scbb05

SUN AND AIR BATHING

" The God of Life, and Poesy and Ligbt—

The Sun."...........LORD BYRON.

W HEN was it you last expo$ed your nakcd body to thc sunlight ? You can't rcmcm-bcr ? Weil, when did you last spend an hour or so in a swim suit ? A long whilc ago no doubt, yet you wonder why perhaps you arc not fecling too wcU, or why you compłain ot thc cold, of head-achcs, of constipation, of nerves “ and-what-have-you.” If you arc like that, then you are only just shuHling through lifc with pains and ilis you could discard as casily as a uscd handkcrchicf * and nonę but foois do wear it, cast it o(F ” wrotc Shakcspcarc, and you too could and should cast off the burden of ills a sun and air-starvcd body always suffers. Both sun and air arc frec, there is no tax on sunshinc, nor anv monopoly controlling fresh air. Sunlight is a life-giver, rejuvenator and a healer, it can work vcritaolc mirades with thc most wom out and dccrcpit body and will refresh and invigoratc evcn thc hcalthicst athlctc.

Avail yoursdf to thc utmost of what littlc sunlight we havc in this country, and upon cvcry occasion which presents itsdf (and you would cvcn make occasion present itself) you should exposc your body to thc sun and air. Excrdse in thc open air in thc summer, go through thc excrci$es given you in this course out in thc open. As thc coursc requircs no bulky apparatus you should casily find it possiblc to perform your cxerciscs on thc bcach or sotne otner timc when you are out of doors. It is a scicntific foct that cxposurc of thc skin to sunlight can supple-ment to a ccrtain cxtcnt thc vitamin D (thc anti-rachitic vitamin) normally obtaincd from tood. Sunshinc is thcrcforc a Ytluable sourcc of this csscntial vitamin. A part from thc positivc hcalth-giving properties of sunlight, a bronzed, tanned skin givcs the finishmg touch to a good phy$iquc ma king it stand out amongst palcr, unhcalthy looking bodics.

The self-massage eseretses givcn in this coursc must always be donc without dothing. Very few physical-culturists pay adccjuatc attention to thc carc of thc skin, which is one of thc most important organs of the body. The combination of frcc acccss of air to the skin and the massage cxcrciscs will impart to it a glossy shccn.which will make you look and fed ioo per cent. fit.

It is not essential that the sun should actually be shining for benefit to be derived from exposurc of thc body, for cvcn on colder days thc important ultta-violct rays pcnctratc thc clouds. It is also a mistaken idea that a high air temperaturę is ncccssaty to acquirc a tan. This is rcadily disproved by the pictures we sce of darkly tanned skiers in the frożen Alps. Ultrafiolet rays, unlikc thc infra-red, arc not heat rays.

A word of warning, if you arc not uscd to sun and air bathing, do not rush straight into thc open on a cold day, don’t fling off all your cloihcs, catch a cold in conscqucncc and then blamc mci It is be$t that you start sun bathing carly in thc summer when the air is warm (but don’t start in a heat wavc when it is yery hot) and kccp it up as for into thc Autumn as you can, then start again in thc following Spring. You shoultrthcn iind that by thc following Winter you will be ablc to cxcrcisc undressed in u\c open cvcn when it is vcry cold. Kccp moving all thc timc and having finished excrcising have a quick rub down with a towcl and put on your clothes bcforc thc circulation returns to norrnaL Do not stand about unelothed after you havc warmed thc body with invigorating exerdse.

Your skin is something which lives and (if you will let it) breatbes. You can livc without your tonguc, or tccth or with only one lung or half your intcsdncs, but if you lost half your skin, you would dic.

It is not ncccssary to usc any oil or sun-tan lotion when sun-bathing, unlcss thc skin tends to crack in any part of thc body. When this happens a smali amount of oil, such as olivc oil, coconut oil or vasclinc should be rubbed wdl into the skin. Oil should not be thickly applied to the skin, as when thc sun shines brightly it tends to magnify thc heat of thc sun’s rays, causing thc skin to blister.

Exercise in the open air will also. incrcasc your appetite and so help you on thc road to gain-ing musculnr bulk and srrcngth.