Purpose, Motivation and Goals

It’s a new year, and you’ve decided that this is the year you are going to make some changes. This year you are going to take action and take back control of something in your life; whether it be losing some weight, getting back in shape, eating better, finally quitting smoking, the list goes on and on. This year you are going to do it! While I always encourage others to find something in their life that they would like to commit to bettering, I have also found that many people decide to make changes and then aren’t able to follow through with them. Why is this? Many would say it’s because you lack the willpower and self control to make it happen, and while this may be part of the reason, I don’t believe it is the cause – I believe it’s an effect. Just like with chiropractic, you must get to the root cause of the problem if you want to effect real change and actually make things happen. Just like a headache can be the result of a cervical subluxation rather than a tylenol deficiency (think about that one), lack of will power can be the lack of a strong enough motivating factor rather than your willpower.

You see, I don’t think that you are weak and unable to fulfill your goals due to a lack of self control and willpower. We all have the ability to control our actions.  However, your willpower and self control come about as a result of your reasons for committing to change. I think that what is lacking is the purpose behind your plan. The why behind the what. The purpose for your goal. Why have you decided now is the time you are going to start eating healthy? Why do you want to do this? I think it is crucial to take the time to sit down and physically write out the answer to these questions. It will not only help to clarify your goal, but also provide inspiration and motivation to follow through with it.

Let’s clarify and elaborate on this a bit more. Let’s pretend I have decided to commit to a thirty day paleo challenge. This means for an entire month I consume no grains, sugar, legumes or dairy. A lot of CrossFit gyms run an event like this around the new year, and a lot of their clients participate in it for the whole month, lose weight, feel great and make performance gains to boot. Once the thirty days are over the vast majority tend to revert back to their old ways of eating and slowly gain the weight back and regain many of the symptoms they were suffering from before. So, why would they revert back even after seeing such amazing results in just thirty days? Did they lack the willpower to stick with it? That might be part of it, but I think it is not the cause but rather an effect. No, I think, that just as with chiropractic, they didn’t understand why they were doing the challenge to begin with. More importantly, they didn’t have a big enough purpose for doing the challenge – their motivating factor was weak. When you have a weak purpose, nothing else will matter. Your purpose is the foundation of your house, and it must be strong if you want the rest of your home to withstand the tests of time.

To elaborate more on purpose using the paleo challenge example: most of the people participating in this challenge are just doing it because they have heard it is the best way to eat and that lots of other people at their box who have done it lost a lot of weight and felt amazing. While these are pretty good motivators, they are not strong enough to really affect true, lasting change. To do that you need to ask yourself why do I want to lose the weight? What will happen in other areas of my life if I lose weight? Honestly asking and answering these questions will get you to where you need to go. Do you want to lose the weight so you can look good in a bikini? Pretty weak. Do you want to lose the weight so you will be able to play basketball and soccer with your 6 year old? That is a much stronger motivating factor. Do you want to lose the weight so you can prolong your life and be able to play with your 6 year old, watch them grow up, see them get married and then be able to play with your grandchildren? Boom. That is a purpose. This purpose will get you a lot further than just looking good in a bikini will. A key component to a solid purpose is that usually the strongest ones are built on things outside of yourself, bigger than you. This is why I believe most people set goals and fail with them – because they don’t have a big enough purpose, it’s self centered.

That’s my rant for the day – hopefully it made sense and you can put some of these words to thought and then put them into action!

Goals

We have all heard that we should be aiming for something as we make our journey through life. We are told that we should have goals, write them down, be realistic with them and then take the appropriate actions to reach them. I couldn’t agree more with this advice. Without goals, what are you working toward? What are you trying to accomplish? What is your direction in life? Without something to aim for you are just wandering around aimlessly and falling prey to whatever hand life deals you. Writing down your goals helps you to organize your life and develop an action plan that will put you in control of your destiny.

Start out by sitting down and really thinking about what you want out of life. Think about all aspects including relationships, work, fitness, nutrition and other personal areas you want to focus on. Be specific with your goals – don’t just throw out some lame goal like “I want to have enough money to live comfortably.” Put an actual number in there such as “I want to earn $______ annually.” Once you have that clear you then narrow it down and figure out how you are going to get to that point. I suggest you break it down to 90 day intervals. This gives you a time frame that will enable you to come up with specific action steps you need to take in order to reach the short term goal, which will in turn allow you to reach your long term goal.

