Yan Fu promoted a theory of ideal living and progress in which he argued that "only when mothers are healthy can the children grow strong." He stressed the importance of physical fitness for women.
當時嚴復還提出「母健而後兒肥」的優生、進化理論，強調提昇婦女體能的重要性。然而，根深柢固的傳統觀念非一朝一夕就能破除。