AMRAP. WOD. KTE. Double Unders. Paleolithic Diet.
Any of these terms sound familiar? If so, I am guessing, at one point or another, you have done a CrossFit workout. I love to exercise; in fact, you could probably say I am an exercise addict. April 22nd-28th is Medical Fitness Week and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than talking about CrossFit, one of my favorite ways to get a great workout.
What is CrossFit?
According to www.crossfit.com,
CrossFit begins with a belief in fitness. The aim of CrossFit is to forge a broad, general and inclusive fitness.
CrossFit was developed by Greg Glassman as a high intensity workout program with the goal of helping participants improve their fitness level. CrossFit workouts are typically short (20 minutes or less) and require all out exertion making them VERY intense. CrossFit uses such movements as rowing, sprinting, jumping rope, flipping tires, weightlifting, burpees, pull-ups and push-ups for each of their workouts. The CrossFit website features a different WOD (Workout of the Day) each day combining these training elements. If you want to take part, you will often be challenged to complete as many rounds as possible in a given time frame, and workouts are also often done “for time” to see how fast participants can complete a specific workout.
CrossFit Culture
Today, CrossFit programming is used by over 6,000 affiliated gyms, law enforcement agencies, fire departments and military organizations. CrossFit also has a large virtual community and online following. WODs can all be seen on their website free of charge. Many CrossFit affiliated gyms have their own websites with WODs that are slightly different than the original website’s. There are also a variety of CrossFit blogs that you can follow — each with a different WOD. One of my personal favorites is The CrossFit Mamas blog. They have great workouts and it’s an easy way to keep your workout fresh and exciting. Another great website is the The WOD Shop. This is a WOD generator which lets you choose specific training elements and generates CrossFit type workouts. The CrossFit Games are also held each summer. The Games are marketed as a competition to determine the “Fittest on Earth.” Athletes compete in a variety of workouts and are often given surprise elements that are not typically part of a CrossFit workout. The Games are televised each summer as athletes compete in a variety of workouts.
CrossFit & The Paleolithic Diet
Part of the CrossFit culture and lifestyle is proper nutrition. Many CrossFit participants live a Paleo lifestyle, following the Paleo diet. The Paleolithic Diet, Paleo for short, is often referred to as the cavemen diet due to its belief that if the cavemen didn’t eat it, you shouldn’t either. The Paleo diet encourages a “hunter-gatherer” diet and mainly consists of fish, grass-fed meats (meats such as bison and rabbit are encouraged), eggs, vegetables, fruits and nuts. The diet excludes grains, dairy products, refined sugar and processed oils/food. Simply put, the Paleo Diet encourages real, clean foods. Robb Wolf is a huge supporter of the Paleo Diet and his website has great information about Paleo Diet specifics. I’ll admit, I tried the Paleo Diet and parts of it were difficult for me. I eat a healthy diet normally but was interested in seeing how Paleo living would affect me and my workouts. While I am not currently following the Paleo Diet 100% I still incorporate many Paleo foods into my normal diet. Natural Healthy Concepts carries a variety of “Paleo-friendly” products that I have grown to love.  One of our previous blog posts talked about the benefits of Coconut Oil, a staple on the Paleo Diet.
Here are a few more Paleo-friendly products from Natural Healthy Concepts.
- Banyan Botanicals’Â Ghee. Ghee is a clarified form of butter. Typical butter is almost always made from cow’s milk while ghee is commonly made from buffalo milk and is more pure than traditional butter.
- Pure Synergy’s Organic Raw Manuka Honey. Raw Honey has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Raw Manuka Honey can help to boost your body’s immune response, soothe indigestion, promote a healthy GI tract, and promote antioxidant activity.
- NOW Foods’ Sunflower Seeds. Sunflower Seeds are a good source of fiber and Vitamin E and a great addition to breads, cookies, salads and more!
- Designs for Health’s PaleoMeal. While supplements are technically not Paleo, Designs for Health offers a variety of protein powders and bars that are gluten free and dairy free.
While CrossFit-Paleo Living is not for everyone, I do hope that I’ve at least sparked some interest in CrossFit and the Paleo Diet. CrossFit, when done correctly, can be an extremely challenging and beneficial workout program.
Have you tried CrossFit? What is your favorite workout? Post a comment below, I’d love to hear from you and am always open to new workout ideas!
Resources:
Image source: Flickr.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CrossFit
http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/what-is-crossfit.html
http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/paleo-diet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=newtip&dbid=9
