Physical Fitness

A Necessary Requisite for War-Time Leadership and Longer Life

Not since the era of President Theodore Roosevelt has a pronouncement been made to the naval service stressing physical fitness as a preparatory war measure, such as that recently issued by Secretary of the Navy Knox in a concise ALNAV¹ on this subject. In the intervening years much time, thought, and effort has been given to material readiness of ships, yet little of a practicable nature has been given to or provision made for the material or physical Welfare of the older officer personnel, and Upon this older group of officers will fall the heaviest responsibility and greatest strain of a vigorous naval campaign.

This statement carries no insinuation of dereliction on the part of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, for during this same period great strides have been made by this bureau to aid the general health of the Navy by constructive work afloat and ashore, by examinations, observations, education, and the most modern protective treatment.

A football team has a medical officer to care for the general health of the players and to repair injuries, but it is the coach and trainer who condition the men with the fighting edge and physical fitness so necessary for the grind of a championship game. In a similar manner the responsibility for the physical fitness of all naval personnel must rest in the chain of command.

The Naval Academy and the several Naval Training Stations are models of efficiency to the country at large on the handling of physical training. These institutions turn out a product that the nation may well be proud of. It must be borne in mind, however, that their material was carefully selected and had passed rigorous physical entrance examinations prior to acceptance into the Navy, with the result that after their preliminary training the youthfulness and splendid physiques of this class of officers and men need only opportunity, facilities, and incentive to carry this condition for some years.

Since the World War there has been a steady retrogression in American physical fitness affecting all ages. This in spite of the fact that medical science has been successful in greatly improving the national health. In 1890 life expectancy was only 43 years. Since then it has been raised to 61. Today we are on the road that leads beyond our long accepted "three score and ten" limitation. Yet as a nation we are soft.

The general use of the automobile instead of walking; lack of proper fields for outdoor exercises in the crowded and restricted living areas; employment of machines to ease manual labor; lack of interest in physical training for youth; and the influence of pacifists against military training of our youth have all contributed to lower our national physical standards. The Navy has not escaped this national trend.

Officers who have attained middle age or more have suffered most from our lack of system or failure to stress physical fitness as an attribute of command. It is upon officers coming within this age group that the responsibility of high command will fall during national emergencies or in actual warfare.

The record shows that this group has suffered more than the normal number of casualties during the last 20 years. Too many breakdowns, too much heart trouble, too many prematurely aged, for whatever reason—increased responsibility, selectionitis, or the increased tempo of life. It is believed that if the same people had actually been physically fit they would still be in their prime.

We all must admit that around the time we attain command rank the well-known "middle-aged spread" has moved in and unless successfully combated, it will greatly reduce our efficiency and disposition as well as our normal expectancy of life; all of which is borne out by statistical data. The transition from the active life of a junior officer to the sedentary life, confined chiefly to administration, demands a normal readjustment of habits that encompass both exercise and eating.

The purport of this article is to make available to naval officers a system of simple, practical exercises and advice on food that will, with the least effort and inconvenience, correct those out of condition and keep others in condition fit to fight.

To attain the high standard of fitness required for arduous service the individual must make an important contribution as conditions of active service render organized training for the older groups impracticable. Benefits derived from this system will be in direct proportion to the degree of application.

Self-Appraisement

Whether you belong to the corrective or preventive class will depend upon a searching self-analysis. Even though you may consider yourself fit, the application of the system will prove beneficial.

The following reflections will test your present-day condition and what you will face in the near future: How does your weight compare with that on graduation? Have you acquired a tummy, a jowl, and a spare tire around your midriff? Do you wheeze and blow on going upstairs, on climbing a hill, or after any exertion? Do small boys ever refer to you as that "fat man"? Does the tailor enter you as "stout" on his form sheet? Does the doctor after your annual physical mark you as obese? Does your wife ever nag you about your lack of trimness? Can you parade on the beach in a modern bathing suit and feel proud, knowing that your posture and proportions are correct? Do you ever say to yourself—"I am going to start getting myself into condition"?

