Personal Narrative: My Level Of Fitness

Athletics had not always been a flauntable aspect of my life as they are now. In grades 1-4, I was uncoordinated and far too lanky to produce and store any muscle. I often ponder about what changed in the fifth grade, for I became very agile and have exercised almost every day since the beginning of that year. I did not pick up the sport of swimming until the seventh grade and I cannot imagine myself not swimming, not only as a source of exercise but as a source of pure pleasure.

Honestly the past couple of days, I did not work out. Stayed indoors most of the time completing unfinished work and studying for upcoming tests. However, the reason for not working out is because there is a theory I want to attempt this week. Challenges I faced over the past couple of days were visuals for Marching Band. Okay, there are some people in the world who says that Marching Band ain't a sport. In my opinion, a sport is defined by physical exertion output (endurance), skills, rules, and competition. Though that is just my opinion, others have their own definition of what is considered a sport. Overall, since I have done absolutely nothing for the past week. Adjustments are necessary for the upcoming week. Requiring me to exercise daily and comparing the data I have collected from the past couple of days. The progress that I and Wendy have remarkably benefited us in terms of physical appearance. Our endurance and determination to keep pushing forward have increased exponentially.

As I look at my results for my fitness scores from 9th grade baseline tests to 10th grade posttest results I see a continuous improvement. I started with 1700 meters in my 12-minute run and continually increased my score to 2100 meters in the 10th grade posttest. For the 12-minute swim, I started with 17 wall touches, and I improved to 24 walls for my 9th grade posttest, and than went back down to 23 walls for my 10th grade pretest, and moved back up to 25 walls for my posttest. The front plank test I got a time of 1 minute 30 seconds for my 9th grade pretest, and increased to 2 minutes 45 seconds for my 9th grade posttest. I then decreased to 2 minutes for my 10th grade pretest, and back up to 2 minutes 30 seconds for my 10th grade posttest.

As I looked at the barbell stacked with two 45 lbs plates on both sides, I questioned my own ability, and think to myself there is no way in hell I am able to lift this without injuring myself.

It all started on June 2014, I was uncomfortable in my own skin. I was underweight and was always out of breath. I ran like a turtle. At that time, I weighed only 115 pounds. I wanted to make a change for the better, wanting a better lifestyle. So I decided to sign up for the gym. That day changed my life forever. The gym made me fit, healthier, but most importantly it made me a better person which is who I am today.

In Damon Burton’s article, “Winning Isn’t Everything: Examining the Impact of Performance Goals on Collegiate Swimmers’ Cognitions and Performance,” (1989) he assesses the effectiveness of a goal setting training (GST) program and the impact it has on collegiate swimmers’ perceived ability, performance, and competitive thoughts, such as anxiety and confidence. In this study, males and females on the varsity swim teams of a Big 10 university either participated in a 5-month long GST program or they did not participate in any program. The season-long training period was necessary to allow athletes the time to acclimate to the program, master goal setting skills, and develop a competitive success history (Burton 1989). In addition, the GST program trained both athletes and coaches in order to create an environment that fosters the development of specific, short-term, and individualized performance goals.

I actively participate in a variety of extracurricular activities. Both seeing a need and having an interest, I along with some other girls founded our school’s first Athletic Training Program during my freshman year. In the program, we educate students on common injuries seen in high school sports. As the head trainer for our school’s swim team and girl’s track team, I attend to athletes’ sore muscles, apply wraps, and provide assistance to our new trainers (2015-2018). I’m also a leader within my school’s division of Future Health Professionals of America(HOSA), helping to energize the students preparing for healthcare jobs in the future. I became one of the founding members of Stem Moms in 2014, a program that educates students about

In regards to the Physical activity report, I had a hard time making sure that it was accurate. There were so many choices to select from but I tried to match what I did as accurately as possible. For this report I was able to meet and exceed the recommended amount of exercise. At the beginning of the month my husband and I made the decision to join the local GYM instead of working out at home. My goal will be to commit to at working out at least five times a week for an

