I was at my doctor's office the other day, and as they checked my blood pressure and heart rate before taking me back to a room, the nurse stopped and asked: "Are you some sort of runner or something?"

I explained that yes, I run sometimes, but mostly I just do CrossFit. She replied that she'd just never seen someone with such a low heart rate.

A google search will tell you that a "normal" resting heart rate is between 60-100 beats per minute, and that a "well trained athlete" will have a resting heart rate between 40-60 beats per minute.  It is recommend that you test your heart rate when you wake up, while you're still laying in bed.  The nurse tested mine after a short walk, and a flight of stairs...Mine was at 38.

Obviously there are TONS of other fitness markers to consider other than resting heart rate, but it's interesting to me that by simply doing CrossFit a few days per week, I had become an anomaly.

Please don't hear me bragging here.  My intention is to shine a spotlight on CrossFit, not on myself (I just happen to be the test subject).

I could definitely be more fit.  I try to hit the box 4-5 times per week (but sometimes it's  more like 3-4).  I try to aim for healthy food choices (but I fail...frequently).  Still, because of CrossFit, I get to walk around with a level of fitness that is unusual.

As CrossFit becomes more popular, my hope is that positive health markers (like a low resting heart rate) become more, and more commonplace. 

I hope you'll keep bugging your friends to come check out your gym.  I hope they turn into WOD smashing, AMRAP crushing, PR destroying, crazy-fit, super-humans.  I hope they discover the joy of eating a clean diet, and the health benefits that come from proper nutrition.

I hope that someday, when the nurse checks my heart rate at the doctor's office, she just says ..."38...(shrug)...pretty normal...you can go back and see the doctor now..."

Let's invite the people we care about to be uncommonly fit with us...Let's keep bringing people to CrossFit until the folks we know who are unfit are the exception to the rule, instead of the other way around.

Let's make fit & healthy...normal.

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P.S.  If being super-fit becomes the norm, you'll still be able to stand out with a fancy custom jump rope!  Click below to design yours :)

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