Well, my friend, when any of the above conditions apply to you there can be no question but that the "middle-aged spread" is under way and that you are "fat and forty." But, just to prove the point, the final test is to strip down to a gantling and give yourself in the privacy of your own quarters, before a mirror, a minute and critical inspection. How many of us could be suddenly undressed and not have some physical defect to hide? The mirror test is infallible and will bring home the true situation as nothing else will. It is not easy. It's an awful shock. But one cannot be other than honest with one's self when faced with the bare facts. Look as if you have never seen yourself before; as if you were making a critical examination of a stranger. How do you measure up? Is your carriage and posture good? Is the flesh firm, well distributed and healthy looking? Is there any rippling of the muscles under the skin when you move? Is your tummy flat? Do you look lean and fit, or pudgy? Has your face puffed to the extent that it has lost character? Is the old double chin there? Are there deposits of fat you would like to hide?

If you meet these tests to your complete satisfaction you may not be interested in what is to follow, except from a preventive standpoint, but I am of the honest opinion that 90 per cent of my friends and acquaintances over forty could not enter a nudist colony and not be deeply chagrined; not from modesty alone but from physical appearance.

The Goal

Physical perfection is one of nature's greatest gifts and those so endowed are usually not worried about false modesty or natural exposure. On the other hand the great majority of us have developed so many imperfections that we are deeply conscious of our physical shortcomings and try to hide defects by the artifices of dress and duck under the guise of modesty.

Now that we have undergone a rigid test and made a self-appraisal of our defects and deficiencies, let's next note what corrections are desirable and set the standard that is to be attained. The tape measure, scales, and your own good judgment must supply the facts and establish the model you care to shoot for. First, we will look into the causes that have brought about the devastating ravages against our physical perfections. Nature itself causes the human body to undergo certain chemical changes as we head down the stretch into maturity and advance into the middle-aged class. We have ceased to have the same spring and spark that generates the power and perfect timing of the athlete. In our struggle to meet the economic conditions of the age we live in, the man, whether he be business, professional, or a laborer, has had to devote most of his time to his work and the establishment of a home and the rearing of a family. Twenty or more years of such an existence under modern conditions have tended to make him soft. His deep interest in the material things of life have diverted his attention from his own body. Along down this path of life we have kidded ourselves, grown lazy, and then we suddenly realize that we are in the grasp of the "middle-aged spread" and most of us just accept it and do nothing.

Of course the answer to the problem is that we should have kept fit all along, but how many have? We must accept the fact and determine what we are to do about it. The condition is a serious one. To do nothing means the accumulation of more fatty tissue, impairment of the digestive tract, greater load on the heart and other organs, and in the end a poisoning of the system, lack of efficiency, impairment of health, and ultimately passing out at a premature age with a lot of unfinished business on earth. It is not too late to atone for many of our past faults and indiscretions. It can be accomplished by a practical and sane method of living. It will, however, require intestinal fortitude, courage, and work.

There is no valid reason why most every individual cannot attain general improvement in his physique; acquire health and vitality, a fine skin, and a clear eye. It is, after all, your duty to yourself, to your family, and to your position to be as attractive as possible. Physical fitness, charm, and attractiveness will increase your effectiveness and with it all you will feel like a new person and be invigorated with new pep and vitality. Get fit and life will mean something new to you. Your disposition will be better; your capacity for work greatly improved. Your attitude on life and your relation to humanity in general will undergo a marked change for the better. You will be happier, healthier, and more efficient in the discharge of your duties.

If you are ready to make the effort, I can give the prescription for getting physically fit. It has been tried, it works. The system is the result of long study and experiences in athletics and general physical training. It will, however, require of you more than you have been accustomed to giving yourself. It will demand courage, hard work, bulldog determination, will power, and the will to make yourself fit.

The General System

My approach to the corrective methods is a practical one. I realize that ordinary physical training methods, regular exercise and proper diet will make us all fit. But we are not engaged in a normal life; we do not live under normal conditions; we are not going to do regular setting-up exercises; and we cannot all have well-regulated diets. Most of us are too old to make too radical readjustments in our normal mode of life. The life of a senior officer at sea is not a normal one in any sense of the word, so with this in view, and knowing the mental reaction of the average naval officer to a forced or regulated curriculum, I have tried to put out something that the individual may adjust to suit his particular condition and give him something he can follow with the least effort; something that will pay the greatest dividend for the least work.

