The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-06-03
NUMBER.4O.
Too Much Exercise .

In lit OF remorse gentleman who
had encouraged young friend of his to
take more physical exercise to expand
his chest and develop his muscles gives
to the New York Times the unfortunate
results OF his experiment. He had read
and was strongly impressed by Blaikie's s
book of instruction, ''How to Get Strong. y
He gave the book to his young friend,
who, having read it, determined to take a
course of daily physical exercise.
This young man, about twenty-si
years OF egc, was tall and slender. He
had just returned from a business trip
to the tropics, and was in good health.
but not robust. His chest was flat and
narrow, and his muscles small and fac
cid. He agreed with his elder acquaint.
ance that both needed DEVELOPMENT.
So he set to work.
It was in the first months of the sum-
mer of 1888. He began first with three
pound dumb-bells, using them every
morning, and taking walk of two or
three miles later In the day. Ills mus
cles soon showed improvement, his appe-
tite increased and he was doing himself
apparently great good.
After few weeks lie increased the
size of his dumb.bclls to five pounds, and
heightened his walk to four miles dav.
with still apparent good effects. and then,
ANXIOUS to expand his chest by other ex-
erclsc, having more direct effect upon it.,
h took to rowing on the Harlem River,
every morning taking pleasant pull at
the oars. His fare was plain and simple,
cup of coffee and some biscuit before
starting, and after his aquatic constitu-
tional substantial meal. He was soon
the picture of robust health, brown as a
berry, with knots of muscles on the backs
of his shoulders. His sleep was sound,
his digestion excellent, his appetite ra-
venous.
Thus he continued growing robust Tor
two or the months, antil he became the
envy OF his fellows. Every day he took
a cold shower-bath, followed by brisk
abrasion of the skin with fesh-brush.
On days when they could not row he
walked to the moderate extent of five
miles. He was comparatively moderate
in exercise with the oars. He was tenn
perate in all things, and in splendid spir-
49, AASA@AA anu pAJ SlCdl. SO luT tIiC CX-
pertinent was success.
Early in September, however, small
sore, like pimple, appeared on one of
his shoulders and his right wrist became
stiff and slightly swollen. The sore re-
fused to heal and the stiffness of the wrist
increased till he had to give up rowing.
From that time he began to run down:
Headache, soreness, swclled ankles and
wrists, and general symptoms of debility
set IN, and before December he seemed
to be thoroughly "uscd up.''
Then it was thought best to consult a
physician, and one of the most eminent in
New York was called in. He was thor
oughly examined. The heart and lungs,
kidney and liver were pronounced sound.
He was simply run down and needed
rest. The physician prescribed tonic,
plenty of substantial, nurishing food and
all the sleep possible, and, under this
regime, the young man Is slowly recov-
erlng the vitality he lost during the sum-
mer when he thought he was putting
new life and strength into himself.
The physician who had him in charge
said he had on his visiting list a large
number of young men Who had been
leaders in collegiate athletic sports, and
who had used themselves up physically,
some of them beyond recovery. If they
live they will be prematurely old men.
Too much exercise is as bad as no exer-
else, if not worse. Just where the golden
means is, must be determined by indi-
vidual experience. Perhaps the time to
quit is when one feels the first symptom
of fatigue or WEAKNESS.