Part 6

=Surf Bathing.=--Sea bathing is more invigorating than fresh water bathing. Persons who cannot bathe in fresh water are often benefited by surf bathing. The stimulating action of the salt water, the impact of the waves, the exhilaration and excitement occasioned by the incoming breakers, and the wholesome exercise which usually attends a sea bath, all contribute to the benefit of surf bathing.

While the danger of chilling and taking cold are less in sea bathing, yet the usual precautions should be observed. If warm, do not wait to cool off before going into the water. This is always hazardous. Plunge boldly in, taking care to wet the head, neck, and face as quickly as possible. Exercise to keep up the circulation. Dive through the rollers, or jump up to prevent being overwhelmed by them. If, after being in the water a few minutes, there is a growing sense of chilliness which cannot be overcome by exercise, the bather, for his own safety, should withdraw at once, however enjoyable the occasion, and seek comfort in dry, warm clothing. A prolonged stay at the sea-shore will enable him to renew his bath daily, and gradually increase its length. At most, it should not exceed thirty minutes. Persons of vigorous constitution may take two dips a day with advantage. A short rest should follow the bath, whenever possible. But if reaction is not established by rubbing and putting on dry clothing, it should be restored by taking a short brisk walk before the rest.

=Salt-Water Bath at Home.=--Aside from the tonic effects of the sea-air, and the absence of business anxiety and the change in food and habits which a temporary residence at the sea-side involves, a good substitute for the sea-bath may be had by the use of an inexpensive preparation of salt which may be found at almost any drug store.

=Reaction.=--The phenomenon commonly known as reaction, which accompanies both hot and cold bathing, is quite remarkable. Experiments have shown that if the temperature of a healthy person be raised or lowered by bathing, the subsequent reaction will restore the equilibrium by supplying the loss or withdrawing the excess. Thus nature seems to resent any interference with her normal functions. A German scientist subjected a robust patient to a series of baths of a temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit, each lasting twenty-five minutes. The rapid abstraction of heat produced chilliness and shivering, which lasted for several hours after each bath, but this was followed, after an interval, with such an increase of temperature as precisely compensated for the previous loss, and thus the average normal temperature was maintained.

The chronically ill may be divided into two general classes, the one made up of those individuals whose vitality suggests the possession of strong powers of reaction, and for whom the system of heroic treatment, vigorous exercise, cold baths, surf bathing, and sea air are best adapted; the other requiring gentle treatment, much indulgence, mild climate, warm baths, and mountain air.

=Frequency of the Bath.=--The physical condition of the bather must always be regarded as an important factor in determining the kind of bath, the length of time it should consume, and the frequency with which it should be repeated.

A brisk, cold bath to tone up the system, prevent colds, stimulate digestion, and promote circulation may be taken daily. For many persons, the most convenient time is just after rising in the morning. Fifteen minutes of vigorous exercise before the bath will add to its advantages.

Hot baths, if prolonged, are debilitating and should be taken less frequently. To clean out the pores and remove the excretions and dead cuticle from the surface of the body, two thorough hot baths a week will, for most persons, be sufficient. Some persons get on very well with only one, especially in the winter season when perspiration is less active. The dust, grime, and soil, resulting from one’s daily toil, must be removed from hands, face, and body, as often as occasion requires. For this purpose, a basin of warm water and soap will be found sufficient.

Many weakly babes have been sacrificed to their mothers’ vanity by subjecting the little ones to the exhausting process of two or three elaborate baths and costly toilets each day. Boys living near ponds, creeks, or rivers often waste their physical forces by spending a large part of the warm summer days in the water. They go in too frequently and remain too long. A morning swim of half an hour, or two dips, one in the forenoon and another in the afternoon, of twenty minutes each, is as much as the strongest boy should take.

=Regularity.=--In bathing, as in exercise, regularity and system should control, if any physical advantage is expected to follow. A bath now and then, when it happens to suit the convenience of the bather, will not tone up the system nor fortify it against colds. A daily cold bath is best. If that is impossible, it should be taken at least three or four times a week.

=Best Time for Bathing.=--As remarked elsewhere, every form of bath makes greater or less demand upon the vital forces, and some forms are quite exhausting. It is therefore proper to consider the most suitable times for bathing. It is best not to take a bath when the body is much exhausted, nor to engage in intense physical or mental exercise immediately after a bath.

Under no circumstances should a bath be taken directly after a full meal. Generally speaking the most appropriate time is from two to three and a half hours after a meal, preferably near the noon hour.

For the cold bath, taken quickly, no time is better than just after rising. A warm bath just before retiring will quiet the nerves and assist in producing sleep.

=The Value of Soap.=--The eminent chemist, Liebig, asserts that the civilization of a nation is high in proportion to the amount of soap it consumes, and that it is low in proportion to its use of perfumes. The cleanliness and refinement of an individual may be measured by the same test. Soap removes impurity; perfume is often employed to conceal it.

