(Please, SOMEONE else tell me they remember that commercial?)
The Presidential Physical Fitness Test. My old nemesis. Sit-ups. Shuttle Run. Sit and reach. Mile run. Pull ups.
What am I gonna do?
The other day, I was thinking about it again. Okay, technically that song was running through my head.
Now's the time to ex-er-cise!
That got me wondering...does that test still exist? And could I pass it now?
And it turns out that it DOES still exist! And I found the qualifying standards. Unfortunately, they only go up to a 17 year old standard, so I guess that's what I'll have to qualify as. There's also an adult program that's more of a "get active" thing. I'm signing up for that too.
Favorite activities? Let's look at the list. Definitely "Marching". Ooh, "Nintendo Wii"! And we'll round it out with "Trap/Skeet Shooting" and "Billiards". No? Okay, SwimBikeRun it is. I have 0 points out of 40,000 for my bronze award! We can choose activities from "My Favorites", "The Great Outdoors", "Entire List", or "Adult Favorites". I'm a little scared to click on the last one. So, I have filled out 3 days so far, and I'm up to 2154 points. At that pace, I'll reach 40k in two months. Bronze award, you will be mine!
It's fun to treat your body right!
But the real challenge will be passing the 17-year-old standards for the coveted Presidential Physical Fitness Award that has eluded me since fourth grade.
Now you're looking great!
Seriously, can you deny that face? Come on.
Here's the standards I'll have to meet:
Curl-ups: 55 in one minute
Is that a newfangled word for sit-ups? (Research says "yes"). I think I can do this one. There's also a "partial curl-ups" option that's more like slow crunches.
Shuttle Run: 8.7 seconds
Not a big strength, but seems doable.
Sit & Reach: 41 cm
Uh-oh, this one could be trouble.
One Mile Run: 6:06
Attainable, I think. It would be a PR, but I've never really tried.
Pull-ups: 13
My real nemesis. I couldn't do ANY in 4th grade. Or probably now. There's also an option to do 53 pushups instead.
If I remember right, these weren't all on the same day, but during the same week. So that will be my goal. Pass each part of the test within a one week timeframe, and this will be mine:
So there it is, Mr. Reagan. I'll pass your test yet and make you proud.
And to end this post in true 80's style, let's all high five as the camera freezes and the credits roll!