In other words we are all lazy. To make this work it will have to appear easy to take and results must be soon apparent.

As a general rule overweight is caused by giving the body more fuel than it needs to generate the heat units required for normal functions.

In normal cases weight may be adjusted by paying careful attention to the amount of calories consumed. It has been estimated that the daily calorie output of office (desk) workers is about 2,500, of farmers 4,000, of excavators 5,000; the top output of the human body is around 8,000.

Since the calorie value of every food is known you can figure just how much you need to eat to keep yourself operating efficiently. If you eat more than your body needs to keep going, the extra nourishment collects on you as fat; if you eat less than this minimum, you will be burning some of your own tissue.

Obviously, the whole business of metabolism and calories is at the bottom of sound schemes for gaining or losing weight, for no matter how strenuously you may exercise about 90 per cent of any weight so lost will be only water and any weight gained will be due to increased hunger and hence intake of food.

Work With Nature

Look up a standard weight chart such as that provided by any insurance company and see what an average person of your height and age should weigh. This will vary up to 10 or 15 pounds depending upon many factors such as big bones, short neck, stocky build, etc. But your own common sense will dictate to you what your normal weight should be to be in the pink of condition.

This weight should be your objective. Now make up your mind to make this weight by normal living. Don't fool with fancy diets unless prescribed by a competent physician. Debunk yourself on prevalent ideas on diet and foodstuffs propagandized by high-pressure advertising.

 

1 ALNAV—Modern war requires the acme of physical fitness and fighting edge. Nothing shall be left undone to insure that all officers and men of our Navy are properly conditioned to meet the utmost demands of physical endurance. Paragraph eight of General Order 122 must be considered a minimum requirement. All commands afloat and ashore will immediately institute adequate and systematic exercises to bring personnel to peak of Physical fitness. Such measures will contribute to the continuance of the present high morale of the Navy.

The basic principle of food control with which the most conservative physician will not quarrel is to continue to eat about as much as you are accustomed to but only enough protein (meat, fish, eggs, etc.) to supply the body's tissue needs. To keep your stomach full and thus satisfy your normal hunger, increase your ration of bulky foods such as vegetables and fruits. To lose more than four or five pounds the first week, and more than two or three pounds a week thereafter is generally dangerous and faster than you should reduce.

Between meal eating, soft drinks and confections are naturally taboo.

This system may be said to be based on calorie control and moderate exercise. It is devised to meet the requirements of life at sea and to have consideration for the age, condition, and living situation of the senior officers of the Navy afloat or ashore.

We are out to reduce weight, increase muscular and heart tone by diet and practical appropriate exercises that we can and will do.

Every individual is different. The quantity of food consumed in some cases has relatively little bearing on weight. There is a great divergence in the like and dislike of various foods. In extreme cases of either overweight or underweight there may be an underlying organic reason, in which case a doctor should be consulted. This system is devised only for normal people who can pass a service physical examination, and approaches the subject from a purely physical culture standpoint with no desire to run afoul of the medical profession.

Food

A study of diet goes on and on with constant change, yet an ideal diet to meet all comers cannot be defined.

I personally dislike the word diet. It smacks of a hospital and no healthy man desires to think of himself as being on a diet. The remarkable thing about eating is that although everyone has to do it, almost no one takes the trouble to find out what eating means to himself or to his digestive system.

Proper Eating

Give it a try—you collect the dividend!

Wardroom messes are notoriously bad for well-selected, prepared, and served food which is mostly due to the lack of supervision on the part of officers.

Flag and cabin messes will be nearly as bad if stewards and cooks are not supervised. Navy cooks love to fry food in the same pan, lean to starches, and know little of balancing the diet. Hence the need of close supervision.

Every mess provides a sufficient variety of dishes to enable one to be selective in food. The smaller messes give ample opportunity for a carefully selected menu to cater to the individual needs.

In any mess the sound start for weight reduction and regulation is to abstain from fried food, cream, butter, potatoes, white bread, and a minimum amount of sugar. There is plenty to eat without gorging on the above.

Eat plentifully of fruit, vegetables, and lean meats; easy on desserts and little sugar in your coffee. Avoid second servings. Don't cheat by eating between meals. Watch your scales and you will note a marked improvement within ten days.

