Getting “real” with getting primal
Last year, I started reading a fantastic resource - Mark's Daily Apple. At first, I was skeptical. I mean, the dietary advice there IS NOT your standard fare. Mark Sisson, the creator of the site as well as author of The Primal Blueprint, argues much of standard dietary advice (also known as "conventional wisdom" or CW) is not healthy. Contrary to CW, Sisson argues for a higher fat consumption, consumption of meats, avoidance of grains, and avoidance of "chronic cardio." On the surface, one of those items - higher fat consumption - is a hot button. Outside of popular low carbohydrate lifestyles such as Atkins or Protein Power, high fat consumption is basically shunned in the nutrition world. At first, I refused to believe it to. I had been pretty indoctrinated with the "eat small protein and heart healthy whole grain meals throughout the day" mantra common in the fitness and diet world (Hello Jillian Michaels - I'm calling you out on this one). The diet called for over at Mark's Daily Apple is essentially a lower carbohydrate, evolutionary means of eating - "Primal" living, often called "paleolithic" living - in reference to Mark's Primal Blueprint work.
There are essentially 10 Primal guidelines, laws if you may:
1. Eat lots of plants and animals
2. Avoid poisonous things
3. Move frequently at a slow pace
4. Lift heavy things
5. Sprint once in a while
6. Get adequate sleep
7. Play
8. Get adequate sunlight
9. Avoid stupid mistakes
10. Use you brain
Reading these "laws" is really what sold me on the concept of primal living. It's common sense. Granted, there are other facets to the laws explained at both Mark's Daily Apple and in The Primal Blueprint which may be somewhat overwhelming at first, but over time, it becomes more clear.
It's taken me around six-seven months to really wrap my brain around the concept and make a conscious decision to eat and live more closely to the 10 laws above. Like others, I've gotten swayed by CW wisdom and feel skeptical about a diet higher in saturated (and overall) fat. I'm skeptical about dumping crazy cardio. But, when I truly embrace the concept and eat the fat I feel much better, I lose weight with less effort, my satiety from food increases, and my mood improves. I also generally feel amazing when limiting or avoiding processed foods, which is another huge tenet of primal living (and some CW recommendations). When I don't rely on running on treadmills (or on the road everyday) as "exercise" I'm so much better off. Relying on lifting, occasional bouts of high intensity exercise (HIIT), body weight exercises, and general unstructured "play" is much more natural.
I'm enjoying this lifestyle the more in tune I get with it. I'm eliminating more cheats and realizing they're just not worth it. I was trying to "half-ass" it for too long and just had to dive in and get real with it. It makes sense. Sure, it's weird at first, but I keep it low key. I feel much better and that's what matters.
Poor Neglected Blog!
I'm a bad blogger. I haven't updated or promoted this blog for a reeaaally long time. Sorry about that (if anyone was actually reading)!
Fortunately I will be making an honest attempt to keep this blog updated on fitness and nutrition topics, including my own successes (and errors) with fitness.
Stay tuned...
The Insanity Fit Test
AKA being fitted for a straitjacket!
Here are my results for the Insanity Fit Test:
Switch Kicks= 89
Power Jacks= 49
Power Knees= 93
Power Jumps= 32
Globe Jumps= 10
Suicide Jumps= 17
Push Up Jacks= 18
Low Plank Oblique= 34
Sweaty? Check.
Excited? Check.
I had a bit of time yesterday while dinner was in the oven (primal stuffed peppers, courtesy of the SoG blog, by the way) to check out Insanity. My Insanity package had just arrived yesterday, all nicely and compactly packaged. I’ll post a photo later – I took a few on the iPhone. For one, the packaging alone was impressive, so I was excited to check out the DVDs. I started with the Dig Deeper / Fit Test DVD as prescribed. I was antsy and didn’t watch the Dig Deeper portion and jumped right into the fit test. Holy mother. That in itself was one helluva workout. Notice my numbers above. The people on the DVD achieved about 40% better, so all-in-all I didn’t do too bad for a first shot. The fit test is repeated a few times over during the 60 days to check on your progress. I have a feeling I’m just going to go Insane, jump in and do a full 60 day round. It looks fun. From there on, I wouldn’t mind using this as 1-2x per week cardio. It’s good stuff and I highly recommend it. More reviews to follow!
Let’s Reinstate Recess
No, I'm not talking about traditional recess in schools. Let's all take a break from our busy days at work to screw off! Yes! You read it right! I think too many office workers are prone to chronic "Ass in Chair Syndrome" as nicely described by Grant over at newlycorporate.com. Now, I differ from you Grant in that I prescribe something other than socializing with drinks to cure AICS. I vote for taking short breaks during the day to get up and walk around. I also prescribe going outside on your lunch break and moving around. Moving around can include a lot, so let me detail what I did today...
