Tag Archives: crossfit

No Pain No Gain Mentality of CrossFit Followers Could Leave Them Dead

Rhabdomyolysis is an extremely rare and potentially fatal muscle disease that fries the kidneys. This is doubtfully the first time you’ve heard of it, unless you’re a CrossFitter. CrossFit is a Marine-like workout routine that combines aerobic exercise, gymnastics and Olympic weightlifting, and Rhabdomyolysis—affectionately known as Rhabdo—is a common affliction sustained by CrossFitters. The CrossFit/Rhabdo debate was sparked last week when photos of a pregnant woman doing CrossFit went viral. Considering the disease’s disturbing associations with CrossFit, it’s worth asking whether anyone—not just an eight months pregnant woman—should CrossFit.

rhabdo

In 2005, there were 13 official CrossFit gyms in the United States. Now, there are more than 6,000. A CrossFit gym is more akin to a boot camp than a fitness center, and the intense workouts routinely leave exercisers with JELL-O for muscles. This is because—according to ABC News Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser, CrossFitters are “…asking [their] muscles to keep working after they’ve stopped getting any energy to get the job done.”

Let’s take a more detailed look at what Rhabdomyolysis does to the body.

At its onset, Rhabdo introduces itself as a soreness of the muscles. Hours later, when your appendages refuse to obey your brain’s commands to move, dead muscle cells have begun to release myoglobin—a protein harmful to the kidneys—into the bloodstream. Symptoms like vomiting, muscle spasms and confusion follow shortly after. And once your urine turns a lovely shade of coffee-brown, you can confidently diagnose yourself with Rhabdomyolysis. Get yourself to a hospital, because kidney failure and death are next. (more…)

Posted on September 27, 2023 by Patrick

A Beginner’s Guide to the Paleo Diet

The Paleo Diet has become one of the most popular diets in the U.S. in recent years. According to Experian Marketing Services it was the most searched for diet on the Internet the first week of 2024. As a result it now sits on the top 10 list of most popular diets.

So who is going Paleo these days? According to researchers, roughly 58 percent of the recent surge in Internet searches have come from females. Among those, 33 percent listed an annual household income of $30,000-60,000. It’s apparent that middle class women are the primary demographic growing curious about this popular diet for their health and weight loss goals.

What is the Paleo Diet?

The Paleo Diet, also known as the Caveman Diet, permits only foods that were consumed during the Paleolithic era, roughly 10,000 years ago. Since agriculture had not yet been invented, the diet prohibits many foods that are consumed in today’s society on a regular basis, such as grains, sugar and dairy. The general idea, however, is to only consume foods from nature – not foods that have been man made. (more…)

Posted on January 28, 2024 by Danielle

11 Celebrities Who CrossFit to Stay in Shape

Well folks, it’s becoming official. It seems as if strong is finally the new skinny in Hollywood. CrossFit training has continued its success and becomes more popular every day with more than 7,000 CrossFit niche, or affiliate, gyms popping up around the U.S. and 30 in New York City alone.

The CrossFit workouts usually only last between 20-35 minutes, which may seem short, but the high levels of intensity will make it seem like a lifetime. Try flipping 200 pound tractor tires for 20 minutes straight and see if you feel like doing anything afterward.

It seems with CrossFit there’s been a bit of a role reversal – where everyone else found CrossFit first and the Hollywood set dove in, too. It’s usually us chasing their methods! One of the biggest star faces the sport has is Bob Harper. The Biggest Loser trainer even built his own CrossFit gym on the ranch for his contestants this season.

“I’m drawn to CrossFit because it is so well rounded and constantly different. I have found that CF has made me more fit than I have ever been,” Bob told us. “I believe in this style of working out so much that I incorporated it onto my show and have seen tremendous results. [It’s] definitely the way to go for me.”