With this easy start one may begin to plan an eating campaign from what is available and select from the following:

Try a cup of water, as hot as you can drink it, flavored with lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit juice: (1) on arising in the morning; (2) at tea time; (3) before retiring at night. This is highly recommended both for reducing weight and as a stimulant for the old digestive tract.

Health Foods

Breakfast

1. Fruit juices and fruit melons or berries in season.
2. Eggs (poached or boiled), or lamb chop, or broiled liver, or broiled fish.
3. ½ slice toast, or 2 Uneeda biscuits, or 2 Rye Krisps.
4. Black coffee, tea, or mate. Milk if desired. No sugar. Saccharine may be used.

Lunch

(1) One of these:

1. two eggs, poached or boiled
2. cottage cheese and slice of pineapple or other fruit
3. salmon or tuna fish
4. shrimp with lemon juice or other broiled fish
5. lamb chop, or broiled liver, or broiled hamburger
6. roast beef
7. fowl, chicken, or turkey

(2) Salad of greens in season (dressing of lemon juice, vinegar, and mineral oil) or coleslaw.

(3) Vegetables:

string beans

spinach

mushrooms

cabbage

cauliflower

radishes

stewed tomatoes

sauerkraut

Brussels sprouts

onions

eggplant

squash

No potatoes, lima or navy beans, or peas

(4) Vegetable soup or consomme—no rice, no barley, no noodles

(5) Coffee, tea, lemonade or mate—no sugar (saccharine)

(6) ½ slice toast, 2 Uneeda biscuits, or 2 Rye Krisps

Dinner

1. Fruit cup
2. Vegetable, consommé or jellied soup
3. Steak, roast beef, fowl, 2 lamb chops, broiled
4. liver, broiled fish, or broiled lobster
5. Vegetables—same as for lunch
6. Green salad or coleslaw (lemon and oil dressing)
7. Desserts—jello, baked apple, water ices, fruit
8. Coffee or tea (no sugar)

Midnight Snack

Clear soup, tomato juice, fruit juice, piece of chicken, shrimp, coffee, fruit.

The above can be arranged for on board ship under service conditions without difficulty. Adherence to this system of eating will bring anyone down to the desired weight in a reasonable time. After weight is made it can be maintained with some deviation to the system.

Nine Day Diet for Reducing

When I let myself go for a period and desire to take off weight quickly I resort to a special diet that ordinarily will take off 9 pounds in 9 days. This diet is not recommended except for individuals like myself who fluctuate in weight by as much as 15 pounds depending upon how closely I adhere to my system of food control.

Every Day: Breakfast

Grapefruit and coffee

No seasoning on anything

Either coffee, tea, or mate every meal without sugar or cream

First Day: Lunch—Chicken sandwich on rye toast, one raw tomato

Dinner—Good-sized steak, sliced tomato, stalk of celery, lettuce, and endive or cucumber salad, ½ grapefruit

Second Day: Lunch—Jelly omelet or scrambled eggs, 3 Saltines

Dinner—Two thick lamb chops, stewed tomatoes, carrots or string beans, lettuce and tomato salad, 1/2 grapefruit or pineapple

Third Day: Lunch—Minute steak, stewed tomatoes

Dinner—Minute steak, stewed tomatoes, spinach, lettuce and tomato salad

Fourth Day: Lunch—Two lamb chops, sliced tomatoes

Dinner—Tenderloin steak, stewed tomatoes, plain carrots, 1/2 head lettuce

Fifth Day: Lunch—French toast

Dinner—Two lamb chops, stewed vegetables, celery, 3 olives, apple

Sixth Day: Lunch—Ham, cheese or chicken sandwich on rye toast, no butter

Dinner—Chopped meat, stewed tomatoes, endive or mixed salad, 1/2 grapefruit

Seventh Day: Lunch—Any appetizer, any meat, any vegetable, any salad, 1/2 helping of any dessert

Dinner—Scrambled eggs and sliced tomatoes

Eighth Day: Lunch—Egg omelet, 3 Saltines

Dinner—Two lamb chops, stewed carrots, celery, olives, ½ grapefruit

Ninth Day: Lunch—Scrambled eggs, sliced tomatoes, one apple

Dinner—Broiled halibut, 1 vegetable, green salad, celery, 3 olives, sliced orange

Stick to your calorie count but it is better to adhere to the menu recommended. It is carefully selected and ample. Give up that toast and coffee breakfast for good. I have seen rats that lived on a toast and coffee diet at Dr. Kellogg's Health Sanitarium at Battle Creek, Michigan. After three weeks they were horrible looking creatures.

