Fitness Newsletter

Here is the on-line version of the fitness newsletter I sent home in today's Wednesday envelope.

Physical Fitness Test

Physical fitness is comprised of several components: (1) aerobic capacity, (2) body composition, and (3) muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility.

This newsletter will provide you with some basic information about what is considered a passing score, that is, what is within the Healthy Fitness Zone, for the fifth-grade fitness test. We will also be measuring the students’ height and weight to determine their Body Mass Index, an estimate of the appropriate weight for their height.

Trunk Lift & Sit-and-Reach

The Trunk Lift is a test of strength and flexibility, and the Sit-and-Reach is a test of flexibility.

For the Trunk Lift, 10 and 11-year-old girls and boys must lift their trunk between 9 and 12 inches.

For the Sit-and-Reach, 10-year-old girls must reach 9 inches, and 11-year-old girls must reach 10 inches. 10 and 11-year-old boys must reach 8 inches. This test is marked as Pass/Fail; students either reach the required length or not.

Mile Walk/Run

The Mile Walk/Run is a test of aerobic capacity and endurance.

The Healthy Fitness Zone for 10-year-old girls completing a mile is between 9 ½ and 12 ½ minutes, and between 9 and 12 minutes for 11-year-old girls.

The Healthy Fitness Zone for 10-year-old boys completing a mile is between 9 and 11 ½ minutes, and between 8 ½ and 11 minutes for 11-year-old boys.

Curl-up

The Curl-up is a test of abdominal strength.

The Healthy Fitness Zone for 10-year-old girls is between 12 and 26 curl-ups, and between 15 and 29 curl-ups for 11-year-old girls.

The Healthy Fitness Zone for 10-year-old boys is between 12 and 24 curl-ups, and between 15 and 28 curl-ups for 11-year-old boys.

Push-up

The Push-up is a test of upper body strength.

The Healthy Fitness Zone for 10 and 11-year-old girls is between 7 and 15 push-ups.

The Healthy Fitness Zone for 10-year-old boys is between 7 and 20 push-ups, and between 8 and 20 push-ups for 11-year-old boys.