Personally I like the idea of a vision board; in fact, I have 2 vision boards. One is a cork board where I will pin up pictures of things I would like to have as well as goals I have written down. On this board I have more general goals such as “network”, “volunteer”, “eat paleo”, etc. The second is a white board which I use specifically for my short term goals as they relate to my chiropractic career. these are my 90 day goals, and they are specific such as how many members I would like to attract and how much profit I would like to make.

I have both of these boards hanging on the wall in my dining area so I see them frequently and am reminded multiple times daily to keep on track and remained focused. These boards help me to organize my life and give me direction in both my personal life and professional life. I started doing this about a year ago and I am amazed at how effective it is. I can’t tell you how many times I have gone back to my board and realized I have made something come true in my vision and had to remove it and put up a new one. That is such a great feeling, believe me!

So ask yourself “where am I going and how am I going to get there?” Come up with some large goals and then break them down into smaller, short term, achievable goals. Look at them every day and be prepared for the direction your life is headed. It’s a fairly simple process that makes a huge impact and will provide you with a sense of control over your destiny. I think of it in a BE-DO-HAVE mentality. To get what you want from life you need to BE a person with a plan and DO the things necessary to HAVE the life you want and you deserve.

That’s my little tip of the day, so get on track and write down some goals. Begin living the life you want and know you deserve!

Beliefs on Health

A paradigm shift can be defined as a moment where you come to the realization that something you once thought to be true is not, and as a result has led you to change your beliefs. This is a huge break through and can be a life changing moment. I have personally undergone many paradigm shifts throughout my life, but the most profound have been in regards to health. This has led me to become a chiropractor, and it is one of my missions in life to change my community’s paradigm as it pertains to health.

For far too long we have been led to believe that health is something not fully in our control, and that sickness and disease come from outside of us. I call the current view on health care in this country the sickness and disease paradigm. I have a health and wellness paradigm which I try to explain to others in hopes of creating a life changing paradigm shift within them.

It all stems from our beliefs which we learn from our environments and the people in them: parents, teachers, preachers, the media, big pharma, etc. These beliefs, whether they are true or not, dictate our behavior. We behave, we act, in a manner that is in line with our beliefs. As a result these behaviors dictate our results and these results, in turn, confirm our beliefs. It can be thought of as a triangle loop (I can’t get lines in my picture for this post sadly… but you get the idea!)

Behavior

 

Belief                           Result

I believe that the brain and nervous system control every process in our body by sending messages through the spinal cord and nerves out to every cell in our body. I believe that interference in the nerve system via a misaligned vertebra (subluxation) results in decreased function, or decreased health. I believe chiropractors are the only trained professionals to find and correct subluxation. I believe that to attain optimal health and function it is crucial to be adjusted by your chiropractor on a regular basis.

I believe that health comes from within us, and that sickness and disease is merely the lack of, or absence of, health. Just as darkness is the absence of light. Just as cold is the absence of heat. Since I believe health comes from within I behave accordingly by getting adjusted regularly, avoiding stress, eating nourishing foods, exercising and getting quality sleep. As a result I am extremely healthy – I have energy, I am happy, I am fit and I love life! These results further confirm my belief that health comes from within.

If I had the opposite belief, that my health is not in my direct control, and that sickness and disease come from some outside force then I would behave by not taking care of my body. I would eat fast food and processed foods, I wouldn’t work out, I wouldn’t get adjusted regularly and I would stay up late. As a result I would be stressed, tired, groggy, out of shape, lack energy and possibly have headaches, digestive problems, depression, anxiety, heart disease, diabetes… the list goes on and on.

So, my question to you is: what do you believe? Do you believe that you are ultimately in control of your health? Do you believe that your brain and nervous system are the most important organs in your body? Do you believe that interference to this nerve system can lead to a decrease in life and health? Do you believe that getting adjusted regularly ensures every cell in your body is communicating properly with your nerve system resulting in vibrant health? I know I do, and it shows – I encourage you to take a moment to think about your beliefs and challenge them. Your life depends on it.

