What the Primal Blueprint means to me. Law#9 Avoid stupid mistakes

Also known as Law#9 Avoid trauma. Either way, there are a lot of implications here for the way we live. Our ancestors did not benefit from a healthcare system and an injury as (relatively) minor as a sprained ankle could mean death at the claws of a predator. It is likely that injury was the lead cause of death. Looking at modern day hunter-gatherers, we can see that they maintain good health as well as fitness and strength into their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond. Our caveman ancestors might ask us why we are so reckless as a society if we value our lives so much. I find myself leaning towards this thought too. Imagine what our society would look like if healthcare and easy access to food disappeared overnight. All those youtube videos of people "accidentally" injuring themselves, or acting foolishly and breaking something - Dead, all dead. Slowly, almost definitely, but dead nonetheless. Any trekker, or adventurist injured in the wild - dead. Any infected open wound - likely dead. A single trip or fall could lead to a slow end without the massive support we receive from the established healthcare system. All those drugs designed to keep those alive that have destroyed their systems through drink, drugs, obesity, negligence, or plain stupidity would most likely die.

We can all get injured, but avoidance/prevention is always better than recovery/cure

 Beyond these dark prediction, what does this leave for us as primal blueprint-ers? In short, use common sense. Do you need to rush across the road, or can you spare that 30 seconds to wait for the walk now sign? Do you need to drink that last vodka-red bull at the end of a night out when you can barely stand? Do you warm up, and cool down appropriately after exercise or do you neglect this crucial aspect? Do you push yourself to perform that extra rep at max weight despite fatigue and failing form, or do you break and finish when you cannot maintain near perfect form any longer. The list goes on, and if I looked at my full day I probably have done something slightly dangerous when I could have been safer. I could wear a crash helmet while on my bicycle for example. Which reminds me, I have seen 3 separate cyclists today jump a red light and continue on while I wait at the lights. I'll say it again, avoid stupid mistakes - especially when the slightest miscalculation can leave you injured, or worse. Wear a helmet, and stop at the lights - cars win against people. simple as. Oh, and wear your freaking seat belt, and get off the mobile phone while driving.

YOLO doesn't give you permission to be stupid - try to value life without stupid injury and risk

YOLO doesn't give you permission to be stupid -
try to value life without stupid injury and risk

Don't get me wrong, I don't believe in bubble-wrapping society until no danger exists. Primarily because we would only learn that the slightest scratch is the worst thing ever, and in result we would be training ourselves to be wusses all of the time. In effect, bubble-wrapping society becomes its own stupid mistake. This law applies to each of the other laws also. Don't over-exercise and under-recover; don't eat zero protein and lift heavy weights; don't ruin the benefits of eating and moving primally by acting stupidly in another way.

You don't need to risk assess everything - but at least be mindful that the risks exist

You don't need to risk assess everything - but at least be mindful that the risks exist

Type 1 diabetics, I think that this law particularly applies to us. Ensure you test your bloods regularly, check your feet, don't reuse needles or lancets, don't miss out on health appointments and ensure that you manage your condition well. In transition to primal eating, take it slowly because then you lessen the likelihood of hypos and falling off the wagon. Ultimately, avoid the stupid mistakes of eating poorly (see law#1 and law#2) and worsening your health outcomes. 

Have I missed anything? Or have I been too harsh? Please do comment so we can build the primal blueprint awareness for the benefit of everybody, including my type 1 brethren. What do you do to avoid stupid mistakes, or what don't you do?

Respectfully,
Sam

What the Primal Blueprint means to me. Law#8 Get adequate sunlight

Time to get some sun

Another often neglected aspect of good health is getting enough sunlight. Surely by now we can all agree that getting some sun is good for us. There is a reason why Seasonal Affective Disorder exists, in large part due to the great decrease in sunlight we are exposed to during the winter months. Sunlight allows for the production of vitamin D, which is essential to many aspects of our health, including psychological. I'm sure everybody has noted the recent surge of 'are you getting enough calcium?' advertisements and health notices, especially aimed at children and promoting yogurts. As with a lot of things we have discussed so far (such as eating less fat does not equal less body fat), the relationship between consuming enough calcium and bone health, etc is not linear. Vitamin D plays a key role in the absorption and synthesis of calcium into the bones and rest of the body, and as such getting little to no sunlight will effectively negate all those calcium+ yoghurts and other additions made for this purpose. For this and many other reasons aside, getting adequate sunlight is essential.

