Benefits of CrossFit: Can it Help Reduce Prescription Drug Use?
Though CrossFit is often seen as a sport for the super fit, that shouldn’t put you off from trying it. CrossFit is designed to be accessible to everyone, with scalable workouts suited for all ages and abilities, embodying its principle that the needs of elite athletes and beginners differ only by intensity, not kind.
By combining strength and aerobic exercise, CrossFit can be an effective way of improving functional fitness, muscle strength and cardiovascular health.
But if that’s not enough to convince you, our latest study suggests CrossFit’s benefits for physical health may even potentially reduce the need to use prescription drugs in people living with long-term conditions. This may offer an alternative to traditional medication-based treatment for a range of health conditions, as well as potentially easing the demand on healthcare services.
The Study
To conduct our study, we recruited 1,211 people from the UK who did CrossFit. Participants ranged in age from 19-67 – though the majority of participants were in either the 30-39 (38%) or 40-49 (26%) groups. Participants were asked about their health, what prescription drugs they took and any changes in their prescriptions since starting CrossFit.
Of the 1,211 participants, 280 said they took at least one prescription drug to manage a health condition prior to starting CrossFit. Some of the most common health conditions in question included anxiety and depression, asthma, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and chronic pain.
Results
We found that 54% of participants who’d been taking a prescription drug before starting CrossFit said they decreased their dosage after starting. Among this group of 151 people, 69 reported stopping their medication entirely, while the remaining 82 said they had cut their prescription dosage by more than half. These improvements happened primarily within the first six months of training.
Younger participants, specifically those aged 20 to 29, were more likely to reduce their medication. In this group, 43% reported cutting their prescription dosage by more than half, and 27% stopped needing to use a prescription drug altogether (compared to 29% and 25% respectively across all age groups).
We also found that 40% of all participants said they required fewer visits to the doctor after starting CrossFit.
Benefits of CrossFit
While our study can’t directly prove that CrossFit caused these changes, the effects that CrossFit has on so many aspects of health may help explain why regular exercisers saw a decrease in their prescription drug use.
First, CrossFit is of course beneficial for physical fitness. Improvements in areas such as cardiovascular fitness and metabolic health may help in managing chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Second, because CrossFit is often done as a group in a gym setting, it fosters a sense of community, team spirit and support. This sense of community may enhance mental health and wellbeing. Exercise also releases endorphins – chemicals in the brain that boost happiness and decrease pain. These two factors may help explain why a number of the study’s participants reported using fewer antidepressants after starting CrossFit.
Third, the fact that CrossFit’s combination of strength, aerobic and functional exercises helps enhance muscle strength and endurance can alleviate pressure on joints and reduce pain. The high-intensity nature of CrossFit also promotes the release of endorphins which can alleviate discomfort and enhance physical resilience, leaving participants feeling more empowered and uplifted.
Conclusion
In conclusion, our study suggests that CrossFit can be an effective way to reduce prescription drug use in people with long-term conditions. While more research is needed to fully understand the benefits of CrossFit, our findings provide promising evidence about the potential benefits of this form of exercise for physical and mental health.
FAQs
- Can CrossFit really reduce prescription drug use?
- Yes, our study suggests that CrossFit can help reduce prescription drug use in people with long-term conditions.
- Is CrossFit only for elite athletes?
- No, CrossFit is designed to be accessible to everyone, with scalable workouts suited for all ages and abilities.
- How does CrossFit benefit physical health?
- CrossFit improves functional fitness, muscle strength and cardiovascular health, which can help in managing chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
- Can CrossFit help with mental health?
- Yes, CrossFit can help with mental health by fostering a sense of community, releasing endorphins and promoting physical resilience.
