Physical activity

“ It should aim at the healthy development of the body, as well as of the mind, by the regular development of all the muscles, the quickening of the intelligence and activity, and the formation of the habits of prompt obedience, precision, smartness, and discipline. The exercises should not be for mere display or entertainment, but each should have its particular purpose and value to develop all parts of the body.
“A certain amount of physical exercise once a day or oftener is preferable to even a greater amount, at longer or irregular intervals. ”

“ To these three essentials of physical education—health, harmonious development, economical utilization of muscular force—correspond a series of exercises which can not produce their maximum useful effect without being subjected to regulations of which we proceed to sketch the principal features.
Health may be with equal ease confirmed or destroyed by exercise. It is only necessary to refer to the deplorable condition of the ancient athletes, with whom the enormous mass of the muscles absorbed all the activity of the organism. ”

“ In point of fact we are only boldly honest and sincere when we insist that really beneficial exercise consists as much in the pursuit of some independent object we desire to reach or gain by physical exertion, coupled with a pleasant stimulation of mental interest and recreation, as in any given kind or degree of mere muscular activity. ”

“ Hence the question of exercise in its largest sense involves not only muscular work, but work of all kinds, which tends to promote a healthy activity of the psychical as well as the physical functions. ”

“ The components are also based on health and motor factors. The physical fitness is influenced by several factors such as heredity, that is form and structure of the body, nutrition, good health habits (sleep, rest, relaxation etc.) , emotional, spiritual and specific preparation for the game.
Fitness can be developed through training methods and experiences. The training methods are based on scientific principles and philosophy of life. Physical conditioning brings confidence in the athlete's activity to play absolutely upto their potential. Special fitness for living. ”

“ Within a certain kind of environment, an activity may be checked so that the only meaning which accrues is of its direct and tangible isolated outcome. One may cook, or hammer, or walk, and the resulting consequences may not take the mind any farther than the consequences of cooking, hammering, and walking in the literal—or physical—sense. But nevertheless the consequences of the act remain far-reaching. To walk involves a displacement and reaction of the resisting earth, whose thrill is felt wherever there is matter. It involves the structure of the limbs and the nervous system; ”

“ Though without great physical strength, I was all my life exceedingly fond of the joys of bodily exercise, whether swimming, rowing, riding, walking, mountaineering, skating, playing tennis or racquets or whatever game was going. ”

“ But even where natural or physical energy is deficient, an energetic manner may be acquired by practice and exercise under judicious direction; just as the muscular powers may be improved, and bodily vigor increased, even in a feeble frame, under a course of training and well-regulated exercise. ”

“ Exercise as a Counteractive Agent.—In counteracting tendencies to disease and in the maintenance of the functional equilibrium of the body, no agent has yet been discovered of greater importance than physical exercise, when applied systematically and persistently. ”

“ But it is quite possible to understand the expression “bodily exercise,” in the sense in which the phrase is most commonly used in ordinary conversation among ourselves. In the text which we are considering it may mean that exercise of the body which we are accustomed to take, some of us of necessity, because the work by which we earn our daily bread involves a great deal of physical exertion; some of us for health’s sake, because our work involves a great deal of sitting still; some of us for pleasure, because bodily exercise of various kinds is delightful to us. ”

“ The exercise consists of throwing ball to one another, and the catching of it develops the chest, exercises the back, arms, legs; in fact, improves the whole system.
Home Apparatus “One of the aims of physical training is to make exercise interesting and enjoyable. To be beneficial in the highest sense it must be recreative. Particularly is this true of physical exercise for business men. As a class, in their daily work, they are kept on a constant mental strain. Besides, they are, to a large degree, physically inactive. Life becomes too intense, too serious, too sordid. ”

“ How to Preserve and Improve Health, Strength, and Beauty; and to Correct Personal Defects caused by Want of Physical Exercise. How to Train for Walking, Running, Rowing, etc., with the Systems of the Champion Athletes of the World. ”

“ But systematic physical exercise has its sufficient reason in its aid to a graceful use of the limbs, its development of muscles that are left unused or rudimentary unless called forth by special training, and for the help it gives to the teacher in the way of school discipline. ”

“ But the opportunity to read and study instead of the necessity for climbing trees and chasing game means the loss of the condition that made for muscular activity, for good circulation, and good digestion. ”

“ While each exercise calls into play many other muscles than the ones for whose development the exercise is given, the exercise is classed under the group for the region which it is especially designed to benefit. ”

“ In short, when you exercise, realize what you are doing and what you are doing it for, and you will get the result. Put life and interest into your exercise, and avoid the listless, mechanical manner of going through the motions, so common in physical culture exercises. ”

“ Over Exertion.—Severe labor and violent exercise should be avoided. Many cases of broken-down health are due to excessive strain, the result of track races on wheel or foot, and similar indiscretions.
Age, Occupation, and Habit.—Physical exercises must be chosen with reference to the age, occupation, and habit of the individual. The young, the middle-aged, and the old will each, as a rule, require some direction as to kind, and some modification as to length and intensity, of the exercise. ”

“ Exercises and Their Object
To make yourself strong and healthy it is necessary to begin with your inside and to get the blood into good order and the heart to work well; that is the secret of the whole thing, physical exercises should be taken with that intention. This is the way to do it:—
(a) Make the heart strong in order to pump the blood properly to every part of the body, and so to build up flesh, bone, and muscle. Exercise: "Swimming" and "Wrist Pushing."
(b) Make the lungs strong in order to provide the blood with fresh air. Exercise: "Deep breathing." ”

“ Physical exercise in these various forms has its immediate and valuable influence upon the health condition of the individual student, if taken in sufficient quantity. It has its lasting and very much more important influence in those cases in which physical exercise becomes a habit. ”