But, too much sunlight will burn or cause skin cancer some people will say. I believe that this is why mark has dubbed the law adequate sunlight, i.e. enough, but not too much. Laying on a suntan bed for 2 hours daily will obviously damage your skin and cause damage, and anybody doing this should be well aware that they will be suffering in the future. On the other end of the spectrum, working 9 hour office days, followed by time at home in front of the TV and not getting enough direct sunlight will also cause damage. There is also evidence that a lack of sunlight (and vitamin D) relates to skin cancer. So there we have it, not too much, not too little. So how much is just right? the answer isn't really definite. But there are a few good suggestions. One is that having a slight tan suggests that you are getting enough sunlight, but not so much that you have burned. Spending 15-30 minutes in direct sunlight (maybe on a nice walk to fill some of our exercise goals), on a daily basis might well be enough. In part it depends how fair skinned you are, as some of us burn far quicker. Experiment, if you come near burning then you have been out for far too long. If you have that good feeling from getting outside and actually experiencing nature and the sun, rather than sitting in a dark room, then you might have it just right. Another option I use currently is supplementing vitamin d in winter months and when the weather has been terrible or I have needed to spend too much time in the lab recently (actually, this is most of the time right now). This by no means substitutes for actual sun exposure, but part of the primal blueprint is using modern methods to attempt to emulate our ancestors lifestyle. Not a perfect solution, but definitely helpful.

There you have it, law 8 is as simple as it sounds, get some sunlight on a daily basis to improve your health, mood, and many other factors aside. It is also something that can be combined with other laws, particularly the exercise laws. Going for a sprint, do it in the sun. Lifting weights, maybe in the garden/park rather than in the gym. Walk in the sun to work rather than drive. All these small changes have drastically beneficial effects.

Respectfully,

Sam

What the Primal Blueprint means to me. Law#7 Play

I think we can all agree that leading a stressful life is damaging to our health, there shouldn't be any debate there. But on the other side of the coin, I think we forget the benefits of stress-free times, and at the far end of the spectrum, actually having fun and playing. Play isn't just a past time for kids who haven't had the misfortune to grow up and commit to full-time jobs (including the hour commute each way) and family commitments. We all need to play, the release of "feel good" hormones (including, but not limited to endorphins) is essential to de-stress and have a bit of enjoyment in our lives. Play allowed our ancestors to socialize, build relationships, and actually use their health and fitness to enjoy simply moving. No, sitting in front of the TV for 2-3 hours after a long days work is not considered de-stressing or playtime under the primal blueprint.

Sadly, in the UK it rains far too much in the autumn to enjoy this kind of play

What is play? Play can be a huge number of things, sports are a great example because you are literally playing them. In addition though, you are competing, socializing and building teamwork. In addition, these kinds of playtime are enjoyable ways to move and get the heart going outside of the pre-defined exercise regimes without the view to simply up the number of hours in the gym each week. If anything, play is more important to overall well being than some of the movement laws. Sadly, we don't really allow ourselves to play anymore.

Here are some good, and some bad examples of "playtime" that I have taken part in over the past few years.

• Martial arts - good exercise, discipline, progression, and applied physical ability. Also working with others to refine skills and build the relationships afterwards. I like this example because it combines all of the primal blueprint exercise laws while building skills and physical ability and control.
• After-training drinks - After a 1-2 hour karate session, meeting in the pub afterwards is a great for socializing, catching up with friends and solidifying relationships outside of working hard, and well, beating each other up for a few hours a week. This has taken two forms over my University career. In the early years it was drinking time, i.e. get the drinks in, spill into halls after midnight with maybe 8 pints down, and sleep still in need of a shower. Later on, this became a far more tame glass of water to re-hydrate and maybe a few drinks maximum, or just an orange juice depending on my mood and cash-flow. Socializing, tick. However, there is a bit of a fuzzy area surrounding drinking and good health. Some is perhaps ok, but after exercise, maybe not so much. I'll call this one part of the 80/20 rule.
• Hanging with the family in the garden in summer time. Must be summer in the UK otherwise it rains 95% of the time. Good socializing and catching up
• Sports - I have had games of badminton, chucked a Frisbee around and just general playing around outside and enjoying time.
• Games nights - kind of counts as socializing, but too much time sitting in front of a screen, in a dark room and playing video games for hours isn't really conducive to a healthy lifestyle.
• Playing with my dog - he's coming on 14 years old now so he isn't quite as sprighty as he once was, but still good fun to play with.

