Everyone knows exercise is important for overall health. But what is fitness and what is the best way of becoming fit and healthy? From Crossfit to P90X, TRX Training as well as many other exercise routines and systems, they all have their strengths. Running, swimming, yoga, cycling, weight lifting, are some of the more traditional forms of exercise. For example you can find more information on Yoga in our article at Yoga and Chiropractic. Now there’s Zumba, Body Pump and many other group exercise classes. Let’s concentrate on some of the popular and growing systems. Crossfit seems to be one that patients are least informed about, although some practice members are very dedicated to this fitness system. It is based on many different functional exercises on different days allowing you to get stronger in all areas of fitness. One day it could include running, lifting weights, doing body weight exercises as well as rowing and ply-ometrics or gymnastic moves to name just a few. The underlying concept is to push the three known metabolic pathways to the limit effectively and efficiently. What does this mean? Well, think of this. A person who runs marathons is usually not very strong when it comes to lifting weights and the classic weight lifter is not running to many marathons. For that matter, if you watch sprinters in the Olympics they are very specific. They are usually good at short and fast sprints but not longer distance. Why is this? It comes down to the type of training they do.
Crossfit focuses on fitness from all angles. I have used the concepts of Crossfit and added them to my own routine very successfully. If done correctly it really can help you become very fit in all areas of fitness while increasing your overall health. Make sure you learn about Crossfit at www.Crossfit.com before you even think of trying it. If you have questions, please ask me.
Now onto P90X, which has exploded onto the scene. There are two main concepts to this fitness routine. The first is called muscle confusion. It is a way of working your muscles and changing some of the routine over time. This is also known as routine programming which has been around forever, but P90X focuses on it from the start. The biggest part of P90X and fitness is the idea of always keeping track of your routines and exercises and pushing yourself to increase your repetitions. This alone will bring results. Check out www.P90X.com for more information. Both systems are very effective at increasing your fitness, overall function and ultimately your overall health.
Since patients in my office range from weekend warriors to elite athletes, it is important to mention that having your spine checked regularly by a Chiropractor is vital. Many patients have been working out on misaligned spines for years unaware of the damage that exercise causes. Make sure to read through www.AdvancedChiropracticCenter.com and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.