By tomorrow (Day 4), I hope any headaches or cravings that you may have been experiencing are easing up.
For me, the first 4 days were tough as I was coming off of that carb addiction. I felt like I was constantly eating primal snacks to help get me through at first. So, for day 4, don't restrict yourself to a breakfast/lunch/dinner schedule. Eat when you are hungry. If you don't get hungry until 10 am, then wait until then to eat! Eat according to the primal food pyramid until you feel satisfied, but not to the point of feeling stuffed. For day 4, we are going to listen to our bodies!
Along with listening to our bodies, there will come a point when our bodies will be so great at properly storing and burning fat that we may not feel hungry for many hours! Later on we will practice random fasting from food to see how well our body is at fat burning:) You will be amazed! Once, I was impressed to hear Mark Sisson describe in a podcast at just how well his body is at fat burning. Mark said he was able to eat a dinner in the evening time and would not feel hungry until the next day at 1pm, which is when he would indulge in a delicious primal meal. Amazing!
Exercise:
So, my husband found something new to try for primal exercises:) he loves it and felt it work after his first workout. This will be great for the parents out there with kids {especially if you are a stay-at-home parent!} It's called MovNat. It looks silly {which is why the kids will love it}, there is pretty much no equipment required, and it is quick {which I'm sure YOU will love!} Go here for a MovNat workout!
Here is a little bit about MovNat which "is for everyone"! I also love this because it encompasses the primal lifestyle.
Lastly, for Day 4 try to focus on standing up straight, walking/standing without shoes (or try bare minimalist shoes like the ones I'm wearing above!) and stay on your feet for most of the day. We are trying to increase our movement and avoid the american sedentary lifestyle. So, if you find yourself at a desk most of the day, find ways to stand more and take brief breaks. Remember to hold good posture and ensure your workspace is at a proper height for YOU. The last two years of my life working as a nurse in an office, I found my upper shoulders/back in an awful state of pain, numbness, and tingling due to my inappropriate work space. I also carried around a laptop in one arm ALL day! Once I started the 21 day challenge, I adjusted my work space, moved more, and held my laptop in both arms while setting it down as much as possible to save my back.
Lunch- did you make pulled pork yesterday? use that shredded pork to top off your green salad and mix together guacamole to add on top!
Dinner- finish off that pulled pork (againwith the pork?) with lettuce wraps and add sliced avocado, onion, and tomatoes; make Ginger Garlic Sesame Seed Chicken.
Ginger Garlic Sesame Seed Chicken
4 chicken thighs, fat trimmed
1/4 cup coconut aminos
2 T garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, thinnly sliced
1 T sesame seeds
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 T coconut oil
Set oven to 350 degrees. Heat large pan over medium heat with coconut oil. Trim extra fat off chicken thighs. Salt and pepper chicken as desired on both sides. Place in hot pan and cook top of chicken thigh for 5-7min. Mix remaning ingredients in a small bowl. Flip chicken thighs and place mixture over top. Place pan with chicken thighs into oven and cook for 30min. Remove from oven. Scoop mixture from bottom of pan on top of chicken thighs. Let cool for 5min. Serve.
Snacks- make a veggie plate of your favorite veggies; throw salt on sliced tomatoes (my favorite!)
Document:
-how you increased your daily movement
-movnat experience
-what you did to improve your workspaces and avoid a sedentary lifestyle
-relaxation techniques tried -energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT} -satisfaction level with meals -hunger level between meals -struggles -benefits
I hope Day 2 was more successful with being more creative in your primal meals/snacks, increasing daily movement, and relaxing before bed.
A friend of mine, who did the last challenge, downloaded primal recipe e-books to her tablet which got her excited about trying new primal meals! I want to challenge everyone to try new primal approved meals this week, so that on Day 7 you can make your favorite new recipe for your family and/or friends to share. This might also be a great opportunity to share what you are doing with your family/friends and get them excited about health, healing, and FOOD!