CrossFit

Exercise is a crucial component of any healthy lifestyle. Humans were made to move and be active, but we have sadly become a largely inactive species and I would argue it is to the detriment of our health and full genetic expression. Just like a bicycle left sitting for too long your body can, in a sense, become rusty and worn out simply by being inactive. Honestly any movement is better than no movement, but in order to really reap the benefits of exercise and enable optimal genetic expression, you should move in a certain way. Our bodies evolved to perform certain activities, and it’s these activities that will allow you to thrive and function to your fullest potential.
Back when our species were hunter gatherers we had to use our bodies to perform certain tasks just so we could survive. We walked a LOT – foraging for vegetables, fruits and whatever else we could find. We also had to track wild game which, at times, consisted of hoofing it for long periods of time. On top of that we were also required to sprint for brief durations. Whether it be to chase down prey or to escape the hungry jaws of a predator, we had to run fast because our lives depended on it!
On top of long walks and brief sprinting we also had to lift some pretty heavy things. What do you do with an antelope or mammoth after kill it? Haul it back to camp, wherever that may be, and eat the fruits of your labor!
Yes, paleo man was moving. But he was moving in a particular way. Lots of walking, brief sprints and lifting heavy things. This is how we evolved to move, these movements are functional, and this is how we should continue to move if we want to get the most from our workouts.
This is where CrossFit comes in. CrossFit focuses on functional movement, whereas most other forms of fitness focus on burning calories and building posing muscles. Yeah biceps look good in the mirror, but they’re not necessarily functional. I want to know that I will be able to use my gains in the gym for real life situations. So, instead of people performing bicep curls, tricep extensions and calf raises, CrossFit focuses on performing moves which require you to recruit many different muscle groups. Olympic lifts (deadlift, squat, clean, jerk, etc.), basic gymnastics moves (rings, handstands, etc.) and intense cardio sessions (run, swim, row, etc.) form the base of CrossFit. These moves are functional, and mastering these moves will help you perform better in everyday, and not so everyday, situations. These moves are taxing on the nervous system and promote the release of important hormones that will cascade throughout your body and encourage normal, healthy growth and function.

One of things you will notice first about CrossFit gyms, or boxes, as they refer to them, is that they are not like any other gym you have ever been to before. You won’t find rows of ellipticals and treadmills in front of televisions, or mirrors lining every square inch of wall space. What you will find is barbells and plates, medicine balls, kettlebells, rowing machines and lots of ripped, sweaty, happy, healthy people. You may also think you are surrounded by people speaking a different language. There are many acronyms used at CrossFit that are used to describe workouts and moves, but not to worry, you will catch on quickly! Workouts consist of groups typically performing rounds of different moves in an allotted time frame and/or for a certain number of reps. This group setting pushes you to bring it, and if you do it will hurt. In a good way (check out their mascot, it should clue you in to the possible intensity…)! Coaches are there too in order to make sure you are performing the moves safely and effectively.

One downfall I often hear about CrossFit is that it’s expensive. While a membership does cost more than your Snap membership (typically $100-200/month) the family/community feeling and personal coaching makes up for it. If you still feel this is too much money you can do what I have done for the past year and purchase the proper equipment, check the CrossFit website (or iCross WoD app) for the WOD (workout of the day) and do it on your own. Like I said, this is what I have been doing for the past year or so, but I am about to join an affiliate in the next couple months! Finally! You just don’t push yourself on your own like you would with a group, and I know my form could, should, and will be better with coaching. Motivation is also higher with a group.

All in all, CrossFit is the best thing you can do from a fitness perspective in my opinion. It is scalable, which means anyone can do it, seriously. Push as hard as you can and make modifications if you must. If you want to get the most from your workout and meet some really great people along the way then CrossFit is for you. I highly recommend you visit their main site here. Dig around a bit and then get a hold of your local box to set up a time to come check them out; most will have open houses where new, prospective clients can come try a workout and meet with the coaches. It’s a great way to find out if it’s something you would like to pursue, and if not well, at least you got a great workout!

Book Reviews

It has been quite some time since my last post, so I figured it was high time I get back in the saddle and create some content! It’s been a busy last few months, but no excuses! I have been reading a lot lately, so I figured I would comment on some of these reads and hopefully inspire you to pick up a copy of one or more and expand your knowledge base! I will comment on the health books I have read, and leave out the ones I don’t think pertain to the content of this blog much. Some of these books were recent reads while others were read a while back, but are definitely worth mentioning. So buckle up and let’s get started!

