Growing up I remember doing the Presidental Fitness Test during school in Elementary and Middle School.

The dreaded Mile Run.  Pull ups and sit-ups.

And everytime I either finished last or couldn’t do a pull up.  It destoryed my confidence.

Then, whoever ran it rubs it in with who got the best scores and show case the national average for each test object; saying that whoever doesn’t meet these standards are outta shape or over weight.

I wonder, then. if this person or people would come to lunch for a week and watch us “outta shape” people play or come to a little league baseball or pop warner football practice and see these “Over weight” kids being active.

This is an example of a Presidental Fitness Test somewhat ruins self-confidence.  it calls out kids flaws in front of everyone just to prove a simple point that we’re a outta shape society.

Now I believe this is true and that proper education is required to teach people at a young age on how to be healthy, to make right decisions in life and to be active.  I don’t think seeing if a 10-year-old kid can run a mile in under 10 minutes or do 28 sit-ups in a minute can truly showcase if a kid is eating his carrot sticks at dinner or playing an hour a day.

But my question is this.  What if it’s more than enviornmental?  I don’t think these test take into account genetics of a kid.  What if a kid is gentically big or small?  Kids know they’re dis-position, they’re already know this.

Yes, its half-gentics and half-enviornment; its not the kid’s fault, it’s the crappy society we live in.

My Opinion is this:  Why not drop this “standard”, use this “testing” time as recess and teach them to be active or how to be healthy.  Self-confidence will build from this for our youth and thus kids would be more keen to make healthier decision.  It’ll put our tax dollars to better use as well.  Sounds simple right?  I don’t know why we haven’t grasp this concept yet.