The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-06-14
HOW THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE
KEEPS IN CONDITION.

When Pesident Taft weighs 800
pounds he is in the pink of condi-
ton. When he scales down to 2SO
he is trained to the minute and
right on edge. He works best at
500; that is what he weighs now.
At this weight he is in perfect con-
dition. His skin is pink and rosy,
his eyes bright and clear, and he is
at the top of his physical powers.
All day long the President is sub
jected to demands and opportunities
that make a constant drain on his
good humor, his natural buoyancy,
his cheerfulness and his nervous
strength. Experience has proved to
him that he is better fitted to cope
with the daily demands made upon
him when he weighs 900 pounds
than at any other weight.
Mr.. Taft is in training. He is
always in training. He never breaks
training. He lives under as strict a
discipline as football man, or a
track man, or a crew man. He lives
at training table in the White House.
His diet is prescribed, his exercise
| is prescribed, the hours that he shall
devote to play and the hours that
he shall devote to work are careful
\ ~ uOWh anu obl uPuiOuoly lOl-
| lowed. Mr.. Taft, since he went into
training, has learned something
about himself and so has his trainer.
In the beginning when Mr.. Taft
| began to be concerned about his bulk
he weighed about $40 pounds. His
single idea in starting regular exer-
else was to reduce his weight. He
pulled himself down to 267 pounds,
put found that involved too great a
drain on his nervous resources. He
was allowed graually to take on
weight until he found the point at
which his physical powers were
highest. Through the winter months
Mr.. Taft keeps at his present weight.
In the summer when he is away from
Washington he takes more exercise
and keeps himself down to 2S0 or
2S5 pounds. That is his fighting
weight below which he may not re-
duce without decreasing both his
nervous energy and physical
strength. Mr.. Taft keeps himself in
physical trim just like any other
athlete. He has a physical director
or trainer, who works with him
every morning and prescribes his ex-
ercises, his diet, and takes general
control of his bodily well-being. 1t
has made a different man of him.
Four years ago his face was heav
and pasty and covered with fine
network of little purplish veins.
His eyes were dull more often than
not. To-day any one who knows any
thing about the physical conditioning
of men would need only glance to
tell him that Mr.. Taft was "fit,''
but he keeps eft" only by unending
work intelligently directed.
Mr.. Taft doesn't get much fun out
of his indoor exercises. Some morn
ings after he has been up late the
night before, it is an awful pull on
his will power to tumble out of bed
and go through forty minutes or an
hour of calisthenics. He doesn't t
work with weights or dumb-bells
The exercises are confined to stoop-
ings and bendings and going through
the form of rope skipping without a
rope. 1t is a tedious and not very
enlivening performance. But it is
not of record that Mr.. Taft has ever
skipped a morning since he went in.
, to training or has shirked any part
of the work prescribed for him. He
does the things he is told to do, be-
cause it has been proved to him that
he is better off for doing them, and
he goes through with it as he does
most disagreeable things with 6
cheerful good humor and without
complaint.
To man who carries 800 pounds
! above his feet, walking is no light
, exercise. And Mr.. Taft does moi
get great deal of enjoyment winter
afternoons out of the four or five
, miles he sets himself to do. 1t is
!. at the beginning of spring that Mr.
Taft's real fun in taking exercise
begins. He likes to ride, and he
3 is as devoted to golf as any mar
5 who plays the game. The Presiden
is real golfer. He plays primarily
for the fun he gets out of it and no
for the exercise. When he is play
. ing he forgets everything else.
q bird dog in a field with a covey o
! partridges is not more intent on the
2 business in hand than Mr.. Taft be
comes after he has driven off. HI
+ plays the game for the games sake
=, and puts his whole mind and hear