Let’s start with The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf. A truly fantastic book on the paleo diet and lifestyle; I was very happy with this read. So happy in fact that I got in touch with his team in order to obtain copies in bulk for my future Evolved Health practice members! Aside from this book, Robb also runs a great blog and podcast I encourage you to check out. I have read many paleo/primal books and had been meaning to read this one for quite some time now since Robb is such a big name in the paleo world, and he didn’t disappoint. I found this to be an easy read – I finished it in two days. This book is easily devoured because it is full of information, but presented in an easy to read and entertaining format. I appreciated Robb’s humor throughout the book and his straightforward approach. I found he included just enough information, but not too much as to overload the common reader. This is harder to do than it seems – when you have a deep knowledge about a particular topic it can be hard to sum things up in a neat little package at times without using terminology that goes in one ear and out the other. I know from experience. Robb did a great job at explaining grains and fats and why we need to ditch the former and dial in the latter. He also had some great advice and evidence on sleep which I really liked. I implemented some of his suggestions and it has honestly made a world of difference in my sleep. We forget sometimes just how important proper rest can be for our overall health. Last, but not least, he had some great examples with pictures on exercises you should be performing. A great addition for the paleo newbie.

Second on the list is The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. Mark has also just come out with a new book The 21 Day Transformation which hit stores this week. I have yet to read this new edition, but if his previous book is any indicator then I have no doubt this one will be fantastic. I highly recommend you check out his blog – I read it daily and find it full of well researched and cited information. Anyway, back to The Primal Blueprint. Awesome book, period. Of all the paleo/primal books I have read, Mark’s and Robb’s are at the top. This book is full of great information and plenty of research and evidence to back it up. He goes into great, but not over the top, detail about grains, fats and movement. I really like his overall approach to the primal lifestyle. Living this way should just come naturally, and we shouldn’t have to worry and stress over what we are eating and how we are moving. There are some general guidelines to follow, and if you can do that the rest should fall into place. This is another book I intend on stocking for practice members and I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book, and you might as well grab the new one too while you’re at it and start making some positive life changes today!

The third book is another paleo book by none other than Arthur DeVany. This guy has been around the paleo block for many a year, and his book was an easy read that I think would be great for the average Joe. The New Evolution Diet is well put together with lots of personal stories and examples used to relate with the reader and provide evidence for his arguments. Art, like Robb and Mark, also has a blog – I wish I could tell you if it was good or not, but you have to be a subscriber to gain access and in order to subscribe you have to pay a membership which I am not willing to do. Regardless, it’s worth a gander if you wanna take a peak at his site and make your own decision as to whether you would like to join. As for the book I highly recommend this for the paleo novice, it was very easy to read – I think I devoured it in two days – and is full of personal stories of Art and his families health struggles and eventual health solutions through self experimentation. He provides good evidence as well and also promotes the grain free/minimal grain approach (starting to sound familiar?). That’s what paleo is all about!

The fourth book I will talk about is Health and Nutrition Secrets by Dr. Russell Blaylock, MD. You can find out more about his at his website, and order his book from amazon if you are so inclined. This book was a bit heavy, even for me. I’m not sure if the average Joe would find this book entertaining. Don’t get me wrong, I thought it was a great book. Full of information, I mean packed to the brim with studies and evidence to back up his theory. The book revolved around the concept that free radical production in the body speeds up aging and disease processes. It was broken down into different categories such as heavy metal toxins and different diseases. He went into great detail about the dangers of different chemicals, nutrient and mineral deficiencies as well as the problems they can cause and how you can protect yourself. There are tons of studies cited in this book which I really appreciate, but I don’t think this book is for everyone. I also found it to be quite repetitive and as a result I tended to “zone out” from time to time while reading. I would only recommend it for those with a medical background, or for those who are already heavily versed in nutritional works.

