American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-02-19
Exercise.

HKALTE and vigor cannot be maintained
without = due amount of exercise; ant
| The hygienic rule Consist in exercising
all parts of the muscular system as equal
ly As possible II il possible, by means o
special exercises, to develop some sets o
muscles and some organs Of the body II
the detriment Of others. 6ymnastic ex
ercises, 80 well adapted to sedentary per
sons, unless properly varied, are liable t.
invigorate some parts of the body at the
expense of other parts. Says the Hy.
drooathic Encyclopaedia: People Of
all trades and occupations find those parts
of the muscular system which are habitu.
| ally the most exercised to be the mes,
powerful. Thus farmers have the whole
muscular system nearly equally deyel.
oped; blacksmiths, carpenters, sailors,
ETC., have strong arms and chests; travel
en-, dancers, etc., are INDEPENDENTLY
developed in the lower exfrem tiles; shoe
makers, tailors, etc., have q tolerable de-
velopment Of the arms and chest, but suf-
fer in the lower extremities and abdomen
merchants, clerks and others who pursue
an easy, in-door occupation. have slender
muscles generally, and professional men,
whose exercise Is more Intellectual than
bodily, exhibit large brains, with.slender
muscles 80 -
1t 11ppens, fortunately, that those -yoca-
lions which are the most necessary rhu-
man existence, are most conducive to
health. and longevity; hence agricultural
pursuits outrauk all Others in this respect
It is true that farmers and housewife. do
not, generally, in this country, by their
health conditions, advertise their occupa-
ton favorably; but it il because many of
them work intemperately, and nearly, all
of them are exceedingly unhygienic in
their dietetic and other habits-more so,
N fhan rvo <Nf soxxx
They have the means for the best health,
bat are the worst abusers of the means.
All exercise-labor or play-which &C.
casions degree OF fatigue that is not
readily recovered from on resting, is in
furious, and all within that limit is use
full. Violent exercise should never be
taken immediately before nor after meals /;
nor should lunches or other "refresh-
mentn ever be taken between meals, in
view of performing some extraordinary
feat or unusual labor. Severe diseases
and sudden deaths have been the result of
this error
As substitutes for manual labor, walk
ing, riding, rowing, quoits, croquet, ball,
etc., are among the best outdoor exer-
cises while dumb bells, clubs, wands,
the light gymnastics, calisthenics, lining
machines, ETC., with parlOr-skating and
dancing, afford an ample variety Of in
The hygienic rule applicable to all per-
sons and to all kinds of exercises is 10
commence very moderately, and gradu-
ally increase them in length and vigor as
Me muscles which are specially called
into action become accustomed to the
motions. They should never be per-
formed with sufficient violence to occasion
Distressing painting or painful throbbing
or palpitation Of the heart. To guard
against these excuses, tits well to keep
the mouth firmly closed while exercising,
and discontinue or moderate the exer-
cises whenever it become necessary to
open the mouth
with regard to the exercises of children,
the following paragraph, copied from the
HydrOpathie -Eacyclopesdia, seems to cover
the whole ground: "Our social oreaniza-
ton is very defective in its provisions for
the appropriate exercises of infants and
young children. The cradle is a most
unphysiological method of exercising q
child to sleep; its primary object was to
save the nurse trouble, but a child accus-
toned to be rocked to sleep will give the
nurse more trouble in the end, than one
accustomed to sleep without such assist
ance. The motion of the cradle, too, is
Injurious to the brain. and nervous sys-
tenn. The modern baby Jumper is a
better continuance, but even this can be
advantageously superseded by giving the
child the largest liberty to exercise in
its own way. Plenty of room, a smooth
floor, and a plentiful supply of play
things which are lot dangerOus-india-
rubber balls, baskets, brooms, rattle
boxes, etc.-afford the opportunities which
child will always improve to the best
possible advantage. Unfortunately, among
the poorer classes of our cities, young
children are kept in stupid inactivity
simply because they have no room in
which to stir; and this confinement rem
ders them sickly, puny, peevish and indo-