Surprise! You might not be as fit as you think …

Think you’re fit? While you might be correct, you might also be missing something important.

Let’s look at two common examples, and then see if you can improve your fitness levels and body composition without sweating more.

1. I’m the definition of fitness … I’m a Crossfitter/marathoner/etc!

It’s difficult to tease apart the fitness impacts of something like marathon running or CrossFit through a scientific study.

You can’t just randomize a hundred people to run a three marathons a year, and a hundred others to run no marathons. Adherence in the marathon group would be … low.

When it comes to CrossFit, it almost certainly improves many aspects of fitness, and is even more likely to foster motivation and a sense of community.[1]

Marathoners are a healthy bunch, by and large. Long-term marathon running is associated with less coronary plaque in both men[2] and women.[3] Running in general seems to provide cardiovascular benefits, increasing in magnitude the more years you run.[4]

So what’s the holdup with marathon-running and CrossFit? It’s that ol’ Examine refrain: mind your dosage.