The citizen., 1919-05-08
MAKING YOUR HOUSE WORK
KEEP YOU PHYSICALLY FIT
by Marion l.. Wallace in Good
Housc-kecping-April, 1910

| hecn tnat TOO Otten ~ eXl1nuStcd tne
worker instead Of building up a
stronger and more efficient woman
because she did not know how 10
use properly her muscles and be-
cause housework tends TO ovcrwork
the smaller muscles Of the arms and
legs and neglect the larger muscles
Of thigh. abdomen, and back. II IL
the exercise Of these large muscles
that is the secret Of remaining mus
cularly at" throughout life.
Finally, the wonderfully beneficial
effect Of rhythm upon the nervous
system is a well-known fact. IL Is
also true that il is impossible TO
worry and do anything rhythmic at
one and the same time. Now, worry
is a great fatigue producer, perhaps
the greatest in the American wOm-
ans life. Therefore, TO work with
rhythmical swing means work done
without any worry. II means
greater poise Of mind, nerve, and
muscle. lt means work done with
more pleasure aud less fatigue. IL
means real recreation through work.
Clothes should be given first con-
sideration. An ideal housework
dress should allow absolute freedom
Of bodily movement. A short, full
skirt is better than a longer, tight
one.
Again, shoes which permit the
correct use Of the foot are Of the
utmost Importance. Sandals are
good. but any roomy, carefully
fitted. correctly-designed shoe can
be used. The feet should always be
pointed straight ahead, as nature
intended. Proper shoes require low
heels or none at all, broad toes. and
most important Of all straight in
side line. Much Unnecessary fatigue
comes from pressure on the nerves
Of the foot. To scuflle about the
house in stretched-out pumps or
worn out dress shoes is poor econ
omy.
The relation between correct
standing position and the efficient
use Of the body is more important
than is usually supposed. An in
correct standing position often
comes from unconscious muscular
habits: sometimes it comes from
the imitation Of false ideals, such
as the "debutante slouch:' again,
il is from the effect Of clothing as a
poorly designed corset. A correct
position in standing holds the body
perpendicular to the ground in a
state Of perfect muscular equili-
brum. The feet are pointed straight
forward, separate, and parallel. and
they equally support the weight of
the body through the arches. The
neck and body muscles are well
stretched upward, and the arms
hang free at the side. Try IL just
once and you will see the freedom
from tire there is in this position.
II is obvious that if we always
did our work in this state Of muscu-
lar poise. as intended by nature,
fatigue would be greatly reduced.
such things as sinks, ironing-b boards,
and washtubs should be so adjusted
that the equilibrium Of the body
lean be maintained and You car
work at them without STOPPING. II
you cannot have the sink raised so
ttat you can stand without bend
ing to WASH fishes, il is your bust
ness as an efficient worker, to find
another way out. Build a stool OF
plain boards and place it in the
sink under the dishpan or wash the
dishes at the table. using a wire
drainer in the sink next TO il.
Change the height Of your equip
ment. IL is a simple matter TO
bring all but installed equipment
up TO The height most conTenient for.
you. Remember that tables, iron
ing boards, etc, that demand
the use Of forearm muscles to ac-
complish work, must be measured
only high enough to get easy lever
age from the elbow and not from
the shoulder. Thirty TO thirty-three
inches is the range suited TO most
women, thirty inches for the short
est, flve-foot worker up 10 thirty
three inches for the woman five
feet, seven inches in height.
But the director asked me TO tell
you particularly and TO show you
in actual poses just how TO do cor
rcctly some Of the more common
tasks Of housework that have
hitherto been pure drudgery.
You have never thought Of il, but
,vachina, xuindous and VNinin0 down