I wrote this journal for my weight lifting class at SLCC but I thought I would add it to the blog as well for memories. Enjoy!
Before
taking this flexibility class I thought my range of motion was alright. Upon
taking the initial evaluation I realized that my body isn’t as flexible as I
thought. There are certain areas of my body that did well, but overall my range
of motion is normal. It was very interesting to see the difference between the
left and right side of my body. I’m left handed so the left side of my body
flexibility is a lot better than my right. Another thing that I have found very
interesting was that when you are performing a back extension you should always
keep your pelvis flat on the mat. I’ve been doing this wrong and thought that
the higher I raised my trunk the better.
My
initial goals for this class was to improve my hip flexion and extension, and
for long term it was to improve my back and hip flexion, rotation, and lateral
flexion. Each class challenged me in a different way. I will be honest and say
that I haven’t been the best at getting my stretches done each day before my
workouts. So being able to understand how important it is to stretch your
muscles before and after completing a workout helped me a lot. Especially when
the professor went in depth on how to properly foam roll. It was great to learn
how to properly foam roll to not injure yourself.
After
re-evaluating myself there are a few things that I have learned from the data.
My sit and reach test improved by two inches.
My first test was 25 inches, then
my second test ended with 27 inches. I thought that was great improvement since
I have learned new breathing techniques that have helped me improve my
flexibility.
As
for the Tanita scale, there are a few things to mention that have changed this
semester, the first being my weight. I started out at 150 pounds due to having
upped my calorie intake for the year. And even though I didn’t want a lot to
change my weight did go down to 144 pounds. It’s not a huge difference which it
is very understandable. After the semester is over I’m planning on changing my
macronutrients to get back on track with my weight and diet.
Since
the Tanita scale tells me that my BMI is around 25. For my height and weight,
it is a lot and it puts me in the “overweight” category, even though I know
that a lot of my weight comes from muscle mass. My TBW has significantly
changed for the semester which is great. I made myself a goal to drink at least
8-12 cups of water each day. My initial hydration for the semester started at
53% and it ended at 61%. So I would say that I have reached my desired goals.
Overall,
my knowledge about flexibly and lifetime wellness has expanded and I’m happy
that I decided to take this class. For the past 10 years my focus has mostly
been on strength training, with a little bit of cardiovascular activities, but
It has been great to learn a new skill that I will take with me for the rest of
my life. My plan is to keep foam rolling each day before I start my workouts
and also focus on my cool downs.
What
made this class interesting to me was that each day was something new. I looked
forward to coming to class and seeing what was next. The student presentations
were great and they taught me new routines that I’m very excited to try out.
The only recommendation I would make is that students communicate with other
groups before their presentations so that we aren’t doing the same exact
stretches for a full class period.
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