Life at sea has always been more rigorous than life ashore. Fighting the sea, the elements, and a wartime enemy from a fragile craft demanded shrewd, determined, and physically fit men. It still does. But, going to sea has changed greatly: the ships are not quite as fragile, and, although shrewdness and determination are still needed, the emphasis today is more on the individual’s technological qualifications than on his physique. When a ship needs an expert radar technician, the most superbly conditioned athlete cannot help unless he happens also to be well-grounded in sophisticated electronics. Perhaps this shift in emphasis accounts partly for the progressively worsening level of sea service physical fitness—but only partly.
Since more than 90% of the men and women in the sea services came from the general population of the United States, their condition of physical fitness probably reflects that of the U. S. public. Comparison favors service personnel because they are younger than the general adult population and had to meet certain physical standards for acceptance. Thus, members of the sea services are in somewhat better physical condition than healthy young adults in the general population, but probably not greatly so.
There are no records to tell us how the public and sea service personnel compare as far as physical fitness is concerned. There are health records of sorts, but these are too sketchy to give a good indication of general health, let alone physical fitness which, after all, is more intangible. Mortality records, on the other hand, are more definite. They show that the leading killers of Americans are: (1) heart disease—40%, (2) cancer—17%, (3) stroke—11%, (4) accidents—6%, (5) influenza and pneumonia—3%, and (6) certain diseases of infancy—2%. Prominent in the remaining causes of death are arteriosclerosis—2%, diabetes—2%, circulatory system diseases—1.6%, bronchopulmonic diseases—1.6%, and cirrhosis of the liver—1.5%. Sea service personnel deaths rank in the same categories with minor variations.
Thus, where cause of death is influenced at all by physical fitness (heart disease, stroke, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, circulatory ailments, bronchopulmonic diseases, and cirrhosis), there is good reason to suspect that the same, at least partially causative, fitness shortcomings pertain with sea service personnel as with the general adult population. These shortcomings can include overweight, flabby musculature, poor posture, shortness of breath, low resistance to respiratory infection, early fatigue, indigestion, inadequate sleep, nervous tension, and backache. Although these shortcomings are less prevalent in the sea services than in the general population, they do, in fact, exist there, and their causes are known: improper diet (overeating and unbalanced intake), excessive drinking (sweet, carbonated beverages as well as alcohol), smoking, absence of physical activity or regular exercise, poor sleeping habits, and drug abuse. The fact that some of our younger sea service people show signs of regressing physical fitness is not surprising because the same factors have appeared in our young adult general population. The fact that more young people (under 40 years of age) die of heart disease today than ever before in the nation’s history may relate to their lowered physical fitness. Older sea service personnel, though not yet as much involved with drugs, having matured in a period when exposure was minimal, do suffer the other debilitating signs.
In large part, this country’s population has grown sedentary. We watch television, play bridge or poker, watch athletic contests, ride in automobiles, buses, trains, airplanes, ride to theaters, concerts, banquets, cocktail parties, listen to records, tapes, radio, and so on. We have become watchers, riders, and listeners rather than doers, and this attitude has started to carry over into the sea services.
Physical fitness, though a personal matter, impinges on a person’s ability to perform professionally. Because of their natural sense of well-being, physically fit people tend to have self-confidence and an optimistic outlook. Being stronger, they have genuine staying power that staves off fatigue. Work, in fact, really is easier for them, and, as a result, they enjoy doing it and can take on great challenges successfully. Emergencies find them ready and capable so that they perform well under stress, and, their morale being high, they inspire others by example. So, the officer, petty officer, or seaman/private whose physical fitness is impaired, not only loses out himself, but also his family, his outfit, and his country are all shortchanged. Of supreme importance to the individual himself is the fact that improving his physical fitness also improves the quality of his life. Not only will he live longer; he will live happier, healthier, be more productive, and enjoy life more fully.
