In late 2010 I sort of had an epiphany... I was feeling fat, I felt like shit and didn't want to feel that way anymore. With two kids under the age of 4 (at the time), and two dogs, we have a very active lifestyle. "Active" meaning, my wife and I were running the kids all over the place and should be walking the dogs more than we did.
However, I was feeling heavy, uncomfortable, my jeans that I had just upped the size in were getting tight and I was pushing 200 pounds, I had enough. I was 195 pounds at 5'9". I was always the skinny kid through high school and now I was getting close to being the short fat guy at work. I needed to make a change.
I thought PX90 was it. I bought the DVD's on eBay I took my "before" pictures and I was all set to go. I watched, and worked out, with the videos twice. And that was the end of that.
It just didn't work for me. No motivation. I couldn't get into it in my living room.
So, in March 2011, I switched gyms from one close to my house to one closer to where I work in Boston. I started going religiously. Everyday I was at work. Along with walking my dogs two or three nights a week near home. I saw pretty good results rather quickly. I lost 15-20 pounds in approximately two months. I was feeling good. I thought the weight would keep peeling off effortlessly.And then nothing... for two months. My weight-loss fell flat. My weight stayed where it was and didn't budge. No matter how much I worked out, I couldn't lose any weight.
My diet at the time wasn't "bad", but it wasn't great either. I was skipping breakfast (don't need the extra calories), having my coffee with milk and sugar. I was having salads for lunch a few times a week or a turkey sandwich. Dinners with my family varied from steak or chicken on the grill with potatoes or rice and veggies. Pretty decent, hearty meals. Nothing really over the top and unhealthy, just regular meat and potatoes and veggies. A few nights a week I'd also have a couple cookies after dinner or go for an ice cream with the kids. Or popcorn or some other snack right before bed at 10 or 11 o'clock at night.
In the middle of those two months, I started seeing a few friends from High School on Facebook post about Crossfit, and Paleo and all of these terms that were pretty foreign to me. I asked my friend what they were and he referred me to read Mark Sisson's "The Primal Blueprint" which is a book about how our Paleolithic ancestors lived and ate. More importantly, what they ate. And relative to that, how our bodies are designed and evolved to eat and process those types of foods and not the packaged and processed foods and grains that we are pushed to consume today.
The book was a complete eye-opener for me and completely changed how I looked at food, thought about food and consumed food.
After that book I also read "The Paleo Solution" by Robb Wolf, which is definitely a more detailed and scienced up version of the similar diet with some varying principals. But again, completely changed how I thought about food and which foods I chose to put in my body.
Finally, those same friends opened their own CrossFit gym in June of 2011 and I attended an On-Ramp class in August. The style of workout and the intensity was amazing. The learning curve was and is huge. But the people, and the lifestyle changes that have come from it have been literally Life Changing.
The workouts are in a group format and it brings an amazing level of intensity and camaraderie with the other members at the gym. It is definitely more akin to playing team sports than going to a regular gym or "Globo Gym" as they are often referred to.
I've met some really amazing people of all ages, fitness levels and body types that go to work out and perform at their best and give it their all in each class. And then pat you on the back, give you high-five and let you know how good you are doing, even if you were lifting 150 pounds less than they were!
One of the things they "preach" at CrossFit is to leave your ego at the door. Every member is at a different fitness level. Some experienced members are great at some things and still struggle with other movements. While a new commer to CrossFit (or noob) could be great at some movements even having never done them before, but will struggle with other movements or exercises.
Any way you look at it, it's challenging, exciting, rewarding and FUN. I really look forward to going to the gym everyday. And without a doubt, it has been paying off.
I'm currently down to 161 pounds which is the lightest I have ever been post-college. I feel great. I'm stronger than I have ever been and I wish I had found CrossFit five or six years ago.
I go to CrossFit Wicked 5 days a week and most of the time I'm there "wicked" early (5:30 am) for a group class.
I look forward to seeing the people in the classes everyday and I've become friends with many of them. Mainly because there is no ego. We're all in it for the same thing, and again, it's fun.
One of the cool side effects of CrossFit and Facebook since I've been working out at 'Wicked is that I've been posting my workouts to Facebook via an iPhone App to "share" my progress. The really funny part about that is I have had friends who I have known for years email, text or call me to ask about. What is it? Do you like it? Does it work?
I had a friend on the West Coast who I haven't seen in over 10 years send me a message saying "I just wanted to let you know you have inspired me to join a CrossFit gym out here. Keep up the good work!"
That's pretty powerful stuff in my opinion.
I've invited a few friends to come in for the free open house workouts at CrossFit Wicked and one even became a member and is currently kicking ass at her workouts.
A couple others have joined a CrossFit near where they live. Being healthy is more contagious than you think! Results don't lie.
Currently, I'm in a group on Facebook that on January 1, 2012 started 90 Days "clean eating". Which means, no grains (bread, pasta, rice, legumes), no dairy (milk, cheese) and no alcohol.
When people hear me say this, their first response is "NO WAY am I giving up Bread/Pasta/Rice/Cheese/Alcohol" and I was the same way. I thought, there is no way I can do that or would want to do that. Then I started seeing the results and feeling the effects that those foods had on my body when I did eat them.
I'm at the point now where I will indulge here and there, but my initial thought is "There is NO WAY I'm going back to eating those things all the time." I just don't like the way they make me feel. Sluggish, bloated, lethargic, irritable.
And once you start eating this way, and get the hang of it, it's pretty damn easy. Cooking is fun and interesting and I make some pretty yummy dishes. I eat eggs, bacon, meat, fish, vegetables and fruit, nuts and seeds and I'm really happy about it too. There are also plenty of Paleo recipes and sites on the internet where you can get recipes, ideas, pictures and whatever else you need for information.
I'm not standing here on my soap box saying "You should do this too!" I'm just telling you my experience over the last several months and the changes that helped me get motivated and keep at it and make a difference in my own life and health.
If you want to do it, Go Get It! It's a new year, it's all right there in front of you
.
No comments:
Post a Comment