CrossFit

If you already love being active and you want to lose stomach fat forever then this will take your fitness to a whole new level.
CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program that blurs the line between cardio and strength training. They use weights and gymnastic training to elicit a metabolic response plus sprinting to improve strength.
Interval training is THE best way to get your fitness levels up fast
The program is based around intensive internal training. Interval training has a lot of scientific evidence that supports CrossFit’s claim that they can use their own version of interval training to create some of the fittest people on the planet.
Their system creates a strong, lean machine, capable of competing in a broad range of athletic activities…. including beating the kids to the front door! 🙂
What is fitness?
CrossFit says fitness is the ability to be primed for anything that life throws at you. In ancient times, that might have meant running from a predator, climbing a tree or carrying a heavy animal carcass home from the hunt. Now days we don’t have those problems, but our bodies don’t know that!
Our bodies crave movement, and they need lots of it if we are going to keep the post pregnancy weight off us in this world of cars, rich foods and busy lives!
Routine is the enemy of any fitness progress
They also believe routine is the enemy of progress. Your body will naturally find ways to make the same exercise easier over time… so they constantly change the exercises up, which is good for your body and your mind. No time for getting bored!
The concept of “CrossFit”, comes by incorporating:

• Metabolic conditioning (“cardio”),
• Gymnastics, and
• Weightlifting

Accordingly to the CrossFit inventors this approach creates the world’s fittest men and women. And many American fire departments and law enforcement agencies, as well as military organizations such as the Canadian Forces seem to agree!
Where does a busy mum who just wants to lose weight fast fit into all of this?
Well the benefit is that workouts are short, usually 20 minutes. But beware, they are demanding physical sessions. If you get a thrill when you’re given a challenge then you’ll love this!
You probably do need to have a real gung-ho attitude to try this. But don’t think this is a man’s arena only. More and more women are joining then ever before. Some of the gyms even have a customised training system for new mum’s.
Everyone can do CrossFit. They scale the workouts to suit each individual. Grandmothers, commandos and office workers all do the same movements with differing loads and intensity.
But remember if you have recently given birth you should always get your doctor to sign off on any exercise program just to be sure.
Cardio, cardio, cardio?
The CrossFit website states it is wrong to think endurance work is better for the cardiovascular system than higher intensity interval work. In fact some studies say too much endurance work can reduce our ability for strength and speed. That might not worry us non-athletes much, but we don’t want to lose muscle mass as that helps us burn calories and keeps our bodies looking younger and firmer for longer!
What kinds of activities are in a CrossFit training session?

• Weightlifting: The Olympic lifts are based on the deadlift, clean, squat, and jerk. These movements are the starting point for any serious weight-training program. In fact they should serve as the core of your resistance training throughout your life. Also throwing work with medicine balls. The movements they recommend are very demanding and very athletic. But they get results without bulking you up!
• Gymnastics: CrossFit uses short parallel bars, mats, still rings, pull-up and dip bars, and a climbing rope to implement our gymnastics training. Admittedly this is some of the toughest parts of the CrossFit program as it can take years to really master.
• Metabolic Conditioning: Sprinting uses your anaerobic system. Your muscles are switched on in fast bursts which is great for pushing your body not to mention it will burns up a lot of the sugars floating around in your bloodstream!
• Nutrition: Nutrition plays a critical role in your fitness. Proper nutrition can amplify or diminish the effect of your training efforts. Effective nutrition is moderate in protein, carbohydrate, and fat. Some CrossFit gyms promote the Paleo diet or the Zone Diet, but we believe the Lose Baby Weight programs for weight loss will give you the balanced nutrition you need even for this demanding type of workout.

Where are the CrossFit gyms?
There are CrossFit gyms around Australia but you don’t need much equipment so you could have a look at their website and do it yourself or with a small group of commando mums!
Just Google CrossFit in your state and start feeling strong and fit as you lose pregnancy weight! And check out the 28 Day Diet & Exercise Plan to help you stay on track