Is every reducer haunted by the specter of the next plateau? I certainly am. The scale seems to be cooperating with me these days, but the prospect of having to ratchet things up a notch is always in the back of my mind. They say that the pounds get harder and harder to lose the smaller you get. So I'm arming myself with ideas these days. Laying by strategies for the day when I just can't get that scale to budge.
One sport popular with women in the '40s was swimming. Beauty expert Alicia Hart explains why in this March 9, 1940 newspaper feature on actress Ruth Gordon:
When you see a woman who looks years younger than she really is, you can bet your last nickel that she does not lead a sedentary existence…
Miss Gordon believes that swimming is, for most people, the best all-around exercise for all the muscles of the body. She agrees with prominent physical training instructors that swimming eliminates bulges in the wrong places… Furthermore, no matter how firm the muscles become through perfection and practice of the crawl, or even the side or breast stroke, they just never do get too hard or knotty. You can slim down by swimming without fear of losing any of your natural feminine curves…
For those who find it impossible to swim often or, for that matter, to go in for any active sport, a brisk one-mile walk a day, supplemented by five minutes of limbering and stretching exercises in the morning, will keep muscles firm and supple, the general appearance decidedly youthful.
One of the exercises I've been doing in the evenings is actually supposed to be a stand-in for the woman who doesn't have access to a swimming pool. I'm basically doing the breaststroke while lying on top of my bed! Hey, maybe I could mix up my daily walks with a dip in the pool. They have an outdoor pool at the rec center and it might be cool enough to use it come October. Alicia Hart explains in a later article that a woman seeking to maintain her figure should "swim a reasonable distance three times a week."
Nope, no "natural feminine curves" missing here...