Many soaps are positively injurious to the skin. In this, as in other matters, judgment and caution must be exercised. A free use of a good skin soap, with warm or hot water, may be recommended for the weekly or semi-weekly bath when the primary object is cleanliness. The soapy lather should be vigorously rubbed over the body, by the hand or a small coarse towel, so as to remove all excretions from the pores, all greasy deposits of the sebaceous glands, and all dead scales from the cuticle.

This lather must be carefully rinsed off before rubbing with the towels. For the cold tonic and other baths, it is better not to use soap.

=Cosmetics.=--The use of cosmetics for the complexion is a fertile source of disease. Many of these preparations contain lead and other poisonous mineral substances. The skin readily absorbs these, and the most distressing conditions often ensue.

Hair-dyes also contain lead and other objectionable ingredients. Although less harmful than cosmetics, being generally kept away from the skin, they rob the hair of its lustre and vitality, and should be avoided.

=Caution.=--Bathing, whether for cleanliness or for recreation, is a most healthful exercise, yet certain precautions are necessary.

1. Avoid bathing within two and a half hours after a meal. The sudden interruption of the process of digestion, especially by a cold bath, is apt to produce nausea. Cases of drowning, usually ascribed to cramps, have been due, in some instances, to interrupted digestion.

2. Avoid bathing when exhausted by fatigue, or from any other cause.

3. Avoid bathing when the body is cooling after perspiration.

4. Avoid bathing in stream or surf if experience proves that after being a short time in the water, there is a sense of chilliness, with numbness of the hands or feet.

5. Avoid chilling the body by sitting or standing undressed, either before going into or coming out of the water.

6. Avoid remaining too long in the water. Rub briskly and dress quickly upon the first sensation of chilliness.

7. The best time for bathing is two or three hours after breakfast. The vigorous and strong may safely take a cold bath before breakfast; the weakly and the young should not attempt it.

8. Those who are subject to dizziness or faintness, should not bathe in stream or surf without first consulting a physician.

9. Avoid a warm or hot bath, if liable to be exposed to a low temperature within two or three hours after the bath.

10. Women should carefully consult their physical condition before venturing to take a cold bath.

11. All persons suffering from organic heart disease should avoid surf bathing.

PHYSICAL EXERCISE

Physical exercise is necessary to the preservation of the health and the cultivation of the strength of the body. By the contraction of a muscle, the circulation of the blood is stimulated, and demand is made upon the supply of food material to replace that which has been consumed. The action of the respiratory process is accelerated, a larger quantity of air is taken into the lungs, more oxygen is absorbed by the blood, and greater tone is imparted to the system. Perspiration is also promoted, effete matters are expelled through the pores of the skin, and the general health is improved.

=Definiteness of Purpose.=--The person who doesn’t know where he is going, never gets there. Know what you are going to do, then do it. There are about four hundred muscles in the human body. It is clearly evident that they cannot all be trained at the same time, nor is it necessary or even desirable that they should be. Those exercises having the most direct bearing upon the specific needs of the individual will naturally come first. If he is troubled with indigestion, two-thirds of the time that he allows himself for daily exercise should be given to remedying that defect, and the rest to supplying some other important need which will bring into play a different set of muscles. If his lung capacity is inadequate, the larger share of time should be given to the correction of this weakness. If shortness of breath and interference with heart action are occasioned by increasing fleshiness, the reduction of his superfluous fat must receive first consideration.

The important thing is to determine what is most needed at any stage of the work, and to strike directly at that point. As, one after another, the special points of weakness are covered, the exercises will gradually take on more and more of an all-round character. As so many of the infirmities of the flesh have their rise in impaired digestion, imperfect respiration, or sluggish circulation, the exercises having relation to these three subjects will always claim attention, not only to secure but also to preserve health.

=Mind Engaging.=--While those whose mental energies have been on a strain may find relief in exercises somewhat automatic, the most beneficial and satisfactory results, as a rule, are obtained when the mind is kept on the alert and the eye is brought into active play, as in fencing and sparring, or when the exercise contributes to the enjoyment of the individual, and is not self-imposed as an irksome task or an unpleasant duty. The presence and co-operation of a congenial friend adds much to the value of the exercise. Where this is not convenient, the drill should be so varied in kind and in degree, from day to day, as to sustain the interest. Without this, the exercises are apt to be abandoned, or, if continued, they will not be attended with the best results.

=Intensity.=--Much valuable time is wasted by persons who engage in a certain kind of exercise, not because they are interested in it, but because it happens to be the fad. Whether it be walking, running, swimming, golf, tennis or croquet, they go at it in such a feeble, listless manner as to excite pity rather than enthusiasm.

