The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-05-17
TOO MUCH EXERCISE
Tfac Effect II Mny Have on the Henrt
and Health.

Thc Enect II Mny Have on the Henri
and Health.
If we accept the broad fact that ex.
ercise is good and that its effect is to
increase muscular strength and bodily
development, we have to ask. "Why
does still further exercise cease to be
good. and what do we mean by overex-
ercise 2 First, we must draw Il broad
distinction between the effect Of con
stantly maintained exertion which is
required in certain trades and the al
ternating contraction and relaxation OF
all the muscles Of the body. which is tho
characteristic of games and athletics of
all kinds. That constantly maintained
effort or monotonous repetition of the
same movement tends to exhaustion
rather than nutrition goes without say
ing. But. taking ordinary SO called
healthy exercise, by what is it's limit
setf The limit appears to be set by
three factors: Q) The capacity of the
digestive organs to keep up the quality
OF the blood; (2) the capacity Of the
excretory organs to get rid of the waste
products which result from muscular
action. and (3) the power of the heart
through every corner of the organism.
Interference with digestion is by no
means uncommon effect Of excessive ex-
ercise. and 30 far as training is con-
cerned it is one Of the most destructive
The blood cannot flow in full stream to
every part ut once. AS Dr. Lauder
Brunton says. every one knows that
while moderate exercise tends to produce
appetite. long and exhuusting cxer-
ton tends to destroy tho appetite and
even to produce actual sickness. as one
finds i'll mountain climbing"
People differ greatly in this respect,
but i'll sone-great, i,oIidcrous men az
they may sem-the digestion is so
easily upset hy muscular exercise that.
although they may be giants for a mo-
inentary exertion. anything like sus-
tained effort disturbs digestion and cuts
| at tho very root of their nutrition. In
many cases. however, tho limit to exer-
| else lies III diminished cxcrction. Un-
less the excretory organs are thoroughly
| efficient the tissues become crowded
with products which cannot he got rid
| of, the senses become dimmcd, and eff
fort becomes II mere automatism, in
consequence Of self poisoning by the
products Of muscular waste
So far we have dealt with what NAV
be fifty termed tho automatic checks to
overexercise Interference with digcs
tion SO lowers nutrition. while accumu-
latlon Of waste products SO poisons the
system, that in either case further exer-
tion becomes impossible very will
to make it passes away. But it is diffvv-
ent in regard to the heart. The heart,
although strained. may yet be driven
on to its own destruction. Every mus
cular effort not only demands from the
heart an increased flow Of blood, but
also drives an increased quantity to-
ward it. SO long as the heart can pass
this forward all is well, but when it
fails not merely is the circulation Of the
blood rendered imperfect, but serious
damage is done to the heart itself. IF,
when tho heart was overdriven, it mere
u struck. the enfeebled circulation
would soon put stop to further effort.
The willing heart however. taking ut
each beat a wider sweep and driving
into the vessels a larger quantity Of
blood. 80 meets the call that the athlete
can struggle on. perhaps to win his
race But the strained heart suffers,
the stretched muscle does not quite
come back, the dilated cavity does not
quite close at each contraction, and
permanent mischief is set up. Thus it
is that exercise driven to the limit i'm
posed by the heart is overexercise in the
most serious sense of the word If it is
the heart that stops it. the chances are
that it has already gone too fur. Hos.
pital