Sport of eating

I recently was listening to a podcast with the prestigious coach Ben Bergeron who spoke about nutrition and he said it this way, "We compete in the sport of fitness. The primary test of what we do are metcons- metabolic conditioning-right?" This is where I don't think people see the connection here with nutrition. "So, when you break down the word "metabolism, it is our bodies ability to take food and turn it into energy." In a sense, we are really competing in the sport of eating food and turning it into energy. Whether your goal is to lean out, improve health markers such as cholesterol, get your first muscle up, or better overall performance, dialing in on nutrition can help you realize and obtain those goals. 

The CrossFit pyramid, is a visual representation of the elements that go into the pursuit of health and fitness, with Sport being at the top and Nutrition being at the bottom. "This model has greatest utility in analyzing athletes’ shortcomings or difficulties.We don’t deliberately order these components but nature will. If you have a deficiency at any level of “the pyramid” the components above will suffer” (What is Fitness, CrossFit Journal, October 2002). That last sentence “If you have a deficiency at any level of “the pyramid” the components above will suffer” should remind us that we can’t out exercise the food we put into our bodies. 

​All pathways to improved health and fitness go through nutrition.