CrossFit, Run, Etc...?

Depends on what my goals are at the time.

Crossfit and Swimming

I enjoy being lopsided so for the most part I run. For diversion I'll do a fastish 50km loop on my bike.

More seriously, my May goals include adding strength training for my upper body.

To put in a contrary word, from September 2014 through March 2015 I lost 50 of my 100 pounds without counting a single calorie and without substantially changing my daily diet. Sure, as I realised I was making big progress in fitness and weight loss (as evidenced by dropping four belt notches over that period), I stopped having that regular bowl of ice cream and such. I didn't have thirds at Christmas dinner. And so on. But in no way was I on a diet, I was merely eating regular, healthy, food as always.

As far as the weight loss goes it's not the running but the calorie deficit that the running created (and that I did not eat fully back) that reduced my weight. You don't need to do crossfit or any activity to lose weight either. You could easily sit in a chair watching Netflix 12 hours a day and still lose weight if you manage your calories in properly, but you won't be a fit thinner person in the end. Frankly I'd rather be a very fit slightly fatter person.

But I ran. Slow and not far at first. I couldn't complete 1km without stopping but I kept going and after what seemed like an eternity but in reality was only a couple months, started to witness steady progress. I forced myself to run through the worst winter weather we had here because of that progress and I knew forming a habit and blasting away excuses would serve me well in the future.

By the time I'd dropped 50 pounds I'd run more than 650km. Along with the dropping weight my resting heart rate moved from the 80's to 50bpm; my blood pressure - which had finally started climbing above normal for a 50 year old last year (an "aha" moment for me) - is now again the same as when I was 25 years younger.

I'm a big believer in cardio but it doesn't have to be running; whatever turns your crank will do. For me running was the easy choice despite my poor level of fitness when I started. I knew I'd enjoy it after getting through the necessary work up front because before I got fat I was a distance runner.

Of course starting over from rock bottom fitness isn't terribly fun. Yes it's hard, at first. What made it work for me is the no-excuses nature of the activity: It's impossible to say "I can't do it today" when all one has to do is change clothes, lace up shoes, step outside, and go.

What I get out of the running aside from the forgoing and the oft-cited and very pleasant runners high is a regular low cost no-monthly fee activity I can do from my front door-step in any weather, at any time of the day or night, by myself or with others, that just happens to get our dog exercised too. That's a win, win, win!