I have a half hour lunch break. Normally I go for a walk in a suburban housing development that sits strategically beside the corporate park in which I work. Today I went on my usual walk, but noticed something I'd previously glossed over. There's a sports park and playground at the end of a dead end street in the development. My inner five year old rejoiced! Huzzah! It then dared me to go swing on the swings, and well, I took the dare.
Not only did I swing on the swings, I also did a lunge-walk down the paved path around the park and a short sprint. It was fun. It got my heartrate up and got me energized. I also got some much-needed sun. If you're in Southeastern PA, you'll have noticed today is a gorgeous sunny day. If you haven't noticed...step outside!
So, after my recess at lunch I've been feeling more productive this afternoon than usual. I think, readers, I'm gonna have to reinstate recess everyday. This makes me happy 
Cut the Bulls*it.
Ever taken a glance at a pre-1950s cookbook? You'll find that most meals are made "the hard way" i.e. from scratch. Very little processed garbage, lots of REAL food like fresh meats, vegetables, fruits, spices, dairy, and grains. Many times, cookbooks gave a variety of techniques for properly preserving fruits and vegetables through canning, pickling, dehydrating, and freezing. I grew up in a household that planted a garden and used canning, freezing, and pickling as a means to keep foods for the off-season. The foods were simple, preserved with simple methods, and were wholesome. Not quite as good as the vegetable straight out of the garden, but close enough. I also grew up with a family that hunted. I don't grow pale at the site of a deer skinning. Amazing that I was a vegetarian for a year, eh?
I didn't really appreciate the value of this sort of childhood until now. I eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, and meats and am open to trying new foods all the time. I try to stay away from "Franken-foods" better known as the garbage that occupies the majority of today's grocery store. For some time, I bought a lot of Franken-foods. I bought a lot of soy Franken-foods as a vegetarian. Bad idea (although I did open myself to a whole new array of veggies, so it wasn't a completely bad gig). I can't say I particularly felt any better nor did I feel very healthy. Quite honestly, I think most of these foods should simply be cut from our diet entirely. Unfortunately, they keep becoming more an more popular and more and more a staple of a so-called "healthy" diet. They even enter my diet at times, even though I try my darndest to avoid them. Simply put, they're BULLSHIT and I, you, and most others shouldn't rely on them as a daily diet. Consider this my grass roots movement to cut the bullshit. Consider this also my pledge to stop buying crap at the store. I'm just as guilty of this sometime, so don't consider me perfect by any means. Better nutrition is certainly a journey, and I'm prone to fucking up from time to time, but I continue and improve! :)
Here's some simple steps to stop buying and consuming bullshit...try em out!
1. If it's produced by an agra-conglomerate, read the label before buying. Notable exceptions to this are frozen veggies (buy them PLAIN...wtf is this pre-made sauce crap?), coffee, tea, some organic products, and some preserves.
2. If it's in the center of the store, be wary. If it's boxed, makes silly health claims, or has a list of ingredients 20 items long...ermm...make sure to examine it well.
Shop at your local market!
3. If it's canned or frozen, make sure it's not full of additives and sugars. A lot of brands are pretty good about skipping the crap and leaving the good ole veggies for you. Again, just read the label.
4. Funky meats. I don't like my meats pumped full of antibiotics. Buy those that pledge not to when possible.
5. Eggs. I need to get back to just buying straight up eggs in the shell. Cage-free varieties work well. Check your local market - local farmers often sell them there.
6. Butter. I'm going to go back to using the real deal in moderation. No margarine crap.
7. Buy lots of fruits and veggies. Try to buy at your local market in season or US-sourced, when possible. I understand bananas are the anomaly. It's sort of a necessary evil for me, to be honest.
8. Ditch refined sugars and starches. I've been doing this for some time. It's a great way to boost your health and energy. If I give in and eat candy and other sugary delights...I feel crappy afterward. Better deal for me is just to avoid them.
9. Flavor with lots of spices! I love spices. Check your local bulk foods store for good prices on these.
10. Drink in moderation. Stick with wine and microbrewed beer. Luckily the US is a hotbed of microbrewed wine and beer choices. Red wine, 4-6 oz, is a fantastic choice loaded with antioxidants.
11. Enjoy your dark chocolate. 70% dark or darker is my rule of choice. It's a bit bitter like coffee but really hits the spot for me. It's also a good source of antioxidants. It may have a bit of added sugar. Just make sure there's no added dairy.
12. Trail mix. It's a very portable snack choice, easy to make at home, and naturally good for you. Our ancestors, hunters and gatherers, would approve.
Okay, I'm going to get off my soapbox for today. These are MY goals. You can plagiarize and make them yours, too. I give you my approval!
