Belting It Out...

It's absolutely crazy that just over two months ago I still hadn't ever done a WOD, hadn't given up pizza and cake...mowed candy on Halloween, drank 4 cups of coffee to get through a day, and in the blink of an eye here I am cutting hole #2 in my belt just to keep my new, smaller pants from falling down when I walk three steps.  One hole for each month I've been easily able to get up early, get my ass to Crossfit, and spend the day still eating a bunch, but just filling my menu with delicious, Paleo-friendly choices.  Can the progress keep chugging at this pace?  If so by summertime I'll be a size 40 for the first time in over 15 years.

I welcome the hard work.  Just tonight I was hanging out with my son and, where I'd usually melt into the couch toward the end of the day I decided to crank out 30-ish pushups with him riding on my back.  He was having a laugh riot and I was psyched to get my body up off the ground more than a handful of times.  I remember trying pushups last fall and it was embarrassing...I was incapable of doing five...makes me think of that scene in Stripes when Bill Murray can barely do five.  He could do more than me!! Yikes!

Anyway it feels damned good, and if you're happening upon this blog and you're wavering in any way over the decision to do Crossfit and/or Paleo, I can't reiterate enough how life changing it becomes in such a short period of time.  Here I am about to go to sleep at 9:11 on a Saturday, when I usually stay up late and sleep in on Sundays (my one day to do so).  I've been reading enough about the necessity of good sleep that this is my one chance to get a full nights worth of shuteye...and I'm taking advantage.  Lack of sleep is the one sacrifice I'm making in this situation that will likely take away from my benefits over time.  See, in order to get to Crossfit NYC from where I live, I get up at 4:10 AM to catch a train at 5:15 into the city so I can make the 7:00 WOD.  Doing this 3-4 times a week allows for an average of 4-5 hours of sleep per night, plus whatever power naps I'm able to crank out on the train.  Physiologically speaking I'm sure this is horrible.  But when faced with more sleep or the chance to make it to Crossfit...well I guess I'll just have to live with that sacrifice.  What kills me about it is that everything I read says that a full night's sleep (7-9 hours) is the most crucial part of an intense workout regimen like this.  Check out this amazing graphic about sleep...really hits the nail on the head, and scares me that the majority of my sleep schedule is in the "WTF" column.

So another weekend rant (and a little more of high-fiving myself) hits the books...thanks for the comments people!  Keep the feedback coming.  It's amazing to meet all of you along the way...feels great to know there are a bunch of folks out there as addicted to this whole thing as I am.  What a bunch of friggin nutjobs we are :-).

Peace...