April 7, 1905
Hartford, Connecticut
There is nothing so wearisome to the human spirit as the ceaseless harping of doctors upon the subject of health. They are forever instructing a man to eat this and avoid that, to exercise this limb and not the other, until the business of living is reduced to a dull arithmetic of dos and don’ts. I have always held the belief that good health is best maintained in the same manner as good humor—with a certain lack of solemnity.
To begin with, I am often asked how I keep myself in such admirable shape, and to this I reply that I have done so chiefly by avoiding those things which do a man the most harm—namely, hard work, excessive sobriety, and the society of dull persons.
As to diet, I have found it prudent never to be too particular. I eat what pleases me, and when it pleases me. A man who waits upon the advice of science before he takes his meals will be a long time waiting, and a leaner man for it. Beefsteak, cornbread, and butter have sustained my constitution for many years, and I have found no great need to meddle with their arrangement. A fine cigar after dinner is as necessary as the meal itself, for digestion is the noblest of bodily functions and ought to be attended to with dignity and leisure.
I have also observed that pie is a most excellent medicine, taken in moderate doses. I have partaken of it at all hours and found it a tonic both for the body and the spirit. Apple pie is best, but one should not turn away from a good huckleberry or pumpkin when occasion demands. The doctors, those somber preachers of dietary misery, will tell you that such things are ruinous to a man’s health. I have outlived many such doctors.
For exercise, I do not hold with the idea that a man must sweat and toil like a dray horse merely to keep his frame in order. Walking to the billiard hall is sufficient, and the occasional lifting of a book from the shelf provides ample strength for the arms.
In the end, good health is a simple matter. Eat what you like, laugh often, and avoid undue exertion. The world will provide enough strain without a man inventing more for himself. And above all, keep a keen appetite—not just for food, but for life itself. That is the only regimen worth following.
Sports Science graduate and a passionate explorer of human performance and physical health. With a degree from Kingston University, they’re primed to innovate in sports performance and biomechanics. Eager to elevate athletic training and armed with hands-on research, Ben wants to redefine the sports world!