I liked this infographic as a fair summary of the benefits of playing sports.

Play is good for us, and just because we have commitments and busy schedules does not mean that we should neglect this key component of our lifestyles. In addition, trying to 'primalise' the play you do get has benefits also and allows playtime to merge with the movement and exercise laws (e.g. does going out drinking with friends, coming home fairly incoherent at 3am and feeling pretty sick the next day really count as play? answer- no, even with all those selfies you took showing how much fun you were having). I am guilty of not getting anywhere near enough play, and this is the primal law I am having the most trouble with. As much as saying that a full time master's degree and a part-time job, as well as fairly strict exercise regime leaves little time for play (especially when I am stressing about coursework) seems like a fair excuse; it will not do if I want to have the best health possible. Once again I'll stress the point, for type 1 diabetics, looking after all elements of health is essential - de-stressing and playing often enables better diabetes control and allows for avoidance of related complications. Its not all about only diet and exercise anymore; we must take a holistic approach.

So here is a challenge for us all. Take a few hours over the course of the next week, and play. Do something new/different, or do something more of what you enjoy. Do it with family or friends, and try to make it as primal as possible. Head to the park with the family and the dog and run about, play and enjoy the time spent. Take a football, Frisbee or whatever you can play with and play. Maybe post a comment and share the playtime fun. I'll try to write a brief follow up post sharing some play that I will be doing while the sun is out. One of the popular quotes of today is 'you only live once', often as an excuse to act like a stupid, spoiled, and selfish child. However, when we recontextualize this into 'you only die once, you live everyday', perhaps we can see the importance of playing, de-stressing and enjoying life everyday - rather than as an attempt to justify reckless behaviors. 

YOLO? I'd rather not. I want to live every day

Respectfully,

Sam

What the primal Blueprint means to me. Law#6 Get Adequate Sleep

Ah, sleep. Sometimes the most elusive of beasts, other times its all we can do to not fall asleep sitting at our desks. We've covered diet and exercise in the first 5 laws; now its time for the lifestyle laws. This primarily in my view where the paleo diet (the hint is in the word - diet) and the primal lifestyle differ. It is not sufficient to only eat and exercise well for optimum health, and laws 6 through 10 cover key, sometimes unspoken rules that when followed bring us closer to our cave-man ancestors and their capacity for amazingly good health.

See, even the most awesome folks need a nap every now and then

Why is sleep important? It seems a stupid question, but the importance of sleep goes beyond simply filling the time at night when we are tired and finished with mass streaming a new tv series on netflix. We don't only need sleep because we're tired, although tiredness is a good indication of when we need sleep.
Sadly, sleep is one of the most neglected elements of health as many don't understand its purpose fully. The other reason is that we focus so heavily on what we eat, and how much we exercise, as well as our jobs, family obligations, and so on, that we forget about getting enough quality sleep.

Now, I cannot claim to be an expert in the science of sleep, but I have some primal information that may help at least the uninitiated. In principle, it comes down to one key concept - recovery. We need to recover from our hectic lifestyles and rebuild ourselves for the coming day. Exercise is one of the best examples. Your exercise gains (muscle mass, strength gain, etc) do not come in the gym, they come from the recovery process. This is why doing weight training every day will not build muscle mass, because you're focusing to much on breaking your body down, that the re-building that strengthens it gets left by the wayside. When it comes to sleep, this is when the majority of our recovery and immune system behaviour kicks in (this is one of the reasons the flu leaves us unable to do much apart from rest - because we need it).

