First of all, if you have not subscribed to the CrossFit Journal, I HIGHLY recommend it. Not only does it have endless information on CrossFit movements, fitness development, and athletic competency, if you really read some of the original documents published by Coach Glassman, you will find a wealth of information that will inspire you to keep improving you fitness levels. The topic I want to discuss is taken form the CrossFit Journal’s pioneering article “What is Fitness” by Greg Glassman.YOUR HEALTH. Please read the excerpt below.

“There is another aspect to the CrossFit brand of fitness that is of great interest and immense value to us. We have observed that nearly every measurable value of health can be placed on a continuum that ranges from sickness to wellness to fitness. Though tougher to measure, we would even add mental health to this observation. Depression is clearly mitigated by proper diet and exercise, i.e., genuine fitness.

For example, a blood pressure of 160/95 is pathological, 120/70 is normal or healthy, and 105/55 is consistent with an athlete’s blood pressure; a body fat of 40% is pathological, 20% is normal or healthy, and 10% is fit. We observe a similar ordering for bone density, triglycerides, muscle mass, flexibility, HDL or “good cholesterol”, resting heart rate, and dozens of other common measures of health. Many authorities (e.g. Mel Siff, the NSCA) make a clear distinction between health and fitness. Frequently they cite studies that suggest that the fit may not be health protected. A close look at the supporting evidence invariably reveals the studied group is endurance athletes and, we suspect, endurance athletes on a dangerous fad diet (high carb, low fat, low protein).

Done right, fitness provides a great margin of protection against the ravages of time and disease. Where you find otherwise examine the fitness protocol, especially diet. Fitness is and should be “super-wellness.” Sickness, wellness, and fitness are measures of the same entity. A fitness regimen that doesn’t support health is not CrossFit.”

Essentially what Coach Glassman is suggesting here is that no matter what your age is, no matter what your “fitness level” is, your health is what stands alone as our over all goal.

“Sickness” indicates those who have pathological diseases, diabetes, congestive heart failure, obesity, cancer, etc. Some of these illnesses are simply out of our control no matter how healthy you are. However, the likelihood of falling into the “sickness” category drastically decrease as your HEALTH improves.

“Wellness” is the category that we all see on charts at the Doctors office, in magazines, on the internet, this is your average person. Stable blood pressure, average heart rate, within normal limits for body fat %, some measurable muscle mass, etc. Many people who consider themselves to be “fit” still fall under the “Wellness” category because they are just average on these tests. Or they “fall within normal limits.” We want to take it a step further.

“Fitness” is the category we are striving for. We want to have ABOVE average blood pressure, we want ABOVE average resting heart rate, we want to be more flexible than the average person, we want to strive for high endurance capacities, we want to have efficient and effective muscle mass. No matter what the measurement is, in order to improve our HEALTH we want to strive to be ABOVE average. And strive to maintain that for the duration of our life.

Obviously age is a factor we can not control, and some things will just come with age. But its our charter to fight that every single day we wake up. Things like diet, CrossFit, family activities, social activities, etc. We do not want to be that 70 y/o person who has become sedentary, needs assistance living, can’t play with grand kids. We want to be that 90 y/o person who still can take care themselves, be active, be social, and BE HEALTHY!

This topic may first come across as depressing or gloom. However I suggest we embrace it and celebrate our Health no matter our age. When analyzing your fitness level, your health, and making it relevant to your age, it is common to consider your actual age in years as your mark for comparison. I would like to offer another perspective on your age. What is your CrossFit Age? How long have you been thinking with the mindset similar to what I have previously pointed out. So if you are concerned about that number that correlates to your age in years, take the perspective “I’m a young new CrossFitter, filled with fire and brimstone” and I am going to BECOME AS HEALTHY AS POSSIBLY!

With a few birthdays today I thought this would be a good topic to discuss.

Mike