Not that anybody ought to do anything merely because it has been done by Missouri, but Missouri has a state exercise. And Arkansas doesn't.
Do we need one?
Did Missouri need one? Before Gov. Jay Nixon signed a bill declaring that the jumping jack will be his state's very own exercise beginning Aug. 28, Missourians already had 27 official state ... doohickeys. These include such Show-Me essentials as the paddlefish (state aquatic animal), the crinoid (state fossil), the crayfish (state invertebrate), the American bullfrog (state amphibian), the ice cream cone (state dessert) ....
"Really just having a state exercise doesn't make much sense," says Dr. Nathaniel Smith, director of the Arkansas Department of Health. "Everyone has to find the exercise or exercises that work best for them."
A sensible observation, but just for yuks, let's set sense aside and consider: If Arkansas were to have a state exercise -- not saying we should -- what would it be? Why?
Smith suggested trail running, but that's more a mode of exercise or a sport (or a way of life). Running in place would be the running-related movement pattern. But running in place as a state symbol? Not Smith's recommendation.
Cathryn Gaines, physical education teacher at Center Valley Elementary School in Russellville, suggested walking -- if it could be counted as an exercise and not a sport or mode.
By the way, walking is the official exercise of Maryland -- the only other state with an official exercise.
Gaines, who was the Arkansas Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance's PE Teacher of the Year in 2013, said walking "is an exercise that can be done by many ages, individually or with families. It is an exercise that many do with hiking at our wonderful state parks. It is the exercise for preparing for 5Ks, 10Ks, half and full marathons. It is the second movement that all babies learn and the mode of movement everyone uses on a daily basis."
Smith likes walking, too, "because most people can start with short walks and build up." But pressed to pick a limited movement pattern, the state health officer went with a classic.
"Situps would be my suggestion then," he said. "Situps are low-impact, and most Arkansans can probably do a situp, if they had to -- not so for pullups or pushups."
Gina Marchese Pharis, director of the Little Rock Marathon and a board member on the Arkansas Governor's Council on Fitness, was less solicitous of folks' limited ability.
"I have a love/hate thought about burpees!" she exclaimed. "I vote for the burpee because it is a full body movement involving jumping, squatting, planking and pushup all in one rep!"
Fellow council member Rance Bryant, director of the Conway Regional Health and Fitness Center, also voted for making us jump, squat, plank and pushup: "Definitely the burpee," he said, "or at least it's a fan favorite here in Conway."
Pharis offered a link to video instructions. Go to youtube.com and search for "perfect burpees" to find directions by some guy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
THINK 'ARKANSAS'
• David Bazzel, former Razorbacks star and go-to quote for all things fitness-related in Arkansas:
"How 'bout the 'Woo Pig Workout': three sets of 10 Hog calls starting from a seated position. At the end of each Hog call, go back to the seated position and repeat," he said.
"Works arms, legs, cardio and vocal cords."
• Logan Wilcoxson, owner of Little Rock Climbing Center:
"Could calling the Hogs be considered an exercise? If not, I vote for the pullup. Not just because I am a rock climber, but because Arkansans seem to be very good at pulling themselves up by their bootstraps."
• Blair Dean, chairman of the Governor's Council on Fitness:
"I'm saying the mountain climber. It's not only a great exercise that provides enormous benefits, but Arkansas, hey, it's the Natural State, and it has some of the most beautiful mountains that are just waiting on people to hike and walk and climb them.
"The mountain climber has kind of been ... let's say 'rebirthed.' Back in my day, 20 to 30 years ago, we did them in very military style in our physical education classes, but now they have multiple variations. You're seeing them in the CrossFit; you're seeing them in lots of different aerobic power training classes; you're seeing them in yoga classes."
The mountain climber is the Comeback Kid of exercises, she said, because "it's providing not only cardiovascular benefits but enormous power benefits and strength -- core body strength, to be specific. It's also something that can be modified for beginners, and also it can be increased in intensity in different variations for your most advanced exercise enthusiast."
• Heather Kendrick, a personal trainer at Conway Regional Health and Fitness Center and owner of Heather Kendrick Training:
Mountain climbers -- "because Arkansas has lots of great hills and mountain regions. Perfect for climbing."
• LaVona S. Traywick, associate professor of gerontology for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture:
After joking that Arkansans should consider table pushups ("We do them every evening when we get up from dinner") Traywick chose the plank as her state exercise.
"It is a wonderful isometric core strength exercise that can be performed at varying difficulty levels and works the abs, chest, back, shoulders, arms and legs."
Planks, she said, are commonly done by getting into the "up" part of a pushup and staying there. But also there are "the elbow plank, side plank, standing wall plank and many more versions. Some even use equipment, like placing hands on a stability ball while holding your body in the plank position.
"The variety makes it a wonderful exercise choice for all fitness levels of Arkansans. For beginners, a standing wall plank is a good place to start. After the standing plank, you can always try the plank at a lower level before you get on the floor, like a sturdy chair or a table."