The moderate use of alcohol for people past forty is beneficial but even the use of beer and light wines will make the going much harder to make your weight. After that you may regulate their use in accordance with your own judgment. Being on the wagon during the reducing period will be beneficial to you and the experience may well be worthwhile. Avoid rich hors d'oeuvres at "K.T." parties.

Thorough mastication of food and care of teeth are essential to good health. Some people find it efficacious to help weight reduction by not drinking liquids with meals.

After weight has been made please refrain from an eating spree as it comes back with startling rapidity.

Elimination

Hand in hand with food consumption and exercise must come the all important subject of elimination. The intestinal tract has suffered in modern man by the use of fancy foods and lack of work. It can be made to function regularly and without the use of physics by using bulk fruits and vegetables, few starches, fats and sugars, and by the generous use of mineral oil in salad dressing.

Hospitals use mineral oil in dressings. If properly mixed with lemon juice and good vinegar one cannot notice the difference in taste.

Everyone should have the equivalent of one to two tablespoonfuls of plain petrolagar every day. This along with the recommended tonic exercises will take care of this vital subject and make all the difference in the world in general health, weight, and tone of the nervous system.

Exercise

The body must have exercise of some kind to keep the muscles in tone, the heart (which after all is a muscular pump) in shape, and elimination functioning in order to promote the general health and resistance.

At our age not much exercise is required, especially violent types. If the food intake is under control some daily form of exercise, depending largely on the temperament of the individual, will suffice to promote health.

We have not the opportunity or the desire for much exercise. The exercise should not be a bore and it is difficult to raise the enthusiasm for a calisthenics drill as all the physical trainers advocate, although it is excellent and so recommended if you have been used to doing it. But in advanced life the slow, rhythmic exercises are better, will fill the bill, and do less harm to the heart.

Gene Tunney has recently put out a very excellent lecture on health, posture, exercise, and breathing. It is an excellent treatise on training but not sufficient in itself for the older groups who have not been used to regular exercise or training methods.

The first and best exercise we can take is to firmly shove ourselves away from the dining table before taking aboard too much food.

Walking is nature's first choice. The bodily organs are all in position and the effort is evenly distributed over the entire body. A 5-mile walk a day will certainly go far towards keeping the doctor away.

Golf is excellent as it adds additional exercise to walking, provides competition and companionship, and is a great relaxation for the brain.

Horseback riding is right at the top of the list for those who have the opportunity. It jolts a sluggish liver and the digestive organs in grand style and can be indulged in to a very ripe old age.

Swimming is one of the best, especially in salt water, and should be indulged in at every opportunity. Swimming also promotes exposure of the skin to the sun's rays. There is nothing more stimulating to the system than sunlight provided it is taken in the proper quantities.

In spite of the fact that many men who have passed the half-century mark indulge in more violent competitive games like tennis, squash, rackets, hockey, and even baseball, it may be authoritively stated that the individual would probably be much better off and less apt to put a tired heart to undue strain by putting away the rackets and bats at fifty and proceeding with exercises that require less exertion on the part of the individual.

Additional Exercises

The exercise day should start on awakening in the morning. Have you ever noticed how a dog or other animal stretches his muscles after a nap? Nothing could be better than to imitate the lower animal in this respect. Before arising go in for body stretching. Stretch the arms over head and breathe deeply. Twist the torso, stretch each leg in succession out to full length and elevate it to an angle of 45°. Then relax and breathe easily. This is splendid for muscular tone, circulation, and the nervous system.

The most modern exercise for getting a flat tummy and for the development and tone of the abdominal muscles is the "sucking up exercise." This may be practiced standing, sitting, or in the prone position. It simply consists in drawing in or "sucking up" the stomach and elevating the diaphragm and then suddenly relaxing and letting the stomach return to battery. This exercise can be done about ten times at a time, many times during the day, and will pay big dividends.