Lastly, I want to cover Gary Taubes’ books Good Calories, Bad Calories and Why We Get Fat. These books are quite similar and I think it would be fair to call Why We Get Fat a summary of Good Calories, Bad Calories. That being said, I actually enjoyed Good/Bad more than the follow up book. Yes, it’s much bigger and goes into much more depth, but it was a great book with excellent evidence. I really appreciate all the studies cited and information included to back up his view. The books are all about the mechanisms of metabolism in relation to carbohydrate consumption being the cause for health problems that we have wrongly attributed to fat consumption over the decades. He makes a very compelling point and I agree with him – it falls in line with the paleo logic as well. While I loved Good/Bad I must say it’s a large book and quite an undertaking. It requires your attention and thought as you go through and it took me some time to finish it. I read Why We Get Fat a month or two later and found it to be good, but annoying at the same time. He tends to be very repetitive and I found myself thinking “get to the freaking point!” I had my mom and sister read it and they said they felt the same way. With all that being said I do recommend reading one or the other depending on how in depth you would like to get on the subject matter.

Alright! Enough for now! I encourage you to pick up one or more of these books and expand your knowledge base. If you are just getting into health and nutrition I recommend starting with The Primal Blueprint, 21 Day Transformation or The Paleo Solution and after covering one of those move on to the others. All of these books challenge conventional wisdom when it comes to health and nutrition. I like this as I feel we have been mislead for many, many years and it has caused our great country to become the sickest population on the face of this earth. We deserve better. You deserve better. The only way we are going to be able to turn this around and change things is if we begin to start asking questions, and start asking the right questions. In order to ask the right questions we need to educate ourselves a bit more. This is one way to do that.

Please let me know if there are any books you recommend I read, or any books that you have read and enjoyed. Thanks!

Chiropractic

Today I want to revisit and discuss something that is near and dear to my heart and my life. Something that is greatly misunderstood yet a concept so easy to comprehend that I believe everyone can be and should be informed about. I am talking about chiropractic and its role in true and total health. Chiropractic has remained relatively unaltered since its birth over 100 years ago when DD Palmer delivered the first chiropractic adjustment in Iowa. In that same 100 years the medical model has changed drastically. Just 100 years ago it was still common to use leaching as a treatment; for those of you who don’t know what leaching is it is the practice of placing leaches on the body in hopes they would suck the bad blood out. So how is it that in the same 115+ years medicine has changed so much while chiropractic has remained unaltered? The answer to that question lies in the different philosophies of the two practices. Medicine is about disease and dying whereas chiropractic is about health and living. Where medicine focuses on disease from an outside in approach, chiropractic sees health from an inside out viewpoint. It is not my intent to bash the medical profession here, I just wanted to outline the differences in philosophy between the two professions so you all understand where I am coming from.

The body is designed with an inborn ability to maintain itself in a state of proper function. In other words it has the ability to function fully and heal perfectly when given the opportunity to do so. Think about it – your body is able to take food, break it down and reassemble it into living tissue, heal cuts and bruises, adapt to environmental changes and produce the chemicals needed to perform every bodily function. That is absolutely amazing, and it all goes on within us mostly unnoticed.

Did you know that the brain and spinal cord are the very first structures to form in a fetus? Once the brain and spinal cord are formed, organs form starting with those closest to the brain. Thereby, the brain and the nervous system are the primary tools by which we attain proper function, or what we commonly call health. Every cell in the body depends upon messages carried to and from the brain in order to function in a coordinated manner so that each part can benefit the whole of the body thereby producing a full and abundant life.

Knowing the brain and nervous system are the most critical component to full health we can deduce that any interference in the nerve system reduces the body’s ability to function to its fullest. Even slight pressure or damage to the delicate and vital nerve system can reduce the body’s ability to function in a coordinated manner. A study done in the American Journal of Physiology showed that it only takes the weight of a dime to decrease nerve transmission; that’s about the same amount of pressure you get if you close your eye and press with your finger until you can feel it on your eyeball.

Due to the fact that your brain and nervous system are so crucial to health and life your body has designed a way to protect these delicate structures. Your brain is protected by your skull and your spinal cord is protected by your spine. A spinal misalignment that interferes with the nerve system, which we chiropractors call a subluxation, creates a reduction in full function. Slight subluxations, or misalignments, caused by every day, normal activities can interfere with the ability of the nerve system to carry messages that are necessary for the successful accomplishment of those everyday activities, including maximal health.

Chiropractors are the only professionals who are trained to located and correct vertebral subluxations. The single objective of a chiropractor is to remove subluxation so that every person is able to express life at a higher level.