The factors most vital to good physical fitness are: regular physical activity or regular exercise/running as a substitute; proper diet; adequate rest; and good mental attitude. Taking them one at a time, regular physical activity appears first because, to a large extent, it governs the other factors. The physically inactive person tends more toward a defective diet because his body does not place high demands on its fuel supply. It takes training and discipline to eat correctly in the absence of appetite-stimulating physical activity. By the same token, an inactive person does not really need his sleep and therefore sleeps indifferently. Mental attitude, on the other hand, depends somewhat on the other three factors as well as the happiness of one’s personal life. As used here, it implies an enlightened desire to become and remain physically fit by consistent, appropriate application of the other three factors and by avoiding any and all actions that might do damage to the desired state of physical fitness.
In the absence of regular physical activity, substitution must be made. That is, people with desk jobs or equivalent must exercise regularly. If they swim, play tennis, squash, handball, badminton, or some related game, they must do so almost daily for at least half an hour. If they play golf or lift weights, they must augment those activities with a running program. Regularity is the essence of any physical fitness program, and regular exercise combined with running can do wonders. For maximum economy of time usage, a combined exercise (calisthenics) and running program need only be done every other day for about 30 minutes per session. Naturally, such a program must be entered into gradually because the untrained body can suffer damage, if forced into too ambitious a pace at the outset. For this reason, embarking on such a new program without supervision is for the experienced exerciser/runner only. Wise beginners either join an established physical fitness group at the Y.M.C.A., take up a game like handball with a partner on a regular basis, or follow a professionally prescribed regimen of gradually accelerated exercise and running.
After getting over the “breaking in” period (3 to 20 weeks, depending on one’s initial state of physical fitness), an effort threshold is reached, and suddenly it becomes more like fun where before it was hard work. Then, the benefits of regular workouts begin to show themselves: food tastes better, one sleeps better and requires less sleep, digestion improves, life becomes more interesting, work seems easier and doesn’t tire one as it used to. Suddenly, it’s a bright, new world!
Owing to the modern food selection and preparation practices that prevail in nearly all sea service galleys, proper diet should not be a problem unless the problem is self-made. It can result from finicky eating habits, unsupervised dieting, or overeating/overdrinking. if overeating/overdrinking have caused more than 20% overweight (above normal for age, sex, and body frame), a physician-prescribed diet should be followed and a light exercise and modest walking program undertaken until body weight drops below the 15% overweight level. Then, with doctor’s approval, a more vigorous exercise and running program can begin. Starting an ambitious program while 20% or more overweight can do injury to joints, particularly ankles and knees that may have been weakened earlier in life through injury. Also, the possibility of an unsuspected heart condition in overweight men must not be overlooked. Even if neither condition exists, the unaccustomed strain of running again, carrying the extra mass of overweight, can injure muscles and joints. Such injuries not only interrupt the program, they often discourage its continuation, and it takes careful therapy as well as patient counseling to keep such injured people with the program. In actual practice, more often than not they quit, never to resume after painful injury, and these are often the people who need the program most.
At this point, it might be wise to interject the admonition that, if any question regarding state of health exists, with or without overweight, approval of one’s doctor must be sought before starting such a program. People who are underweight but healthy and have been inactive, will, almost without exception, gain weight when they take on a regular program of exercise and running simply because their appetites improve. Thus, whether overweight or underweight, an exercise and running program with a physician’s approval can improve one’s physical lot, if matched simultaneously with a proper diet.
With regard to adequate rest, most healthy people do well on 6 to 8 hours sleep a day, occasionally sleeping around the clock (10 or 12 hours) to catch up, if they have missed some sleep. The body will not tolerate losing sleep through keeping late hours indefinitely. Sooner or later, illness or collapse occurs. The person who gets by on little or no sleep is usually the one who spends a good part of his waking hours “resting.” Regular sleeping, whether once a day (6 to 8 hours) or twice a day (3 to 4 hours—for watchstanders, for example), pays off in alertness, good appearance, health, and a feeling of well-being. Scheduled exercise and running will ensure that the kind of sleep one gets and the restfulness that results leave nothing to be desired. Persons middle-aged and older especially appreciate this benefit, for sound sleep in the young is a common gift that sometimes evaporates as one grows older.