Coke Tax
And no, I don't mean cocaine. Although I'm sure if we legalized the stuff and taxed it we'd fix our health care woes faster than lickety-split.
Anywho...
This business of taxing "junk foods" is pretty silly. I've been hearing a lot about it lately. Considering I'm a healthy eater and a typical stupid hippie, you'd think I'd be all about it right? Wrong. It's no solution or "quick fix" for America's expanding waistline. It's no solution for our failing healthcare. It's another stupid band-aid proposed by another stupid politician. Taxes on crappy foods won't solve much. Certainly it may raise some money but it will do little to fix an underlying problem...and what's that?
No simple answer!
Why is Average American X or Y overweight? Well, could be a number of reasons. We're quick to lay blame on the stereotypical American diet - fast food, processed foods, soda, sugar, and junk in general. The stereotypical diet isn't necessarily the case for many. There are other underlying reasons for being overweight that many gloss over such as: unbalanced diets, consumption of unknown food additives, little knowledge of daily caloric needs, yo-yo dieting, lack of activity (this is big), poor portion control, drinking sugary beverages, mindless snacking, and sabotage/emotional eating. The average person may eat a variety of whole, healthy foods but may overindulge or lack physical activity. Physical activity doesn't mean standard exercising...just means getting up off your rear and doing SOMETHING...cleaning, walking, mowing the lawn, laundry, gardening, what have you. Maybe this person likes to snack or graze and forgets how much they eat. Maybe they are eating as a response to stress. Maybe they have no fricking clue as to how dense in calories a standard restaurant salad actually is...Maybe they consume a high sugar diet but have no idea they do so (hint: lots of foods contain hidden sugar, believe it or not). Maybe Average American X is considered "overweight" by the standard weight chart but has healthy body stats. Chew on that one for a bit.
Repair starts at awareness.
First, we should focus on health. What's a key to better health?
Step one. Clean up your meals. Fad diets are just that...fads. Strive to eat real food and enough of it. Don't be tempted to starve yourself with goofy fasting. Eat whole, healthy foods including lots of vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, legumes, and whole grains. That's pretty basic.
Step two. Know your portions. I'm a psycho who tracks, weighs, and measures all my food, but that's not obviously for everyone. Have a general idea of what a portion is. I do recommend measuring food for a while to get a better idea. You'll be able to eyeball portions much better. A good rule of thumb for 3-4 ounces of meat is that it's the size of a deck of cards.
Step three. Learn to read a label. Know what the heck those food additives are. Some are controversial...some are just common sense to AVOID when possible. What are some chief dirty offenders? High fructose corn syrup (think: shitty sugar derived from corn), Nitrites (preservatives used in most deli meat), synthetic preservatives, partially hydrogenated anything (0% trans fat...not so if this is on the list), corn oil, refined sugars, artificial colorants, synthetic flavors, the list goes on.
Step four. Fitness. I do recommend folks clean up their diet before starting any fitness regiment. Why? Because fitness requires energy and proper fuel for the body. Supply your body with good, clean fuel in the form of good, clean food, and you're ready to go.
Step five. EVALUATE progress and tweak as necessary. Sometimes caloric needs go up and down. Many get technical and evaluate macronutrient ratios. I'd say this is a good idea, but you really need to get technical and log your calories to do so. I do so, but that's my own choice. Continue to evaluate your progress by taking measurements of your cholesterol, blood pressure, waistline, weight, body fat %, and heart rate. Increase fitness intensity as you progress in any fitness program...this means lifting heavier, bringing more intensity, etc. At the same time, learn when to lay off to avoid overtraining.
Step six. Learn to relax. Reducing stress is a key to being in better health. Being more healthy can lead to improved stress levels and a better sense of wellbeing, so these can go hand in hand!
I think things such as these should be embraced more by the public, but instead most fall for quick fixes to waistlines, fad (read: ridiculous) diets that make no nutritional sense. I've fallen for that b/s in the past and can say fads aren't lifetime fixes and usually just result in weight gain, sometimes more severe than before starting a fad diet. In addition to fad diets, many fall victim to fad workouts which don't establish healthy eating or fitness behavior, but rather dangerous situations of overtraining while not consuming enough calories.
Oh yeah, and fuel yourself with WATER...not crappy soda. So then if a crazy tax is imposed, you certainly won't miss it 
Pull-up Glory
After 25 years, I'm finally able to do a full pull-up. Not just one, but two. Considering I was always the fattie in elementary gym class that failed miserably at the flexed-arm hang, this is a massive success for a former fat kid. I can also now hold a flexed-arm hang for upwards of 30 seconds. This blows my mind.
I'm going to give it more training, and I fully anticipate having the ability to swing across the monkey bars with ease in the next two months.
