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Correction of underweight and overweight by exercise cover

Correction of underweight and overweight by exercise

Chapter 35: CAUSES OF UNDERWEIGHT
By C. O. Benson
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About This Book

This work provides practical guidance for correcting both overweight and underweight through diet and exercise, emphasizing prevention and gradual, safe change under medical supervision. It identifies common causes of excess weight—reduced activity, overeating, and sometimes endocrine factors—and warns against advertised reducing drugs while recommending diets that favor bulky, low-fat foods and regular meals. Exercise advice includes daily calisthenics, brisk walking, outdoor activity, attention to bowel regularity, and hygienic measures such as baths. The section on underweight examines causes of malnutrition and prescribes targeted exercises and dietary adjustments to build weight sensibly, stressing persistence and individualized plans over quick fixes.

CAUSES OF UNDERWEIGHT

  1. Defects that are commonly found in the individual such as decayed teeth, infected tonsils, adenoids, etc.
  2. Failure of following proper health habits.
  3. Inability to digest and assimilate food.
  4. Dietary errors such as too many sweets, irregular eating, fast eating, washing down the food with water or drink, insufficient breakfast, too long a time between meals, poor diet.
  5. Hereditary tendency to a slight body build.
  6. Constant worry often causes underweight. This cause should never be overlooked.
  7. Late hours, lack of exercise, dissipation, and general errors in living.

If the degree of underweight is over twenty percent from the standard there may be a decided handicap causing lack of endurance, energy, etc. In order to alter this condition, five things should be done: first, immediate physical examination by a competent physician to determine that no disease is causing underweight. Second, plenty of rest and sleep is needed. Third, a correct diet should be given by the physician and the following out of that diet. This is a big factor. Spinach, lettuce, turnip are essential to good health. Four proper exercises.

It must be remembered that normal underweight itself, unless extreme, is desirable from a standpoint of longevity. If it is dangerous or the pathological type, it should be corrected immediately.

Physical education prescribes for the underweight individual the following program: A, proper diet. B, plenty of sleep. C, no smoking. D, light exercise. E, fresh air and sunshine. F, no tea or coffee. G, plenty of milk. H, nourishing food regularly. I, plenty of water. J, massage. K, daily bowel movement. L, avoidance of fatigue and worry. M, a daily bath. N, plain food should be eaten. O, cleanliness.

It is well to rest fifteen minutes before eating and fifteen minutes or longer immediately after. Lie down, close the eyes and relax. Forget everything, especially work. This rest before eating aids the body in preparing itself for food, and resting after the meal helps the body to send more blood to the digestive tract.

For building up a definite group of muscles slow tensing exercises are given with the antagonistic muscles acting as resistance to the movement. However, it must be remembered that proper rest and diet rank on a par with exercise for the under nourished individual. Given the right dosage of exercise, stopping before the point of fatigue is reached, will develop the individual because of the better circulation, respiration, and elimination. An over dose of exercise for the individual who is under nourished will cause an actual burning up of the body tissues and a building up which is not enough to offset the loss.

Walking is an excellent exercise for it increases the respiration, whips up the circulation, and promotes better elimination. Good posture is absolutely necessary so as to give the vital organs a chance to work without interference.

Hydrotherapy is often used for its tonic effect. A vigorous, dry rub with a coarse, cold, wet towel varying from 60 degrees F and ending at 40 degrees F will increase the circulation and give a good tonic reaction. Sun baths are also recommended, especially if the person is anemic.

Before going into exercises it must be remembered that it is not good policy to work the body until a point of fatigue is reached, but rather to lightly stimulate the body so that when nourishment is taken the body will be receptive and the nourishment will be assimilated much more readily.