Early in my reading of Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods," I found myself thinking, "I should walk the Appalachian Trail!" A few chapters later, after learning of Bryson's hiking, sweating, and chafing experience, all I could think was, "Screw that. I'll stay indoors, thank you very much."
I had a similar experience reading Jesse Itzler's informative, inspiring and hilarious fitness memoir, "Living with a SEAL."
Itzler is a compulsively motivated human being who has achieved crazy success in entertainment, business, and fitness (to say nothing of marriage) by doing things others haven't thought of, view as contrarian or consider bat-shit insane. (is "bat-shit" hyphenated?)
In LWaS, Jesse recounts the intense, month-long training hell he brought on himself by inviting a real-life Navy SEAL to live with him and his family. Early in the book I was thinking, "...maybe I should turn up the heat on my workouts and push the limits of my mind and body." Then I read about Jesse's torn muscles, hypothermia and bloody nuts (yes, those kind of nuts), and thought, "naaahhh."
Indeed, Jesse holds back none of the grueling details involved in training with one of the world's most elite warriors and the marital complexities that arise when you host him in your family's apartment.
Like SEAL, Jesse has one speed: 110% x 24 x 7. He's also a little bat-shit insane and a really funny writer. If you're into fitness and/or crazy people, you'll love Living with a SEAL.
No comments:
Post a Comment