FitSugar

Presidential Fitness Challenge

FitSugar — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:30:00 -0800

When was the last time you took the Presidential Fitness Challenge? I like home fitness tests, this one the only test approved by the leader of the western world. Regardless of how you feel about the man holding the office, take the Presidential Fitness Challenge and see how you stack up against school age children! It is President's Day after all.

Here are the details of the challenge.

Curl ups: Lie on back with knees bent and feet about 12 inches from booty. Have partner hold your feet (or put them under your couch). Arms are crossed with hands placed on opposite shoulders and elbows held close to chest. Curl up touching elbows to thighs and then lower the back to the floor so that shoulder blades touch the floor. That's one rep. Count how many reps you can do in 60 seconds.
Measures: Abdominal strength and endurance
Shuttle Run: Mark two parallel lines 30 feet apart and place two blocks of wood or similar object behind one of the lines. Start behind opposite line. Run to the blocks, pick one up, run back to the starting line, place block behind the line, runs back and picks up the second block and runs back across. Don't forget to time yourself.
Measures: Speed, quickness and agility

There are three more elements to the challenge so read more
Endurance Run/Walk: Run or walk a mile as quickly as possible.
Measures: Heart/lung endurance
Pull-ups
Pull-Up: Hang from a horizontal bar at a height the student can hang from with arms fully extended and feet free from floor, using either an overhand grasp (palms facing away from body) or underhand grip (palms facing toward body). Raise body until chin clears the bar and then lower body to full-hang starting position. See how many you can do.
Measures: Upper body strength and endurance
"V" sit: Mark a straight line two feet long on the floor, this is your baseline. Draw a measuring line perpendicular to the midpoint of the baseline extending two feet on each side and marked off in half-inches. The point where the baseline and measuring line intersect is the "0" point. Sit on floor with measuring line between legs and soles of feet placed immediately behind baseline, heels 8-12" apart. Clasp thumbs so that hands are together, palms down and places them on measuring line. Reach forward as far as possible (have someone hold your feet if you can), keeping fingers on baseline and feet flexed. Hole for three seconds and that is your distance.
Measures: Flexibility of the lower back and hamstrings

To be presented with the Presidential Fitness Award you need to be in or above the 85th percentile. For a 17 year old girl they are as follows:

Curl ups: 44 in 60 seconds
Shuttle run: 10 seconds
One mile run: 8:15
Pull ups: 1
"V" sit: +8

So how did you do?

President's Physical Fitness Test

FitSugar — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:15:00 -0700

In preparation for Shaq's Big Challenge season finale tomorrow, I thought it would be fun to join in the fitness games and see how you measure up by taking the, duh duh dum, President's Physical Fitness Test.

You're going to need to time yourself (or have someone else time you). If you don't know how to do any of the moves, download a description here.

The Move	The Challenge	What the Kids Can Do? (ages 10-17)
Curl-Ups	How many did you do in one minute?	Girls: 30-35/Boys: 35-45
1-Mile Run/Walk	How fast did you do it?	Girls: 10-11 mins/Boys: 7-8 mins
Pull-Ups	How many did you do in one minute?	Girls: 1/Boys: 2-8
Push-Ups	How many did you do in one minute?	Girls: 10-16/Boys: 14-37
Shuttle Run	How fast did you do it?	Girls: 11-12 secs/Boys: 9-12 secs
The V-Sit	What mark did you reach?	Girls: 3-5.5 inches/Boys: 0.5-3 inches

Try it out -- If nothing else you'll get a mini workout in the middle of the day. I got 37 curl-ups, 20 push-ups and 11 seconds for the shuttle run! There's not enough space in here to test my skills at the others, but I am pretty sure I'd be getting an A+ in gym class. So what did you get?

Take the President's Fitness Challenge Today

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:30:00 -0800

When was the last time you took the President's Fitness Challenge? I like home fitness tests, and this is the only test approved by the leader of the western world. We all know that working out is important to Obama, but I wonder if he will update this test while in office. I think one healthy way to celebrate presidents is to take this challenge. Plus, you can see how you stack up against school-age children!

Here are the details of the challenge.

