Just to let you know- this blog is no longer active. I'll be keeping up my 101 in 1001 list until its completion, but will not be writing new posts. You can read the post below if you want the long version. Thanks for the journey to all my friends in the blogosphere!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Sit and Reach

Remember those "Presidential Fitness Awards" you could earn in elementary school by being a mad-fit child? You had to run a fast mile, speedy sprints, stretch, complete a ridiculous amount of sit-ups (yes, I remember the time before they introduced "the crunch" to us as "the new sit-up") and pull-ups.

Yeah, I never was up to Presidential fitness levels.

(I was the fastest girl in the mile in 2nd grade, though. I remember being pretty proud of that. Then I broke my leg in 3rd grade and became the slightly chubby, slow girl for the remainder of my elementary and middle school years.)

I did, however, excel in the "Sit and Reach." Which was, by far, the least athletic of the challenge. You had to sit with your legs straight out in front and your feet flat against this funny box with a piece of plywood on the top. (Did everybody do this in elementary school?) Then you had to stretch your little body forward to touch your little fingers on the highest number possible on the ruler painted on the plywood.

All those years at Tilley's Dance Academy must have paid off, because I was almost always the most flexible in my class. I laughed a little (internally, of course, because I was very polite) at the fit, fast boys and girls who kicked my butt in every other category, but couldn't even reach their toes.

All this reminiscing about the Sit and Reach (what an ingenious title, by the way) is because I think I need to spend a little more time stretching now. I love yoga, pilates, ballet, and all endeavors that value stretching, but I just haven't gotten around to much of it lately. My right calf has been tightening up (strangely enough, not while running, but while doing everything else) and bothering me a bit and I think a little more stretching might just do the trick!

It's funny how easy it is to say things like that (and like that I'm going to run 4 miles in 90 weather, today...yeah, didn't happen) and how I still don't always follow through. This should be a pretty easy goal though.

5 comments:

  1. I was totally always the sit and reach champ too! Those darn pull-ups ruined me though..never could do more than one...

    And 90 degree weather..UGH. It only got up to 80 today here and I thought that was bad!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the reminder to stretch. I was the world's worse cardiokickboxing instructor. I'd turn and watch my class, or walk among them while they stretched. :) I completely understand about the heat too. It's been tough to get out in it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is sooo funny b/c I am an elementary school PE teacher and I now "give" those tests!!! You're so right about those athletic boys who beat everyone in everything....except the sit and reach!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Loved the sit and reach!

    This year at school I had one student who was an pretty good little gymnast. She dominated in all of the categories, even over the athletic boys. I was so proud!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Stretching is good! I highly recommend fitting in more of it if you can...

    ReplyDelete