Written by Coach Amanda Clifton
People often ask me, “what are you training for?”
“Life,” I respond.
While I do love to compete, that’s not why I’m here. We all have a story that brings us into this community. My grandparents all died when I was very young, notably my grandfather who died of heart disease before I can even remember. Çandy and I had just met when I was in my early twenties and my grandmother passed away after she had suffered from agoraphobia for many years – she literally hadn’t stepped out onto her front porch in years. Why do I mention this? All my grandparents had their lives impacted by disease that shortened their health span ( the part of a person’s life during which they are generally in good health). I use my grandmother’s story to point out that mental health is absolutely included when we talk about health span. In addition to their lives being impacted, so were their families who didn’t get to hear their stories or learn from their wisdom gained through experiences.
My greatest fear is decrepitude.
That brings me to a foundational component of CrossFit – that if your fitness routine does not improve your health, it’s not CrossFit. CrossFit has several models that present how we measure fitness and perhaps the simplest, most relatable, is the sickness-wellness-fitness curve which takes any bio-marker and puts it into a range rating it “sickness, wellness, fitness.” It could look similar to your annual blood test but you could also add other measurable markers that are not included in a blood test – muscle mass, mobility measures, etc. We can measure each of those marker quantitatively and put them into a category on the curve. When we become ill, some markers might be impacted but if we are overall “fit,” we will likely be less impacted. Example: COVID having a more harsh impact generally on people with other chronic diseases.
What’s the point? The point is that our fitness builds a margin that protects us from life’s unexpected curveballs – physical ones like a cancer diagnosis that will require us to go through surgery or challenging treatment plans or even mental health ones like high stress situations (or battling agoraphobia). In other words, we show up daily to build resiliency against life challenges. We are “training for life.”
There are multiple other studies and resources that support this concept. I’d recommend listening to Peter Attia’s book called Outlive during a boring zone 2 cardio day which dives deeper into the health benefits of a fitness routine to prevent sickness of the “four horsemen.” These are the four chronic diseases that pose the biggest threats to a long and healthy life: cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and metabolic dysfunction (or diabetes). Attia presents a path to a longer health span that includes a fitness regimen and nutrition at its core, as these are the most worthy investments to protect you against a life adversely impacted by the four horsemen.
If you want to nerd out on the science and adaptations that happen as a result of exercise which includes resistance training and cardiovascular conditioning, I’d recommend this read. Molecular Mechanisms of Exercise and Healthspan – It references many sources and research studies to support this concept.
If not, in summary, a fitness regimen combined with health nutrition habits is the best way to prolong your health span, keeping you moving and autonomous longer in life. And what better way to do that than with this amazing community founded in our core values?
Let’s keep investing in our health and futures together!