Curl-ups: Lie on back with knees bent and feet about 12 inches from booty. Have partner hold your feet (or put them under your couch). Arms are crossed with hands placed on opposite shoulders and elbows held close to chest. Curl up touching elbows to thighs and then lower the back to the floor so that shoulder blades touch the floor. That's one rep. Count how many reps you can do in 60 seconds.
Measures: Abdominal strength and endurance
Shuttle Run: Mark two parallel lines 30 feet apart and place two blocks of wood or similar object behind one of the lines. Start behind opposite line. Run to the blocks, pick one up, run back to the starting line, place block behind the line, run back and pick up the second block and run back across. Don't forget to time yourself.
Measures: Speed, quickness, and agility

There are three more elements to the challenge so read more.
Endurance Run/Walk: Run or walk a mile as quickly as possible.
Measures: Heart/lung endurance
Pull-ups
Pull-Up: Hang from a horizontal bar at a height the student can hang from with arms fully extended and feet free from floor, using either an overhand grasp (palms facing away from body) or underhand grip (palms facing toward body). Raise body until chin clears the bar and then lower body to full-hang starting position. See how many you can do.
Measures: Upper body strength and endurance
"V" sit: Mark a straight line two feet long on the floor, this is your baseline. Draw a measuring line perpendicular to the midpoint of the baseline extending two feet on each side and marked off in half-inches. The point where the baseline and measuring line intersect is the "0" point. Sit on floor with measuring line between legs and soles of feet placed immediately behind baseline, heels 8-12 inches apart. Clasp thumbs so that hands are together, palms down and places them on measuring line. Reach forward as far as possible (have someone hold your feet if you can), keeping fingers on baseline and feet flexed. Hold for three seconds and that is your distance.
Measures: Flexibility of the lower back and hamstrings

To be presented with the Presidential Fitness Award you need to be in or above the 85th percentile. For a 17-year-old girl, the standards are as follows:

Curl-ups: 44 in 60 seconds
Shuttle run: 10 seconds
One mile run: 8:15
Pull ups: 1
"V" sit: +8

So how did you do?

Biggest Loser Families Recap: Tears and Even More Tears

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0700

After watching a politically charged reality show, aka the second presidential debate, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Biggest Loser Families would run 60 minutes instead of two hours. After watching Jillian make almost every member on her team cry in the course of the hour, I was sorely disappointed to learn that the weigh-in will take place during a second "special" episode that airs tonight. The show is really mixing things up - keeping us on our toes or rather our couches, and I am not quite sure how I feel about that.

In this episode a couple of teams "cashed" in their prizes from the hill-climb challenge from the first episode. The red team, Amy and Philip, flew to South Carolina for a 24-hour visit with their three children. It was a heartwarming and tearful reunion. The entire family went on a hike to reinforce the lessons these parents have learned on the ranch.

Amy and Shellay, the mother-daughter purple team, decided to use their prize of 24 hours with their trainer Jillian. Instead of pampering the contestants, Jillian took the purple team to the gym for a workout, and was more than disappointed with mother Shellay's attitude and laziness. Their strength-training session ended in tears.

To hear details on the challenge, just read more.

The challenge involved a slowly draining large tank of water, a trapeze to stand on, and a handle to hold. The last contestant standing would win a care package from home, as well as a VIP three-day package for a vacation to Universal Studios in Hollywood. After talking with Bob about how to burn a lot of calories without running, Vicky from the brown team held on the longest and won the challenge even with her injured knees. She was able to pick another family to receive a care package from home and she chose the purple team, which came in second place. Watching the winners read letters from home and crying reminded me to drop my own mother a line.

Leading up to the last-chance workout, we were treated to Jillian trying to motivate her team to do their cardio homework. This motivational session ended in tears.

The weigh-in is tonight and I have no idea who will be going home, do you? Will you watch? How do you feel about the split episode? I found the show ending with no conclusion rather unsatisfying. I wanted some closure, not a cliffhanger. Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Source

Words That Move You . . .

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:00:00 -0800

Sometimes all it takes are a few good words to get you moving . . .

"Our growing softness, our increasing lack of physical fitness, is a menace to our security."
- John F. Kennedy

The man was ahead of his time, no? Feeling presidential? Check out the Presidential Fitness Challenge. Or why not try a boot camp?

Source

France's President Has Country Divided on Hot Topic: Le Jogging?

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 08:45:00 -0700

While over here in the USA, we are constantly arguing over our President's decisions on things like withdrawing our troops, environmentalism, etc., the French are arguing over their President's decision on his undignified exercise. His new workout is being criticized as an activity for self-centered individualists (such as the Americans who popularized it). Nope, Sarkozy has not taken up naked yoga. What could it possibly be? Well jogging, of course.

Pardonez-Moi? Seems that a Presidential jog down the Avenue des Champs d'Elysées may even inspire a Frenchie or two to put out that Galois full bodied cigarette and exercise. Apparently I am way off as the WashingtonPost.com is reporting British and French reactions to his running such as:

"No decent conservative would dream of jogging. It's a vulgar, untraditional form of self-advertisement..."

"The Sarkozy jog, say his critics, is a sad imitation of the habits of American presidents, and a capitulation to 'le défi Américain' (a phrase that was the title of a book published here as 'The American Challenge') as bad as the influx of Hollywood movies."

Did anyone take a minute to think he may just be trying to get healthy? Besides, if jogging is considered an American thing to do, then as far as I am concerned we're all doing a little something right, fitness wise, over here.