Besides trying new recipes, on Day 3 please focus on making and preparing all your primal meals from home. This will take planning (maybe even days of planning), but it will help you avoid the temptation of running to a local burger chain restaurant to satisfy hunger. From Day 3 forward, plan and prepare meals from home.
Also on Day 3, GO OUTSIDE! Grab some sunshine and soak in Vitamin D. If there happens to be no sun on Day 3, check the forecast and plan a sunny day to enjoy outside. To be primal is to get an appropriate amount of sunlight. Yes, tan=healthy! This will be explained below in 'Let's Talk'.
Lastly, do a favorite aerobic exercise about 50-70% of your maximum heart rate. To determine your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. So, if you are 30 years old your heart rate will be 220 - 30 = 190 beats per minute. Do this aerobic exercise no longer than 60 minutes and, importantly, what is most comfortable for YOU! So, if you're used to walking for 30 minutes, then do your exercise for 30 minutes.
Meal/Snack Ideas: {These are only suggestions and recipes for your guidance, so no need to eat exactly what's written! Eat as much as you want and when ever you want always following the primal food pyramid.} Breakfast- french omelette with chives {I just ate this tonight!}
French Omelette
4 eggs
1T fresh chives, diced thinly
Salt
Pepper
1T olive oil
Heat olive oil in pan on # 3 stove setting or low-medium heat. Ensure olive oil gets up the sides of pan. Beat eggs vigorously with all ingredients until batter has a smooth consistency. Pour in heated pan. Take spatula and gently scrape the middle of omelette from side to side in a plus sign design every few minutes. This will make little clumps throughout the omelette. Continue until omelette is still wet on top with many chunks and swirls of eggs and sides are easy to lift from pan. Loosen sides of omelette and fold in half. Cook for another minute and then serve on plate. Sprinkle more salt and pepper if desired.
Lunch- throw that delicious leftover salmon atop your green salad with seasonings; slice large chunks of eggplant and top with tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, seasonings, sprinkled with a hard fermented cheese and then bake!
Dinner- make pulled pork in your crockpot and serve with your favorite vegetables (pulled pork meat can be used for many other meals!)
Snacks- create a new smoothie using coconut milk, almond milk or water; find a primal coconut drink with pulp (check those ingredients to stay away from sugar and other chemicals!)
{I also just had this above drink tonight:) My husband knows me well.}
Document:
-where you shopped for primal foods
-how you increased your daily movement
Today I was just talking about sunlight being important in our health. The sun helps us absorb Vitamin D which is great for cellular function. We can do all we can to get enough Vitamin D from our diet, but it still will not be sufficient. This is why being in the sun is important! I'm not telling you to go outside to fry yourself like a chicken, I am telling you it is healthy to get an adequate amount of sunlight to large areas of your body. Once you feel you've had enough sun, such as a slight change in color (NOT red), then go get in some shade! Stay away from harmful chemicals that come in tanning lotions and sunscreens. Just get an adequate amount of sun and then get out of it for a while. Sunlight will also boost your mood and energy. Having tan is also a protector for you. It also is said that by not enough sunlight you can actually develop cancers! I just spoke to another nurse today who said her mother developed melanoma, so the doctor told her to stay out of the sun completely. This led to poor lab results and multiple cancers. You bet your body needs that Vitamin D!
So do your body and your spirit a favor by getting OUT of the house, office, or wherever you find yourself most to enjoy the sun. Then, when you return, you will be happier and healthier!
Have you heard of the book 'Wheat Belly'? The author, Dr. William Davis, is a cardiologist who wanted to find a non-pharmacological way to decrease his patient's co-morbidities because they were worsening their cardiac problems. Listen to this mind-blowing podcast where we hear from the doctor himself!
P.S. My goal this challenge is to continue to share podcasts/videos/articles that have motivated me and my loved ones to continue this primal lifestyle in order to achieve our optimal health. So, stay tuned!
