Your Body At Its Best

ONE EVENING, many years ago, a young man came to the home of that great
humanitarian, Orison Swett Marden, in search of a formula by which he might
increase his ability and power to succeed. The young man was pale and weary
with signs of dissipation in his face.

Mr. Marden listened attentively to the young man's plea. When he had
finished, Mr. Marden asked in his gentle, friendly way: "What is your work,
my boy?"
"I'm a student at the university," he answered.
"But you look so tired and so weary," said Mr. Marden questioningly.
"Well, you see, Mr. Marden, I'm working my way through college," explained
the young man. "That means late study hours every night. I get pretty tired,
and I drink a lot of coffee to keep me going. Sometimes I take a little
whisky, too — to pep me up a bit when I'm just about all in."

The old gentleman looked at the young man quietly for a moment. Then he
spoke to him slowly, in a kindly, yet forceful way: "My son, if you
sincerely want my advice, then I'll gladly give it to you." The young man
nodded his eager consent. "First of all you must recognize the fact that
artificial stimulus is like a whip to a tired horse. It saps your energy and
can lead only to disaster. The only certain way to increase ability, to
multiply and strengthen one's faculties, is to build a good foundation of
health — a sound and a healthy body — and then to guard it as your most
precious possession, for that is really what it is. Vigorous, abounding
health will emphasize, reinforce, and multiply the forcefulness of all your
faculties, and the sum of these faculties constitutes your ability — the
force that creates, that achieves."

Mr. Marden's advice to that young man so many years ago is just as good and
vital for every one of us today, men and women, young and old.

If you really want to succeed in life, then, first of all, go out and build
a sound and healthy body, and henceforth protect it as one of your most
precious treasures, for that is really what it is.

In this great new atomic era with its fierce and growing competition in
every worthwhile endeavor, physical fitness will play a tremendously
important role. The winners will be, in general, men with powerful vitality,
tremendous staying power. Success or failure will depend to a very great
extent on physical reserve-power — plus vitality. Herbert Spencer put it
this way: "To be a good animal is the first requisite to success in life."

"Survival of the fittest" is the law
of the jungle. It is equally true in man's struggle for success — the
physically fit will push to the front, and the frail and weak of body will
fall behind. Physical weakness is, indeed, a trying handicap. It greatly
discounts the possibilities of real success. If you do not back up your
special talents, and special training, with abounding health, you will
always be at a terrible disadvantage. Nine out of ten of the physically
handicapped are doomed to mediocrity or failure.
Of course there have been some who have accomplished great things in life
despite physical frailties or physical handicaps. But they are the
exceptions and do not disprove the general rule. For example, St. Paul,
Caesar, Pascal and Nelson, were men whose great souls and indomitable
spirits could not be limited by sickness, bodily weakness, or physical
handicaps.

Then there was Demosthenes, the great orator of ancient Greece, who
stuttered, had weak lungs, and a harsh voice. But Demosthenes is the perfect
example of the result of self-discipline and self-regimentation, for by
severe and prolonged training he overcame his stuttering, built up strong
lungs, and developed a speaking voice that swayed the whole Greek nation.

Other famous people from the list of the physically handicapped who made
good, are: Homer, the greatest of all ancient poets, who was afflicted with
blindness; Beethoven who lost his hearing; Byron, who had a club foot; Helen
Keller, who was blind and could neither hear nor talk; and there are of
course many, many more.

Among our contemporaries, I am reminded of Glenn Cunningham, who in March
1938 ran the fastest mile ever recorded by man — 4 minutes 4.4 seconds. When
a boy he was badly burned, and his leg muscles withered and dried. It was
assumed that his running days were over. But Glenn Cunningham was not
finished. After years of determined and patient discipline he won the
world's record in one of the hardest events in athletics.

There is G. Allen O'Neal, a 1933 graduate of the Citadel, Charleston, South
Carolina, who carries on undaunted and successfully as General Agent at West
Palm Beach, Florida, for a prominent life insurance company. On Christmas
Day in 1953, suffering from polio, Mr. O'Neal was put into an iron lung
where he remained for eight weeks. He was in the hospital for four months.
Totally disabled until October 1955, he went back to work in a wheel chair.
He wears braces from the waist down all the time, but carries on,
nevertheless, and has parallel bars in his office and at home on which he
exercises two hours daily.

There is Marjorie Schulz of Cincinnati, Ohio, who in April 1960, was
selected from among nominees of one hundred and twenty-three Goodwill
Industries in as many cities, to receive the award "National Goodwill Worker
Of The Year," for outstanding achievement in overcoming a physical handicap.
She was night supervisor of nurses at Deaconess Hospital in Cincinnati when
struck down by multiple sclerosis in 1944, and she has been in a wheelchair
ever since. The 38-year-old woman who painstakingly switched from a nursing
career to secretarial work after the onset of her illness, now is assistant
public relations director at the Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries
Rehabilitation Center.

