Value of Fresh Air In Developing Stamina.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18311, 12 November 1927, Page 5

Value of Fresh Air In Developing Stamina.

No physical quality is of greater national value than stamina. What would the pioneers have accomplished without it? It has been a great factor in the development of our untrodden bush (says a well-known athletic authority). It has helped many a bush man to cross long, dry stages. Our soldi'crs knew its value when slogging through the heavy sands of Egvpt. Napoleon’s success had much to do with the endurance of his army. He could send a body of men great distances and spring a surprise on an enemy. Back through the ages this quality has been of paramount importance, both in peace and war. It is in play, however, that the quality of endurance and stamina is brought to its peak, and generally developed. Long distance swimming, running and walking are the principal methods of testing an athlete’s endurance. The Marathon is the blue ribbon stamina event of the world. Although it is not a spectacular event, every nation realises the importance of developing stamina in her people. Although great crowds do not turn out to see scantily clad men plodding along a highway, the importance of the event is in no way dimmed. When a Greek ran with the news from the battle of Marathon the romance of his endurance feat was heralded throughout the world. It has echoed and re-echoed throughout the long centuries ever since. “Deep Chests.** Any endurance feat calls for deep, broad chest, wide nostrils, and a blood stream to which oxygen has easy access. Fresh air, therefore, i*s a primary essential. But before a man can develop great stamina he must eat wholesome food, lead an active life, and preserve his health at a high state of perfection. Endurance athletes must be masters of rhythm, because rhythm demands relaxation of the muscles. Propulsion is gained more by swing than by effort. Commonsense methods from childhood lay a foundation of good health. Nature is generous and forgiving, however, and health may be acquired even after a bad start, if her laws are qbeyed. Simple living, fresh air, sound sleep and adequate exercise will drive poisons from the body and purify the blood. These poisons or toxins bring fatigue, and cause exhaustion. Unrefined food is the best for us. Doctors and dentists know that. One dental authority, speaking recently, advised a menu which has been quoted by myself. He approves of wholemeal bread, unrefined cereals, vegetables and fruit, raw or cooked so that the natural juices will be retained; milk, raisins, etc. These products provide balanced, wholesome food. They should supply strength and energy. “Plenty of evidence.” Perhaps we have never estimated sunshine and fresh, dry air at their

proper value, but there is plenty of evidence to show that people who live at high altitudes have a greater chance of acquiring stamina than others. Herodotus, the Greek historian, speaks of the Persian couriers of his day. “Nothing in the world,” he writes, “is carried so swiftly as the messages borne by these couriers.” The runners came from altitudes that varied between 4000 and 5000 feet. The air was dry and thin. Only recently we heard of the endurance feats of the Riff mountaineers in the North of Africa. From a Riff stronghold a runner carried a message on foot a distance of 68.35 miles in 10 hours and 30 minutes. M’Arthur, the South African Olympic Marathon runner, comes from the Transvaal mountains. This high section of the country has produced many fine endurance athletes. Perhaps the greatest of all come from the mountains of Mexico. Compared with the distances these men cover, the Marathon is a mere middle distance jaunt. These natural athletes live on a broad plateau, which varies from 6000 to 9000 feet in height. It lies in the Sierra Madre region, northwest of Mexico Citj'. The feats of these men are almost unbelievable. It is on record that a number of them started on a sixty-two-mile jaunt together and finished together in the remarkable time of 9 hours 37 minutes. It was more of a pack run than a race, and no one attempted to outstrip the others. All finished fresh and fit. It is said that one Indian carried a letter from Guazapares to Chihuahua, a distance of 800 miles, in five days. Found it in the Mountains. Consider the great endurance feats of Jack Lewis, the Australian Greek, who has won Marathon races and also fifty-miles walking championship?, Lewis laid the basis of his stamina in the Warburton mountains. To anyone who seeks to develop the great quality of stamina, I suggest mountain air when it can be obtained; but if not, an abundance of fresh air drawn steadily into the lungs through natural exercise. The man with the broad nose and wide nostrils is gifted by Nature, for he can provide himself with oxygen through a filter which warms and strains the air before it is drawn into the lungs. Not everyone can take in sufficient air through the nose, however; but as long as the air is carried deep down into the lungs, it does not matter very much whether it is taken in through the mouth or the nose. The principal thing is to breathe deeply and regularly as a result of natural exercise. A short, flat stride is better than a long, bouncing stride on the toes—for a distance runner. It does not eat energy so readily nor cause so much muscular tenseness. To thousands of young men who are looking for exercise 1 recommend crosscountry running or long walking in the mountains. If other laws of health are obeyed, such exercise will lay a foundation that will stand them in good stead through life.