Day 2: How are you feeling after Day 1? You might not feel very energetic and/or have a headache. This is normal after coming off of the american high carb/sugar diet or, as Mark Sisson refers to, the SAD (Standard American Diet). During the last challenge, almost everyone who participated said it took them about 4 days to get over these side effects and then they started to feel "great" and "energetic"! So, hang in there. It will only get better:)
What did you have a difficult time with on Day 1? Was it hunger? Cravings? Getting in more movement throughout the day? Turning off that TV 2 hours before bed? Decide how you can better prepare yourself for Day 2 by creating more primal snacks to help you with hunger or cravings; making the time to go for a walk during a lunch break or parking farther away from work or taking the stairs instead of elevator; set a curfew for your media time by setting an alarm 2 hours before bed. Think, plan, and then do!
How satisfied were you with meals? Want to try a new recipe? Get creative in the kitchen by trying different spices and herbs with your meals. Go tomarksdailyapple.com to find new recipes or purchase one of his cookbooks or find a recipe online that you like and MAKE it primal! One suggestion from Mark in 'The Primal Blueprint' is to rotate 5 of your favorite primal recipes during this lifestyle transition.
Have you noticed benefits? As I said before, you might not feel great the first few days of the challenge as you're coming off of that sugar high. But, again, give it time and your cells will soon change into great fat burning cells instead of hungry-for-sugar-and-burning cells!
Today, for Day 2, I want you to take about 5 minutes to find your maximum repetitions of:
-Pushups (Keep body in straight line, hands shoulder width apart, hands and toes on floor, touch chest to ground. To modify, keep knees on floor along with toes.)
-Sit-ups (Put a rolled up towel lengthways or pillow beneath buttocks and back. Put bottom of your feet together to make a diamond with your legs. When you lie back, reach back as far as you can with your hands and then crunch forward reaching as far as you can with your hands to your toes.)
-Pull-Ups or Chair Dips (Unlike the above picture, grip the pull-up bar with the top of your hands facing you, wide grip, pull your body up until your chip is above the bar. For chair dips, take a chair and sit just in front of it by gripping your hands on the edge of the chair. Your body will be in a sitting position just in front of the chair. Dip down as far as you can and then push yourself back up.)
-Plank Holds (Get into the pushup position, hold this position for as long as you can.)
-Squats (Stand shoulder width or a little wider if you have long legs. Keep your arms stretched out in front of you and lower yourself down by pushing your buttocks back, keeping your back flat, and keeping your knees behind your toes and going outward rather than inward. Go as low as you can, preferably below parallel.)
Meal/Snack Ideas:
Breakfast- egg frittata with peppers, onions, and spinach; stuffed squash blossoms; baked stuffed peppers with eggs and bison meat.
Lunch- leftover dinners; cubed avocados, sweet peppers, celery, onions, tomatoes tossed as a salad with lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt.
Dinner- baked salmon with lemon and seasonings of choice (if it's a big salmon, save half and keep frozen to use later for salmon patties); bison meat patties with cooked egg on top.
Snacks- coconut milk, banana, spinach, and berry smoothie.
Don't forget to document:
-where you shopped for primal foods -how you increased your daily movement during 3 different times in the day -relaxation techniques tried -energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT} -satisfaction level with meals -hunger level between meals -struggles -benefits
Let's Talk:
During the last challenge a few people ask me about dairy in the primal lifestyle. How good is it for you?How much to eat?Here was my answer: limit your dairy, but some high-fat, unpasteurized dairy is beneficial in moderation and if not lactose intolerant. Commercial dairy that is pasteurized and homogenized is rid of harmful bacteria, but also rid of healthy bacteria, enzymes and nutrients we need. The other downside is the amount of antibiotics, pesticides, EGF (epidural growth factor that is believed to increase cancer risk), casein (stimulates some auto-immune properties) and hormones that are found in dairy. It is also believed that dairy can worsen acne which, in my case, I believe was true. Unpasteurized, raw and fermented dairy has probiotics for a healthy immune system due to minimal processing, low levels of casein, and allows people to avoid allergic reactions with lactose. So, stick with either no dairy, raw fermented dairy, raw high-fat dairy, raw milk/cheese, or organic hormone/antibiotic free dairy. This is the best order according to Scott Kustes, friend of Mark Sisson, mentioned in 'The Primal Blueprint'! Lastly, we want to get the majority of our fats from animal fats which is what our body wants/needs, so do not solely rely on dairy for high-fat consumption. Again, no dairy or dairy in moderation.
