It’s Friday, so I am linking up with Courtney at Eat, Pray, Run DC, Cynthia at You Signed Up for What and Mar at Mar on the Run for their weekly linkup. Each Friday, they host a link up — a “Friday Five.” This week’s topic is “5 Fitness Trends I Will Never Try.” My list will be “5 Fitness and Health Trends That Are ‘Not For Me’.” I will usually try anything once so I have tried a few of these but here are 5 fitness and health trends that are just not for me and why.
1. Crossfit and Paleo Diet – I have so many friends who love Crossfit and I am glad they found it. I think they look awesome and I love how strength is valued over skinny. Why is this not for me? I am competitive and the few times I tried Crossfit workouts, I found myself rushing through workouts that I tried and losing my form. I worried that I would get hurt. Plus, I just do not enjoy hard core strength training and tend to bulk up quickly with heavy weight. With regards to Paleo, I LOVE potatoes and sweet potatoes and I can’t quit them. Oh, and legumes. Step away from my peanut butter, Paleo peeps. Like Crossfit, I am glad people found Paleo, but it’s not for me.
2. Obstacle/Adventure Races and “Fun Theme Races” – The OCR race trend has exploded. No longer is it enough to run 10 miles, you need to run 10 miles through a fire pit and over barbed wire. Again, I’m happy for folks who have found something they love to do. Why is this not for me? I am VERY clumsy. I am a good runner, but I fall way more than the average person. Obstacles? That is just courting disaster. As for “fun” races like the Color Run, Foam Fest and any other race that involves ruining your clothes and not running fast, I like running and I like racing. I don’t like costumes or getting messy. Again, delighted for folks if this is what gets them up and out there! Go get ’em, but please don’t invite me.
3. Barre Workouts – Barre studios have popped up all over Chicago. I first tried this at Exhale in Core Fusion and later at Barre Method, Barre Code and Dailey Method. Friends swear by this for a kick butt core. Why is this not for me? I AM THE LEAST FLEXIBLE PERSON ON EARTH. The first time I went, I was sent to the remedial barre – basically the kiddy one. It was humiliating. I will stick with Pilates and yoga. I love Pilates! I swear by it.
4. Intermittent Fasting – I have been seeing a lot of articles and posts recently about intermittent fasting. The concept is fasting or eating very low calorie meals for one or more days and eating regularly (or even whatever you want) the other days. There are a bunch of versions and the intent is to burn fat. Why is this not for me? I love to eat. I do have a more serious answer, too. I tend to over eat if I miss meals and wait too long to eat. I feel like this would be a very problematic method for me to use to manage my weight. Also, I like to workout and try to fuel my body appropriately to be able to workout most days of the week.
5. Barefoot/Minimalist Running – This trend may have jumped the shark, but there was a big movement to do barefoot running sparked by the book Born to Run. Everyone was trying barefoot running and minimalist shoes of all varieties including the uglies from Vibram. Why is this not for me? I am not light on my feet and I need some cushioning to save my legs. Plus, I live in a city. There are a lot of things I don’t want to step on. This is my story and I am sticking with it!
What are some health and fitness trends that you are planning to skip?
Have a great weekend!
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