CrossFit Training and Paleo Diet Harmonize To Maximize Fitness and Cure Illness

October 25, 2010 (PRLEAP.COM) Health News
The Paleo Diet and CrossFit training have become synonymous in recent years among those wanting to achieve maximum fitness and excellent health. But why have these two lifestyle disciplines stood out from other training methodologies and diets? There is no better person to ask this question than Travis Schefcik, a certified L1 CrossFit trainer and Paleo Diet enthusiast who, after being diagnosed with a dangerous heart condition, embarked on a journey to discover how to simultaneously optimize his health and fitness.

In this real-life story of determination and will to live a fruitful life against the odds, Travis Schefcik, a U.S. Navy Officer, reveals his story and thoughts on combining the Paleo Diet and CrossFit training to Paleo Cookbook author Nikki Young.

Travis first embraced CrossFit upon entering the U.S. Navy where he served in Iraq. CrossFit is a strength and conditioning fitness methodology used in 1,700 + gyms worldwide and by fire departments, law enforcement agencies and armed forces, globally. Travis immediately realized the benefits of CrossFit just by looking at how incredibly fit the guys he trained with were, "The guys I saw doing CrossFit workouts were super fit, and they were always changing their workout routine. CrossFit delivers results and I was hooked from the first CrossFit workout I completed".

CrossFit combines gymnastics, weightlifting, running and body weight exercises to provide the body with strength, a high level of cardiovascular fitness, flexibility and lean muscle. But with diet and fitness proven to require a positive 50-50 balance, no fitness regime is complete without a complimentary diet. Having unsuccessfully experimented with the Zone Diet, the Abs Diet and the Atkins Diet, Travis started experimenting with the Paleo Diet around the same time he discovered CrossFit. He noticed positive results astonishingly quickly, Travis explains, "Improvements came in just a few days. When I increased my good fat intake based on the Paleo Diet my performance sky-rocketed, and I didn't have the ups and downs as a result of blood sugar fluctuations."

The most incredible aspect of Travis's entry into the world of CrossFit and Paleo is that he has been able to completely stop taking medicine for a heart condition he was diagnosed with at a young age. Heart problems run in his family and he assumed he would be hindered his entire life, yet not one doctor ever mentioned diet as a possible cure. Travis comments, "Before the Paleo Diet I had been on medication to control my condition, but now, I do not take any medications; I manage my condition through diet. Once I started the Paleo Diet and stopped eating sugars and grains the condition went away."

This remarkable truth reiterates just how powerful the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors is in reducing, and in many cases eradicating, illness and general ailments. As a CrossFit trainer who educates his clients on the benefits of living Paleo, Travis has witnessed firsthand how the Paleo Diet transforms the lives of others. "Their energy goes through the roof, which in turn, increases their athletic capacity. It's amazing how hard you can push your body when it's fed a Paleo Diet. Not only do they lose stubborn body fat by mixing CrossFit and the Paleo Diet, but with CrossFit you'll push yourself hard, harder than most people have ever pushed themselves. And that breeds confidence."

To read the full interview with Travis Schefcik and to find out more about Nikki Young's Paleo Cookbooks visit, http://www.livingpaleo.com/paleo-diet-and-crossfit.html