Tomorrow will be Day 1 of the Primal 21 Day Challenge. Start to decide today what you will eat tomorrow for meals and/or snacks, determine different ways to increase movement, and decide how you will relax before bed. Then tomorrow, DO those things!
Meal/Snack Ideas:
Breakfast- omelet cooked in coconut/extra virgin olive oil with veggies; eggs with sauteed kale and bacon that is uncured and without nitrates/nitrites; sunny-side-up eggs atop a green salad.
Lunch- spinach salad with boiled eggs, tomatoes, olives and an extra virgin olive oil dressing with sea salt and freshly squeezed lemon juice; (if you made a roast, pulled pork or other meat for a Sunday dinner the day before) put leftover meat atop a green salad along with avocados; pan cooked chicken thighs with oven baked vegetables in extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and pepper along with a baked sweet potato.
Dinner- baked cabbage with sausage and onions; vegetable soup with a side of meat; Crock Pot Lemon Pepper Chicken with baked asparagus.
Snacks- celery or sliced apples with almond butter; avocado with sea salt; boiled eggs; Sweet Potato Chips; macadamia nuts.
Increased Movement Ideas: Take a walk in the morning with your dog; take 30-60 min breaks from work to walk around, get a drink, etc; walk to the store; take your kids to the park; take a family stroll after dinner. (Ensure this is happening at least 3x/day!)
Relaxation Ideas:
Dim/turn off lights as the sun goes down; light candles; read a book; put dimmers or download them to your computer (i.e. f.lux); turn off your TV/phone/tablet/computer at least a couple hours before bed; read to your children; spend time with family/friends.
Lastly, document! -where you shopped for primal foods -how you increased your daily movement during 3 different times in the day -relaxation techniques tried -energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT} -satisfaction level with meals -hunger level between meals -struggles -benefits
Let's Talk:
The purpose of this challenge is to change your body from a sugar burning body to a fat burning body!
In Mark Sisson's 'Primal Blueprint 21 Day Total Body Transformation' book he states in his key concepts that, "Even if some - or most - of your diet has been in the form of "complex" carbs, this excessive and unnecessary intake of carbs has reprogrammed your genes from an early age to make you more dependent on a regular supply of dietary carbohydrate. You are a "sugar burner" if you are trapped in this carbohydrate dependency. If you're like most people, this high intake of carbs over time has elevated your insulin levels throughout the day, and resulted in excess calories (from all foods, not just carbs) to be stored as body fat. Over the years, chronically high levels of glucose and insulin in your blood have altered your fat cells so that you can't easily burn this plentiful source of stored energy. If your body is accustomed to burning carbs as fuel instead of stored fat, your brain will crave your usual fuel source - carbs - more often. This leads to a vicious cycle of insidious weight gain over a lifetime, even if you exercise frequently." Once, a Nurse Practitioner that I worked with told me {after I had said it was unhealthy to eat grains}, "Briana, you NEED carbs". Our society thinks that we "NEED" carbs in order to function and they have even set a dietary requirement for carbohydrates. This is not necessary. I then explained to this woman that we can get carbs elsewhere, such as vegetables ormeat. We have a fabulous body that can use protein and fat to pull out glucose to use when needed for our brains to function just right. This process is called gluconeogenesis, which is the synthesis of glucose from non-carbohyrates. So, no, we do not need to bombard our body with EXTRA glucose from grains, legumes, sugars, etc to burn for energy and to stay alert. Our body does this on its own using primal/healthy/simple foods.