It’s as simple as that! Your body is designed to function fully and heal perfectly, the brain and nerve system are the primary means by which we attain proper function and health, that any interference in the nerve system reduces the body’s ability to function fully and heal perfectly, that a spinal subluxation that interferes with the nerve system creates a reduction in health, and lastly, that chiropractors are the only people trained to find and correct vertebral subluxations. Long story short, if you are not currently seeing a chiropractor regularly, then you are not doing all you could and should for your life and your health. I hope I have conveyed my message clearly and I hope I have inspired you to take action and take control of your life and health by getting regular chiropractic adjustments.

The Paleo Way

Living Paleo has been gaining popularity recently, and it is how I strive to live my life so I figured it would be fitting to do a simple post on the subject. Whether you have heard of it or not I hope you will find the following information helpful and inspiring. You see humans genes have evolved very little since our Paleolithic ancestors roamed the earth, but our lifestyles and environment have changed drastically. The effect of this has been an increase in a vast array of health issues which stem mainly from our diet and movement habits. What I am going to argue is that we can greatly improve our health, well-being and productivity by returning to the simple eating and exercising habits of our ancestors.

The Paleo diet and Paleo lifestyle has been gaining in popularity lately so I decided to do a simple post on the subject in hopes of enlightening and inspiring others out there to give it a try. So what is Paleo? Put simply it is a way of eating and working out which enables your body to express its full genetic potential. The Paleo lifestyle does this by maximally affecting your nervous system in order to promote optimal genetic expression. You see, you have your genes, but what affects the expression of those genes is an epigenome. Epi comes from the Greek meaning upon, beside or above. Epigenomes either turn a gene on or off based on the information it receives from the chemical signals in its environment which happens to be your body. In order to allow that gene to express itself fully and properly the epigenome needs to receive the proper message from your nervous system. The nervous system in turn needs to receive proper nutrients and movement information in order to have the fuel to generate the hormones that bind to the epigenome. So what does the nervous system need in order to accomplish this?

Let’s start with diet. Our Paleolithic ancestors evolved while subsisting on a diet consisting of mainly vegetables along with meat, some fruit and nuts and seeds. The types of produce foraged, and meat hunted was determined by the environment in which they lived. But for the most part, vegetables consisted mainly of dark, leafy greens and some root vegetables. Meat could be anything from birds to fish to deer to a mammoth. Paleo man worked hard for his food and made sure nothing went to waste. When an animal was killed everything was eaten, including the muscular meat and organs. Analysis of a typical Paleolithic person’s diet shows they got roughly 30% of their calories from protein, 30% from carbohydrates and 40% from fat. Compare that with the standard American diet of 25% of calories from protein, 50% of calories from carbohydrates and 25% from fat. These are drastic changes – our protein and fat intake has decreased, and in fats case we have cut it roughly in half, and our carbohydrate intake has increased by about 50%. The further we have deviated from the diet of our ancestors, the greater our health problems have become. I would argue that we need to decrease the amount of calories we eat from carbs, especially the simple, processed carbs most Americans subsist on, and increase the amount of fat. Fat has gotten a really bad rap here with truly no good research to back it up. Our bodies need fat to function properly and produce hormones efficiently and sufficiently. I would recommend you strive to add more fat in the form of omega-3 fats, monounsaturated fats as well as some saturated fats – avoid trans fat and polyunsaturated fats as our bodies process (or can’t process) these fats differently.

Exercise for our ancestors including lots of walking along with brief bouts of sprinting and lifting heavy things. Paleo man didn’t have the luxury of a supermarket to aquire his dietary needs and therefore had to forage or gather the food his body needed. Paleo man also was a hunter and was able to use his superior higher level thinking to plan a hunt and kill prey to eat for meat. These hunter/gatherer activities required lots of foraging and tracking which consisted of walking, a lot. When prey was found paleo man was also required at times to participate in sprints in order to catch and kill this prey followed by carrying the carcass, which could be very heavy depending on the animal, and bringing it back to the tribe for preparation. Based on this we can derive the optimal exercise program: move often at a slow to moderate pace – walking is great and hiking is even better, sprint occasionally and lift heavy things. Doing these three things will enhance your optimal genetic expression and ultimately lead to greater health.

