I believe CrossFit can better someone is all aspects of life, not just physically. CrossFitters are strong because they learn to push through the "suck."
I believe CrossFit can be one of the most humbling experiences, while boosting confidence unlike anything else. It can show people they are much more capable than they think.
I believe in quality over quantity.
I believe in functionality and efficiency.
I believe in community. CrossFit's community is one of the tightest I've seen.
I believe in fitness as a life-long journey, not a quick fix. It is not something obtained through on-and-off "dieting" or New Years resolutions.
I believe in gyms without mirrors. CrossFit does not allow for ego and narcissism. People are too busy trying to make the room stop spinning and catching their breath to admire how awesome they are.
I believe in CrossFit for everyone. Anyone can do CrossFit. No one lacks the ability, only the will.
I believe in longevity. I believe in 70, 80, 90-year-old grandparents running upstairs, playing with their garndchildren, giving them piggy-back rides, and being capable of much more than sitting in a rocking chair and taking their medicine.
Lastly, I believe that CrossFit is for yourself, but not exclusively. You CrossFit for your spouse, your kids, and your grandkids.
What do you believe about CrossFit??
Friday, July 23, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
More Than Fit
You've been there. There is an inevitable point in almost any CrossFit WOD where you want to quit.
But you don't. You grab the bar again. You ignore the fact that your veins are pumping battery acid and your brain is screaming at you to end it. You press on for another again and again and again until you can victoriously shout, "TIME!"
Getting through that "dark place" has some unbelievable benefits physically, for sure. But what else can be gained? Becoming a fitter individual is all good and fun, but I want to talk about something not so obvious…something that can't be measured on a clock or a scale. In CrossFit, we often hear the phrase, "get good at life." I believe CrossFit affects your life in many ways outside of the physical realm.
There are success stories of CrossFit saving marriages. Stories of people reaching new heights in their careers, while giving full credit to CrossFit. Men becoming better fathers, women becoming better mothers. Addicts putting down the bottle or needle. People suffering from depression throwing away the pills. All of them saying, "CrossFit did [this] for me!" How can these things be gained from a fitness program?
CrossFit makes people stronger. Not just physical, but a mental strength. CrossFitters are strong people.
CrossFit leaves us with torn hands, bloody shins, completely exhausted, lying supine and breathless on the gym floor. Not very appealing, no doubt. However, conquering these physical challenges teaches us a great amount about ourselves and what we are able to get through. Big or small, we face hardships in life. We can't change that. We can control how we handle those hardships. CrossFit teaches us that we are strong. It teaches us that we are capable. It teaches us how not to let challenges get the best of us. How not to quit. No...we learn that we can triumph over our obstacles.
When we face relational, financial, or other issues in life, we do not crumble. We stay strong and know that it will end and we will make it through. We've finished the "Filthy 50." We know what "Fran" feels like. We've been through the Girls and Heroes. We've done more burpees than we care to know.
The confidence that comes from defeating WODs is immeasurable. There is an intangible swagger among CrossFitting men and women. A silent yet deafening "yes I will!" attitude that is so evident in almost each and every one that I've met. CrossFit is not just a workout program, it is a quality-of-life program. We are more than fit.
But you don't. You grab the bar again. You ignore the fact that your veins are pumping battery acid and your brain is screaming at you to end it. You press on for another again and again and again until you can victoriously shout, "TIME!"
Getting through that "dark place" has some unbelievable benefits physically, for sure. But what else can be gained? Becoming a fitter individual is all good and fun, but I want to talk about something not so obvious…something that can't be measured on a clock or a scale. In CrossFit, we often hear the phrase, "get good at life." I believe CrossFit affects your life in many ways outside of the physical realm.
There are success stories of CrossFit saving marriages. Stories of people reaching new heights in their careers, while giving full credit to CrossFit. Men becoming better fathers, women becoming better mothers. Addicts putting down the bottle or needle. People suffering from depression throwing away the pills. All of them saying, "CrossFit did [this] for me!" How can these things be gained from a fitness program?
CrossFit makes people stronger. Not just physical, but a mental strength. CrossFitters are strong people.
CrossFit leaves us with torn hands, bloody shins, completely exhausted, lying supine and breathless on the gym floor. Not very appealing, no doubt. However, conquering these physical challenges teaches us a great amount about ourselves and what we are able to get through. Big or small, we face hardships in life. We can't change that. We can control how we handle those hardships. CrossFit teaches us that we are strong. It teaches us that we are capable. It teaches us how not to let challenges get the best of us. How not to quit. No...we learn that we can triumph over our obstacles.