Congratulations to those who finished their challenge today!
Please contact me about your overall results and what you liked/did not like about the challenge, so I can make it better.
Now for the promised post regarding the 80/20 rule...
After you have hit your weight loss/health goal from living the primal lifestyle {so for those of you who have not yet hit your goal, continue the challenge until then} then consider the 80/20 rule, which is to have a 100% personal commitment in the primal lifestyle plan with 80% or more physical commitment to the plan.
This doesn't mean on a daily basis to eat primally 80% of the time and the other 20% like a typical american! You will definitely not succeed this way. It means, to look at the bigger picture. Look at a month's worth of your primal lifestyle and if you're living primally 80% of the time, then you're going to sustain health/wellness. Don't beat yourself up over the 20%! It's neither healthy to be strict/hard on ourselves and let ourselves go little by little until we fall down the slippery slope.
However, there is one thing to be fully committed on in order to have the primal benefits, which is to avoid processed carbohydrates at all costs.
Here is an excerpt from marksdailyapple.com:
That said, some aspects of the Blueprint do call for consistent adherence in the interest of meaningful impact. Particular among these is avoidance of processed carbs. The fact is, the physiological effects of processed carbs simply are harsher and harder to recover from – especially when they’re a regular player in the body’s daily functioning. It’s not that your body can’t bounce back. It’s just an unnecessary detour in your progress – a diversion and interruption (albeit temporary) in the physiological homeostasis that maximizes hormonal balance, fat burning and energy consistency.
Even I feel these effects and it is NOT FUN. I literally will feel sick to my stomach, have a pounding headache, bloating around my abdomen, and a foggy mind. At some point, you won't want to go back!
Again, look over the course of months and if you are eating primally 80% of the time while avoiding processed carbs, consider yourself PRIMAL:)
Good luck on the continuation of your primal lifestyle and feel free to leave a message or contact me!
Who's in for round 2 of the challenge???
I'm thrilled to be doing a second challenge after ending my first, especially with all the amazing results the last group had:) I will post those results, as well as, personal stories for those who'd like to share.
{But for now, to read my story go here and for my sister's story go here.}
This is how the challenge will work:
Everyone will take a before and after picture. This will be for you personally and, if willing, to share with me. If you are even more willing, I will post your picture along with your story on my blog (hopefully soon I will have some from the last group for you to see!)
Go shopping for primal approved food!
The day before the challenge starts {or the day of--whichever is more convenient!}, everyone will clean out their kitchen of all un-primal foods. I would recommend the entire family engage in this lifestyle for your support, but for those of you with children and/or husbands who will not participate I suggest keeping their food separate and away from your reach or temptation.
Everyday I will post the following days agenda, so that everyone can mentally and physically prepare.
I will post workouts, recipes, and outside resources to help you along the way and to increase your knowledge of the why's.
I encourage comments for the purpose of asking questions, expressing accomplishments and difficulties. This will make for a great support group!
Before we begin, please listen to this podcast:
This podcast is of Tom Woods interviewing 'The Primal Blueprint' author, Mark Sisson, and is what first intrigued me about this Primal lifestyle. It has literally changed my life!
THE TO DO LIST:
1) PURGE YOUR KITCHEN
This is a huge and necessary task in order to do this challenge right! Go into your fridge, pantry, under your bed or wherever you are storing the goods and check those labels to determine if it needs to hit the garbage. We are tossing everything that has sugar, wheat, soy, corn syrup, grains, or any ingredient that you cannot pronounce and/or know what it is! We are going back to the basics. Ensure what you are eating has simple and fresh ingredients.
