“Innocent sleep. Sleep that soothes away all our worries. Sleep that puts each day to rest. ... Sleep, the main course in life's feast, and the most nourishing.” (William Shakespeare) - Day 17

I had a really great chat this morning with a good mate who is also going booze free for 8 weeks.

We started at the same time so it was a great opportunity to check in and compare notes.

Off the bat, his sleep quality has really improved.

He suddenly has a lot more time in the day which he is using to surf more.

He has found a work around to deal with that weekend beer itch. In addition to his early morning surf routine, he squeezes a second session in the afternoon instead of cracking open that sundowner (aka lunchtime beer).

Afterwards, he is worn out enough not to care for that beer! As an added bonus, he is no longer sluggish through to mid-week from weekend sessions.

His “5.20 AM alarm is a bit easier”.

His catalyst for not drinking was also similar to mine. He had been listening to a podcast called “Alcohol Rethink” (I am listening to the first episode. It's great… maybe a blog on that later).

Swap out surfing for running and swap out Patrick Fox’s podcasts for podcasts by Dr Rangan Chatterjee and others, his experience so far is near identical to mine.

His reason/ goal is also similar: to take a break (because we can) for a while and revisit his relationship with booze.

I am now midway(ish) through week 3. The nasty sugar cravings have gone. I’ll take that as a win.

Sleep is getting better and better. At least the product of good quality sleep is getting way more obvious.

I have been averaging 7.5 hours good quality sleep every night. I am waking up more refreshed than I was last week, and so far, I have not had that afternoon slump that has plagued most of my working life.

Much is written about the role that simple carbs and glucose/ insulin etc play in the cause of this slump. Much is also written about the role of consistent/ good quality sleep in regulating the glucose/ insulin spikes and dips that cause that slump.

My running volume is increasing along with noticeable improvements in cardio. The temptation is to keep increasing the volume and running load. Experience tells me that I will need to pull back and take a recovery week to avoid injury. Rest is a crucial component of fitness adaptation. That's when the magic happens.

I am yet to see improvements at work, and speaking of which, I have a large government tender to return to. Joy….at least, I am not hungover.

North Bondi- 17/04/2024