I walked toward my taekwondo studio recently feeling excited for class, but the moment I looked in, I immediately regretted arriving early. Before me, a group of blue and brown belts — advanced students at ages 9 to 12 — were in a push-up position, though, in reality it was more of a drooping cobra pose. As the instructor counted, they bent their arms half a degree as their backs sagged further. Horrified by this scene, I dropped down and showed them five impeccable push-ups.
Being unable to do push-ups means lacking basic upper body strength. I won’t deny that push-ups feel uncomfortable at first, but that’s a terrible excuse for avoiding them. If I can go from struggling with knee-down push-ups to doing 20 standard ones in a row, anybody can do one if they put in the effort.
The larger issue, however, extends beyond push-ups. Studies show that overall fitness is declining globally as technology makes our lives more sedentary — only 28% of 6-to-17-year-olds meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
For teenagers and children alike, ignoring basic exercises only makes them harder later on, so it’s crucial to start early. Please, for your own good, learn to do a proper push-up — even just one can make a difference in your physical health.