Yes, that means no pizza, pretzels, ice cream, and cereal for 21 days!
What to throw out:
Beverages- bottled juices and refrigerated juices; almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, flavored milks; powdered drinks (i.e. hot chocolate); powdered juices (i.e. lemonade); sodas and diet sodas; sports drinks (i.e. gatorade, vitamin water); designer coffees; energy drinks; sweetened cocktails; sweetened teas. Stick with water (which you can flavor!), herbal tea or plain coffee for you coffee lovers!
Baking Ingredients- starches and syrups; corn meal; flours; powders (i.e. milk, gluten); yeast; sweeteners and sugars. Personally, I kept my flours and sugars due to baking for church functions and birthdays. I just kept it high up in the back of my pantry and away from my view:)
Condiments- honey mustard; jams and jellies; ketchup; mayonnaise and light mayonnaise; salad dressings and low-fat dressings; soy/tabasco/worcestershire/barbeque sauce is okay in moderation, but stick with the highest quality with minimal sugars and PUFAs; and other cooking items containing high-fructose corn syrup, sugary sweeteners or PUFA oils. My favorite dressing to put on salads is extra virgin olive oil with fresh lemon juice and sea salt.
Dairy- processed cheese and spreads; ice cream; nonfat and low-fat milk; frozen yogurt; sweetened non-fat or low-fat yogurts. Stick with unpasteurized or raw dairy, fermented dairy (i.e. yogurt), organic/GMO/hormone-free dairy and with the highest fat content (whole milk). I'm telling you, unpasteurized/raw milk is to die for!
Fats and Oils- trans and partially-hydrogenated oils; butter spreads and sprays; canola, cottonseed, corn, soybean, safflower, sunflower, and other high polyunsaturated oils; margarine; vegetable shortening.Stick with ghee, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, butter and other saturated animal fats.
Fast Food- all genetically changed industrialized food, such as, burgers, chicken nuggets, french fries, hot dogs, tacos, etc.
Fish- fish caught from polluted waters; fish caught by methods that are environmentally unpleasant; large fish (i.e. sword fish); farmed fish (except for a few).
Grains- ALL grains, such as, bread, pasta, flour based products, crackers, cookies, corn, cereal, rice, tortillas, breakfast foods (i.e. oatmeal and cream of wheat), chips, cooking grains (i.e. barley and rye), pretzels, donuts, pizza, and puffed snacks.
Legumes- peanuts and peanut products; soybeans; lentils; peas; alfalfa; beans; and tofu. Legumes, especially along with grains, contain anti-nutrients. They also stimulate high amounts of insulin.
Meat- all pre-packaged meats processed with harmful chemicals and sweeteners (i.e. sliced lunch meat); smoked meats; cured meats; meats containing nitrites and nitrates. We don't want to eat meats from animals that ate a lot of grains! Do your best to stick with grass-fed or organic meats.
Processed Foods- granola bars; protein bars; snack products; frozen packaged breakfast/lunch/dinner products; energy bars; fruit bars/rolls.Stay away from packaged, processed foods which are almost all full of sugar and grains!
Sweets- sugars; cakes; cookies; brownies; donuts; pie; evaporated cane juice; honey; chocolate syrup; trail mixes; powdered sugar; raw sugar; molasses; HFCS; popsicles; frozen desserts; chocolate. This challenge will help get rid of your cravings and sugar crashes!
