One Blogger's Embarrassing 2011 Fitness Resolution

So are you doing any health or fitness resolutions for the upcoming year? Overcrowded gyms in January typically free up by mid-February as the reality on non-instant results kicks in.

This year my fitness resolution requires no gym. Last fall, I received Combine 360 Testing that was a huge dose of reality. Not surprising for a blogger, my hamstring flexibility is extremely sub par. I have two confessions to make: I've never been able to do a cartwheel, and am incapable of touching my toes. This is not tragic, I know, but a highly embarrassing affliction for a female. I've tried various things to improve my hamstring flexibility but sitting at a computer seems to make it worse.

When I attended the Combine 360 Testing, I had worse hamstring flexibility than the guys who participated. The trainers running the program suggested that I could significantly improve my flexibility if I did TRX Suspension Training. I saw a number of people doing workouts with it at the conference I attended. It looked hard but effective.

TRX Suspension Training was first designed by Navy Seals who were trying to find a portable way to keep strength up while they didn't have access to a gym in the field. It's now used throughout the military, and many athletic programs use it, too. To get a sense of what it looks like, here's Saints quarterback Drew Brees is doing with trainer Todd Durkin:

I haven't used the TRX Suspension Trainer yet because I wanted to get a "Before" test done. Sean Cashman, a Personal trainer at the Houstonian Gym, measured my starting point by having me do a static stretch. In the Stretch and Reach Test, I measured a -3 1/8. That is the number of inches I'm away from touching my toes. That is actually closer than how far away my hands are from the floor when I just try to bend over.

Unfortunately, as many of us know, a gym membership or fitness equipment doesn't use itself. I will document how often I use the TRX Suspension Trainer and measure my progress.

They say that sharing a goal with others makes you more likely to follow through with it. I don't know who "they" are but my sciatic nerve and me hope that it is true. Any resolutions you wish to share?