescent years, in which everything is felt so keenly, are past. The twenties and thirties have brought her to some kind of stability. Either she is married, and her children are growing up, or she is happily occupied in work in her single sphere. The years wull have brought her tolerance. She sees things at their proper value, .and if she has lived sensibly she should still be in perfect health to enjoy life. But some women of 40 are not as fit as they should be. They have numerous aches and pains, and are fat and flabby from too little exercise. They allow their minds and lives to become grooved, so that they move only in one dull little circle. Now that is not as it should be. Life should be an ever-widening circle, always absorbing more and more interests and knowledge. Physical fitness must be attained, because that is the root of everything, and the first thing to inquire into is inside cleanliness. No body with foul poisons clogging its blood stream can be healthy, and more than ever is it necessary for the woman of 40 to rid herself of any bad habits she may have formed. Diet and Exercise. Diet and exercise are the two best ways to break down excess fat. Drink plenty of water to flush out the kidneys—your body is composed of salts and water. Eat wholemeal breald, fruit, and greenstuffs, and avoid pastries, rich foods and highly-seasoned things such as pickles and spice. Daily exercise is essential. The housewife may say she has no time for exercise, but a great many household duties are fine exercises if properly done. Bend from the waist whenever you have to stoop. Always keep your shoulders well back —don’t crouch over the sink or kitchen table.

Walk round the house on tiptoe whenever you think of it and turn your toes in as you do so. It will keep you from getting flat-footed. When you throw open your windows in the mornings, stop and take a couple of deep breaths at each. Don’t always sit in a soft armchair. It. will be much better for your figure for you to sit upright on a hard chair occasionally. Armchairs give ybu armchair habits. Another’ 20 years is soon enough for them I The business woman will make a point of walking part way to her office each day if she is wise, and do her deep-breathing exercise on the way. Breathe in for four steps, hold it for four, and breathe out for eight. Walk briskly and swing your arms. A Stimulating Companion. Join a golf club and get out into the country at week-ends. It doesn’t matter how bad you are at the game. Persevere, because it’s the exercise that is going to do you good, not whether you win or lose. Make friends with some other woman of your own age who plays golf, so that you will always have a stimulating companion. The right companionship helps a great deal to keep you young and healthy in mind. Both the housewife and business woman must keep their minds alert. Youth is a state of mind, not a time of life, remember. New books, music, plays— you should keep up to date with them all, and keep interested in things and people. Don’t let petty worries etch fine lines on your face. If you haven’t any children of your own, borrow a few occasionally and have a real good romp with them. Cultivate your nephews and nieces. A good laugh is a tonic and a beautifier, and children are the best people with whom to laugh. Children, too, give one an entirely new outlook on life, for one has to keep alive and alert if one is to keep pace with their inquiring minds and everlasting questions.—Home Chat.