The Weird Ones: Why Being Different is Your Healthiest Choice
Here's to the weird ones. The ones who leave parties early to protect their sleep. The ones who bring water to social events while everyone else drinks beer. The ones who stretch on the sidelines while other parents scroll their phones. The ones who choose the gym over the couch, movement over comfort, intention over default.
You might call them obsessive but we call them smart.
We also call them one of us.
When Normal Became the Problem
There's a quote that's been stuck in our heads lately: "It's no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
Think about that for a moment. Over 70% of Americans have at least one chronic disease - heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke. These aren't merely accidents of genetics or bad luck. They're often largely the result of lifestyle choices.
So when we talk about being "normal" in America today, we're talking about being part of a statistic that's profoundly unhealthy.
Being well-adjusted to this reality means accepting that declining health is just part of getting older, that taking medications for preventable conditions is inevitable, and that feeling tired and achy is normal.
We refuse to accept that normal.
The Fitness Boom Hiding in Plain Sight
Here's something fascinating: while the headlines focus on America's health crisis, we're actually in the middle of a historic fitness boom.
Americans are working out more than at any period for which we have good data. The share of adults who exercise or play sports on any given day has increased by about 20% over the last two decades.
But here's the catch - this boom is being led by activities like yoga and Pilates, while high-intensity programs like what we do here at CrossFit Harpoon took a hit during the pandemic and haven't fully bounced back.
People are opting for gentler, more comfortable forms of movement over the demanding, transformative work that drives real change.
This tells us something important: even as more people recognize the value of movement, many are still choosing the path of least resistance.
Why CrossFit Makes You Weird (And Why That's Perfect)
CrossFit doesn't just make you fitter - it makes you fundamentally different from the majority of the population. It makes you someone who embraces discomfort, who shows up consistently, who measures progress in real terms rather than feelings.
The data proves it. Research comparing CrossFit athletes to both inactive Americans and other active populations shows dramatically better health markers across the board.
Lower triglycerides, better cholesterol profiles, reduced inflammation markers - the kind of biomarkers that predict long-term health and longevity.
But beyond the numbers, CrossFit does something else: it builds the kind of person who makes health-focused decisions even when they're inconvenient, even when they're different from what everyone else is doing.
The Courage to Dance to Different Music
There's another quote we love: "Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."
When you prioritize your health in a culture that prioritizes convenience, you're dancing to music others can't hear. They see you meal prepping on Sunday and think you're obsessive. They see you choosing the gym over happy hour and think you're antisocial. They see you going to bed early and think you're boring.
What they can't hear is the music - the clear, undeniable rhythm of energy, strength, confidence, and vitality that comes from making your health the organizing principle of your life.
The Default Path vs. The Health Path
The default path in America today looks like this: prioritize convenience, choose comfort, avoid discomfort, medicate problems instead of preventing them, and hope for the best. It's the path of least resistance, and it leads exactly where you'd expect - to the 70% who end up with chronic diseases.
The health path looks different.
It looks weird. It means bringing your own lunch when everyone else orders takeout. It means working out on vacation. It means stretching while others scroll. It means choosing water at social events and leaving early to protect your sleep.
It means being the person who takes ownership of their health instead of hoping it will just work out.
Your Weird is Your Strength
Here at CrossFit Harpoon, we celebrate the weird ones because we know something the default path doesn't: being different isn't just okay - it's essential. When normal is sick, weird is healthy. When the majority is declining, the minority is thriving.
Every time you choose the gym over the couch, you're being weird. Every time you prioritize sleep over late-night entertainment, you're being weird. Every time you bring intention to your health choices instead of just going with the flow, you're being weird.
And every time you make that choice, you're building the kind of life that your 80-year-old self will thank you for.
The world needs more weird people. People who are willing to swim against the current, to make hard choices for long-term benefits, to prioritize capacity and freedom over comfort and convenience.
Active people are happy people. Healthy people are free people. And free people are always a little weird to those who can't hear the music.
So keep dancing. The music is beautiful.
