Rant warning: I havent had a rant in a while, but I guess I’m due. Here is my problem, spelled out very simply: the pursuit of fitness (or even health and well being) is not a subject that should be looked at in absolutes…it is grey, not black and white.
There have been many, many articles over the years that proclaim one of two things. Either the thing they sell/believe in/make a living off of is the ONLY thing you should be doing to improve your fitness. Or the thing that they don’t sell/don’t believe in/ don’t make a living off of/ or is a sensational headline is the thing that you absolutely SHOULD’NT do.
Rather than post the million crappy articles I’ll give you an overview.
Squatting is bad for your knees…don’t strength train.
Never run, its bad for you.
CrossFit will kill you.
The only thing you should do is strength train.
CrossFit is the only thing you should do.
Spin class is all you need.
You get the idea. If you can name a movement, form of training, form of movement, form of locomotion then you will likely find an article that is for or against that particular subject. Before I get to my personal thoughts on what you should or should not do let me give you a warning when you read these kind of articles. The warning is simple: if someone or an organization is selling something or offers a service and they tell you that their way is the only way then throw it straight in the trash.
So back to fitness being grey. The simple fact is that too many people do nothing. Nothing. Their heart rate is never elevated, they can barely move their own body weight, and their flexibility borders on being paralyzed. So what should these people do? CrossFit? Run? Strength Train? Zumba? Yoga? In a word, yes. Do anything. Do some thing. Start with something. Move. That is a start and would go a long way. Once you get past that, then experiment. Find what makes you happy and keeps you moving. If you don’t enjoy it then you won’t do it long term. Gains don’t come overnight. And anything worth doing is worth doing right and for a while if not forever. If I had to write a prescription it would be simple: eat well, sleep more, lift some weight, move your body quickly, and move your body slowly for a while. But what do I know, I own a CrossFit gym so you should probably ignore me!
