I've noticed my general flexibility and strength declining rapidly since the onset of puberty (8 minute mile at the end of 6th grade, struggling to complete a 12 minute mile at the beginning of 7th grade.. wtf?) I've always been a healthy weight, and was reasonably active through my teens until now, walking lots of places (only just NOW working on getting my driver's license, so my feet are my car!) and lots of biking when not pregnant, although a bit less since having kids, since the trailer can be irritating :) I'm increasingly frustrated by my tight leg muscles and lack of core strength. I'm starting to wonder if its abnormal or if I just need to quit comparing myself to others. Its been at the front of my mind lately when I watched, in awe, a mom friend sit on the floor with her legs straight, straddling her baby to change his diaper. I can NOT do that. Sit on the friggin floor? I can manage cross legged for brief stretches, but straighten my legs? forget it. I could pull it off if I leaned back and supported my weight with my hands but its greatly unpleasant. And sometimes in group situations when there's enough chairs, yet someone chooses the floor anyway. I'm amazed. Its impossible for me to sit, even leaning against a wall, at a 90* angle without bending my knees. Even with bent knees or cross legged, sitting on the floor more than a minute or two pretty quickly progresses to my entire body screaming about the need to lay down! Its exhausting. And even sitting in a chair if I have to be remotely ladylike and can't contort myself into all manner of odd positions like I do at home, I'm screwed. Like at church wearing a skirt. I feel like I'm going to DIE! It is so, SO uncomfortable to even sit in a relatively nice padded folding chair. I squirm and shift and try to find a comfy way to sit. If it weren't church, I'd sit cross legged, or pull one foot under my butt, or put my feet up on the chair with my knees up to my chest. So I alternate between a sort of slouch with my feet braced against the chair legs in front of me, and leaning way forward, face in palms, elbows on knees. Sometimes I look around the room and notice that everyone else seems perfectly comfortable in a dignified sitting position and wonder why I can't manage. Sitting is just torture. Not so bad at a desk/table because I can support myself on that.Â
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Is this a variation of normal? I'm really hating being so inflexible and weak. I do see a chiropractor every couple weeks (and have gone, at least every few months, since dd was an infant, but I'm definitely more diligent while pregnant) I've never been terribly diligent about doing regular stretching, but it seems weird that I would *need* to do regular stretching to maintain the ability to do basic things like, sit on the floor without being exhausted. Or sit through a meeting in a folding chair without feeling like I'm going to die.
