CrossFit is a multi-faceted approach to fitness that promotes overall functional physical fitness through variable strength and conditioning exercises. CrossFit workouts are performed in a group setting, can be done in 15 to 20 minutes and involve full-body exercised based largely on functional movements such as lifting, pushing, pulling, swinging, jumping and running. The goal is to create a well-rounded athlete by conditioning a number of physical abilities, including strength, speed, coordination, agility, balance and stamina.

CrossFit was developed by Greg Glassman in the 1980s and has been adopted as the workout of choice for thousands across North America, including police officers, military personnel and professional athletes. CrossFit's legion of dedicated followers pledge allegiance to the the program because of its varied nature, meaning that, unlike some typical gym routines, the workout is never boring. CrossFit workouts can be done by people of all ages and fitness abilities.

Ready for a challenge? Try this Crossfit exercise.

When you live in a big city, it seems the world is divided into two types of people: Fast walkers and slow walkers. And while you might not think there's much difference between those who prefer to motor uptown at a good clip and those who amble idly to their destination, new studies show that they differ in one very major regard: Their lifespans.

Research presented at the IAGG World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics in Paris shows that, on average, those who walk fast tend to live longer. The study, which took place over 20 years and involved participants with an average age of 74, compared gait speed and longevity, and found that those who maintained a pace of 1.4 meters per second or faster were over twice as likely to be alive 10 years later -- and the gap was even bigger after 15 years. Interesting, huh? I would have predicted fast walkers to be more stressed out and therefore prone to more heart attacks, but these findings held true regardless of other factors like race, ethnicity and overall health.

Of course, walking slowly is better than not walking at all, so if you're not pounding the pavement, get moving. Already doing your share of walking? Consider picking up the pace -- and sticking to it.

Did you know that everyone has a perfect running pace? If you're a runner, you've probably felt it -- it's the pace where you feel like you could keep up for miles and miles and miles. And it's not just a mental thing. Science backs it up!

According to a recent study, everyone has a specific pace that uses the least amount of oxygen to cover a distance. The study tested runners on a treadmill (both men and women) at six speeds, then recorded their oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output. Every runner's outcome was different, but a "perfect pace" was found for each.

The men's average was about 8.3 mph, or a 7:13 minute mile, and the women's average was closer to 6.5 mph, or 9:08 minutes per mile. I found this particularly interesting because that exact speed is my go-to on a treadmill -- who knew I was so average?

Source

If you ski, you know that it feels like you're flying down those hills. But how fast are you really going? Twenty miles an hour? 40? 50 or 60 ... thousand miles per hour?

Now, I know there's a lot of gear involved in skiing, but if you're a speed demon, you should probably add the Silva S1 Speedometer to your list of necessities. Designed just for Nordic and alpine skiers and snowboarders, it measures ground speed as well as distance traveled.

"Utilizing advanced radar technology, the speedometer calculates your speed and distance and wirelessly transmits all the information to the versatile receiver which can be worn via a carabiner, wrist band, or lanyard." And that's not all.

Over Christmas, I visited my parents, who live in a retirement community. I met my mom's really cool friend, Marilyn, who has recently taken up running (I won't presume to guess her age, but she lives in the same retirement community as my folks, so it's safe to say she's slightly more mature than most folks who begin a running routine). She's slated to run a leg of a marathon soon. She and I talked fitness and running, of course, and the conversation turned to music.

"I have some songs I'll listen to four times in a row because the beat is just what I need to keep my pace," she said. Marilyn didn't know how right she was.

The beats per minute (BPM) in certain songs can definitely affect your pace. This article breaks down the BPM that corresponds to different walking and running paces. For example, if you want to walk a 15 minute mile (4 mph), you want a song with a BPM of 140. To run an eight minute mile (7.5 mph), you want a song closer to 170 BPM. The question is, how do you know the BPM of your favorite songs?

Source

When it comes to strength training, I tend to make my moves relatively slow, controlled, and deliberate. But according to a post on Women's Health, there can be benefits to adding a little speed when you're doing crunches.

A recent study on the subject was published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The lead researcher of the study says that fast crunches -- where the up and down movement is completed in one second -- make your external obliques do some of the work.

If you want to try some fast crunches, think of it like interval training for your core. Do your regular ab workout -- at a regular speed -- and add a few fast crunches for good measure.

Source

Bouncing a regular ball back and forth may not be much of a workout, but just try it with a reaction ball! Reaction balls are six-sided, so they bounce unpredictably. You never know if you're going to be darting to the left or the right in order to catch it.

Try standing 3-4 feet from a partner and bouncing a reaction ball toward your partner. The object is to catch the ball after only one bounce. It may not sound hard, but you'll find yourself darting back and forth and moving quickly in order to catch the ball. If you want to make it even more challenging, just back up a bit.

Not only is it a fun, effective workout. Playing with a reaction ball helps you improve your hand-eye coordination and increases your reaction time -- beneficial skills for any sport. You can also practice by yourself, by bouncing a reaction ball against a wall. Try it with your kids, too ... it's sure to be a hit!

Source

Feel like you hit a plateau on your runs? I can relate -- I feel like I've been running at the same pace since I've started. I know I've gotten marginally faster but I'm having trouble pushing myself further -- I feel like I'm already going at my max intensity.

