All our lives, we’ve been told that we are supposed to exercise our bodies. We all know that working-out leads to muscle gain, fat loss, and even increased confidence, but what other benefits does getting “fit” and “in-shape” offer your body in the long run? CrossFit’s main goal is to bring individuals closer to a concept of fitness. “Concept of Fitness.” Yep. This is a thing. To understand this “Concept of Fitness,” Greg Glassman, CrossFit’s founder, has broken this concept down strategically. Using science and statistics, Glassman has created this visual, called the “Sickness-Wellness-Fitness Continuum.”
Based on your “stats” in the doctor’s office, your health can be assigned a status on this continuum. Think of this arc like your gas gage in your car, with “Fitness” resembling a full tank and “Sickness” resembling an empty tank. Based on scientific measurements, like blood pressure, body fat percentage, bone density and more, your health will be rated and you will lie somewhere on this arc. Those with high blood pressure, high percent body fat, and low bone density will find themselves closer to empty on this tank. Others may have low blood pressure, low body fat, and high bone density. These people are, metaphorically, running on a full tank and are closer to this “Concept of Fitness.”
Why is this important?
Just like on your gas gage, you never go straight from a full tank to an empty tank: you must pass through everything in between. That is the same concept with this continuum. It is unlikely that you will ever go from ‘Fit” to “Sick” without first going through just “Wellness.” The more you have in the tank, the more “miles” it will take to bring you to empty. That being said, if you lie closer to the “Fitness” side of this continuum, there is more of a buffer between you and sickness.
Prepare yourself for the unforeseeable, and separate yourself, physically, from sickness.
-CrossFit Glynco