It is said of President Roosevelt that the only exercise he really enjoys is of that strenuous character which, to most men, would be hard work. Gladstone could give him no points in felling trees, and the cowboys of the plains, after numerous tests, were satisfied that he wore the title of “Rough Rider” by right. It was on one of his western hunting trips that he went two days with two ribs broken, not deigning to mention the circumstance lest it might offend cowboy etiquette to speak of such insignificant matters amid the excitement of the final round-up.

Few men carry the burden of a weightier responsibility than the President, or have more exacting demands made upon their time. No one would have a better right to plead pressure of business as an excuse for taking no physical exercise. On the other hand, no one has greater need of a strong body and a clear brain. Appreciating this fact, his vigorous ride on horseback becomes almost as indispensable as his meals or his sleep, and it is rumored that this is often supplemented by a quiet bout with the gloves. Remembering that, as a child, his body was rather frail, his present rugged health bears strong testimony to the value of persistent vigorous exercise.

=Walking.=--Rapid walking is one of the best methods of physical exercise. It not only develops the muscles of the legs and thighs, but increases the capacity of the chest. One of its chief advantages is that it is an out-door exercise. Running is still more stimulating, and gives increased activity to the muscles of the limbs and body, and to the organs of respiration.

By combining walking and running with some simple form of in-door exercise, as dumb-bells, Indian-clubs, or pulley weights, a person will have nearly all the advantages of a fully-equipped gymnasium.

=Over Exertion.=--Severe labor and violent exercise should be avoided. Many cases of broken-down health are due to excessive strain, the result of track races on wheel or foot, and similar indiscretions.

=Age, Occupation, and Habit.=--Physical exercises must be chosen with reference to the age, occupation, and habit of the individual. The young, the middle-aged, and the old will each, as a rule, require some direction as to kind, and some modification as to length and intensity, of the exercise.

=Childhood and Youth.=--Healthy children are never at rest except when asleep. This is the prompting of their nature. Their games and plays should therefore be directed, but not too much restrained. If, however, the natural increase in size and weight of a child’s body does not keep pace with its years, it would be well for the parent to inquire whether that result is due to excessive exercise, or to some other cause.

Proper habits of sitting, standing, and walking, if not attained during youth, are rarely acquired afterward. The habit of a graceful carriage and a manly or womanly bearing should be established before the age of sixteen. But the exercises that most closely affect the health are those which relate to the expansion of the chest. The lungs vitalize and purify the blood. The larger their capacity, the more satisfactorily will they accomplish their work. With a good supply of pure blood, the growth and health and vigor of the body will be largely provided for.

=Middle Life.=--While judgment and discretion in the kinds of exercises, and in the manner of doing them, are, at every period of life, desirable, persons from 20 to 35 years of age are able to undertake severer tasks and to withstand greater shocks to the system than the young or the old. Persons from 35 to 50 years of age may take long walks but should be cautious about rapid running. At this age exercises requiring endurance and persistence are better than those demanding intensity or violence. This is especially applicable to those whose occupation is sedentary. Any hereditary tendency to disease is apt to show itself during this period, and should be carefully watched by the individual and by his physician, for by it the kind and degree of the exercise should be determined.

=Old Age.=--Unless the habit of taking physical exercise has been pursued more or less constantly through life, persons in advanced years, especially if feeble, need to observe great caution in beginning it, on account of the unusual strain upon the heart and blood-vessels. Their native power of resistance being small, any severe shock or strain upon the system may be attended with serious results. William Cullen Bryant, at eighty years of age, took an hour of severe exercise, followed by a cold bath, before breakfast, then walked three miles to his office and back again, in all states of weather, but he had kept up his physical training through life, and found in it a pleasure as well as a benefit to health.

With increasing years, the duties and responsibilities of the busy man increase. Instead of the walk or the ride on horseback, the stately coach, which more fittingly represents his growing wealth, is now used for his afternoon recreation, the coachman relieving him of even the mental and physical stimulus of driving. Wealth is a menace to health, so far as it tends to discourage the simple living upon which health depends.

A much wiser course would be to keep the human machinery oiled and in good condition, by systematic exercise. Hinges of iron and steel must be oiled and used to keep them from creaking and rusting. The membrane that secretes the lubricating fluid and supplies it to the opposing surfaces of the bones and to the ligaments which surround them is stimulated to activity by the motion of the joint itself. Stiffening joints, sluggish circulation, and torpid liver are the sure penalties of inactivity.

Some years ago, two prominent business men, one sixty-four, the other sixty-three years of age, engaged in a walking contest. The younger walked 209 miles, the older 211 miles in three and one-half days, an average of sixty miles a day. James Russell Lowell was unwilling to ride when he could possibly walk. Gladstone was famous as an ax-man as well as a statesman, and continued this exercise nearly to the end of his life. Instances of great mental activity after seventy are almost invariably those of men who have kept up since early manhood a constant habit of vigorous daily exercise. It is only in this way that the arteries are kept from hardening, and that the brain is kept supplied with the blood to renew its cells.

