P90X and Crossfit Athletes Beware

Chiropractic and the exercise program P90x go extremely well together. My wife and I are both P90x graduates, and absolutely loved the challenge of the program, as well as the results for our health. I have lost count on how many people I have recommended the program to, following the transformation of one of our patients.

I was recently reviewing some old notes from a Dan Murphy, D.C., seminar I had attended shortly after graduating, and came upon some important information that all P90xers and people who exercise routinely should take into consideration.

The main issue is that strenuous and extreme exercise may increase the amount of free radicals in our system, thus creating more damage to our cells.

I don't expect everyone to know what a free radical is, but is any atom or molecule that has a single unpaired electron in an outer shell. This can result in oxidative damage to cells, which has been linked to a range of health disorders including Alzheimer's disease, cancer, arteriosclerosis, and arthritis.

I think we can all agree that we don't want to increase our chances of those happening by promoting the amount of free radicals in our bodies.

Here are some of the highlights from a book published on the subject:

“In his book The Antioxidant Revolution, Kenneth Cooper, MD emphasizes that excessive exercise is a major cause of oxidative stress.”

“He became very concerned when he began seeing several of his super exercisers who had been coming to his aerobic center in Dallas dying from heart disease and cancer at an early age.”
When we exercise excessively, the production of free radicals goes off the graph, or in other words it increases exponentially.

“Dr. Cooper started the exercise craze back in the early 70’s when he coined the term aerobics.”

“He has never recommended excessive exercise to his patients; however, he had previously not discouraged it either.”

“Now he believes it is potentially harmful to your health and should only be done by the serious, competitive athlete who is taking large amounts of antioxidants in supplementation.”
Dr. Cooper informs his exercise patients “they should be taking adequate levels of antioxidants in supplementation all the time.”

“On the day that they exercise, he feels they should actually increase the amount of antioxidants they are taking.”

Bionutrition
The Amazing Health Benefits of Nutritional Supplements
Ray Strand, MD
Comprehensive Wellness Publishing
1998
Page 14

So exercise is now damaging our bodies on the cellular level? Key terms should be taken into account, like excessive, or possibly extreme exercise are what put us in the threshold of an increase in free radicals.

However, there are a lot more extreme athletes out there nowadays, from people who do P90x and Crossfit, to Ironman Triathletes and Ultra-marathoners. I am sure anyone who cares enough about their bodies to take part in these things has zero intention of increasing their chance of cancer, Alzheimers or any disease process linked to free radical damage.

I am jumping aboard the P90x train again very soon, and armed with this information I will be adding some extra antioxidant supplementation along the way. Last I checked, the recovery drink that P90x recommends has antioxidants in it, but according to the research more may be necessary.

The last thing I want to see is are programs that I feel are life changing, doing long term damage that is completely preventable. Get on board the P90x train with me, stock up on your antioxidants, and make sure you see your chiropractor!