How To Be Competitive in CrossFit AND Keep a Healthy Relationship with Food

One of the best things about CrossFit is that it awakens the competitor in you. Beating someone on the Open leaderboard or even your fit friend in class are a huge part of what brings you back and helps you to show up everyday. But, where is that line when we start tipping over into an unhealthy territory? Is it when you feel like your day is ruined because you didn’t PR your benchmark workout of the day? Or is it when you have a low-grade panic attack because you’re out with friends and have to order a meal off a menu versus making one in your own kitchen? This content is available exclusively to Members Become an member and start enjoying full access to all our community and sports content, and an ad-free experience. PROMO Exclusive content Ad-Free web/app experience Comments on articles Exclusive 15% WIT discount $1 per month for the first 4 months, $8 each month after Get Started for $1 Exclusive content Ad-Free web/app experience Comments on articles Exclusive private Facebook Group Regular coffee breaks hang outs Exclusive 15% WIT discount Get Started $5/month billed annually Already a member? Log In. I decided to take it to the professionals and reach out to two female CrossFit Games athletes to get their take on what it takes to be competitive in the sport without going to extreme measures with your nutrition and making your overall health and wellness suffer. I’m going to share insights from CrossFit Games athletes Anikha Greer and Lauren Fisher, to get a better understanding of how to be competitive in the sport while keeping a healthy relationship with food. When I asked both Lauren and Anikha if they do anything specifically with regards to their food to ensure you can keep a healthy relationship with the way they think about eating and body image they both shared a common response. The common mantra “food is fuel” resonated with the both of them. Lauren went on to further share a recommendation. “Tell yourself 5 things every morning that you LOVE about your body. The more you look at yourself, accept yourself and begin to talk kindly to yourself, the easier it will become,” she said. Anikha went on to add, “If I ever fall down the hole of feeling negatively about my body, I remember how much it has gotten me through and how much it is capable of.” “Everyone has different genetics and nobody is going to look the same… remembering that as an athlete- what we can DO is so much more important than how we LOOK is super beneficial. Staying positive and continuing to love yourself even through periods of off season or injury is very hard… but again staying on the track of loving your body for what it can do (in this case rest and heal) is key,” she concluded. 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Instead, she puts her focus into how she is feeling in training, if she is energized for her workouts, and if she is sleeping well. She also included that she doesn’t track her food in the off season. Proving yet again from a sustainability standpoint that it is better to give yourself purposeful breaks every now and then. Anikha indicated that when she starts to feel any slight feelings of obsessive or anxious thoughts, she too will take a break from tracking. The last question I asked to both of these phenomenal athletes was “What would you tell your younger self entering the sport of CrossFit regarding your nutrition.” Lauren’s response was, “I would say that it’s important to focus on what works best for you and not compare yourself to others. We are all made differently, with different body types, metabolism, and nutrition needs. In the world of CrossFit, it’s easy to get caught in comparing yourself to others and feeling the pressure to follow certain diets or to look a certain way. However, what works for someone else might not work for you. It’s important to find what works best for your body and your athletic goals.” I appreciated that she also shared a note about how “carbs are friends” and how they have such a negative reputation in the health industry. Anikha shared her experience about finding a nutrition coach early on with whom she learned the importance of a healthy relationship with food. “I think If I hadn’t…I would’ve gotten so wrapped up in how I looked and would’ve probably gotten into a habit of under-eating. My advice to any teen girl getting into the CrossFit space is to set goals based on performance… not the scale or the mirror!” Regardless if you’re a rookie or a vet in the CrossFit space, if you’re looking to be competitive in the sport you can do it and have a healthy relationship with food. Take it from the pros!

How To Be Competitive in CrossFit AND Keep a Healthy Relationship with Food

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