The President's Challenge

With the Olympics coming up, I've been thinking about physical fitness, or more specifically, my lack of it.

Now, part of what turns me off about exercise is the whole competitive aspect. That everything has to be a contest. I have a friend who is constantly training for something. When you ask her how's her life going, it's all about her fitness schedule, and what her times are. She managed to find (and compete in) a triathalon on her honeymoon. She's hardcore. 

I admire her tenacity and her drive, but I don't want to be her. I want to find a way to be active, that does not mean living at the gym, or going on long distance sporting events, like century rides, or marathons.  I've done those, and I never want to do them again. 

So I turned to that guru of modern times, the internet, and found The President's Challenge, which I remember from school. Anyone can participate, and you don't have to join anything. You take the test (www.adultfitnesstest.org), to see where you are, and then they give you suggestions for improvement. It's all extremely low-key, and exactly what I want. 

I took the test and my scores were pitiful

Fitness Component	Test Event	Your Results	Your Score
Aerobic Fitness*	1-Mile Walk	19:34	5%ile
	Heart Rate	156
	VO2 Max	17.5
Muscular Strength	Half Sit-Ups	34	55%ile
	Push-Ups	2	10%ile
Flexibility	Sit-and-Reach	19	70%ile
Overall Score (based on percentile average)			35%ile

So this is my first physical challenge for 2014 - to get my overall score up to the 75th percentile by the end of the year. So I'll be doing various things to get my heart rate up, but I'll be focusing on things that are fun.