2) SHOPPING/COOKING/BAKING/EATING OUT
{Picture from the 'Primal Blueprint 21 Day Total Body Transformation' by Mark Sisson}
Here is a closer look of the above Primal Food Pyramid:
Herbs/Spices/Extracts
Sensible Indulgences (dark chocolate 75% or higher)
Supplements (omega-3, probiotics)
---
Fruits (in season and locally grown)
High Fat Dairy (unpasteurized, fermented and or raw)
Starchy Tubers & Wild Rice (sweet potatoes)
Nuts, Nut Butters & Seeds
---
Animal Fats
Butter & Coconut oil
Avocados
Olives/EVOO
Macadamia Nuts
---
Vegetables (locally grown/organic)
---
Meat/Fish/Eggs/Fowl (stick with pastured/grass-fed/certified organic/free range)
As you can see, the bulk of your food comes from the protein and vegetables. The other spectrums of this food pyramid are with moderation. You can find the best produce and sources of animals from farmers markets, co-ops, Community Supported Agriculture, Whole Foods, or simply look carefully in your local grocery store. I am able to go to our BJ's Wholesale store and find certified organic and grass-fed products, as well as our local grocery stores. It's all about reading the label! Ask around and google to find stores with the best products available. Do your best with what you can find and with the financial situation you are in. If you cannot afford all grass-fed meat, then by all means, just eat the best meat you can find! Without spending so much money on bread, bagels, cereals, snacks, etc. you will come to find eating Primal is pretty cheap and especially when you plan ahead.
Examples of staples to keep in your fridge/pantry:
Nuts in bulk (great snack)
Nut butters
Eggs (hard boil some and keep separately for snacks or to put on salads)
Vegetables (best to eat within a week and be sure to store/freeze appropriately)
Fruits (keep apples around because they last longer and, again, store appropriately for lasting results)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Coconut oil
Coconut milk
Meat, Fish, Fowl (keep stored in freezer and some in fridge a couple days before eating)
Onions
Sweet Potatoes
When it comes to fast food and eating out, find places that serve fresh ingredients and the best quality food. If needed, ask for your food to be cooked in olive oil or ask for lemon and olive oil as a side dressing to ensure you're sticking with the Primal challenge. Just tell them you have an allergy and they won't mind too much! Look for meats, eggs, fish, vegetables and some fruit wherever you go. You're bound to find something Primal!
{This was a forage night for my family at Moe's Southwestern Grill.}
3) MOVE AROUND, LIFT HEAVY THINGS, & SPRINT
To be primal is to move A LOT. Move frequently at a low-level pace whether you're engaging in exercise or just walking to the bank down the street instead of driving. Find ways to increase movement. If you're going to work, park farthest away in the parking lot in order to walk a longer distance into work. Instead of taking the elevator, go up those stairs! Find times to take walks with your family after dinner or go on a Saturday hike. If you have a desk job, take breaks throughout the day to get up and move around.
To be primal is also to take a couple days a week to perform high-intensity strength training sessions that last 30 minutes or less. This includes: pushups, pullups, squats, planks, situps, etc. So, NO, you don't need to go out and run 10 miles to look good! What you eat makes up most of what we look like physically and exercise is just the extra bonus.
To be primal is to sprint every now and then! Go out with your kids and do 20 meter sprints for about 5 times or if you're on a bike do some sprints every 20 seconds for a couple minutes. There are many benefits to performing sprint workouts about every week or week and a half, such as, muscle fiber growth.
To be primal is to PLAY! Another great way to move around, to get in sprints, and to spend time with your family and/or friends. Go to the park and play on the playground, play tennis, participate in a basketball game, throw a baseball with your son, chase your kids around the yard, throw a frisbee, go slack lining, or go kayaking.
4) SLOW DOWN & ENJOY LIFE
Lastly, take time away from the craziness of daily life. Take time away from your computer, phone, TV and spend time with family and friends to build relationships. Also, too much digital stimulation is not good for our health, so put down media at least an hour or two before bed, so you ensure a better nights sleep. While we are talking about sleep now, make sure you get in plenty of sleep each night to let your body repair itself and to get your REM cycles in. It is also important to prepare for sleep. Dim lights as it gets dark, turn off the TV, and do something relaxing. This will help you have a more restful night and feel refreshed in the morning.
That's it! Stay tuned for tomorrow's agenda and challenge(s) later this evening.