“ Exercises for Muscles of Back; Exercises for Muscles of Abdomen; Swimming Exercises, for Back, Thighs, and Abdomen; Rope Pulling-exercises for Back, Chest, Waist, Legs, and Arms; Exercises in Trunk Flexions for Back, Abdomen, and Legs; Exercises with Chest Weights for Chest, Shoulders, and Arms; Boxing and Fencing; Classic and Esthetic Dancing an Essential Feature in Physical Training; Figures of the Dance with Some Simple Exercises.
Outdoor Exercises: Effect of Walking on the Heart and Lungs; Running; Mountain Climbing; Swimming; Horseback Riding as an Exercise ”

“ For those who live near streams or bodies of water, there are the delightful recreations of boating, swimming, and skating. Certain of these exercises have a practical importance aside from and above their use in increasing the physical vigor. ”

“ The work is not intended for professional athletes exclusively, but for all who desire to enjoy perfect physical health, which can only be acquired and retained by a proper regard for the laws of nature. ”

“ These matters are related not merely to the individual, but to the whole race, and, indeed, to the whole series of which the human race is but a part.
2. Of how much importance is physical exercise in the development of the brain? The modern school of psychologists tell us that from one third to one half of the brain surface has muscular functions; that this great fraction of the brain is concerned with making muscles contract, each little spot being concerned with its own muscle or group of muscles. ”

“ Then, this first initiation into the science of physical fitness achieved, they returned to the city, and during the rest of their lives devoted a large proportion of their time to perfecting their knowledge of the laws of health and developing the strength of their body. ”

“ They are secured through expansion by breathing, vocal culture, and a large number of physical exercises which are described. Food, clothing, the dwelling, horseback-riding, the will and will power, and many other physical agencies much neglected are discussed ”

“ Exercises of endurance include walking, running, swimming, and rowing—the range of movement in these is much more limited than in exercises of effort. In these, each movement is well within the individual’s powers, yet, by increasing the rapidity of the movements, or by their prolonged continuance, the total amount of muscular work accomplished may be very great. ”

“ For this purpose, pure air, enforced exercise, the use of cold, warm, and vapor baths, of spirituous lotions and frictions, a simple yet eminently nutritive diet, regular habits, and the administration of those medicinal alteratives which would give tone to the system, activity to the absorbents, and vigor to the muscles, were the remedial measures adopted. As their strength increased, they were led to practise the simpler gymnastic exercises,—running, jumping, climbing, marching, the use of the dumbbells, etc. ”

“ He invented a whole series of physical exercises, consisting mostly of positions, or postures, in which it was necessary to sit or stand, sometimes for an hour or so at a time, in the hope of prolonging life. ”

“ Amount and Kind of Exercise.—The amount of exercise required varies greatly with different individuals, and definite recommendations cannot be made. For each individual also the amount should vary with the physical condition and the other demands made upon the energy. One in health should exercise sufficiently to keep the muscles firm to the touch and the body in a vigorous condition. ”

“ Owing to the speed, complexity, and worry of modern life among all classes, and to the monotony of work in industry, recreation has [56] become a matter of vital importance for everyone. Some muscular activity, preferably in the open air, is needed by every healthy person. ”

“ Besides free exercises without apparels there were prepared exercises with and on apparatus which in their complicated combinations set every part of the muscular system in activity and, following the rules of the art, systematically develop the whole body, although the exercies and plays in the fresh air always remain the ideal of the invigeration of the body. ”

“ There is a kind of exercise, purely natural and mechanical, that renders the body robust without injuring the mind. Of this description are swimming, running, leaping, spinning tops, and throwing stones. All these are well enough; but have we nothing but arms and legs? Have we not eyes and ears as well? and are they of no use while the others are employed? Use, then, not only your bodily strength, but all the senses which direct it. Make as much of each as possible, and verify the impressions of one by those of another. ”

“ In short, if exercise is spontaneous and rational, qualitative rather than quantitative, for the nerves rather than for the muscles, it will improve the efficiency and facility of one’s habitual occupation, will establish a general vigor and stability of body, and maintain mental balance and alertness ”

“ When on lands of a couple of thousand feet elevation, brisk exercise imparts elasticity to the muscles, fresh and healthy blood circulates through the brain, the mind works well, the eye is clear, the step is firm, and a day's exertion always makes the evening's repose thoroughly enjoyable. ”

“ Physical exercises of some sort, then, should be provided for pupils in our schools, especially in large towns and cities, where there is little opportunity for outdoor games, and they should form a part of the regular course of study. The object should be the promotion of sound health rather than the development of muscle, or performing feats of agility or strength. Exercises with dumb-bells and wands, or even without any apparatus, practiced a few times a day, for five minutes at a time, do a great deal of good. ”

“ Hence a lengthy period of rest is necessary before he is able to renew his journey.
88. Amount of Physical Exercise Required. The amount of physical exercise that can be safely performed by each person, is a most important and practical question. No rule can be laid down, for what one person bears well, may prove very injurious to another. To a certain extent, each must be guided by his own judgment. ”

“ Relation of Proper Exercise to Health.—We are all aware that exercise in moderation has a beneficial effect upon the human organism. The pale face, drooping shoulders, and narrow chest of the boy or girl who takes no regular exercise is too well known. ”

“ Local Exercise.—I have intimated that the bones and muscles, the brain and nerves, the stomach and intestines, the liver, the chyle apparatus, the lungs, and the skin; are all more or less exercised and benefited by walking, running, gardening, house-keeping, or riding on horseback. ”

“ Finally, suitably selected muscular exercise has a favourable influence also 659upon the nervous system, the functional activity of which it facilitates, while at the same time it strengthens the powers of the will. ”