662 PLAIN FACTS FOR OLD AND YOUNG 



they are laboring under some special derangement of 

 the health, as dyspepsia or some other constitutional 

 malady, had better by far take the morning walk or 

 other form of exercise than to take none at all. How- 

 ever, we are convinced that for most persons the mid- 

 dle of the forenoon is a much better time to take any 

 kind of active or vigorous exercise. In the morning, 

 the circulation is generally weakest, and the supply of 

 nerve force is the least abundant. In the forenoon, 

 when the breakfast has been eaten and digestion has 

 become well advanced, the system is at its maximum 

 of vigor ; hence, if the individual is at liberty to choose 

 his time for exercise, this should be his choice. 



For poor sleepers, a half hour's exercise taken in 

 the evening not long before retiring, will often act like 

 a soporific, and without any of the unpleasant after- 

 effects of drugs. 



Vigorous exercise should never be taken immedi- 

 ately after a meal, nor within an hour, and should not 

 be taken immediately before eating. Disregard for this 

 rule is a very common cause of dyspepsia. 



2. What kind of exercise shall be taken? The 

 answer to this question must, of course, vary with 

 the individuaL Exercise must be modified to suit the 

 strength, the age, the sex, and even the tastes of the 

 individuaL As a general rule, persons who take exer- 

 cise for health are apt to overdo the matter, the result 

 of which is damage rather than benefit. For most 

 persons, there is no more admirable and advantageous 

 form of exercise than walking; but many find walking 

 simply for exercise too tedious to persevere in it regu- 

 larly. Such will find advantage in walking in com- 

 panies, provided care is taken to avoid all such ques- 

 tionable diversions as walking matches, or any kind 