Aside from diet and exercise our Paleolithic ancestors also lived in a much different environment. They didn’t have the exposure to toxins that we experience today. In our modern world we are surrounded by toxins whether they be in the air from vehicle exhaust or in our food in the form of pesticides. On top of that, modern day humans experience much more stress than our ancestors. Paleo man would experience stress for brief moments say when he happened to come across a bear in the woods and was forced to flee for his life. This brief moment of stress triggered a cascade of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol in order to perk up his nervous system and give him the energy to get away and save his life. Today we experience this stress response for prolonged periods as we fret about deadlines and get frustrated stuck in traffic. Our bodies are releasing adrenaline and cortisol on a regular basis and the result is adrenal fatigue and accumulation of fat that is hard to get rid of. We must take time to learn how to deal and cope with stress, relaxation and your mental attitude have drastic effects on your health.

As you can see we have deviated drastically from our ancestors with our lifestyle, and as a result we have become the sickest animals on the face of this planet. We need to think logically and go back to living the way our bodies evolved to thrive and adapt. I hope you were able to pick up some useful information from this post – It’s really common sense though – take any situation and think to yourself: would my Paleolithic ancestors eat this or do this? I know you can all see the logic behind the information and hope it has inspired you to take the next step in taking control of your life to change it for the better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCFZoqmKf5M

Here are some links to websites pertaining to the paleo lifestyle I use on a regular basis and find extremely informative:

marksdailyapple.com

crossfit.com

paleotoad.com

Top 10 Foods

I have been seeing this type of post going up in the paleo blogs I follow regularly, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring as well. The question is: If you could only eat 10 foods for the rest of your life what would they be? This is a tough one because I love food and I love to eat, but when push comes to shove I suppose I can pull the trigger on my top 10.

1. Grass-Fed Ribeye

Who doesn’t like a good steak? I for one love a good steak hot off the grill. Since summer is upon us I have been grilling a lot more these days and steak can be found on my dinner plate on a regular basis. I particularly like this cut of meat not only for the taste and texture, but also for the nutrients it holds. Grass fed beef boasts higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids – in some cases levels nearing those in salmon! It also provides tons of protein and loads of B vitamins.

2. Organic Free Range Eggs

I also love eggs and eat them nearly every day – yolks included! You all know the saying “you are what you eat” well you are what you eat eats as well. If the eggs you are eating come from chickens who are caged in and fed a diet that is inconsistent with their natural evolutionary needs then you are eating an inferior food. I like eggs because they are packed with protein and oodles of vitamins and minerals. You have to eat the yolk to get the full benefit though, and you shouldn’t be afraid of the fat and cholesterol found there. Did you know your body actually produces roughly 80-85% of your cholesterol? If your body is making it then this reasons your body needs it to survive and function optimally.

3. Sweet Potato

Boiled, steamed, baked, sauteed, grilled – all ways I like to eat this golden nugget of deliciousness! Sweet potatoes have a lower glycemic index then their white potato brethren which means you digest them slower and it won’t spike your blood sugar as severely. They have good amounts of fiber and the orange color comes from the bounty of carotenoids, vitamins and minerals it contains as well.

4. Banana

Probably my favorite fruit, and probably a favorite for many of you out there. Bananas are great because they are easily portable, have a mild sweetness and are delicious on their own, with peanut butter, in yogurt, blended in a smoothie and so many other countless modes. They have good fiber and are loaded with vitamins and minerals too.

5. Peanut Butter

I am crazy about peanut butter, and so is my dog! Packed with protein and healthy fats and is so good you can eat it straight out the jar on a spoon! Yes, I have done that before. However, I usually enjoy it on celery sticks with craisins (fire ants on a log) or I use a banana as a peanut butter transportation device.

6. Yogurt

I also eat yogurt on an almost daily basis. Greek yogurt is best as it holds more protein, healthy fats and tons of probiotics (healthy gut flora). I like it for its rich, creamy texture and tangy taste. Mix in some berries for a little sweetness and I’m in heaven.

7. Spinach

Spinach is so versatile that I just had to include it. I like to sautee it in the morning with my eggs and then drizzle the yolk over them. YUM! You can also steam it, add it to soups or eat it raw.

8. Bacon

I really don’t have to say anything more about this other than bacon is delicious. Prove me wrong.

