In regards to being healthy, where do you stand? The healthy fitness zone in P.E. tells us that healthiness is a number determined by the number of push-ups and sit-ups we can do.
Each student in Hastings High is required to take P.E. I and P.E. II before graduating. In these classes, they are tested on the mile, pacer, push-ups, sit-ups and sit and reach. These tests all have healthy fitness zones that the students are required to meet in order to pass.
According to the Fitnessgram Performance Standards of 2015, girls above the age of 17 should be able to do seven push-ups and boys should be able to do 18. Why is there a such a big gap between the numbers?
“I think the healthy fitness zone is sexist,” sophomore Jefferson Mai said, “Girls are just as capable of doing anything a boy can do.”
Mai is not the only who does not believe in the standards of the healthy fitness zone. When asking a range of boys and girls of the sophomore class, nine out of ten said they do not agree with the healthy fitness zone. One girl, in particular, sophomore Erin Hunt, had her own opinion on the numbers.
“The healthy fitness zone is a good idea for the people who do not participate in other athletic activities,” Hunt said, “I can’t run a mile very fast, but that doesn’t mean I’m not healthy. I go out every day after school and practice softball, which is a lot of physical activity.”
The students definitely oppose the healthy fitness zone, but the staff at Hastings High agrees with it.
“It encourages students to become more physically involved. They do not want to have scores lower than the healthy fitness zone because it will bring their grade down,” P.E. teacher Kendra Laux said, “I don’t think the numbers are too high. I think every student taking P.E. is perfectly capable of meeting the standards.”