So how did our ancestors sleep, how did they do it? After all, they didn't have soft mattresses with snugly warm tog 15 duvets, or even alarm clocks to wake them up. They used the sun of course, sleeping following sunset and waking with the sunrise. It may not  have been unbroken sleep due to the need for awareness of nocturnal predators, but this isn't necessarily a great measure of quality sleep anyway. Oh, and without 9-5 jobs taking up the whole day, taking a mid-afternoon nap in the shade on a hot day would be perfectly fine and guilt free.

How do we emulate this today? Well, have a look at some of these awesome resources from marksdailyapple. As for what I have to say, here are some observations/ things I have been working on to help me get enough quality sleep.

Me, far too often with Uni at the minute

• Go to bed earlier - this comes from my and Claire's habit to stay up till 2/3am watching recorded TV and then sleep late the next day. Needless to say that this is no longer workable with full-time working weeks and early mornings. What I have noticed however is that simply going to bed when I am tired, rather than the oft-abused 'just one more episode' feeling has helped improve the amount of sleep I get.
• Fully wind down before sleep - I've noticed nowadays that watching TV, or being on the laptop/smartphone/tablet too close to attempted sleep messes up my sleep rhythm. Either it takes me longer to sleep, or I wake up constantly and don't get the quality of sleep I need. I am currently trying to read for 30 minutes before bed each night, and whenever I do my night's sleep is far more refreshing.
• Avoid blue light in the evenings - Blue light gets us up, and this is part of the reason that late-night TV/smartphones/computer screens disrupt our sleeping patterns. I have installed blue light filters on all of my equipment so that if I must check my phone, or be up late working on Uni coursework (most nights at the minute) then at least I reduce the negative effects these can have on sleep. 
• I keep the bedroom for sleeping - I try especially hard to treat the bedroom as a sleeping place, so it is not associated with day-time stressors and can be simply a space for sleep. I must admit that having a partner affects this greatly, especially if there is a particular series she wants to catch up on. But, its a work in progress.

I will likely think of more action points as soon as I post this, but as this post is already overdue because of sickness I'll keep it short. As usual, the best place to look is marksdailyapple, in particular at the definitive guide to sleep, and 17 ways to improve your sleep and embrace this crucial element of good health. Next time, we'll look at law#7 - Play and try to have some fun. In the mean time, here's a picture of cute animals sleeping.

Respectfully,

Sam

Two years a diabetic

I forgot my dates and just remembered that last week was my 2 year diabetic anniversary, if there is such a thing. I know that I was diabetic long before diagnosis, but April 4th 2012 was my diagnosis date. Perhaps what I should say is two years injecting insulin - that's more accurate, I think.

Except without the cake

So, what have I learnt in those two years? It feels like I've learnt more biology and health, diet, physical education in those two years than my nearly 5 years so far in psychology at undergrad and now postgrad level. I guess you pay more attention when its your life on the line. As its my second anniversary, I want to write about two major lessons I've learned about living with type 1 diabetes. This doesn't sound like much, but they cover so much.

1 - You need a holistic approach

You cant deal with type 1 diabetes, or any health condition for that matter, by acting on only a single element. This is why so many type 1's have such bad experiences, because their struggle is only about trying to impossibly balance a high-carb SAD diet, with insulin injections (often two types), regular testing and a lot of stress. Exercise and diet play crucial roles in health. Just because type 1 diabetes is not necessarily caused by being obese, sedentary and eating only pies, chocolate and red bull - but that doesn't mean that living a clean, active life eating good food wont help with the condition. The way I see it is this. There are so many related complications with type 1 diabetes, and I don't want any of them. As I've said more than once, 'I will not be one of those diabetics that looses a foot'. That became a mini-rant, sorry lets return to my main point. Since I started eating primally 90% of the time (completely eliminating grains as a first key objective), and exercising on the 4-day wave, I have reduced my insulin requirements massively. Now I take 5 units/daily basal, and 95% of the time I take 0 bolus units. That's right, most days I only need to inject once. I haven't had a hypo for months - other type 1's know how awesome this is. I am leaner and stronger than ever; down maybe 4% body fat and 4 inches around the waist, with little actual weight loss meaning that my muscle mass has increased greatly as well. In short, taking a holistic approach is the only way to make everything related to your health, and diabetes; awesome. And, do you know what, I love feeling awesome.