And then there was Aubrey Steen McLeod, whose life story was related in an
editorial by David Lawrence in U. S. News and World Report of April 25,
1960. Mr. McLeod died of a heart attack on April 9, 1960. His life
exemplified courage at its very best. Aubrey McLeod enlisted in World War I,
and was wounded in an enemy air raid in the fall of 1917. They amputated
both his legs near the hips in order to save his life. In a letter to his
parents he told about his experience, and finished with these heroic words:
"If everything progresses favorably, I shall be home about November 1. Now
please don't worry about me, for I am getting along fine. I shall be given
artificial legs, and will be able to get along O.K."

Aubrey McLeod got his artificial legs, graduated from Massachusetts
Institute of Technology in 1921 as a chemical engineer, received a Master's
Degree in Economics from Harvard in 1925, became an expert forecaster of
business conditions, served as an actuary of the United States Treasury
Department, was on the staff of U. S. News and World Report for some twenty
years, and at the time of his death he was Chief of the Economic Unit of
this great magazine. During his college days Aubrey McLeod, who attended
classes in a wheel chair and took part in social activities as if he were as
able-bodied as his classmates, voiced this ringing challenge which is an
excerpt from a fuller statement reported in The Boston Globe at that time:
"There could hardly be a more used-up man than I am, and yet I want the boys
to take heart and go to work and make men of themselves."

There are many, many more magnificent examples of success achieved under the
severest physical handicaps; men and women whose indomitable spirits could
not be defeated; men and women who did the very best they could with what
they had.

In general, however, the man who makes a place for himself among successful
men is a man who is in possession of all his physical faculties, is in
robust health, and blessed with a goodly supply of surplus energy. For it is
ruthlessly true, as Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "The world belongs to the
energetic." And energy is the power that is generated by a healthy body.

Though most Americans undoubtedly consider, in theory at least, a healthy
body to be their most treasured possession, yet in reality most people abuse
their bodies with impunity. Most people have atrocious health habits,
habitually disregard one or more of the simplest and most basic rules of
good health — fresh air and sunlight, a well-balanced diet, regular
exercise, and adequate rest.

That this is true was forcefully revealed by our nation's experience during
World War II and the Korean conflict.

In an article that appeared in The Saturday Evening Post of August 8, 1959,
the distinguished military analyst, Hanson W. Baldwin, wrote: "From
September 1948 to November 1958 the rejection rate for draftees for
physical, mental or moral reasons was 38.3 percent. In the same period there
was a further rejection by the armed forces of 6.6 percent of those passed
by their draft boards. And even so, those who are accepted for military
service are a disappointing lot. In the words of Dr. G. Ott Romney,
deputy executive director of the President's Council on Youth Fitness,
'Sedentarianism, push-buttonitis and in-doorism have taken a heavy toll of
fitness.' "

A few years ago in a White House conference on the physical fitness of
American youth, it was reported that in a test given to 4264 U. S. school
children aged six to sixteen, close to 60 percent failed to measure up to
minimum standards. This same test was passed with flying colors by all but
8.7 percent of 2879 European children in the same age group.

This report shocked President Eisenhower, and caused him to put his personal
influence and the power of the White House behind a move to get the facts in
this matter of the physical fitness of American youth, and to find out what
needed to be done about it. The fitness of American youth was a matter of
great concern to the President. One of the things that disturbed him, they
said, was to meet young people who "lack the spirit" to take care of their
bodies.

It is said that the President, during World War II, saw many young men
rushed into front line foxholes before they could be hardened physically for
the rigors of combat. This, he felt, could have been prevented if the nation
had a plan to assure its civilian youth a higher degree of physical fitness.

In the period of six and one half years from July 1, 1950, to the start of
1957, according to a report by U. S. News and World Report, August 2, 1957,
4,700,000 draft registrants were examined by the armed forces at induction
centers. Of those 4.7 million youths examined 1,600,000 — almost exactly one
third — were found to be unfit for military duty.

In addition to those youths turned down at induction centers, an additional
468,000 had already been rejected by local draft boards for "manifestly
disqualifying defects" — physical or mental. Add these to the 4.7 million
who were examined by the armed forces, and you find that out of a total of
5,200,000 young men called up by the draft, 26 percent were found to be
unfit for physical reasons.

