78 Life and Health 



The most beneficial exercises ordinarily are the gentle 

 ones, in which no strain is put upon the heart and the 

 respiration. The special aim is to secure the equal use of 

 all the muscles, not the development of a few. 



Exercises which call for sustained effort, violent exertion, 

 or sudden strain, are best avoided by those who have had 

 no preparation or training. 



After the more violent exercises, as baseball, football, 

 a long ride on the bicycle, or even after a prolonged walk, a 

 bath should be taken at the first convenient opportunity. 

 Care should be taken to rub down thoroughly, and to 

 change a part or all of the clothing. It is dangerous to 

 stand about in clothes which are damp with perspiration. 



Keep warmly clad after exercise, avoid chills, and always 

 stop exercising as soon as fatigue is felt. Wear clothing 

 which allows free play to all the muscles of the body. 

 The clothing should be light, loose, and made of porous 

 material. 



In brisk walking keep the mouth shut, especially in cold 

 weather, and breathe through the nose, regulating the pace 

 so that it can be done without discomfort. 



NOTE i . Blackie's How to get Strong and how to stay so (New 

 and Enlarged Edition of 1898) is full of wholesome advice and prac- 

 tical suggestions to those who may wish to practice health exercises 

 at home. 



NOTE 2. One-half the struggle of physical training has been won 

 when a boy can be induced to take a genuine interest in his bodily 

 condition, to want to remedy its defects, and to pride himself on 

 the purity of his skin, the firmness of his muscles, and the upright- 

 ness of his figure. Whether the young man chooses afterwards to 

 use the gymnasium, to run, to row, to play ball, or to saw wood, for 

 the purpose of improving his physical condition, matters little, pro- 

 vided he accomplishes that object. DR. D. A. SARGENT, Director 

 of the Hemenway Gymnasium at Harvard University. 



