=Definiteness of Purpose.=--The person who doesn’t know where he is going, never gets there. Know what you are going to do, then do it. There are about four hundred muscles in the human body. It is clearly evident that they cannot all be trained at the same time, nor is it necessary or even desirable that they should be. Those exercises having the most direct bearing upon the specific needs of the individual will naturally come first. If he is troubled with indigestion, two-thirds of the time that he allows himself for daily exercise should be given to remedying that defect, and the rest to supplying some other important need which will bring into play a different set of muscles. If his lung capacity is inadequate, the larger share of time should be given to the correction of this weakness. If shortness of breath and interference with heart action are occasioned by increasing fleshiness, the reduction of his superfluous fat must receive first consideration.
The important thing is to determine what is most needed at any stage of the work, and to strike directly at that point. As, one after another, the special points of weakness are covered, the exercises will gradually take on more and more of an all-round character. As so many of the infirmities of the flesh have their rise in impaired digestion, imperfect respiration, or sluggish circulation, the exercises having relation to these three subjects will always claim attention, not only to secure but also to preserve health.
=Mind Engaging.=--While those whose mental energies have been on a strain may find relief in exercises somewhat automatic, the most beneficial and satisfactory results, as a rule, are obtained when the mind is kept on the alert and the eye is brought into active play, as in fencing and sparring, or when the exercise contributes to the enjoyment of the individual, and is not self-imposed as an irksome task or an unpleasant duty. The presence and co-operation of a congenial friend adds much to the value of the exercise. Where this is not convenient, the drill should be so varied in kind and in degree, from day to day, as to sustain the interest. Without this, the exercises are apt to be abandoned, or, if continued, they will not be attended with the best results.