New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-05-03
PENALTY OF NO EXERCISE.

And yet these men. these business men and pro-
fessionaI men who become nervous wrecks and
blame the whole thing overwork. are simply
paying the penalty Of not spending thirty minutes
a day in keeping themselves good animals THIS
IS not a theory: is the experience Of every OBJ
server in a gymnasium. Business men will come
into the gymnasium after banking hours exhausted
nervously and physically as they The gym
nasium people probably find IL very hard TO get the
visitor to begin exercise he is too tired By jol-
lying him they finally get him out on the floor or
running around the track. and at the end Of half
an hour of vigorous exercise he finds to his surprise
that the work of exercise has actually rested him.
"A brisk shower and a rundown put him in a
condition to enjoy his dinner and evening and to
sleep in way that reCuperates- The trick ABOUT
1T is that the man has simply used muscles which
have been idle all day while his brain was Work
ing An hour a day of this exercise, provided 1t %
of such character that it is interesting in itself.
and so occupies the tired mans mind and attention.
will keep a in a. city in good physical condl-
ton and put him in trim to meet business ernersen-
cies without becoming either blue or melancholy.
But ii is essential that the exercise be made inter
esting In the Young Mems Christian Association
gymnasium have abandoned formal exercises
with apparatus this class Of men. because they
will perform these drills in merely passive way.
and passive exercise is far less beneficial than that
which has snap and mental interest back Of it For
these men we competitive games which
embody all necessary exercise in the form OF COM
petitive sport
Business men Ell engage IN tnese games o0-
cause they are fun as we'll medicine The re-
suits are remarkable Inconsistencies, sleep seekers
melancholy men. after few hOuEs of real exer-
cise-often the first they have taken since ooyhood
become CHEEKY seIf-reliant. confident men, Some
times they think there must be some magic In II
all But the truth is that for the first time they
have given their adult Iivers show and ars
breathing enough good, clean air and opening Their
long barricaded pores. All they needed was the
sort of rest that restores the used up tiss1cssr-
gives the animal side of them chance to perform
it's functions Frequently. the same thing exactly
is effective to cure men of excessive drinking or
smoking or drug habits. For no one can conquer
hit until his body is itself in condition TO sup
pIy the reaction formerly sought in a drug
IF every city dveIIer would devote One-half hour
dav to sensible exercise l am firmly convinced
that the earning power of our country would be in
creased tens of millions each year man can
make more money when he is fresh and bright and
well than when he is sluggish, or dull or sick
Moreover there would be far fewer confirmed
5runkards and drug victims if only the people OF
the cities would lead a normal life The trouble Is
that what is commonly called health in New York
is simply enough strength to keep going Real
health would mean enough strength in storage TO
cone with emergencies. But NOT one man In a
hundred in New York really gives one hours at
tention day to his health. and am sure that De-
cause of this every man really loses far more IN
results and in efficiency than he possibly could gam
in the single thirty minutes which are essential
to his wellbeing