How life should be

2 - You have to be prepared to go it alone

This may not be true oprimallyne, but I've found that despite the support of others, you have to be able to make decisions and take charge of your own health. You have to make yourself the accountable person and you alone. I'm not saying don't seek support, but use it wisely. I'll give two examples. My fiancee Claire has been so supporting of my transition into eating and moving primally. But, it is still up to me to maintain this lifestyle. Its still up to me to decline that chocolate cake offered in good faith as I "eat so well the rest of the time". Even with positive reinforcement, you still must recognise your role in keeping yourself healthy. My second example are those people who don't understand, or do but see the way of eating as different and weird (I'm hearing weird a lot at the minute). What you have to accept is the nonacceptance of others. Even though I am by far the healthiest person in my household (despite type 1 diabetes), I am still the one ridiculed as the odd one out. Often it isn't ill-meaning, but there's only so many times I can hear 'just have a sandwich', 'you eat too much meat/fat', 'won't you have a hypo if you don't eat carbs?' and so on. The popular one currently is that I'm off to do my weird exercises again (I refrain from shouting vehemently about that being healthier than sitting in front of the TV for hours straight). Anyway, the point is, whenever you try something new and not within the cultural norms - you will have critics (ironically this may continue when you are the one who is making the healthy choices and suceeding). Its up to you what you do with these critics, and to follow only your own way, the way that works best for you. 

My message is this, whether you receive support and praise, or scepticism and ridicule - its up to you to follow your own best way to health in a holistic way. Its actually quite liberating as now I recognise that I am the responsible, accountable, and master of my own health destiny. For better or worse, its all down to me. 

To all other type 1s, find your way to great health and be awesome.

Respectfully,
Sam

What the Primal Blueprint means to me. Law#5 Sprint once in a while

We're half way there. Law#5 Sprinting once in a while. We've covered what to eat, what to not eat, moving a lot slowly, and lifting heavy things sometimes, now lets get sprinting.

Time to Bolt...

Here's the basic premise. Way back when, we had brief intense events where we might have been running down a hunt, running away from a predator, fighting a rival, etc - but nowadays we simply don't, at least in the same way. These extremely brief, yet extremely explosive and hormonal events triggered increases in strength, speed, twitch muscle responses and greatly increased longevity by becoming simply put, faster. Oh, and improve insulin sensitivity you type 1 diabetics will be glad to know. See, exercise is great for us - when done correctly. Now, this does not advocate a spin class at 85% max heart rate for an hour to exhaust yourself and in reality do little functional good. What it does mean is conducting super-short, super intense bursts of activity. These should be all-out, max effort sessions lasting less than 10 minutes (otherwise it becomes chronic cardio territory and you actually gain less).

So what does a sprint session look like. Well, as long as you follow the rules above almost anything goes. Actual sprints are good, or they could be done on a bike, or in a swimming pool (minus the bike). Here's a basic example using tabata timing. Now, I love tabata timing and TACFIT Commando uses it exclusively, as well as some other TACFIT programs. Take an exercise, in this case lets say a straight sprint on a track. Perform the exercise for 20 seconds, followed by a 10 second break where you catch your breath (by exhaling heavily - I'll cover this in a later post) - repeat this for eight rounds. So in four minutes you have beasted a single exercise and if you have been going at max capacity you really are smoked. One exercise I am working on at the moment is the leaping lunge - basically a jumping lunge trying to reach your legs as high as possible mid air. At the moment, its not in sprint territory because the reps are too low, but when I get up to 20 or so in that 20 second round - its gonna be a push. That reminds me, always maintain good form and if you feel pain, stop the exercise. Its better to be fully recovered performing less than max reps, than perform max reps and spend days aching. I rarely have the two-day aches I used to have, because I exercise smart - again, see Scott Sonnon's pages to go into this point in more depth.

Hill sprints are great, though they are killers

I must confess, I do not set aside specific sprint sessions. However, as some exercises do push me into that sprint - adrenalin response territory, I class these as sprinting elements of my exercise regime. Find what works for you is the main thing, but do include some amount of sprinting every week or two in your regime to fulfill your maximum health potential. For type 1 diabetics, compare a 10 minute sprint session to a prolonged hour in the gym and test your blood glucose before and after to conduct a bit of a self experiment. I've found the more I eat primal - see law#1 and law#2, the less exercise effects by blood sugars, but we must always be wary.

