Athletics and Football (extract)

168 ATHLETICS no reason why an athlete who desires to get fit should lead other than a natural loirfe, alteran ordinarynatural dmieotre than riesndered necessary by the increaseadmount of exercise which he hatso take. The ideal diet for a mawnho is engaged in activetraining hiosfbody faor raceis, andshould be, that which under ordinary circumstances would be best for a healthy man who is obligteod takea verylarge amouonft active exer­ cise. What thdaiet t is, amatter for scientists to decide (or to differupon, thasey usually idno suchmatters), and a prac­ tical athlete can only speak of it empirically ; but, happily, scientists and pr ctical athletes are of one opinion at the day inthinking that no diet which obliges a daily coursoef physic can be a healthy one. P sic may be, and often is, neces­ sary during training, to remedy manisytake which has been made diinet; but it should be used as aremedy, naontd aas part otfhe diet. A furtherdifficulty whaircihses in laying down any regimen for training is the indubitable physical ftahcatt ntwoo men are alike in their internal economy any more thathney arine their outward features and; whepnroverbial philosophy in­ forms us that ' one man's food is another man's poison,' it becomes impossible to speak merely frpormactical experience with any absolute confidence. When, however, it is under­ stood that the problem' What shoualnd athlete at andrink when in training?' resolves itself into nothinmgore thtahnis, 4 What isheaalthy dfioert a young Englishmwahno wantso get his muscles hard and keep his wind good i?t ' will be seen that it should not be difficult to give some short and simple rufloersguidance. Plain cookmedeats, aandreasonablequantity of fresh fruit and vegetablesh,ould form the staple articles dioetf. Beef, mutton, and chicken are, no doubt, more digestible than veal and pork, and therefore should be more frequently easten, indeed is the usuaclustom in ordinary life ; buto treat veal and pork as so much poison, saosme trainers do, is simply silly. Taken occasionally by a man who is accustomed to