ENERGY AND STAMINA

I could not help thinking about this protein theory and how it could have gained a foothold among sportsmen. It reminded me of a Remkon conference in London. In questions of nutrition England had been lagging behind and was now to be conquered by the awakening business world. A Mr. Hofmann from the United States spoke• as though protein as a muscle builder and energizer was an athletic be-all and end-all. This gave the impression that success depended on the intake of protein. The views the speaker advocated were perhaps not absolutely wrong as far as muscle building is concerned. When I was in Japan I was able to study the nutrition of wrestlers. Other more or less brutal sports demanded the same nutrition. From childhood some of these athletes had been on a protein-rich fattening diet, making them muscular athletes of the colossal type as found in Japan. Such a fattening diet is not in harmony with my way of thinking, although I know that momentarily a fattened bull can be powerful, strong and dangerous. However, if its powers are compared with an animal that was not fattened, and is therefore not as heavy, but truly leaner, it will come as a surprise to see that the fattened animal is no match in stamina for the one fed a normal diet.

A muscular giant from Japan would find it difficult to keep up with me on a skiing trip. Going constantly uphill on skis is too much for an overweight person to reach a height of 4,000 meters (12,000 feet). It will be difficult for him to arrive at the top with a normal heart beat, whereas a man of my build can do so without any special effort, reaching the summit before the muscular giant does. Weight and overdeveloped muscular strength are no guarantee for stamina and endurance, the decisive factors in many sports. Each person can find out what is best for himself in the way of nutrition. Experience can usually benefit the athlete, and he should change his way of thinking if he would attain his goal more easily.