Here’s a list of other stars who’ve been spotted getting in their quick and dirty WODs, too. (more…)

Posted on January 21, 2024 by Danielle

Why Crossfit and the Paleo Diet Combine for Explosive Weight Loss Results

Everyone knows that if you want to lose weight, you’re going to have to incorporate a good diet and exercise together. That’s pretty much a given. But did you know if you incorporate two very distinct lifestyles together you could see mouth-dropping results? They’re called the Paleo Diet and Crossfit.

Yes, the two on their own are great ways to work toward your health and fitness goals, but when combined it seems the match was made for each other.

One reason Crossfit athletes are fans of the Paleo diet is because of the way the foods make them feel and how it prepares their bodies for the intense workouts. If you eat a bowl of ice cream or a cheeseburger just hours before your WOD (workout of the day), there’s a good chance you’ll be best friends with a trash bin and won’t be able to finish the workout. People have noticed that when they stick to their Paleo diet, not only will they be able to finish the workout but they’re also able to get through it much easier and push themselves harder.

Andrew Manser, a Crossfit gym owner in Hollywood, says he’s been doing Crossfit and variations of Paleo for the past five years and highly recommends the combination. (more…)

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Danielle

Brand Yourself a Crossfit Athlete with the Best Apparel and Gear

If you’ve taken up any sort of interest in the latest workout trend Crossfit, than here’s something you might be interested in. We’ve got a whole list of items to wear or use during your intense Crossfit workouts. Some of these are made to aid you during or after your workouts while others may just be to show off that you’re crazy enough to be involved in the sport. Either way, we’ve got the scoop on what’s in for Crossfit apparel, gear and equipment.

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Posted on January 16, 2024 by Danielle

You Can Have Better Sex by Valentine’s Day – Our Experts Show You How

A lot goes in to a good sex life, and for women it can be more of a mind game with our conscience than anything else: Are my legs shaved? How’s my breath? Am I bloated? What’s he really think of my naked body? It’s common for women to over analyze things and want everything to be perfect to be “in the mood,” but that can be the biggest antagonist of them all.

We’ve got four weeks to get you ready for a romping good Valentine’s Day night. So follow these four key tasks our experts have identified to help you work on body image, toning, flexibility, and a little weight loss. There’s a good chance you’ll be the one wanting to skip dinner and head straight to the sheets…

Body Image

We all have insecurities about our bodies, but realize how important a positive body image is for enhancing our sex lives.

“Even without changing your body, learning to love it (or parts of it) can do wonders for you in the bedroom,” says Brooke Randolph, LMHC, our resident mental health expert. “If you hate your body and want to hide it, it’s hard to really relax and be tuned into your partner and what you’re experiencing. When you feel good about yourself, you’re more likely to not only try to seduce your partner, but you’re more easily seduced by them as well.”

Try these sexy self-confidence boosters: (more…)

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Danielle

7 Hot Health and Fitness Trends That Will Own 2024

As we end the first week of 2024, it seems appropriate to look ahead and forecast what will be the hot fitness and health trends of the upcoming year. It’s always fun to not only look back to archive a year, but seeing which trends will be big and make a mark this year is, too. We’ve rounded up the seven things we think everyone will be chatting about this year and in to 2024!

1. Fitness and Health Smartphone Apps. Last year was another big one for fitness apps. Just this week Consumer Reports noted that MyFitnessPal was at the top of their list for “DIY Dieting.” There are so many useful and effective programs available that, according to Huffington Post, it’s expected that even health professionals will start advocating for and recommending these apps to help keep their patients on track.

2. Crossfit and Women in the Weight Room. The popularity of Crossfit has yet to wane and as a result more women aren’t getting scared out of the weight room. It’s assumed that more women will take up these classes and practices this year. The benefits of heavy lifting are being revealed as social media has proven a great way to show off the results many women are seeing. Nevermind the internal benefits such as bone and heart health. (more…)

Posted on January 7, 2024 by Lacy

A Beginner’s Guide to CrossFit

One of the most popular fitness trends of 2024 was the CrossFit phenomenon. Dedicated gyms gave followers a place to perfect their WOD (workout of the day) while finding motivation from like-minded men and women. CrossFit is not going out with the old but will be very much a part of this new year. If you’ve thought about joining the craze, let us be your guide.

