CrossFit is often seen as a sport for the super fit, but that doesn’t mean you should be afraid to give it a try. Designed to be accessible to everyone, with scalable workouts suitable for all ages and abilities, CrossFit embodies the principle that the needs of elite athletes and beginners differ only by intensity, not type.
By combining strength training and aerobic exercise, Crossfit Effective improvement methods Functional fitness, muscle strength, and cardiovascular health.
But if that’s not enough to convince you, our latest research CrossFit’s benefits for physical health suggest it could even potentially reduce the need for prescription drug use for people living with long-term conditions.
This could not only provide an alternative to traditional drug-based treatments for various health conditions, but also ease the demand for medical services.
To conduct the study, we recruited 1,211 CrossFit people from the UK. The ages of the participants ranged from 19 to 67 years, but the majority of participants were in the 30-39 (38 percent) or 40-49 (26 percent) age groups. Participants were asked about their health status, any prescription medications they take, and any changes to their prescription medications since starting CrossFit.
Of the 1,211 participants, 280 said they took at least one prescription medication to manage a health condition before starting CrossFit. The most common health conditions at issue include anxiety and depression, asthma, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and chronic pain.
They found that 54% of participants who were taking prescription medications before starting CrossFit said they reduced the amount of medication they took after starting CrossFit. Of the 151 people in this group, 69 reported that they had stopped taking their medication completely, and the remaining 82 reported that they had reduced their prescription drug dose by more than half.
These improvements occurred primarily within the first 6 months of training.
Younger participants, particularly those aged 20 to 29, were more likely to reduce their medication dosage. In this group, 43 percent reported cutting their prescription drug dose by more than half, and 27 percent reported no longer needing to use their prescription drugs altogether (compared with 29 percent and 25 percent, respectively, for all age groups) .
We also found that 40% of all participants said they had fewer doctor visits since starting CrossFit.
For people with long-term health issues such as chronic pain, CrossFit has helped many manage their symptoms. Our study found that of participants who reported taking painkillers, especially to manage arthritis or lower back pain, before starting CrossFit, more than half reduced their medication dosage. I did.
Some people have postponed or canceled surgeries due to joint or muscle problems because their strength and fitness have improved since they started CrossFit. Of the 71 people who reported canceling or postponing surgery, 55% said it was because their symptoms improved, and 31% reported they actually no longer needed surgery at all.
Benefits of crossfit
Although our study cannot directly prove that CrossFit caused these changes, the impact CrossFit has on so many aspects of health suggests that people who exercise regularly are less likely to take prescription medications. It may help explain why usage has declined.
First of all, CrossFit is of course effective in improving your physical strength. Improvements in areas such as cardiovascular fitness and metabolic health It may help manage chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Second, because CrossFit is often done in groups in a gym environment, it fosters a sense of community, team spirit, and support. this sense of community May improve mental health and well-being.
I also exercise release endorphins – Chemicals in the brain that increase feelings of well-being and reduce pain. These two factors may help explain why many study participants reduced their use of antidepressants after starting CrossFit.
Third, is the fact that CrossFit’s combination of strength training, cardio, and functional exercise helps improve physical performance. muscle strength and endurance It can reduce pressure on joints and reduce pain. The high-intensity nature of CrossFit also promotes the release of endorphins. reduce discomfort It strengthens physical resilience, allowing participants to feel stronger and uplifted.
Similarly, CrossFit focuses on movement patterns and mobility, which can help you improve. Increases flexibility and reduces stiffness. All of these factors could help explain why some participants who suffered from chronic pain before starting CrossFit became less dependent on painkillers after six months of training. There is a gender.
Nevertheless, this study has some limitations that should be noted. The data relies on self-reported information, which may lead to biased results as participants may not accurately remember their prescription use or may be influenced by their feelings toward CrossFit. .
Additionally, the study did not track other lifestyle changes participants may have made, such as dietary modifications or other forms of exercise. Therefore, further research is needed to understand the full picture.
Nevertheless, our findings provide promising evidence for the benefits of CrossFit that may contribute to reducing the burden on health services.
Atalie Redwood-BrownSenior Lecturer in Sports Performance Analysis, Nottingham Trent University and Jen WilsonAdvanced Exercise Health Practitioner, Nottingham Trent University
This article is republished from conversation Under Creative Commons License. please read original article.
