A 2014 review argues traditional risk factors such as changes to lipids and blood pressure account for only half of the elevated cardiovascular risk observed in diabetics. The review authors suggest efforts to manage heart disease risk in diabetic and prediabetic subjects should focus directly on managing insulin and glucose levels and insulin resistance, not merely on improving lipid profiles and blood pressure.

The CrossFit stimulus — which is constantly varied high-intensity functional movement coupled with meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar — can give you a pass on chronic disease. It is elegant in the mathematical sense of being marked by simplicity and efficacy.