It is interesting to note that in a study made a few years ago by Lloyd C.
Appleton, a specialist in the office of physical education at the U. S.
Military Academy, and reported in U. S. News and World Report of August 2,
1957, it was found that there is a direct relationship between physical
ability and leadership ability. In this study the cadets were classified
into five groups on the basis of their "physical aptitude" scores at the
time they entered the academy. Of those in the group who were rated lowest
in physical ability, 51 percent "busted out"

— that is, failed to complete the four-year course at West Point. In the
group that rated highest in physical ability, only 24 percent failed to
graduate. The highest percentage of men with leadership ability was found in
the group that had the most physical ability — 34.5 percent received a "high
leadership rating." In the group with the least physical ability, only 8
percent received this rating. In academic achievement the low-ranking group
in physical ability had the largest percentage of failures.

Mr. Appleton concludes: "Evidence appears to imply that extensive physical
activity is an essential requirement in the boyhood experiences of the
candidates for attaining the social and emotional, as well as physical,
growth to be able to withstand the strain and rigors of the cadet program."
But health is not only of vital importance to the nation in providing
physically fit men for our military forces in time of war, but World War II
made it crystal clear that the health of our home-front was equally
paramount in the international race of industrial production. Each day lost
from illness by individual workers in American war industries meant that
much less production of tanks, airplanes, warships and all the myriad
supplies needed for modern war. Despite America's tremendous food resources
and medical facilities, illness took a surprising toll of production
efficiency. According to a 1941 war-time survey, made by the American
Institute of Public Opinion, the following important facts came to light:

1. Throughout the United States as a whole, an estimated 24 million man-days
of work were lost because of illness in the four-week period November 24 to
December 20, 1941. This was in spite of the fact that the November-December
period is normally a period when the nation's health and vitality exceeds
the average forthe year.

2. In industries connected directly or indirectly with war production,
approximately 3,200,000 man-days of work were lost from illness in the same
period.

3. The time lost from illness in war industries or war-connected industries
would, if it were concentrated entirely on the building of war implements,
be equivalent to the time required for the actual building of two heavy
cruisers, or 448 medium bombers, or 3,200 light tanks.

4. One-half of the American adult population have not learned that there is
a connection between diet and health. A high proportion of people in poor
health have poor diets.

5. The typical American family consumes only one-half of the amount of milk
per day recommended by the government.

6. More than one-third of American families, or a total of approximately 12
million families, say that lack of money for food impairs their health. But
even if these people had more money to spend on food, many of them would not
buy the proper foods to improve their resistance to disease.

7. Only 42 adult Americans in every 100, on the average, say they take any
systematic exercise outside their work. Moreover, as many as 43 percent say
that in any
one day they do no outdoor walking other than that connected with their
work.

These war-time surveys deeply shocked President Roosevelt. He strongly
criticized the nation for permitting such conditions, and immediately
inaugurated a national health program.

As a tie-in with the government program, newspapers throughout the country
gave wide publicity to health programs, typical of which is the following
appeal to pledge adoption of a few simple basic precepts handed down by
competent health authorities.

1. I will not eat too much, nor will I exercise too little. I will eat a
variety of foods, in order that my body may be adequately nourished. I will
not forget the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables.

2. I will work during working hours and play when I play. I will seek to
avoid late hours. And I will not neglect to take my annual vacation.

3. I will learn all I can about the care and preservation of my health from
reliable sources and will strive to apply the knowledge I gain faithfully
and conscientiously.

4. I will go to my physician for an annual health examination in order that
he may help me to keep well.

5. I will have my children immunized against diphtheria and with them I will
be vaccinated against small pox and typhoid fever, if these precautions have
not been taken already.

6. I will consider the health and welfare of others.

Just as it is true that a sick nation is doomed to defeat, so it is equally
true that a human being whose body is sluggish and unfit cannot possibly
achieve the full measure of success of which he is capable. This physical
fact of life I know to be true from my own bitter experience during the
grueling days of the terrible depression in the early 1930's. I had arrived
in Toledo, Ohio, in September of 1931 — shortly after the four leading banks
in the city had been forced to discontinue business — to be general agent
for northwestern Ohio for The New England Mutual Life Insurance Company of
Boston. Like the proverbial fool who didn't know it couldn't be done, I
tackled my job of getting new agents with determination and unlimited
enthusiasm. I went into well-nigh every retail store in town observing and
seeking men who had the ability to sell. When I found such a person I
offered him, free and without obligation of any kind, a five-day evening
school to learn about life insurance — what it is and what it will do. I
told him that upon completion of the school, if he were interested, I would
explain in detail the opportunities in life insurance selling, and the
arrangements for further training while selling on a part-time basis until
able to enter on a full-time career basis.
I had many recruits. I worked six days and nights a week with unusually good
results — during the most difficult period in our economic history.

This went on through the fall of 1931 and all of 1932, and my agency
finished the latter year with an outstanding production record, despite the
fact that 1932 was the low year in the great depression.