When we face relational, financial, or other issues in life, we do not crumble. We stay strong and know that it will end and we will make it through. We've finished the "Filthy 50." We know what "Fran" feels like. We've been through the Girls and Heroes. We've done more burpees than we care to know.
The confidence that comes from defeating WODs is immeasurable. There is an intangible swagger among CrossFitting men and women. A silent yet deafening "yes I will!" attitude that is so evident in almost each and every one that I've met. CrossFit is not just a workout program, it is a quality-of-life program. We are more than fit.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Calories in - Calories out = ∆ Body Weight?
Nutrition has always been an interesting topic to me. One of the biggest reasons I find it so fascinating is because we are still learning so much about it. The nutrition textbooks will likely be rewritten several times within the next 50 years.
A seemingly simple concept that most nutritionalists, dietitians, physicians, physiologists, etc. tend to agree on is: caloric intake minus caloric expenditure equals change in body weight. However, there are some glaring problems with this theory. For starters, body weight is typically measured in pounds or kilograms...so, mass. Calories, on the other hand, are measured as energy.
Seeing this, it already seems a little silly but we'll go with it. So, we can put one pound of fat in a bomb calorimeter and it come out to equal 3500 calories. Therefore, if I cut out 500 calories per day for seven days I should lose one pound of fat in a week! Simple! Wrong. This has not once... not even one time, been demonstrated in a human trial. In fact, out of all of the studies done to try and prove this concept, zero of the subjects achieved predicted weight loss. Of course, the scientists running the studies accused the subjects of "not following protocol." Out of the dozens of tests with large sample sizes, somehow everyone managed to find subjects who were absolutely determined not to comply. …Right.
Another issue with this theory is the fact that we use a bomb calorimeter to support our values. An Atwater bomb calorimeter is a device used to measure calorimetry (basically, the heat of physical changes or chemical reactions, or heat energy). It is a closed system that always reaches equilibrium. What's wrong with that? The human body is an open system that never reaches equilibrium. Nothing would be wrong with the model given by the bomb calorimeter if the human body was 100% efficient. However, it's not. We are not perfect. The same way gasoline works in a car engine, there is some amount of energy that is dissipated in an inefficient way.
Calories may not be the culprit for the obesity epidemic. Likely, it's not fat either. A large reason might just be what MyPyramid and physicians are telling us to eat: grains and other high-glycemic, processed and fortified foods that are making us hyperinsulinemic and sick. Physicians are paid to know anything and everything about medications, not food. Doctors are very good at making you better once you're sick, but may not be so great at preventing the sickness. Of course, it is not just one thing causing the problem. If that were the case, it would be an easy solution.
I am not saying that your quantity of food does not matter. It obviously does. What I am arguing is that it is much more complex than just calories in vs. calories out. Important questions to ask yourself concerning your diet may include: What kind of carbs am I eating? Are they low glycemic? Are they fortified or do I get my nutrients from what God put in them? How many ingredients? What kind of fats? How balanced is my diet?
Here's an easy way to make sure you're eating a good diet… Take it or leave it.
Eat all of and nothing but: LEAN MEATS, VEGETABLES, NUTS AND SEEDS, SOME FRUIT, and LITTLE STARCH…refined sugar free, gluten free, dairy free. To simplify it even further, if you cannot hunt it down and kill it or grow it in a garden, don't eat it (no you can't grow pasta in a garden). This is also known as the Paleolithic Diet. Put it to the test!
My Resources: The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, PHD; research done by Dr. Scott Connelly; research done by Eric Schlosser
A seemingly simple concept that most nutritionalists, dietitians, physicians, physiologists, etc. tend to agree on is: caloric intake minus caloric expenditure equals change in body weight. However, there are some glaring problems with this theory. For starters, body weight is typically measured in pounds or kilograms...so, mass. Calories, on the other hand, are measured as energy.
Seeing this, it already seems a little silly but we'll go with it. So, we can put one pound of fat in a bomb calorimeter and it come out to equal 3500 calories. Therefore, if I cut out 500 calories per day for seven days I should lose one pound of fat in a week! Simple! Wrong. This has not once... not even one time, been demonstrated in a human trial. In fact, out of all of the studies done to try and prove this concept, zero of the subjects achieved predicted weight loss. Of course, the scientists running the studies accused the subjects of "not following protocol." Out of the dozens of tests with large sample sizes, somehow everyone managed to find subjects who were absolutely determined not to comply. …Right.