=Physical Culture for School Children.=--In childhood and youth, bad habits are easily corrected and good ones established. If the chest is weak and flat, this is the time to remove the defect. If one shoulder is a trifle higher than the other, correct the default before it becomes confirmed. Build up the arms and shoulders and chest to be strong and well shaped. It is in youth, while the bones are elastic, that the perfect frame must be built. Accustom the muscles of the trunk and limbs to healthy and graceful action. This becomes easy and natural, when given proper direction, and will result in making a vigorous, well-built man or woman, capable of meeting the difficulties and discharging the duties that come alike to all.

=Over-Study.=--A prominent magazine recently devoted a page to brief statements of parents, teachers, and physicians, testifying in eloquent but most pathetic terms to the crying evils of over-study and the lack of physical recreation. In reply to the questions asked, one physician says, “Twelve children are under my professional care from over-study.”

Another writes, “During the last school year I treated over forty children suffering from over-study. In more than thirty of the cases I had to advise withdrawal from school.”

A parent says, “We have four daughters, and had to take all of them out of school.”

From the sufferers themselves we have, “At seventeen I broke down. Today, at thirty, I am still an invalid.”

“For twelve years I, a young woman, have tried to overcome nervous prostration, directly brought on by over-study.”

“Pushed beyond my endurance as a child, I am to-day a nervous mother with children so nervous that it is pitiable.”

“An ambitious father caused me to be shattered in nerves before I was sixteen. My bed has ever since been almost my constant companion.”

=The Remedy.=--In the face of the above deplorable facts, it is evident that, with all our boasted improvement in the system of education, there is something sadly lacking. Proper attention given to physical exercise and recreation, with sufficient time for sleep, would have saved the lives and established the health, not only of the few cases above cited, but of thousands of others as well.

=Physical Education Compulsory.=--Physical culture should be made compulsory in every school in the land. The teacher should be as fully equipped in this as in any other department of his work. In cities and in towns of considerable size the matter should be under the direction of a competent specialist, who would infuse life and energy into the work, and hold the teachers to their duty. Shirking, whether by teachers or scholars, should be strictly prevented. Fifteen minutes, twice a day, in the lower grades, and thirty minutes, once a day, in the upper grades, would serve to put the children in good physical condition.

=Caution.=--The enthusiasm and alacrity with which children take hold of physical training afford encouragement to the doubting teacher, and, at the same time, prove the need of constant watchfulness. Suppose, in a class of forty, one-fourth of them have flat, weak chests. These should be formed into a special class, and ten minutes a day devoted to the one purpose of enlarging the chest. Begin very mildly, so that the weakest chest will experience neither pain nor ache from the exercise. Repeat this work daily for a week, without increase, and do not miss a stroke. Miss any other drill rather than this. The second week, the exercises may be made a trifle harder, or longer, or both. If apparatus is used, see to it that the pupils do not get hold of heavy pieces, or attempt more difficult exercises than they are prepared for. Overdoing here is as bad as over-study. Strict discipline must be preserved, and the same thoughtful attention given to this as to any other department of study.

=Illustrations of the Results of Physical Training.=--Wherever physical education has been tested in the schools, of whatever grade, and in whatever country, the results have furnished the most abundant proof of its value. Doctor Sargent, one of the most eminent instructors in physical education in this country, gives the results of six months’ training with a class of two hundred young college men, devoting to it only one-half hour a day, four times a week. The only apparatus used was light dumb-bells, Indian-clubs, and pulley-weights. The average age was 18.3 years. The average increase in height was one-fourth of an inch; in weight, two pounds; in chest (contracted), ¾ inch; in chest (inflated), 1¾ inches; in girth of forearm, ¾ of an inch; of upper arm, 1 inch; in width of shoulders, ¾ inch; in girth of hips, 2¼ inches; of thigh, 1½ inches; of calf, ¾ inch.

Prof. Maclaren, of England, gives the results of four and one-half months’ training, with a class of boys from the Royal Military Academy, ranging in years from sixteen to nineteen. The increase in height was from 1 to 1¾ inches; in weight, from 1 to 8 pounds; in girth of chest, from ½ to 5¼ inches; forearm, from ⅛ to ½ inch; upper arm, from ½ to 1⅝ inches. With a class of older persons, nineteen to twenty-eight years, he reports the largest gain in weight, 16 pounds, with an average gain of 10 pounds; in girth of chest, 5 inches, with an average of 2⅞ inches; of forearm, 1¼ inches, with an average of ¾ inch; upper arm, 1¾ inches, with an average of 1¹/₁₆ inches. These gains were made in 7⅔ months.