Fit or Fat?

Fitness testing, which started last week, always seems to cause a lot of student anxiety.  Many students worry about not being able to do a push-up.  Others worry constantly about the mile run.   Even more obsess about what they need to do to get a good score.  But most of all, students worry about whether or not they are fat.

I want to address the last concern, but before I do, I want all students to know that the purpose of these tests isn't to evaluate your worthiness.  Kids get measured, yes, and we record your scores, certainly, but the results have no effect on your grade or how I see you as a person. Also, the best way to insure that you don't do well on any test is to worry about it too much.  Worry results in stress.  Stress results in poor performance.  So relax.  Try to have some fun.

While fitness tests do measure the fitness of a particular student, the results are taken as a whole and are meant to measure the effectiveness of the P.E. program of which the student is a part and the overall health of a community, not the individual.  If I see, for example, that most Park School students have low scores in a certain test, I means to me that my program needs to improve in that area, not that kids aren't fit. 
 
The first pieces of information we gather for fitness testing are each student's height and weight.  This is necessary in order to perform a complete statistical analysis.  It is when I gather this information, and a student sees his/her weight, that I hear the dreaded question "does that mean I'm fat?"

Whenever I hear this question, a series of reactions go through my head.  The answer I usually give is a simple "no", because most of you are perfectly within the normal weight range for your age.

My other reactions aren't so simple.   I think about how a one's weight, taken into account alone, isn't a reflection of that one's fitness or attractiveness.  I think about how many physical changes people go through between childhood and adulthood and how one's weight fluctuates wildly during that time.  And, I think about how our society places way too much emphasis on how a person looks.

Everywhere we turn, we are being bombarded with images of how we are supposed to look.  So constant is this bombardment that many people's, especially young peoples', sense of self esteem is affected by how they think they look compared to the images they see.  This is a losing battle, for the images we see simply cannot be duplicated by most people.

For example, the average female fashion model is around 5'10" tall, weighs between 108 and 125 lbs and is between 15 and 22 years of age.  The average male model is between 5'11" and 6'2" tall, weighs between 140 and 160 lbs and is between 18-25 years old.

On the other hand, the average adult American woman is 5'4"tall and weighs 150 lbs, while the average adult American male is 5'9" tall and weighs 180 lbs.   It is therefore impossible for most people to look like those who are presented to us as physical ideals.

I think that everyone understands that we can't control our height or our age.  So we fixate on the one tangible vital statistic we think we can control; our weight. 

Contrary to what we've been lead to believe, our weight is not, by itself, an indicator of fitness or beauty.   In terms of measuring fitness, knowing one's weight is only useful when also taking one's height, age and gender and total body composition into account.  Even all of these statistics don't give a complete picture.  For that, we need to know one's flexibility, upper and lower body strength, heart rate and aerobic capacity.

I know that even after reading all of this, some of you are thinking, "so am I fat, or not?"

To help you answer this question on your own, use the Body Mass Indicator (BMI) gadget on the sidebar.

BMI is a number which takes your height and weight into account.    It isn't perfect, for it doesn't account for bone or muscle density, but it is a more accurate way of gauging fitness than weight alone.

To use the gadget, simply enter your height and weight in the appropriate boxes, then click on the Body Mass Indicator box at the bottom to get your BMI. Then, compare your BMI to the range shown in the box below the calculator. Most of you will be happy with what you see, for in my experience with fitness testing at Park School, I've found only one or two students each year who have a BMI in the overweight range.

Whatever number you get, remember that most of you are only a little more than half grown.  Some of you won't reach your full height until you are 18 and most of won't reach your physical peak until you are in your mid to late 20's. 

One more thing:  the best and easiest way to maintain your health is to eat sensibly, avoid drugs and alcohol and get regular exercise.