Sometimes I find myself wondering why I put in so much effort for this sport. But, then I remember what motivates me most to continue swimming everyday. I love the sport. I love to swim. It has been a part of my life for so long, and I have no idea what I would be doing without it. During the one week in December that I was out of the pool, I realized this fact the most. The girls I get to swim with during high school season are my best friends. And they all motivate me to work harder every single day. Personal goals push me along with team goals. The amazing opportunities and memories this sport has given me are incredible, and that motivates me to reach the next level of swimming. The swimming program is very difficult, and often times my body gets so exhausted that I cannot imagine swimming another lap. But the happiness I feel after every practice, my teammates that are always there to support me, my amazing coaches, and the family like feeling that both my high school team and club team have created makes swimming so fun. This motivates me to never give up on the sport that I have always

My short-term goal is to go to the gym through out high school and college to stay in shape. My long-term goal is to do this exercise at least once a week. During freshmen year I also had a 1-minute plank during the baseline testing. On the post plank test I had a time of 2 minutes and 15 seconds. I had an improvement of one minute and fifteen seconds. There was a change in times because I was in sports during the time of these tests. There was also a change because I was in school gym, which made me more fit to be able to do these exercises. I had a great attitude during the time of work out which helped me to do better during the plank test. I was not making healthy choices or eating nutritious meal that could have increased my time even more. I was not injured or ill during this time. My short-term goal is to keep trying to increase my time on the plank test and keep working at it because in my opinion it is one of the harder tests. My long-term goal is to get into a work out program at the gym in Sartell to stay fit. During my 10th grade baseline 12-minute swim test I got a total of 19 walls. During the post 12-minute swim test I received a total of 21

Even though my goals for school were specific, measurable, attainable, and relevant, I needed more time to enhance my aerobic fitness enough to score 9.1 for my beep test. In addition, I also noticed significant improvements in all components of fitness for my cadet personal fitness goals, but I did not reach my goal for the 20m shuttle run. I would like to note that I was extremely close to achieving it, and I had been given slightly more time. Again, I will infer that I simply needed a maximum of one or two more weeks to reach my aerobic fitness goals. As for performing 50 push ups in one minute, we were not consistent with the style of push ups done between the testings (we varied between the method where you bend your arms to 90 degrees and the method involving lifting your hands from the mat between every push up) so it is likely my score was negatively affected by having to switch to the more intensive and time-consuming push up method, instead of doing the push up style I had been

From the four functional fitness tests, I was able to develop a plan to build a solid foundation. These four tests included the deep squat, active straight leg raise, seated rotation, and seated should stretch test. Following the instructions, I was able to pass the deep squat with ease. This test showed me that I have good mobility of my spine along with my knee, shoulder, and ankle. The second test, the active straight leg raise, I experienced more difficulty with this. To improve on this, I will find stretches and exercises to increase my flexibility around my hip, pelvis, calf, and hamstrings. For the seated rotation test, I was able to accomplish without difficulty. This shows me that I have less stress on my spine and proper posture.

Muscular endurance tests are next. Pushups (on knees if Diana so chooses) are the measurement for this (less than 4 is very poor; 8-11 is poor; 14-19 is fair; 20-24 is good; 26-31 is excellent; 33-56 and beyond is superior). The sit up test is next (11 and below is very poor; 15-20 is poor; 21-25 is fair; 26-29 is good; 30-35 is excellent; 38 and above is

Adding exercises into one’s daily routines can change their whole lifestyle. Many people look at exercise as being something just for people who want to lose weight or to become muscle bound, but there are a great deal of benefits that can be received from exercising regularly. Of course gaining muscle and losing fat are the two most popular reasons that usually attract people to the gym, but they make up a small part of the potential benefits that can be achieved with exercise. There are several ways in which I have benefited in my life from exercising regularly, besides just making me bigger and stronger. It has made me become more organized, helped me make better decisions, and motivated me to take on new challenges in life.

I think that I achieved my goals because I have more flexibility, my core muscles are stronger and I consider that my cardiovascular system is in good shape. I can affirm this because now I have a better performance in any physical activity than before. For example, last weekend we went to do yoga with my family in a place called Aumau Yoga Studio. Before doing my fitness program, I wasn’t capable of doing a lot of different yoga poses