How a Lighthearted Challenge Helped Me Admit to My Fitness Problem

A statement was made, a challenge was thrown, and then came the laughter. There we were in the kitchen, my kids, and their partners, following a great meal and a few beverages. When the talk turned to health, my future daughter-in-law shared a tip and the gauntlet was thrown.…CONTINUE READING

The tip? “If you can’t get up off the floor without your hands, your life expectancy drops by 10 years.” The source was credible, as it came from her mother, a retired nurse.

Suddenly there was my daughter on the floor. A hyper-flexible kindergarten teacher, and semi-dweller of floor space she was ready to try this out.

First, she sought out clarity — “Like this? Criss-cross applesauce?”

That’s kindergarten teacher speak. Translation — cross-legged.

More laughter. And yes, she maneuvered her way up, in what looked like a painful unfolding and pressing of body parts to the floor.

Turns out, her method wasn’t quite expected, but her hyper-flexibility, fitness, strength, and yes, a higher pain tolerance than this writer has, had her springing up.

Not to be outdone, her brother was next down. Neither overly flexible nor a kindergarten teacher, he too was able to get up without hands and rather speedily. Then, his fiancé the gauntlet throwere, was next. She found her own way up amidst applause and yet more laughter.

My son-in-law, still recovering from ankle surgery got a pass, and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this challenge was beyond me.

I even said that, but still wanted to try, although out of view. So, off I went to a side hall and sat down. I’m not overweight, okay, maybe a couple of extra pounds around my midsection, but nothing that should get in the way.

Having watched three different people, and three different techniques, I held a smidgen of hope I might be able to pull off this stunt. Within seconds I knew what I’d already stated. There was no getting up off that floor without the use of my hands.