One might expect that, everything else being equal, a good mental attitude would naturally follow when a person is well nourished, adequately rested, and takes part in regular physical activity. However, the will to stay physically fit must persist or one of the other requirements may slip. Making a habit of watching late films on television, when the working day starts at 0800, tends to erode one’s physical fitness. So will frequent coffee drinking and heavy smoking, by affecting one’s appetite for regular meals and by doing undefinable harm to the nerves and lungs. Likewise, missing out on scheduled exercise because of an over-full social calendar may eventually subvert one’s fitness. Therefore, a good mental attitude means constantly keeping in mind the goals and rewards of continued health and happy, productive, high-quality living through maintenance of good physical fitness. It boils down to an intelligent exercise of will power by emphasizing the positive factors and avoiding those known to be detrimental. Having reached the desired state of physical fitness, backsliding even a small amount is immediately noticeable, and corrective reaction becomes quickly effective in the presence of good mental attitude.
Because sleep and diet factors in the sea services seldom present a problem, the areas most needing improvement lie in physical activity and mental attitude. In small ships and submarines at sea, lack of space inhibits exercise and running, although in moderate and heavy seas, on board small surface vessels, much body energy is burned up in fighting ship motion. Still, even in the smallest ships and submarines, modifications of the exercise and running program can make it nearly as effective as one conducted ashore. In larger vessels, the abundance of space allows as comprehensive a program as any shoreside gymnasium or Y.M.C.A. can offer. Because no equipment is required, even the most remote small station can accommodate a highly beneficial exercise and running program. Most vital to the success of such a program anywhere is the wholehearted belief in its advantages by the participants, and this is where the good mental attitude is born. This kind of belief cannot be forced by bullhorn or by directive. It must be transmitted by the educational process. When each man understands that a regular program of exercise and running will make him feel better, look better, work better, lead a fuller life, and probably live longer, even those who shun exercise normally may be motivated to give it a try. It should be emphasized, however, that the most effective persuasion comes from example: genuine participation on the part of all officers in every rank and age group. If the seaman sees his division officer and CO perspiring as they complete their roadwork, it will strengthen his belief in the program. Naturally, an officer’s participation can be genuine only if he himself believes in the program and what it can do for him.
As mentioned earlier, a minimal physical fitness program of three 30-minute workouts a week will maintain good physical fitness, if followed regularly. It will also bring an average, untrained individual to a good state of fitness in about three months. The process can be speeded by holding four, five, or six workouts a week and, if maintained, would keep the individual at a higher level of physical fitness. However, this is a matter of personal choice and convenience. One does not have to be an Olympic champion to benefit from fitness, and for most people three workouts per week will be sufficient. Moreover, physical training of the untrained person must be entered into gradually to avoid injury to muscles, ligaments, and joints that are unaccustomed to the stresses that a vigorous exercise and running program entails.
Each workout consists of a warmup, exercise period, running period, and cooldown period in that order. Table 1 is a good basic workout. Each phase should be conducted in the order shown without cessation until the workout is completed.
Table 1
Phase | Minutes | Exercise |
Warmup | 7 | Walk 75 yds, jog 75 yds; walk 75 yds, jog 150 yds; walk 75 yds, jog 225 yds; walk 75 yds, jog 300 yds. (Include walking exercises while walking.) |
Exercise | 5 | Calisthenics that exercise leg muscles, back muscles, belly muscles, chest muscles, and arm muscles, such as clapstraddles, pushups, shoulder curls, situps, leg lifts, and leg swings. |
Running | 10 | Run continuously 2,500 yds or as close as possible without straining. Use fastest comfortable distance pace. Do not rest unless distressed. |
Cooldown | 8 | Walk 75 yds doing breathing exercises, jog 300 yds; walk 75 yds doing mild walking exercises, jog 225 yds; walk 75 yds doing mild walking exercises, jog 150 yds; walk 75 yds doing mild walking exercises, jog 75 yds; walk 75 yds backwards. If pulse rate has not dropped below 120, walk slowly until it does. |
Following the workout, a leisurely shower should be taken. Water should start out being warm to hot and be gradually cooled until it is cold or near-cold enough so that all perspiring stops. This will prevent chilling upon exposure to outdoor temperatures, particularly in winter. A good shower rewards a well performed workout, and it should be enjoyed. Rushing through the shower so that perspiration appears while dressing nullifies some of the benefit of the workout and should be avoided.