• David Ware, Capitol historian, Arkansas Secretary of State's office:
"Depending on the season, I might nominate either the chigger-bite scratch or the 'cue-table push-away.
"The former consists of digital massage and superficial abrasion of any part of the lower anatomy where chigger-bites tend to show up: ankles, behind the knees, around the waistband, etc." But he provided a "fancy, formal version":
1. Begin at attention, standing, hands at sides.
2. Raise right leg so that foot is as close as possible to buttocks.
3. Reach down with both arms, scratch ankle from both sides or, if no scratching is necessary, touch extended fingers beneath metatarsals for five seconds.
4. Lower right leg; when ball of foot supports weight, raise left leg so that foot is in place beneath buttock, scratch or lock fingertips, release and let foot descend.
5. When ball of left foot takes weight, raise right leg and repeat alternating pattern for 20 cycles.
6. After 20 cycles scratching ankle, modify so that knee is raised enough to scratch its underside and do 20 repetitions.
The 'cue-table push-away is an isometric exercise "meant to tone the biceps brachii (with secondary benefits accruing from slowing down one's inhalation of pulled pork, brisket or what have you)." An advantage is it can be performed "at any office desk or barbecue parlor table."
1 Sit facing stationary table in chair without wheels, rollers or gliders.
2. Move chair forward until you can press the heels of both hands against the edge of the tabletop, elbows at approximately 90 degree bend and vertical.
3. Lean slightly forward, pressing hard against the table. Keep tension on muscles for 10 seconds; relax, repeat (20 times).
4. If either the chair or table move, find different ones that won't move. Or have your friends sit on the table or hold the chair.
5. After 20 repetitions, it's time for another bite of the 'cue that has been sitting in front of you.
6. Repeat as necessary until your (real or imagined) plate is empty.
• Bill Torrey, owner of Rock City Running in Little Rock:
Torrey is also a proponent of planks.
"If you do them on your rug, you can make sure the carpet is clean. On grass, you can make sure if it needs cutting -- or just smell the grass," he said, adding that from the plank "there a few other exercises/positions that you can move to and exercise other parts of the body."
• Adam Carter, "Reclaim Your Life" fitness blogger and a coordinator at the UAMS Fitness Center:
"My suggestion would be the deadlift because a person always needs to be able to bend down and pick up heavy objects from the ground. The confidence and strength to pick up heavy weights translates into great confidence to face the heavy weights of life.
"Strong body, strong mind, strong life," he said.
• Fred Phillips of Arkadelphia, operations director for the Big Dam Bridge Foundation:
"How about fetchin'? You know, running to fetch this and running to fetch that. We all do it. Let's consider it a healthy way to stay fit."
• John Galloway, physical therapist and owner of Galloway Therapy in North Little Rock:
"I guess an exercise that stands out for Arkansas would be the single arm overhead press. It is basically the arm movement performed when calling the Hogs. While pullups would be a good way to describe Arkansas recently, I think anyone in the country (that's ever watched an SEC football game with Arkansans, anyway) would think of Arkansas after seeing that exercise."
• Willa Williams, Complete Communities coordinator for North Little Rock:
"The squat has a horrible name, but the exercise can be modified lots of ways, and you don't look like you're flagging someone down like you are with jumping jacks," she said
She likes squats because they build "strength and stability for so many Arkansans that go outdoors."
• Jeremy Lewno, bicycle/pedestrian coordinator for the city of Little Rock:
"Two that came to mind were the pushup, because not only are we going to get stronger, but we're going to push Arkansas up the health rankings, and the other is the burpee. Because who can't get behind a nice, healthy burpee?"
• Matthew Parrott, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette fitness columnist:
"It would be funny to make a joke about the 12-ounce curl for all the Razorbacks fans," he said. "But jokes aside, I'm thinking about the mountain climber or stepup, because of the hilly terrain in the Natural State."
• Bruce Thalheimer, co-owner of Chainwheel bicycle store:
"I would use the situp because if you sit up and look at our trail system it makes you go 'Wow!' Now if that doesn't make you say 'Yeah!' then I would say go to some core exercise."
He is not at all interested in the jumping jack as a state exercise, because "you can't do them if you are recovering from some breaks, bruises or bumps."
• Chris Cothern, a physical therapist and owner of AthletePlus Physical Therapy & Spine in Springdale, and a board member of the Governor's Council on Fitness:
"First thought, the bicep curl, because we are usually lifting food to our mouth over and over. For real, would say the sit-to-stand or squat because being able to get up and down is vital and all ages can perform it -- unlike the jumping jack."
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
• Ruth Hawkins, director of Arkansas Heritage Sites at Arkansas State University:
"I'd most definitely say the Arkansas Twist. If its creator -- former state Rep. Bobby Lee Trammell -- were still alive, he'd jump right on it." It's an easy exercise:
Well, now you twist and you twist and you do it like this
Twist and you twist and you do it like this
Twist and you twist and you do it like this
Twist and you twist and you do it like this
You shake a little bit, you twist a little bit
That's how you do the Arkansas Twist.
ActiveStyle on 07/28/2014