Note: Exercises numbers I, II, and III may be taken in your bunk.

Exercise I.—Prone on back. Extend and stretch legs. Take deep breath and raise legs to vertical position pivoting at the hip. Lower legs slowly while exhaling. Repeat ten times.

Exercise II.—Prone on back. Take deep breath. Draw up and suck in stomach. Repeat ten times.

Exercise III.—Prone on back. Draw heels up until they touch buttocks. Hands at sides. Raise midriff supported by shoulder blades and toes. Grind hips in circle left to right making wide sweep similar to Hula Hula "around-the-island" motion. Continue until tired. Relax and rest. Repeat when rested grinding from right to left. (Splendid for stomach, hips, back, and "tires.")

Out of bed—Continue exercise if you have the "pep" shifting to the "modern suction exercise" for reducing tummy as given by Gene Tunney. This exercise may be practiced at any convenient time during the day. It is easy and effective.

Exercise IV.—Stand erect, feet 18 inches apart. Hands clasped behind the head. Lock hips, draw up stomach creating muscular suction, and bend from the line of the lower ribs, never bending back from the line of "attention" position. Twist to the left, bend forward, and sweep to the right coming back to original standing position. Do it 40 times each way. Start off with 10.

Exercise V.—Stand at attention, lock hips, buttock muscles taut. Raise hands as high as possible shoulder width apart. Take in breath as arms raise. After reaching the zenith bring arms down (palms down) directly in front until they touch the knees. Exhalation should start from the moment arms start descending and be completed at the moment the hands touch the knees, when "suck up" or suction action of the abdominal muscles takes place. Ten at first, work up to 40.

Exercise VI .—From position of attention "suck up" stomach, take a long step with the left foot, bend forward reaching out with the right arm, fist tightly clenched until you rap the deck eight or nine inches in front of the toes of the left foot. Come back to attention with a vigorous jerk with right arm crooked and muscles taut. Do this exercise fifteen times, then reverse the procedure by putting right foot forward and have the left hand do the reaching out and jerking back to position.

After these exercises always end up with deep breathing. Now for your shower and a shave. You will also have an appetite for breakfast. Many of you have a pet exercise of your own or mechanical apparatus. The more the better.

Some Extra Conditioners

Exercise VII.—Stand upright, spread feet apart and, with hands on hips, bend forward from the waist in a deep bow. Then straighten up and bow towards the right as far as you can. Up again, then bow to the left the same way. Finally, straighten up and bend backward as far as you can. Do this exercise with a swinging motion, pivoting at the waist.

Exercise VIII.—Stand erect, raise arms above head, then, bending forward, touch your toes with Your finger tips. Straighten up and repeat.

Exercise IX.—Stand erect, hands on hips. Lower to squatting position as if you are going to sit on your heels. At same time stretching arms straight out to the sides. Rise bringing hands back to hips. Repeat as desired.

Exercise X.—The Crew, my favorite for arms and to keep shoulders back. Lie face downward flat on the deck with the palms of the hands on the deck even with the shoulders, toes touching naturally. Straighten out the arms, lifting the body, back straight so you are supported by hands and toes. Let body down until chin touches the deck. Repeat until tired.

Exercise XI.—Lie flat on your back with arms at sides, palms touching the deck on level with hips. Bring the legs up without bending the knees and try to touch the deck beyond your head with your toes. Then bring legs back to original position and bend forward from the hips and reach forward until your finger tips touch your toes.

Give some, or all of these exercises a try with regularity for a period of two weeks. You will feel so much better by that time that you will be enthusiastic about keeping them up. The difficult part is to get the correct mental attitude to start.

Conclusion

I invite our older officers to give this system of physical development some serious consideration. We are the group upon which the responsibility of naval command is carried. It is the group that has been cracking under the pressure of selection, responsibility, and poor condition. As we prosecute the war this group will be saddled with responsibilities unknown in peace time; will be subjected to mental and physical tasks of an unusual order. It is this group that needs help now and my effort is directed to provide the methods to aid those who desire to get into condition to fight, to stand up under the strains of sea warfare and long campaigns afloat.