In the beginning, the untrained person must lighten the workout to avoid injury or unnecessary pain, but within a few weeks (in some cases, days) the full workout can be used. If he is young (under 40), after his body is trained, he may want to extend the running period to a greater distance, perhaps to 5,000 yards or more. Again, this must be done gradually, and the cooldown must get its full 8 minutes or more to slow the pulse to under 120 beats per minute.
After reaching the stage where the heart and lungs are in good condition (about three months), running greater distances will not necessarily bring continued improvement at the same rate. A sort of law of diminishing returns takes hold, and, sooner or later, no amount of increasing the distance run will further improve the heart and lungs. By the time he has reached this point, however, the participant will be “hooked” by the feeling of well-being the workouts give him. Then even a day or two’s layoff from workouts will produce a very noticeable letdown, and the body’s natural desire to re-attain the good feeling will urge its owner to resume the workouts. But, if too many workouts are missed, getting back to the trained condition will require the same kind of beginner’s effort for a number of workouts until the comfortable plateau is reached again.
A common error arises from man’s competitive nature, and it must be dispelled early. There must be no competition in the workouts, particularly in the running period, because trouble can ensue in the form of injury to the untrained or less trained runner. The injury can be a pulled or torn muscle, ligament, or something as subtle as internal pain that lingers for several days after running beyond one’s ability. This can be discouraging to a newcomer and has caused some people to part with an otherwise rewarding physical fitness program.
No equipment is needed. Attire for the workout will depend on whether it is conducted outdoors or inside, the climate, and season of the year. Inside workouts or summer workouts outdoors require only shorts, athletic shirt, supporter, socks, and sneakers or running shoes. During the cold months, running and exercising outdoors may also require a sweatsuit, a towel worn as a muffler, a woolen cap like a watch cap, and, optionally, gloves. Running in very cold weather calls for a ski jacket or car coat worn over the sweatsuit to prevent chilling. Likewise, a rainsuit jacket may be needed if running in rainy weather. In severely cold weather, the cooldown may be accomplished indoors to avoid chilling. If the running period takes place outdoors, some consideration must be given to the surface to be run on, the terrain, visibility (lighting), routes to be run, whether or not motor vehicles present a hazard, and so on. Generally speaking, light-colored or white clothing is best because it is easily visible and will prevent accidents. Some runners who have had close calls wear the high-visibility, striped orange and white vests that traffic policemen use. Safety must be stressed in any exercise/running program, safety from all angles, such as;
► getting doctor’s approval before taking part,
► bringing overweight down to under 15% above normal,
► embarking on the physical fitness program gradually,
► making up for skipped workouts,
► avoiding competition in workouts (running),
► wearing proper clothing for conditions,
► carrying out warmup and cooldown procedures safely,
► scheduling workouts more than two hours after and one hour before eating, and
► abstaining from smoking or drinking alcohol for at least one hour after the workout.
Adherence to these rules of safety will ensure that all the benefits accrue from a physical fitness program without the mishaps or accidents that sometimes can introduce a sour note.
Before a program such as listed in Table 1 can be implemented sea service-wide, it must be approved by the medical authorities, and top management in all the sea services must be convinced that the program has undeniable value. The best way to prove it, of course, is to try it one’s self. Nothing convinces people of the value of a physical fitness program like taking part in it. Many thousands of people have been convinced in exactly that way, and very few skeptics have been sold without taking part. Younger people who have allowed themselves to get out of condition say, “Oh, that’s for older people who have to worry about their hearts.” The answer is that atherosclerosis is no respecter of youth or age. It is just as possible to die of heart disease at 6 as at 60. In fact, atherosclerotic conditions have been observed in the newborn. Fortunately, the physical activity of childhood usually nullifies those conditions. For those who are middle-aged or older and say “I’m too old to go prancing around a track; that’s a program for youngsters,” there is another answer: the best way to begin feeling younger and make the feeling last for years is to “prance” around a track regularly and combine it with regular exercise.
