I recently saw Greg Glassman (founder of CrossFit) speak at a business conference.  In part of his talk he explained that 70% of Americans die from preventable causes.  Things like complications from obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease...etc.

One might look at this information, and say..."Yay!  Let's do CrossFit daily WODs! It will keep us from dying!"

Unfortunately, this is not the case...If the 70% doesn't get us, the 30% will. 

That is to say, whether you do CrossFit daily WODs or not, you're still going to die someday. You know it...I know it...We've known it since we were pre-schoolers.

So what are we all doing with our AMRAPs, and our EMOMs, and our Fight Gone Bads?  Why don't we all just accept the inevitable, find the nearest couch, and eat Twinkies while re-watching all three seasons of Arrested Development?

If CrossFit daily WODs aren't going to keep us from dying, why put forth the effort? Why work our butts off?  Why drag ourselves to the gym 4-6 times per week?

Well...I don't have all the answers to those questions, but here are 5 reasons I can confidently put forth:

#1.  You'll get to do more for longer. 

Want to go backpacking?  Want to go stand up paddle-boarding?  Want to challenge your grandchildren to a foot race, and then pretend they beat you?  These are the sorts of things you'll be able to do with a few sessions of CrossFit per week.  Going to CrossFit daily WODs allows you to stay out of the electric scooters at Wal-Mart...to stay off the sidelines....to engage in the world around you. Not forever, but for MUCH longer.

#2.  You'll (probably) be more successful.

Check out the first minute of this Video from John Brown via CrossFit HQ...

You may think your hour-per-day at the box would be better spent at the office, with your family, or completing your degree, but studies show that exercise is extremely important when it comes to having a successful life.  Yes, work on your business, family, and education, but don't skip the gym!

#3.  Community matters.

The more you go to CrossFit, the more you'll be involved in a tight-knit community.  CrossFit daily WODs will turn into community dinners...which will turn into friendships... which will turn into getting invited to birthday parties, camping trips, etc.

Community is not only important to your quality of life, it will also keep you from experiencing a premature death.

My favorite example of this phenomenon is a chapter out of Malcom Gladwell's book Outliers.

Here's the link if you're interested:  Click Here

Here are the takeaways if you're short on time...

In the early and mid 1900s, the all-Italian city of Roseto, Pennsylvania had a much lower rate of heart disease and death than the rest of America.

Doctors searched to find a reason for Roseto's unusual level of health, but came up short of any obvious answers as they slowly ruled out diet, genetics, location, and more.

What made them healthier?  Their tight-knit community.  That's it.

While we may not be an isolated, tight-knit, "Little Italy" in the early/mid 1900s, I believe CrossFit makes us healthier just because of the community we've involved ourselves in.  Again, we're all still going to die...but it will be later in life after developing countless friendships.

#4.  It teaches us what we're capable of...

I don't know how many times I've said to myself..."If I can do CrossFit, I can do this..." or, "Ok...I'll just keep chipping away at this until it's done," etc.

CrossFit daily WODs allow you to practice striving and overcoming opposition.
It shows you little pieces of your mental and physical strength, and you get to walk through life knowing a little more about your capabilities. 

 #5.  It's a game!

Remember when you were a kid and you did things like play tag, or endlessly throw rocks at something to see who could be the first one to hit it?   Remember when your neighbor came over, and asked if you could go "ride bikes" with no real plan or direction for where you were going?

Somewhere in the busyness and the seriousness of life we've forgotten that exercise is fun! 

Sure it's exhausting, sure it's hard, but at the end of the day, CrossFit is just a bunch of people who eat healthy food, care for each other, and show up to play a new game together every day. 

If CrossFit daily WODs can help you live a longer, happier, healthier life, I think you'd be pretty crazy not to join in.

Conclusions...

No matter how fit we become, we can't cheat our physical death here on earth.  CrossFit will, however, improve the quality (and quantity) of the years we have left.

Let's trade our seat on the couch for a seat on a rower.  Let's get together, and use the remote for the WOD clock instead of the remote for the TV.  Let's hang on to our kettle-bells instead of our smart-phones for a little while each day.

Our days are numbered, but life is better when we spend part of it in a CrossFit box.

See you there!

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P.S. While no scientific studies have been done to our knowledge, we're pretty sure you'll live longer, and be happier if you own one of our custom speed ropes as well.  Click below to start designing. :)

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