In the spring of 1933, however, I was beginning to lose my grip on things.
For a year and a half I had completely neglected my health, and my body was
beginning to sputter badly.
For many years before moving to Toledo I had been extremely regular in my
health program — well-balanced diet, adequate rest, home calisthenics, brisk
walks, regular swimming at the Athletic Club, and occasional golf. I was in
excellent condition — able to qualify for $400,000 of life insurance in one
of the oldest and finest companies in America.

Now, suddenly, after a year and a half of high-tension work, day and night,
I woke up to the fact that my health was slipping badly. My old zip was
gone, I was nervous and fidgety. My nights were restless and filled with
worry. I was unable to relax. I ate my meals fast. When I got home late in
the evening I would sit and brood, unfit company for anyone.

Gradually I let up on my search for new agents, and my evening schools began
to fade out. I spent hours just sitting in my office. I began to eat too
much. I became sluggish. I dragged myself around by sheer willpower. My body
became a burden to my mind and spirit, while all the years before it had
been the instrument of all that I was, physically, mentally and spiritually.

Then one evening at home I happened to read again those challenging words
from Robert Browning's immortal "Rabbi Ben Ezra:"

"To men prepare this test: Thy body
at its best How far can that project thy soul On its lonely way?"

For the first time these words had a vital meaning. They struck me hard and
deep. I dropped my book and sat thinking for a long, long time. Then I went
out into the beautiful moonlight night, walked long and briskly, thought
deep and hard, and prayed as I had not prayed for a long, long time.

And finally I knew the answer — it was to be my body at its best. Surely
then all other problems would easily be solved.

Next day I saw my doctor, and after giving me a thorough examination, he
said: "There's nothing wrong with you that common-sense living can't cure."
The doctor gave me a good shot of something to pep me up, prescribed a
sensible diet, gave me three pills for relaxation with instructions to take
one each night at bedtime, commanded me to do my home calisthenics every
morning as I had done for so many years, to walk briskly for half an hour
every evening after dinner, and to get eight hours of rest every night. And
then the wise old doctor added significantly: "And don't forget to pray.
It's good for the body, too."
In three days I began to feel improvement, and hardly a week had passed
before I was my old self once again. My body had regained its accustomed
vigor and, incredibly, in one short week my entire attitude toward my work
and life in general had changed completely. My optimistic attitude returned
and rekindled my ambition, and once more life had purpose and meaning.

That lesson on the vital importance of health to success and happiness I
shall never forget. To this day — at the age of sixty-five — I have followed
quite faithfully the schedule which my doctor ordered me to follow during
those difficult days in 1932. That this faithful daily attention to physical
fitness has paid off in a big way is something I can vouch for
unequivocally. My doctor tells me I am in excellent condition. My heart is
strong, and my blood pressure normal. I feel fine. I'm successful in my
work. I'm in good spirits. And as a natural consequence I welcome each new
day with happy expectancy.

Of course, the real culprit in the matter of body-fitness is our push-button
way of life — we sit most of the day, do little that is more strenuous than
answering the telephone or walking to the nearest restaurant for lunch, ride
to and from work, eat three meals a day, drink fattening cocktails before
dinner, slump in deep chairs to watch television, or play bridge, have
evening snacks, grow fatter and fatter, and slowly but surely stagnate and
degenerate.
It takes a lot of will power and self-discipline to overcome the bad habits
of this soft, degenerating way of life. But the reward is great. That
self-discipline in health habits pays off in better health, greater
happiness, and longer life, has been forcefully proved in the case of former
President Dwight David Eisenhower.

In the April 1960 issue of Today's Health, a publication of The American
Medical Association, Ernest L. Barcella, Washington bureau manager of United
Press International, wrote that "President Eisenhower is today in better
physical condition than when he took office, despite his age (71 in October
1961), and the three major illnesses he has suffered." Mr. Eisenhower's
amazing recovery from a heart attack, ileitis, and a small stroke is, writes
Mr. Barcella, "one for the medical books — a living legend of remarkable
physical comebacks, of astonishing stamina and energy reserve.

"By all medical odds," wrote Mr. Barcella, "the President long since should
have put on his slippers, retired to a rocking-chair, and called it a
career. Instead he has undertaken a staggering load of work and travel."

"Discipline," said Mr. Barcella, "very likely saved his life; discipline in
his health habits — diet, rest, emotions, exercise, work, temperance."

Proper exercise, diet, rest, and bodily care will put you in good physical
shape, give you a better-looking and better-functioning body, and best of
all it will bring you a grand feeling of well-being, physically, mentally,
and spiritually, and thus add immeasurably to your success and happiness.

The first step, then, in your pursuit of success and happiness is to build a
sound and healthy body, and henceforth to protect it as a most precious
treasure, for that is really what it is.