practice with the other exercises. Where vomiting is not one of the troubles, the forward and backward bends are all right to use at the commencement.
These exercises are not as vigorous physically as those recommended for constipation and some other ailments. At the same time there is enough action to prepare the muscular toning for the exercises that follow in the various stages of progression. However, the circulatory organs are stimulated and the blood stream wonderfully nourished.
Constipation requires a somewhat more vigorous routine, due to the collection
of feces that has clogged the intestinal passages. The exercises must be such that a continual massage is being brought to bear upon the intestines, at the same time that their natural functioning abilities are being repaired.
Laxatives rob the channels of evacuation of their natural power. All along these passages are rings of muscles that contract and relax continually, and which gather and thrust the feces along the passages. As I have said, drugs interfere with the work of these muscles by relieving them of their natural duty, and the trouble is that the muscles deteriorate with non-use. When the body has become used to the effect of the drugs, which it does sometimes, the person faces a serious proposition.
However, I have known of many chronic cases of constipation effectively cured by exercise. The muscles of the abdomen are naturally equipped to aid the thousands of ring muscles that are part of the intestines.
Body builders have made the expression habitual, when describing the
abdominal muscles, as having a washboard appearance. They have more than a washboard appearance; they have the washboard effect, continually massaging the intestines in order to prevent solidification of feces and stimulate
evacuation; but we never see a victim of this ailment with a well developed set of abdominal muscles. In most cases the waistline is large, sagging, and fat. The muscles have lost their elasticity, and the armour of muscle
protection is gone. A victim can wear all the body belt supporters he likes, but nothing like that will give back life to the deteriorated muscular tissue.
In a chronic case, I generally advise a few days fast, in order to give the stomach a rest. As a matter of fact, a short fast is sometimes advisable with stomach trouble, but not in all cases. A person should always seek advice on this before going ahead on his own initiative.
Since the working powers of the muscles have gone, we are obliged to devise exercises that will perform these duties as much as possible, and at the same time coax these muscles back into vigorous existence and build them up. The most commonly known exercise for the abdomen is the "sit-up." In this
exercise the person lies full length on the back upon the floor, with some heavy object across the feet to hold the legs down as the sit-up is made.
This is performed by either folding the arms upon the chest or locking the hands behind the neck. From the prone position the exerciser rises to the sit-up position, and then lowers the body back, repeating the movement a number of times. Personally, I do not like the exercise from a curative point of view, in fact, not for a beginner. My objection is based upon the fact that beginners, who are not seeking curative aid, are seldom able to perform the movement correctly. They invariably come up with a snap, which is wrong. Others cannot do it at all. A very few can. The movement should
be done slowly in both raising and lowering the body, so that the muscles receive full play and give the desired effect upon the intestines. I prefer this exercise for a more advanced stage of muscle building. In its place I advocate sitting upon the floor with the feet under some object, back straight, and the arms folded behind the back, leaning at the slightest possible angle backwards. From this position twist the body from side to side as much as possible with a slow movement. After this, lie flat upon the floor on the back, then place the hands on the floor and raise the body until the arms are straight and only the hands and heels are resting on the floor.
Keep the body free from any bend. Now raise one leg straight as high as you can. Keep the legs moving thus, one after the other. Then you can practice drawing the knees up to the body alternately. Both exercises are good.
In the more advanced exercises, I find that raising the body onto the
shoulders, from the prone position, with the hands pressed upon the hips, and the elbows on the floor as a means of support, is a very good body reducer and aid for constipation. From this position the legs should be worked up and down in a movement similar to pedaling a bicycle. This exercise can be followed by another exercise from the prone position. Lie flat upon the back and place the hands under the hips, then raise one leg upwards in a circular movement towards the head. As the leg is lowered, the heel should not be allowed to touch the floor; then raise the other leg. Keep the legs
straight, raising and lowering in a slow rhythmic movement. After this, the same position can be adopted, and both legs raised together.