But becoming a faster runner only take 10 seconds, according to this article from Runner's World. The secret? Run uphill as fast as you can for 10 seconds each run. It will help you develop the necessary speed and muscle power in no time at all. Plus, after running up a hill, running on flat ground seems like a breeze, right? And an added bonus? Running uphill will also help you tone your legs.

So next time your running, don't run away from the hills -- head for them!

Source

You might sprinkle salt in your cooking water because you believe it speeds up the cooking process. But adding salt doesn't really make much of a difference. Add one tablespoon to five quarts of boiling water when cooking pasta, for example, and you'll save a half a second off your cooking time.

Salt does raise the boiling point of water slightly and in theory this means water will boil hotter and faster. But the change is just too small to count as a benefit. So if you're monitoring your sodium intake, skip the salt when cooking pasta, rice, vegetables, and hot cereals. It'll matter when it comes to your health. It won't matter at all when it comes to sitting down at the table any faster.

Source

Skiing is a great way to stay fit this winter, but be careful -- according to reports, many people die as a result of injuries from skiing, and the numbers are going up every year. Those in their 20s are especially at risk, though this doesn't only affect youngsters -- an uncle of mine died on the slopes, and he was in his 70s.

The cause of the increase in ski-related deaths? What else -- the need for speed. But for those who think they're invincible, take a moment to think about how much you'll miss skiing if, say, you sustain a spinal cord or brain injury when you're whizzing down the slopes. It happens more than you think.

But for the rest of us who ski safely, the hills aren't so much a hazard as they are a great place to spend the day. Just take it slow.

Source

How far have you or would you go to lose weight? Would you take laxatives? Would you try fasting? Would you take diet pills? Would you ingest a tapeworm? Would you make yourself throw up? How about taking illegal drugs? According to a survey done in the UK, one in seven women have used illicit (and very dangerous) drugs like cocaine and speed specifically for the purpose of losing weight.

This statistic is really alarming, and a sign that the emphasis needs to be taken off looks and weight in particular. But how? I think celebrities need to start setting a good example for the young women out there. I also think that the media needs to stop being so quick to point out when someone's gained a few pounds -- what do you think?

Source

The dog days of summer are here -- the days when it's fun to be outside but it's far to hot to actually work out outdoors. The recycled air of the gym, though loathed in winter, is appealing because of those two life-saving words: Air Conditioning. I love the sun as much as anyone but the thought of running in this heat makes me feel ill, so I'll save my running to early morning (yeah right), late evening (yawn) or during the daylight hours, in the comfort of the gym.

So if it's too hot for your mid-day run, don't feel bad about taking it indoors. You can get a great workout indoors too!

Source

As a rule, young men tend to get into more accidents than women and these tend to be more serious and result in more fatalities. Excessive speed is a common cause of these traffic wrecks. I'm a girl but I'll readily admit that when I was younger I definitely enjoyed testing the speed limit from time to time. I try to keep this in check now that I'm both older and, after losing a friend (who was only 19 and a male, by the way) in a car accident, wiser.

So the question is, how do you get young and inexperienced drivers, especially male ones, to slow down? They're taking a unique and somewhat dark approach in Australia with ads that show women insinuating that men who drive too fast have small, er, well, you know.

The country used to promote save driving by showing images of gory car crashes caused by speeding but the group that created the adverts believes that, as young men are increasingly desensitized to bloody images due to horror films and violent video games, the old ads weren't getting through. Now they're hoping to convince the guys to slow down by saying that those who race around behind the wheel are overcompensating because they have small penises.

It's an interesting approach to go after their sense of pride but I'm not so sure it will work. What do you think? And can you think of a similar idea that would work for girls who have a lead foot?

Source

There have been lots of blogs over the last couple of months about getting in shape for summer. It is that time of year when many of us are feeling a bit desperate to lose a few pounds or tone up a few jiggly spots in time to hit the beach. A great way to speed up your progress is to speed up your metabolism.

Some people are born with a fast metabolism, meaning the chemical reactions in their cells occur at a pretty quick rate, so they burn off fat and calories more easily than those with slow metabolisms. According to this article though, there are ways to speed up your metabolic rate, which will help decrease the amount of time it takes to fit into a new bathing suit.

I've heard that eating spicy food helps, but that isn't one of the tips listed. However, it does say to drink lots of green tea to speed up the rate at which calories are burned and to increase the amount of protein you eat to help facilitate fat loss. Check out the article for more tips as well as explanations on how each will help you get yourself in shape a little bit quicker.

Source

I love walking more than anything else for exercise and fitness, and although I walk pretty fast to get my heart pumping I do also enjoy the fact that it gets me outside with a chance to enjoy the scenery and surroundings. But that isn't for everybody -- some people just want to get out there and get it over with, they want their results faster than fast and the rest doesn't matter.

If this sounds like you (but you aren't a runner) then maybe speed hiking is something you should try. Focused on miles covered and elevation gained (if you're mountain hiking), it's all about time/effort efficiency and getting the most workout bang for your buck. It's a quickly growing flexible subsport, with speed hikers throwing all kinds of different approaches, walking speeds, and even some short jogs into the mix. It's really just up to you.

Be cautious though, as moving quickly over uneven outdoor terrain makes it easy to trip and fall. There's even a term many speed hikers have started using called "foosh," or "fell on outstretched hand."

Source