Thursday, May 1, 2014

CrossFit, Zumba and other exercise crazes

I generally pride myself for not falling for exercise crazes. It seems there is a new one every few years or so. Many of my out of shape peers decide they’re going to take the plunge and get fit, and the latest class, gym, or method will help them do it. Easy! Not so much.


Zumba was the trend a few years ago. I held out for quite a while, not taking any classes. When I did take one it was for a charity fundraiser, and I loved it. It would be about another year before I took another class (the funds just weren’t in the right place to pay for classes). I greatly enjoyed this class too. It has been several months since then and I just now signed on for a month membership at a local studio. I like Zumba because it is an action packed, heart thumping workout that incorporates up tempo dance moves into my workout. Since I have a dance background (cough, cough, clear my throat) I love the movements.


However, most of the nation has moved on to the next fad, Crossfit. I do not at all like the idea of Crossfit. Olympic style weightlifting. Are you kidding me? Because regular people think they should check this out and then they wind up getting hurt. They’re out to prove that they’re hard cor and then they parade their injuries as if they are proof of how tough they really are.  This is not the type of activity that should go mainstream!  Someone recently told me he felt like his head was going to explode after one of his sessions. He told me he has to start eating more calories. Um no, buddy. I don’t think that is it (I actually have many theories as to why he believed this story). Try hydrating, breathing, and not engaging in such strenuous workouts when you’re body is clearly out of shape. This same guy just returned to the gym after straining his rotator cuff at a session. Yeah, this sounds like a great activity to practice.

Now, when I call these workouts fads I am not at all suggesting that they are new. I know they are not new and many things that I consider to be fads have been around for many years. What makes them fads is their rise to prominence and their inevitable fall below popularity or even to obscurity. So many have come and gone.

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