As a further aid a good massage of the abdominal muscles will help considerably.
The beauty of the last two exercises is that they develop the muscles of the abdomen from the lower extremities of the abdomen upwards. This part of the abdomen is of the most importance. From the line of the navel down into the groin, the fourth twin muscle of the abdomen begins and ends. It is in this region that the appendix becomes affected, and hernia is made possible or impossible, according to the state of development in which the muscles are.
I have seen many body culturists who could show a nice upper abdominal display, but were sadly neglectful of the lower part. That is another fault of the "sit-up." It develops mostly the abdominals from the chest to the navel, and the last pair of muscles which are long and wedge shaped are almost passed over. The exercise where one and both legs are raised while lying on the back in the prone position is the best, as it gets them all.
Better progression can be made upon this exercise, by increasing the resistance by hooking a light kettle bell over each foot.
These last two exercises, and the shoulder stand, or bicycle tread, are
effective in strengthening the lower torso, and should be among the exercises used by those who feel that they have a tendency to rupture. The external oblique muscles should be specialized upon in hernia tendencies. I have actually known of several cases of hernia cured by these and other exercises.
Hernia is the result of weak musculature. The muscles of the body are our anatomical protectors, and if we neglect them we are trifling with our lives equally as much as the soldier who forgets his rifle.
An exercise that I like very much for strengthening the external oblique muscles is practiced by taking a fairly light dumb-bell in each hand, of about fifteen pounds each, then raise them to arms' length overhead, and stand with the feet set firmly apart. Look up at the dumb-bells and lean over sideways as far as you can, then straighten up and lean over to the other side. Keep up the movement, and you will find that the weights held overhead will cause a great leverage from the external oblique muscles in order to bring the body back to the erect position. Then again, the
dumb-bells are so light that the arms will not tire before the side muscles get their workout, and the overhead principle provides a fine leverage upon which the exercise can be made progressively more difficult.
Do not practice the "sit-up" or the leaning forward exercise with a weight held behind the neck, if you feel the tissue of the groin to be weak. In
fact, do not perform any exercises that have a bearing down tendency upon the abdomen. Exercises performed upside down are always good and can be safely practiced.
Perhaps the condition of nervousness is another of the most common ailments that often makes life seem unbearable. A nervous person may not be too sick to work, but he finishes the day ragged, and always on edge. This condition, more than any other, is a lack of body toning. It is invariably a condition of the nerve cells that have been deprived of the necessary amount of
nutriment in proportion to nerve expenditure. Among people whose vocation involves more mental effort than physical, are found the largest numbers of sufferers. The muscles of the body lie under the skin practically useless, expending none of their surplus energy, and conserving none. Your batteries are running on their own reserve, and that cannot last. What we put out must be accounted for. Nature demands some form of recuperation, and that is only obtained from physical stimulus. Insomnia is one of the big evils resultant upon nervousness. Even the hours nature has set on one side for recuperation and conservation are stolen by this fiend. But it is a condition that has to be decided by the individual. It is not a condition which has to be put up with, or that cannot be overcome. Exercise will solve the problem.
A number of years ago, one of my clients, who was one of the biggest business men in America, was a nervous wreck, and on two occasions I was informed he had tried to end his life. Everything, apparently, had been done. The best
experts in one thing and another had failed. Two of our foremost physical instructors had failed, and also an imported expert from Europe. I was later approached, and when I had my first interview with this millionaire, he frankly told me that he did not believe any one could help him. I talked to him, and he placed his confidence in me, and inside of three months I had a
new man. According to our tests he had improved 230 per cent and he showed his gratitude to me in many ways. I applied psychology with exercise in this case and won. I try to apply psychology with every person I handle. In the thousands whom I have handled, I have learned a lot in applying it. I study them, place myself in their shoes, and figure out what I would do in the ignorance of facts. Ultimately I see their problems, and my knowledge and experience on health and body building have successfully helped me to bridge the gap and restore all who were willing to help me, help them.