PERFORMANCE 🚫 AESTHETICS
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Contrary to what you might think, training for performance is not the same as training for a specific look/aesthetic. Often when people start performance-based sports like CrossFit, they think they need to eat less and lose weight. While that might be true, it often isn’t the best way to get to your goal (if you do actually want to perform your best 😉)
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While you certainly don’t want to be carrying around a lot of extra body fat, the leanest and/or lightest version of yourself might not actually be the FITTEST version of yourself 😱.
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WHY?
*Performing at a high level requires a lot of fuel and energy. If you are constantly trying to lose weight and are under-fueled, your workouts will suffer
*Eating in a calorie deficit for weight loss is a STRESSOR on the body. High intensity exercise is another STRESSOR. Bodies that are chronically stressed don’t like to perform well.
*Improved performance (in CrossFit) often correlates with gaining muscle, which requires a SURPLUS of calories to build
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SO, if performance is your goal, toss the scale and focus on things like:
➡️ How do my workouts feel?
➡️ Am I getting stronger?
➡️ Am I sleeping through the night?
➡️ Am I energized throughout the day?
➡️ Am I moody/irritable?
➡️ Am I managing stress well?
If things of this nature aren’t progressing in a positive direction, you might need MORE FUEL (& might need to prioritize these areas a bit more 😉)
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The Good News: often when you focus on performance for a while, your body will reward you with a favorable physique.
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I’m certainly not the leanest I’ve ever been, BUT I feel GREAT, I’m COMFORTABLE and PROUD of what my body can do, and my RESULTS in the gym tell me we are headed in the right direction 🫶🏼
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#performance #crossfit #wellness #muscle #nutrition #crossfitgirls #athlete