This article does not purport to offer a cure for drug abuse, but people who are physically fit tend to stay away from drugs merely because they know that drug abuse is harmful to their condition of fitness. Thus, a physical fitness program, regularly and earnestly followed, should automatically prevent drug abuse in its participants.
If the sea service upper echelons were to decide that a universal physical fitness program should be implemented, a strongly persuasive educational presentation would be needed to get the message to all sea service personnel at every level. As stated earlier, people cannot be forced to believe in a physical fitness program; they must be honestly persuaded. Belief has to come about by understanding what the program means, what it can do for them, and how it can help in everyday living. Once this kind of understanding exists, belief in the program will become a reality, and wholehearted participation will not be far behind. But it must be nurtured with great care.
Under such a program, all members of the sea services would undergo a physical fitness testing, and the results would be recorded using standard grading methods and standard forms. Each person would be notified of his/her scores in each category of fitness so that progress could be noted at each subsequent quarterly physical fitness testing. Then, for the first time in the nation’s history, physical fitness records for a relatively large, stable population would begin to be compiled. As time went on, these records would enable meaningful study of the effects of physical training on the health and well-being of people, their professional performance, their work output, and their morale. Compilation of those records would afford benefits the value of which can only be hinted at now.
Today, the United States is quietly undergoing the most lethal epidemic in its history. The cardiovascular diseases: heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and circulatory system diseases killed more than one million Americans in 1970. Back in the 1920s and 1930s, when as many as 250,000 died of tuberculosis in a single year, it was regarded a serious epidemic and was dealt with accordingly over the three decades that followed. Cardiovascular diseases, although just as serious, have been played down because of the impression that they are diseases of old age—even though the young are dying of cardiovascular diseases in greater numbers today than ever before. Nearly half the people stricken with their first heart attack do not survive the trip to the hospital, and many of them are under 40.
It is now known that physical fitness is an important factor in such survival. The physically fit person tends not to have cardiovascular disease in the first place, and, if he does suffer a heart attack or stroke, he survives it better and recovers more quickly because he is physically fit. Thus, it becomes evident that this current, quietly vicious epidemic of cardiovascular disease deaths might be stemmed at all age levels by a preventive maintenance kind of treatment that involves regular exercise and running, proper diet, adequate rest, and weight control.
In a matter of two years, a physical fitness program involving all sea service personnel would furnish enough data to confirm the validity of the statement above. Then, by comparing present sea service and U. S. public cardiovascular death rates with those two years hence, proof of the need for a national physical fitness program could be established. It could then be expressed in terms of the tens of thousands of lives that might have been saved over the preceding two-year period. If the current downward trend in physical fitness can be reversed, this would give the sea services renewed vigor, improving job performance and morale to levels previously considered theoretical, while simultaneously providing many sea service people a new and better lease on life. Hopefully, the lesson would not be lost on the rest of the nation.
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Captain Morosky graduated from the U. S. Coast Guard Academy in 1943 (Class of 1944), served at sea in Coast Guard cutters on convoy escort duty in the North Atlantic, then made the Aleutians, Okinawa, China, and Korea circuit at the close of World War II in the USS Sellstrom (DE-255). Following search and rescue controller duty at ComEastArea, Coast Guard, N.Y., he underwent flight training at Pensacola and Corpus Christi in 1949, served at the Coast Guard Air Station, Floyd Bennett Field, N.Y., and at Traverse City, Michigan. He was Senior Aviator, CGC Eastwind during Arctic operations of 1951 and 1952, when the U. S. Air Force Base at Thule, Greenland, was constructed. After resigning his regular commission in 1954, he accepted a reserve commission in 1955. He has been employed by General Dynamics Corporation’s Electric Boat Division for 14 of the past 15 years, and he is currently President of the Y.M.C.A. Physical Fitness Council in Norwich, Connecticut.