Now, lets all get out there for a sprint :-) To end the movement laws I like the pyramid below as a handy reference. Print it, and pin it up.

Respectfully,
Sam

What the Primal Blueprint means to me. Law# 4 Lift heavy things

Last time we covered moving frequently at a slow pace and the benefits of such exercise. I also discussed how prolonged cardio-based exercise isn't particularly functional or useful (if health or fat-loss are your goals, if you're a dedicated marathon runner then power to you). This time I want to discuss lifting heavy things as a mode of exercise that stimulates muscle growth and strength building.

Our ancestors walked a lot, and this should be a given when thinking about hunter-gatherer societies. Also, they lifted heavy things, not for exercise per se, but to drag the kill home, climb a tree to avoid danger, or haul something heavy across a campsite. For any parent readers, there were no carriers or places to leave your young ones for a few hours, babies would be carried almost non-stop through the days travels. This was an every day event, and as such our ancestors (including the children, and the women) were strong and lean. We may not be able to emulate these brief, yet regular exposures to lifting heavy things in modern society due to 9-5 working weeks and hectic lifestyles. But, the importance of lifting heavy is integral to health. Oh and for type 1 diabetics, increasing muscle mass (especially combined with reduced excess body-fat) increases insulin sensitivity and therefore less insulin is needed. Sound good?

The closest we can get to regular heavy lifting in modern society is planned exercise. There are loads of options out there, but a few key rules should be followed. Firstly, sessions should not exceed around 45 minutes (maybe an hour with breaks, not counting warm-ups and cool downs). Secondly, watch the intensity, you should be working hard, but not at full speed/capacity - that's what law#5 - sprint occasionally is all about. If you rated your excursion on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being maximum effort, I would say around a 6-8 rating would be ideal. Third, the sessions should focus on full body exercises where possible and not focus on isolating individual muscles. But I like the bicep curl machine, or the ab machine or the bench-press machine at the gym some will say. I could argue at length about this, but to keep it short I will only point out that our bodies are designed to work as an entire unit. Take the bench press as an example. You are missing out on the stabilizing tension the core and legs must perform during push ups. This is why gym muscle builders are so injury-prone, because their bodies are imbalanced and their musculature is out of whack. Personally, I would rather be fully-recovered, balanced, and have the ability to perform full body movements, rather than under-recovered, injury prone, but with the ability to boast defined biceps. So, in short lifting heavy things sessions should be brief, intense and full body events. See Marks post on the exercise action items here. What counts as a heavy thing? Firstly, we are heavy things - I weigh about 155 pounds, I would say that that's a heavy thing to lift. Of course weights, kettlebells and so on all count, but I argue that body-weight exercises should form the center of any exercise regime.

Push-ups are good

If you're feeling adventurous.

I plan on writing a series on different full body exercises and routines for beginners with progressions etc. But as I currently utilize TACFIT almost exclusively, I would feel like too much of a thief of Scott Sonnon's work just now. For a series of awesome body weight, dumbbell, and clubbell routines, amongst others - check out the TACFIT programs offered here.
Here's an overview of my medium and high intensity sessions. The exercises stay the same, but I vary reps to increase intensity. Medium intensity should be 6-8 on our exertion scale, and High intensity should be 8-10 (this is where it gets into sprint-like sessions).
Part 1- After warm-up - TACFIT Commando. Six exercises, each performed for 8 rounds of 20 seconds exertion folllowed by 10 seconds rest with a 60 second break between exercises. Totaling 30 minutes exercise. There are three 'missions' each with three progressions. Each runs for 28 days.
Part 2- Clubbell exercises. I'll post a full video on clubbell exercises soon, but for now lets agree that they're awesome. For the uninitiated, the clubbell is like a baseball bat, made of steel, weighing between 2-20kg. It doesn't sound heavy, but the swinging motions work the whole rotational movement. True caveman exercise :-) I am currently working on achieving a century in the double swipes from Trial by Fire to build up.
End with full body compensation yoga, and I am done in around an hour. I know this pushes the boundary of the prescribed 'lift heavy things' mantra. However, I have higher goals than average and ensure that I keep the sessions within safe limits and most importantly know my own limits.