Monkey bars...it's on like Donkey Kong!
Exercising After a LEEP Procedure
After having a LEEP procedure performed one month ago, I know how aggravating it can be to get a simple answer on resuming normal activity after the procedure. The normal recommendation from doctors is to wait 5-7 days to exercise. But what defines exercise, exactly? High impact? Low impact? Walking? Some say to wait over two weeks to perform any lifting. Some suggest more. Some say no exercise whatsoever for 2 weeks.
Personally, I would base it on how you feel. If you were active before having the procedure done, I wouldn't take too many days off. Instead, try some low impact activity such as walking, yoga, or stretching in the 3-5 days post procedure. Gradually re-introduce your fitness regiment. I waited 8 days to do any heavy lifting or strenuous activity. By heavy, I'm referring to 15 pound weights and higher. By strenuous, I'm referring to running, pushups, and pull ups. Again, all of this depends on how you feel. If you had a more involved procedure performed, I would give things a bit more time.
Key warning signs that you're overdoing it are heavy bleeding, fever, or nausea. If you are soaking a pad within an hour, see a doctor immediately. If you are just having charcoal-colored discharge (gross, right?) that's normal and no cause for concern. If this discharge lasts beyond one month, I'd see a doctor. Typically it will go away in a couple weeks after the procedure. The key point is that you want that area to heal with a new growth of cells. It is a surgical "wound" of sorts, so make sure to keep proper hygiene for faster healing. And as always, eat healthy, drink lots of water, and take care of yourself.
Take the President’s Challenge!
Remember the President's Physical Fitness tests from days of elementary school? Well, they're back! You can sign up to participate in the Presidential Challege which is running from May 1 - July 24. Create an account, log daily fitness, and become eligible to win awards. Different levels are available as options depending on whether you're looking to become more active or maintain a current level of fitness. All the fun, no pesky gym teacher!
Give Back – Donate Blood
The thought of blood donation used to make me really nervous. It's not the sight of blood that freaks me out. I think it's the size of the needle and the thought of it going into the soft part of my arm that spazzed me out. I finally overcame my fear of blood giving in late 2008. I knew I was helping the community and it acted as a good memorial to my grandfather who had recently passed away. I think he was possibly the champion black belt of blood donation in his hometown. I'm not sure what his lifetime blood donation total was, but I'm sure it was very high and probably saved a lot of lives! We were having a company-wide blood drive complete with the blood mobile in the parking lot. I figured this would be the best way to do it without the danger or driving soon after the donation process. Basically, I decided to stop being a major wuss. So I donated. All was well...until I started to get up out of the chair. I flopped down and passed out. This was the first time I've ever passed out in my life! A very weird sensation indeed! It was a tingly sensation, followed by cold, followed by a hot flash, followed by a Keanu Reeves style "Whoaaaaaa." I felt like a goof as the bloodmobile was packed with my coworkers all staring at me sprawled out on the chair covered in hospital blankets sucking down Coke Classic. Ahh, this is not a fond memory.
Just do eet!
So when the blood center sent me happy reminder postcards that I was available to donate again I was a little uneasy. I didn't want to do it. Just a few weeks ago I got a happy email from our community outreach committee that we were again having a company blood drive. Because I'm on our Emergency medical team, I helped with the sign-ups. Slightly guilty of signing others up to donate the red juice, I signed up, too.
I was nervous going in. Shaking in my space boots. I read somewhere that a key to not passing out is staying hydrated. So I was guzzling down some bottled water. Then the attendant gave me hell for that because she needed my temp. Heh. They took my iron count, and by the way, I swear this little surprise finger prick is WORSE than them putting the fat needle in your arm. My iron saturation was good. I checked it online and it was in the high level. I ate some molasses that morning to contribute to my total and I think it worked! My blood pressure was superb (110/70) and my pulse was 72 (a little nervous).
I plopped down in the chair and got prepped by the slightly harsh scrubby widget. I have no idea what it's actually called, but that will suffice. I got the band around my arm for added pressure and got a grip on the squeezer (again, not technical). The needle poke was surprisingly easier this go round and the attendant gave me a compliment on how awesomely visible my veins were. Thank you weightlifting. A couple minutes later I was done and sitting on the recovery couch eating a 100 calorie pack of Chips Ahoy and polishing off my water bottle. Not the best snack choice ever, but it was one of the better choices available.
Note the attractive black Band-aid crud.
To show my street cred for donating, here's a photo of my funky bandaid. I applied this one this morning. Thanks to the Miller Keystone bloodmobile and its cool staff, I've dontated blood once again - this time without passing out! Great success!
If you are interested in donating, do it! It's not that bad and you get to save some lives! All in about 5 minutes work.
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