What is CrossFit?

In the year 2000, Greg Glassman created a workout program that has become known as CrossFit. This program is a short workout that involves high intensity functional movements for the entire body. The idea is to push one’s self as hard as possible for a short amount of time, sometimes even less than 20 minutes.

CrossFit involves many dynamic exercises such as plyometric jumps, Olympic lifts, sprinting, rowing, jump rope, flipping tires, body weight exercises, weightlifting and even climbing a rope to the top of a ceiling. If you’ve been to a bootcamp, it looks very similar. In terms of weight lifting, we aren’t just talking about your average dumbbell, but other non-traditional weight lifting equipment. Some of these might include sand bags, kettlebells, water-filled containers, and suspension systems.

The goal during this very high intensity workout is to perform a certain number or repetitions in a certain amount of time. Some athletes who take CrossFit classes are even scored and ranked in order to encourage competition and to track progress. For those who are more advanced, some will even compete against one another in person and then post their results on the CrossFit website. (more…)

Posted on January 1, 2024 by Danielle

Elizabeth Nyland Lost 60 Pounds With Crossfit and a Paleo Diet

As a visibly ripped and fit food blogger, you’d never guess that Elizabeth Nyland of the blog Guilty Kitchen ever struggled with her weight. But in fact, before she ever hit her teenage years she was already well into a years-long battle with weight gain.

At age 18,  Elizabeth stood at just 5 foot 4 inches tall and weighed 185 pounds. Now, at age 29 (and the same height) she’s down to a happy 125. But getting to that point wasn’t easy.

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Posted on October 9, 2023 by Dana

CrossFit for Kids: Healthy or Dangerous?

CrossFit has nearly become a household name in the last several years. Known for its intense, non-sense WOD (workout of the day), CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program that focuses on constant variance. Participants rarely do the same thing twice in one week, opting for a 10K one day, 100 kettle bell swings the following day, and 40 power cleans the next.  

Because of its intense nature, often involving serious weight lifting, many have wondered if it’s safe for children. According to Jeff Martin, co-founder of CrossFit Kids, it certainly is.

Martin and his wife, Mikki, founded their fitness center for children back in 2004. Their goal? To combine exercise and fun. Over the last several years, the concept has taken off and hundreds of CrossFit Kids classes now take place in cities around the U.S. and beyond.

CrossFit DoneRight, a similar company in Rockville, Maryland, is now one of many kid-focused CrossFit gyms, including dozens in the D.C. area alone. As reported by NPR, kids as young as 4 years old are now participating in CrossFit, which has left some concerned about how safe it really is. (more…)

Posted on September 26, 2023 by Dana

Kelly Clarkson Loses 20 Pounds and Gains a New Boyfriend

Singer Kelly Clarkson, brought to stardom by winning “American Idol,” is once again the subject of celebrity gossip because of her recent weight loss. The 30-year-old recently appeared at the Billboard Music Awards showing off a new, trim figure. Clarkson credits her trainer for helping her slim down about 20 pounds. She says her trainer makes exercise fun, and they schedule a variety of activities, like hiking, to keep things interesting. Clarkson calls her “Chuck Nora” because of her hardcore, G.I.-Jane-like persona. She also said she has been eating healthier to help shed weight. Overall, though, Clarkson says that she exercises as a stress reliever.

New events in the singer’s life have prompted her most recent exercise and diet regimen. She recently began dating Brandon Blackstock, Reba McIntire’s stepson, and says that spurred her desire to be healthier. In an interview, she said she likes being toned when she is in a relationship. In fact, they use the same trainer – but they don’t work out together. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “We did that once and I didn’t like huffing and puffing. I didn’t like looking all red and gross.” She is also beginning a new reality TV show, “Duets,” which will feature her singing on stage every week along with an amateur singer. (more…)

Posted on May 25, 2023 by SarahS