LIFE EXTENSION 



3417 



LIFE EXTENSION 



o recuperate overnight, partly from sleep and 

 tartly from the recreation enjoyed in leisure be- 

 ween work and sleep. Variety in work is espe- 

 ially needed in modern times, when specializa- 

 ion tends to lead men to extremes. Changes in 

 eork which prevent a sense of monotony will 

 Teatly increase the power to work. A clerk will 

 lo more work, and do it more effectively, if he is 

 iccasionally allowed something else to do than 

 o foot up columns of figures. If the monotonous 

 train of performing numerical additions is inter- 

 upted a few times daily, the adding faculty of 

 he brain is given much-needed rest. Many men 

 n the higher ranks of life complain of the many 

 nterruptions which they suffer, but if they would 

 welcome these interruptions, instead of allowing 

 hemselves to be irritated by them, each interrup- 

 ion would serve the purpose of a vacation. It 

 s in this way that some of the greatest workers, 

 ike Gladstone, have been enabled to accomplish 

 o much. 



The strain of modern life is sometimes special 

 ather than general, and one of the most com- 

 nonly-strained organs is the eye. One should be 

 :areful not to read in a waning light, or on the 

 ither hand, in the glare of the sun. If one works 

 acing a window, it is advisable to wear an eye- 

 hade. 



To offset the evils of a sedentary life, it is 

 idvisable to spend one hour daily, if possible, in 

 ome kind of vigorous physical exercise. If this 

 s not possible, at least fifteen minutes should be 

 aken for it. The most beneficial exercise, as a 

 ule, is that which stimulates the heart and 

 ungs, such as running, rapid walking, hill-climb- 

 ng and swimming. These should, of course, be 

 graduated in intensity with varying ages and 

 r arying degrees of vitality. Gentle muscular 

 tctivity after meals promotes general digestion 

 tnd should be practiced for a quarter of an hour 

 ifter each meal, but violent exercises immediately 

 ifter meals should be avoided, as a large amount 

 f blood is then engaged by the digestive system. 



There is accumulating considerable evidence 

 hat college athletics often seriously injure those 

 vho engage in them, although they were origi- 

 lated and encouraged for precisely the opposite 

 iffect. The value of exercise consists not in de- 

 veloping large muscles nor in accomplishing ath- 

 etic feats, but in attaining physical poise, sym- 

 netry of form and the harmonious adjustment of 

 /arious parts of the body, as well as in furthering 

 :he proper activity of cell-tissues and organs and 

 ;he elimination of waste products. 



Not only the functions of the body, but those 

 )f the mind require exercise exercise in think- 

 ng, feeling and willing. A person who does not 

 -ead or think loses some of the ability to read 

 ind think. The physical worker often allows his 

 nind to become dull and sodden. The accountant 

 who adds up figures all day has no chance to 

 ?xercise his judgment and other mental faculties, 

 rhe person who does not exercise his artistic, 

 poetic or affectional side will suffer its atrophy. 

 The exercise of the will is of first importance. 

 The will la exercised every time a decision is 

 made. 



Since the work of most people is likely to pro- 

 duce some unhygienic element which cannot be 

 avoided, a compensation should be sought in an 



avocation or hobby, to be practiced out of regular 

 working hours. Often the avocation can serve a 

 productive purpose. Gladstone and Horace Gree- 

 ley sawed wood or chopped down trees for recrea- 

 tion. A well-known engineer divided his recrea- 

 tion between writing stories and painting pic- 

 tures. 



The power to relax, when fatigue requires it, 

 is one of the most important safeguards one can 

 possess. A very hard-working college president, 

 when asked about the secret of his working 

 power and length of life, replied, "My secret is 

 that I never ran when I could walk, never walked 

 when I could stand, never stood when I could sit, 

 and never sat when I could lie down." For idle 

 and lazy people the rule should be reversed 

 never to lie down when one could sit, never to sit 

 when one could stand, and never walk when one 

 could run ! A complete life must have all in due 

 proportion. 



Sleep is Nature's great rejuvenator, and the 

 health-seeker should avail himself of it to the 

 full. Our sleep should not only be sufficient in 

 duration but also in intensity, and should be regu- 

 lar. The number of hours of sleep varies with 

 circumstances. The average is seven to nine. 

 Growing children require more sleep than their 

 elders. 



One's best sleep is on an empty stomach. It 

 is true that food puts one to sleep at first, by 

 diverting blood from the head ; but it disturbs 

 sleep later. Water, unless it induces bladder 

 action during the night, or even fruit, may be 

 taken without injury before retiring. If one 

 goes to bed with an empty stomach, he can often 

 get along well with six or seven hours of sleep, 

 but if he goes to bed soon after a hearty meal he 

 usually needs from eight to ten hours of sleep. 



The character of sleep depends largely on the 

 mental attitude on going to bed. One should get 

 into the habit of absolutely dropping work and 

 cares at bedtime. If then one suggests to him- 

 self the pleasantest thought which memory or 

 imagination can conjure up, his sleep is likely to 

 be far more peaceful and restful than if he takes 

 his worries to bed, to keep him awake until sleep 

 comes in spite of them, and then continues to 

 plague him in his dreams. If one is worried, it 

 is a good plan to read something diverting, but 

 not exciting, just before retiring. 



15. Keep serene. 



A healthy mental attitude implies many ele- 

 ments, but they are roughly summed up in the 

 word "serenity." The attitude of "healthy-mind- 

 edness" should be striven for not only in order to 

 procure health, but as an end in itself, for which 

 in fact even health itself is properly sought. In 

 short, the health of the body and the health of the 

 mind act and react upon each other. 



We may generally keep serene through follow- 

 ing the hygienic measures already described. Dis- 

 content is undoubtedly very often the consequence 

 of wrong conditions in the body, and though 

 melancholy, worry, peevishness and fear gener- 

 ally appear as arising from outward conditions, 

 there are usually real physical sources, existing 

 within the body itself. These are at times most 

 difficult of recognition. A person who is physi- 

 cally ill is liable to be ill-satisfied with everything, 

 without suspecting the fundamental cause of the 