Another issue with this theory is the fact that we use a bomb calorimeter to support our values. An Atwater bomb calorimeter is a device used to measure calorimetry (basically, the heat of physical changes or chemical reactions, or heat energy). It is a closed system that always reaches equilibrium. What's wrong with that? The human body is an open system that never reaches equilibrium. Nothing would be wrong with the model given by the bomb calorimeter if the human body was 100% efficient. However, it's not. We are not perfect. The same way gasoline works in a car engine, there is some amount of energy that is dissipated in an inefficient way.
Calories may not be the culprit for the obesity epidemic. Likely, it's not fat either. A large reason might just be what MyPyramid and physicians are telling us to eat: grains and other high-glycemic, processed and fortified foods that are making us hyperinsulinemic and sick. Physicians are paid to know anything and everything about medications, not food. Doctors are very good at making you better once you're sick, but may not be so great at preventing the sickness. Of course, it is not just one thing causing the problem. If that were the case, it would be an easy solution.
I am not saying that your quantity of food does not matter. It obviously does. What I am arguing is that it is much more complex than just calories in vs. calories out. Important questions to ask yourself concerning your diet may include: What kind of carbs am I eating? Are they low glycemic? Are they fortified or do I get my nutrients from what God put in them? How many ingredients? What kind of fats? How balanced is my diet?
Here's an easy way to make sure you're eating a good diet… Take it or leave it.
Eat all of and nothing but: LEAN MEATS, VEGETABLES, NUTS AND SEEDS, SOME FRUIT, and LITTLE STARCH…refined sugar free, gluten free, dairy free. To simplify it even further, if you cannot hunt it down and kill it or grow it in a garden, don't eat it (no you can't grow pasta in a garden). This is also known as the Paleolithic Diet. Put it to the test!
My Resources: The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, PHD; research done by Dr. Scott Connelly; research done by Eric Schlosser
Saturday, July 10, 2010
First post… for some laughs
This is how you know if you're sipping too much of the CrossFit Kool-Aid...
You tell your girlfriend that you spent your morning with Fran, Cindy, or Helen, and she's not mad.
You refuse to eat out any more, because there are no Zone-friendly restaurants.
You have left a sweat angel on the floor of your gym several times.
You are on your last warning for violating your globo-gym's "no oly lifts" policy.
People give you a lot of room at your gym.
"So I think I dig this chick." "What! How can you say that? You don't even know what her Fran time is!"
You understand the meaning of "stomp for power".
You feel sorry for people who read Muscle and Fitness.
In your trunk, you have: at least one kettlebell, spare running shoes, a med ball, and rings.
You know that the phrase "Oh yeah???" is very dangerous in the right context.
You talk about Coach, Greg, Chris, Josh, Dutch, etc like they are your best friends.
Your favorite numbers are 21, 15, and 9.
You've banged your head on a ceiling doing pull-ups.
You can use the words "snatch" and "jerk" in a sentence and not giggle.
You watch affiliate videos while at work/in class.
You do everything "for time".
In the same day, you've broken personal records in deadlifts and sprints.
You psych yourself up by telling yourself you don't need to breathe for the next few minutes.
People accuse you of lying when they ask you how you got in such great shape and you respond that it took less than 1/2 hour a day.
You tell your girlfriend that you spent your morning with Fran, Cindy, or Helen, and she's not mad.
You refuse to eat out any more, because there are no Zone-friendly restaurants.
You have left a sweat angel on the floor of your gym several times.
You are on your last warning for violating your globo-gym's "no oly lifts" policy.
People give you a lot of room at your gym.
"So I think I dig this chick." "What! How can you say that? You don't even know what her Fran time is!"
You understand the meaning of "stomp for power".
You feel sorry for people who read Muscle and Fitness.
In your trunk, you have: at least one kettlebell, spare running shoes, a med ball, and rings.
You know that the phrase "Oh yeah???" is very dangerous in the right context.
You talk about Coach, Greg, Chris, Josh, Dutch, etc like they are your best friends.
Your favorite numbers are 21, 15, and 9.
You've banged your head on a ceiling doing pull-ups.
You can use the words "snatch" and "jerk" in a sentence and not giggle.
You watch affiliate videos while at work/in class.
You do everything "for time".
In the same day, you've broken personal records in deadlifts and sprints.
You psych yourself up by telling yourself you don't need to breathe for the next few minutes.
People accuse you of lying when they ask you how you got in such great shape and you respond that it took less than 1/2 hour a day.
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