The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-05-17
TOO MUCH EXERCISE
The Effect 1t May Have on the Heart
nnd Health.

TOO MUCH EXERClSE.
The Effect 1t May Have on the Heart
nnd 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?' First, we must draw 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 the
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 its limit
set7 The limit appears to be set by
three factors: (1) The capacity of the
dioo i've organs to keep up the quality
OF s--- blood; (9) the capacity Of the
excretory organs to get rid OF the waste
products which result from muscular
action, and (S) the power of the heart
to drive a constant stream of blood
through every corner of the organism.
Interference with digestion is b. no
means uncommon effect of excessive ex-
ercise, and SO far az training is con-
cerned it is one of the most destructive.
The blood cannot flow in full stream to
every part at once. AS Dr. Lander
Brunton says, Every one knows that
while moderate exercise tends to produce
appetite, long and exhausting exer-
tion tends to destroy the appetite and
even to produce actual sickness, as one
finds in mountain climbing. .
People differ greatly in this respect,
but in some-great, ponderous men as
they may seem-the digestion is go
easily upset by muscular exercise that,
although they may be giants for mo-
mentary exertion, anything like sus-
tained effort disturbs digestion and cuts
at the very root of their nutrition. In
many cases, however, the limit to exer-
else lies in diminished excretion. Un-
less the excretory organs are thoroughly
efficient the tissues become crowded
with products which cannot be got rid
of, the senses become dimmed, and eff
fort becomes mere automatism, in
consequence of a self poisoning By the
products Of muscular waste.
So far we have dealt with what may
be itly termed the automatic checks to
overexercise Interference with diges-
tion so lowers nutrition, while accumu-
lation Of waste products SO poisons the
system, that in either case further exer-
tion becomes impossib ible-the very will
to make it passes away. But it is differ
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. Sc, long as the heart can pass
this forward all is well, but when it
fails rot merely is the circulation of the
blood rendered imperfect, but serious
damage is done to the heart itself. II,
when the heart was overdriven, it mere
" struck. the enfeebled circulation
would soon put stop to further effort
The willing heart, however, taking at
each beat wider sweep and driving
into the vessels a larger quantity Of
blood, so 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 far.-Hos-
pital.