Intermountain Catholic | 1909-11-27 | Page 6 | How Much Time Should We Spend Outdoors?

I How Much Time Should We Spend I Outdoors? I - Most people do not spend enough J time outdoors. This is one of the most j prominent causes for many of the ail- I ments which exist today, and the j . growing tendency of modern inven- I i tions for ease and comfort make it I daily more necessary that a certain I portion of the twenty-four hours be j , . spent outside. ? Taking this as an established fact, I the question follows, how much time J should be spent outdoors? Each con- Etitution makes its own demands, but I ' it may be safely said that the great I i majority of people who live in large ities particularly In the congested I . districts do l.ot get enough exercise I , a"3 do not breathe enough pure air I for their physical well-being. I The economic conditions of today I bring young people !?ito shops, offices, j l stores and factories at an early age' I during the period of their development' I ' "hen they need all the oxygen they j j an Pump into their lungs. Stop to I , think of the thousands of young boys f working in factories from 7 in the morning until 6 in the evening. Count J lhe thousands of young girls who are I . : employed as stenographers, telephone : operators, salesladies, seamstress and ! ' ' clerks. Now, these demand, a certain : amount of outdoor exercise each day. t i The man or woman whose occupation j ' demands much traveling back and I i forth, or is entirely performed in the ! j "Pen. has no need to provide for any ! 1 ' more. But, the others do. Sedentary j v habits are physically harmful and -j ; . must be counteracted. The fact that . 'j ' people neglect to do so is the reason ; of so much ill health and puny growth . ; particularly among girls, j ' The convenience of car? has taken : J away a source of healthv exercise. ( ; Many who are confined 'throughout j ' the day imagine they are too tired to I . walk home and must, therefore, jam j- into a crowded street car. If at all ; , : possible they should walk to and from home and their place of occupation ! ' oaoh day. It may take a little more . J I time, but the advantage to health , J ) more than makes up for this. And a : ivalk during the dinner hour, if at all , I ' possible, should never be nepleeTed. It . ; ic absolutely necessary that voung peo- l)le he "out and about" a certain nura- i her of hours each day. For some less " ' i" 'inie will suffice than for others, but : ' it is safe to reckon that three hours " i - -afh day in good weather is not too : ,; much for anybody. If no other time I j ' an be found walks should be taken in . j . 'he evening, under proper guidance. I '. , TCut the night is not the best time. ; , Everybody r is a certain amount of , ., sunshine, r- arlight will not an- i . i . swer the f " j.,irpose. I ' s It isn't '(ff-ry to advise the i : yiung fello v, ,i goinsr'to school or l, j, ollege. Hi -a.-r ind holiday excur-I excur-I t ! . sions more i - m. uly sufficient exer- . , ' '' for him. .a-:; ' r. a note of warn- ! Inc- should be ci r iim. There is such I jj " thing as ton :r. ch exercise and over- : i ' doing it. It is a noteworthy fact thai ' r ' verv f"w fin? a 'Motes live to an old ! . U : The reason for this is. that as ; they grow oiler thev cannot keep up i : f 1,ie exercise ?hev hv imnosed on , '; , i Himselves and to which tbMr sv-strn i i 1 is accustomed. A rapid decline at this : j M period is almost the invariable rule, i ; Athletes who boast of Hree chest ex-i ex-i j ; Tension, due to a fine development "f J ' - j the lung capacity, so very frequently adceunib to pulmonary trouble the moment mo-ment tney let down in tneir exercise, iheir lungs demand a ferectt amount oi atcady training and a cohapse is generally gen-erally tne redii.t when otnt? Conditions oi lue make it impussiDie ior them to continue this exercise. Authorities on tue subject agree that the man who limits himselr to a certain amount of work each day ana observes a regularity regular-ity in this exercise is he one who gets me best out of the eftort. Men in middle life, young girls and mothers form ine great percentage ot those who do not pend enough time outdoors. Young girls will frequently devote the time they should be giving to their physical well being to making a new dress or trimming over last season's sea-son's hat. It is very laudable in a girl to be so industrious, but it will be of little service if she sacrifice her health on account of a new hat or dress. It is particularly gratifying to note the increasing in-creasing interest young girls, and matrons, ma-trons, too, are taking in outdoor sports, and physicians will agree that a game ot tennis or golf is a better tonic than ten pounds of medicine. By this kind of exercise the lungs are fed, the muscles mus-cles put into action and sluggish blood sent through the veins with healthful rapidity. The entire system is bound to feel the benefit of the resultant enervating en-ervating influence. Exercise of the kind taken with due moderation and not too much exertion, is the best kind of a beautifier and will supplant the sallow appearance of an anaemic girl's countenance with a ruddy, rud-dy, glowing and healthy completion. Fortunately, fashion has decreed that a tanned face and arms, particularly in. the summer months, are considered as desirable and even more so than the milky complexion. In so much we have made progress over our grandmothers. grand-mothers. It is not very likely that young people peo-ple who work during the day get too much open-air exercise. The limit'.r time at their disposal will scarcely permit it. As has already been stated, the great majority are too confined. For them there is no better physical rule or more potent drug than as many hours outside each day as is possible. Walks into the country whenever the opportunity offers itself, or drives through the suburbs, or even street car rides, are all conducive to good health and correct living. Visits to the so-called summer resorts of the. better bet-ter class are to be encouraged, particularly partic-ularly if they are gardens and are situated sit-uated some distance away from the city, so that the air has been filtered by the trees. Man's first and natural habitation was in the open air, and a certain amount of this natural tonic is required by the human system even in this day of comfort and luxury and scientific acumen.