Intimidated by CrossFit Women? That’s a Good Thing.

CrossFit levels the athletic playing field more than most mainstream sports: every gym-goer, regardless of gender or past athletic experience, has access to the same experience, the same weights, the same workouts. It’s how each gym-goer responds to that access that determines his or her outcome. But do women shy away from the bigger weights and the higher intensity more so than men? And if so, does that affect their potential to make greater gains and reach their full athletic potential? For some women, this is a big issue that prevents their ability to make continuous gains in the gym.

So why would women shy away from heavier weights or from pushing themselves to max intensity in workouts? It’s no secret that women  are constantly bombarded with unhealthy ideas about beauty, and a lot of the time, those ideas are in direct conflict with good health. When eating disorders are practically a prerequisite for the modeling and entertainment industry, it doesn’t bode well for the body confidence of the general female population. The messages are bombarded: stomachs should be flat, boobs should be perky, and God forbid touching inner thighs! And never, and I mean, never, should a woman be able to open her own jar of pickles or take her own moving boxes down a flight of stairs. That’s what the menfolk are for!

Some women fear big shoulders. Some fear that leg muscles developed from heavy squats will cause us to go UP a size (now I’ll never fit into those Forever 21 leggings!). Some fear being hungrier, which means eating more and gaining weight. In short, we fear more because, as women, we think we should be less. Less big and less strong. Yet again, these ideas are in direct contrast with what we know about health. We KNOW that weight training improves bone density, weight management (you burn more calories at rest!), and cardiac health. Those three things alone (that could prevent osteoporosis, diabetes, and heart disease) should get you so jazzed about weights that you immediately pick up something heavy just for the hell of it. Seriously, pick up something heavy NOW. We also KNOW that women do not turn into Hulkish beasts because of heavy weights. Just see hot lady o-lifter #1 and hot lady o-lifter #2 if you need proof. Remember how much work went into making Forney “fat?” Well, it’s kind of the same for women. You’d have to work really hard and take drugs to look like this.

Strong is the new skinny, and pop culture be damned, because we will no longer be constrained with an impossible ideal. We should approach our fitness experience like any other gym-goer and not be afraid of more. Stepping up the intensity will give you results and can help you out of a training rut (stuck at the same shoulder press for the past eight months? I’ve been there!).

Weightlifting is a very new experience for so many women in our gym that I totally understand your hesitation and fear of doing it. No one in any important position is encouraging young female athletes to lift weights, but turn on ESPN or watch any dad with his son on the football team, and you will have evidence of  a totally different cultural upbringing. Weightlifting, CrossFit courses are essential parts of your program. They are equally important as your metcon and your marathon time.

Women are built to be athletes, just the same as any human, and that’s the fundamental starting point for empowering yourself and realizing your vision of why you came to CrossFit in the first place. Not everyone has the willpower to suffer through pain and eschew popular conceptions about fitness and beauty. It’s a tough culture out there, but we want to be here to make you comfortable and to see you make constant improvement in and out of the gym. And remember, it’s okay to drop a weight or to miss a PR. Just ask Kyle, he does it all the time.

So, for the women in our gym and at other real training centers, dig deep inside and know that you are capable of more. Don’t fear going up in weight, don’t fear the pain, don’t fear the skills you don’t know. And for the love of all things healthy, don’t fear your potential.

Source-http://crossfitcharlottesville.com/2011/04/22/intimidated-by-crossfit-women-thats-a-good-thing/

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Walking or Running- Which Is Better

The Better Exercise: Walking or Running?

As aerobic activities, walking and running alike have excellent health benefits. Both facilitate weight loss and better health management, both boost energy and mood, improve sleep, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. These activities also decrease the risks for cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

However, there are differences in their immediate and long-term effects. Walking for 30 minutes can burn up to 187 calories, while running at 6mph for the same amount of time burns 365 calories. Walking enables burning more for extended periods. Running can accomplish the same for a lesser period, but may take greater amounts of energy.

Targeting Weight Loss

A study published recently in the Medicine and Science, in Sports and Exercise, called “Greater Weight Loss From Running than Walking,” reports that runners became consistently thinner than walkers from the time they joined the study. Participants were measured for their weight, waistline, diets, and weekly mileage, and measured again six years later. The results show that the runners were able to maintain body mass and waist circumference more successfully than the walkers.

Preventing Disease

Both activities have benefits, but walking reduced risk for diseases more significantly. According to Runners and Walkers Health Study, when compared to walkers, runners are less at risk for high blood pressure by 4.2 percent and unhealthy cholesterol levels by 4.3 percent, as well as diabetes by 12.1 percent and cardiovascular disease by 4.5 percent, for every metabolic energy expenditure. In the same report, walkers’ risk decreased by 7.2 percent for high blood pressure, 7 percent for high cholesterol, 12.3 percent for diabetes and 9.3 percent for cardiovascular disease.

A different study published in the same periodical reveals that both runners and walkers has a decreased risk for the development of age-related cataracts, when compared to non-exercisers.

Managing Appetite

Running reduces appetite and consumption more effectively than walking, based on a report published in The Journal of Obesity. In the study held at the University of Wyoming, participants either walked or ran on a treadmill for an hour. The next day, they were allowed to rest for one hour. Their total energy expenditure was monitored in each session. Their blood levels were taken as well, in order to measure certain appetite hormones. They were then exposed to a buffet, where they could eat at to their heart’s content.

The walkers consumed 50 calories more than they had burned. The runners were a little cautious, consuming as much as 200 calories less than they had burned. They also showed significantly higher levels of a peptide hormone, an appetite suppressant, which the walkers did not have.

Conditioning the Aerobic System

Running entails a greater energy requirement than walking. A running program should be able to maximise aerobic conditioning in the least amount of time. For overweight exercisers, walking may be a better alternative.

For beginners, walking 10,000 steps a day  is the perfect low impact fitness regimen, with a lesser injury risk. It is also easier on the hips and knees. For advanced health buffs, running 10,000 paces is an excellent way to optimise the body and condition it to its limits.

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