be able to touch the floor with the palms of my hands while standing up

My sit-and-stretch measurement at the fitness assessment today was much improved over last time’s, but I’m still some way away from reaching this goal, quite simply because I don’t stretch enough.

I am learning the hard way that it is important for progress in this goal to stretch every day. Doing a good stretch at the gym is good, but it seems it is not enough. Weekends should be included, and any day that does not include a visit to the gym.

I can now touch the floor early in the morning, and after gym I can touch the floor with the second knuckle of my middle fingers.

I’m also learning that swimming demands a lot of flexibility in the upper body. Working on that too.

A little side-effect of stretching that I’ve noticed: It’s no longer as painful when I bend over the basin when I wash my face in the mornings.

Defintely making progress with this. It’s a difficult one to measure, but sometimes I can touch my ankles before I need to start stretching.

I recently did a fitness assessment at the instigation of my medical aid. In most areas I was OK, except in body composition (I’m too fat) and flexibility. I’ve known for a while that I was not very flexible, but because I never measured it I didn’t know it was so bad.

I think I should stretch every day. I do stretch after my usual gym sessions, but on weekends I can stretch too, and after my weights class too, where the stretching is a bit sketchy.