9. Corn on the Cob

Cob corn is so good either boiled, or better yet, grilled. I prefer the peaches and cream variety found in the middle of summer. Biting into it the kernel pops and out bursts the sweet juices it contains! We used to sell corn in the summertime and there was nothing better than getting all those fresh fruits and veggies picked in the morning and eating them that same night.

10. Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea

I have only found it at Caribou Coffee and it is the only tea I have in my cupboard at the moment. I have yet to find a tea that is as amazing as this stuff. Hints of cinnamon, clove and citrus pop out with your first sip and stay strong throughout. It is bold and flavorful and I absolutely love it!

So there it is – my top 10 as of today. If you ask me in a few months I am sure a couple of the items will have changed, but overall my list is solid! So, I’m curious – what are your top 10? If you can’t think of 10 just give me something because I would love to hear your thoughts! Happy Eating!

 

The Problem with Health Today

The problem with people today is not their addiction to drugs, but their addiction to the idea that something from outside themselves is necessary to be healthy and happy. ~ Dr. Bruce Lipton

This could not be more true. Our society has somehow been mislead to believe that health does not come from within but rather from an external source. Your body evolved to be a perfectly healing and fully functioning organism – our medical model today fails to remember this fact. Far too often we use drugs to cover up the symptoms we have rather than addressing the true cause. When you have a headache that is your body’s way of communicating to you that there is an imbalance and you need to change something to correct it. Symptoms let us know that we have let our health decline to a dangerous level. We can relate it to your check oil light on your car. It doesn’t come on when you’re down a cup of oil, but rather it warns us when we are down 2,3,4 or more quarts. It is warning us that if we don’t add oil soon there will be permanent and irreversible damage to the engine!

If we treated that warning light like we do with symptoms in our body then our cars would be heaping piles of dysfunctional junk! Not surprisingly this is the state of health for many people in this country. A headache does not mean you have a tylenol deficiency! Just like the check oil light means you should cut the wire to that light! Come on! If we would just take the time to listen to our body and what it is trying to tell us we could solve our health problems and truly live life to the fullest!

Symptoms come in many forms and differ from person to person and from cause to cause. You may be suffering from headaches, fatigue, heartburn, back pain, skin rash, congestion, trouble sleeping, etc. Take that as a sign that something has gone awry in you and you need to fix it fast before your oil gets too low and you do permanent damage. Don’t fall into the brainwashed general public and cover it up with a pill. Be a logical, thinking human and tackle the issue from the inside out.

I encourage you all to take the time to listen to your body and the message it is conveying to you. Take the proper steps to address and fix the underlying problem rather than covering up the symptom and allowing the problem to manifest even further. Live life to the fullest!

Cholesterol Debate

I am currently reading a very good book titled “Good Calories, Bad Calories” by Gary Taubes. I highly recommend it for those of you out there who want to think outside of the box and take a look at the lack of evidence related to fat, carbs and how they relate to our health.
How many times have you heard that cholesterol is bad and will kill you if you don’t keep it in check? How many times have you been told that you need to eat a diet low in fat to be healthy? Or that in order to lose weight you simply have to eat less and move more? We have all heard these and accept them to be true because science has proven them to be so, right? Wrong. The truth is that there is no clear cut evidence showing high total cholesterol levels will lead to heart failure and that saturated fat is the bad guy in the equation.
If you really take a good, hard look at the studies and at the facts we see that it’s not really fat that’s the bad guy here, it’s carbs! Insulin imbalance leads to fat storage and the slew of health effects that come along with weight gain. The human diet used to consist of roughly 40-70% fat, 40-70% and only 10-20% carbs! These days those numbers have been drastically altered. The average American consumes roughly 50-70% carbs and the rest in fat and protein! Simply put, our bodies were not made to handle this level of carbohydrate intake and as a result our body is unable to use it for fuel and therefore stores it as fat.
Good Calories, Bad Calories is fantastic book and great at citing studies and resources to debunk these common myths. Gary Taubes is a science journalist and has certainly done his research and homework for this book. The facts are there and have been ignored for years. I know I have said it before, but it remains true: It’s time to open our eyes America and realize that we are being led like blind sheep into an early grave. Challenge the popular thought process and think for yourself!