Get a clubbell (or two), use it, love it.

I'll be writing a future post about the benefits of the TACFIT and CST health and recovery first exercise because it is the way forward. It functions perfectly with the primal/paleo lifestyle and most importantly for me, works amazingly to maintain my health living with type 1 diabetes. So, there we have it. Exercise 1-3 times a week for a brief, intense session with full body exercises to improve overall health, and build muscle mass. See you next time for Law#5 Sprint occasionally.

Respectfully,
Sam

Link love #2 Scott Sonnon

My second idol after Mark Sisson. Scott Sonnon is an awesome dude and his health first fitness is pure genius. He also endorses a paleo diet combined with smart exercise.
Don't work harder, work smarter

Check out his blog here

What the Primal Blueprint means to me. Law#3 Move Frequently at a Slow Pace

Primal Blueprint Law#3 - Move frequently at a slow pace.

The evidence against the sedentary lifestyle is mounting. Sitting is killing us. When I began my attempts at a standing desk, I was told that it was weird. I replied simply that the longer we sit, the quicker we die. I firmly believe this, and the science backs it up. We can no longer think that throwing an extended cardio session at an otherwise sedentary lifestyle will stave off obesity, ill health, or make-up-for last nights extra large pizza (even if it was with a diet coke). If we take as given that the previous posts in this series - which covered the primal blueprint eating laws - are sound, then the next few posts will build upon this basis.

Masses of fast food and the occasional heavy exercise session does not make a healthy, fit person

Before going any further, lets get one key element out of the way. Some 80% of body composition is determined by diet alone. This is why massive exercise sessions do not make up for a diet heavy in our primal avoids and the SAD diet. Have you ever seen those people who are regulars at a gym/exercise class, they show up dedicated every time and work the hardest of all- but remain overweight and under-toned. Well, the answer is simple, our bodies adapt to perform our exercise easier - but, these people have already adapted to theirs. That's right, the benefits eventually slide with continued prolonged and unchanging exercise (avoiding this will feature in my next few posts) because your musculature has already adapted to it. That excess fat you're trying to get rid of - I have already explained the best way in my previous posts - eat lots of plants and animals, and avoid poisonous things. To this I can now add; move frequently at a slow pace.
I've spent a long time writing against the methods some have tried and failed with to become healthy. Now it's time to look at the primal blueprint law and how we can follow it. The crux of the matter is this, we have evolved into bipedal walkers because we needed to. We would have walked for hours daily, either to relocate, or to hunt and gather as that's what we were - nomad hunter-gatherers. So, what does moving frequently at a slow pace look like?

Walk, walk, and walk some more

Firstly, lets define moving at a slow pace is personal to ourselves. One persons easy run might be another person's deathly sprint. Take the tour de France, it is likely that the cyclists rarely leave what would be described as moderate level activity - whereas if I attempted one of those mountains I would pass out within five minutes. Perhaps the best way to capture low level aerobic pace is to keep your heart rate between 50-65% Max heart rate, any higher and you begin to move into higher levels of exertion. Want to know the best thing about movement at this pace? You burn fat. Blasting through an hour session at 80% or higher heart rate will burn carbs (and leave that fat around your belly). Moving at a slow pace for 2-5 hours a week (or more) is a fair trade for lasting health.

What does moving at a slow pace look like? The options are massive, to name a few:

If you can, enjoy the scenery

• Walking or hiking
• Cycling
• Swimming

I also class mobility drills and compensation yoga as part of my low level activity. On my 4 day exercise cycle (to be discussed more in later posts), my first day involves around 20 minutes of mobility drills. Think of it as an extended warm up - without the exercise following. I also do similar mobility drills as a comprehensive warm up on my medium and high intensity days. Compensation yoga fits into my second day of the cycle. The focus is not on stretching per se - but performing recovery exercises that allow full recovery from the more high-impact exercise I do. In this way I am enabling full recovery from exercise while maintaining movement regularly. Add in daily dog walks, bike rides to University, walking with and to work and the bike rides me and Claire have started going on more regularly and you have plenty of low level activity. Now, my favorite bit, how does this impact type 1 diabetics? Well, you lose the excess fat that hinders insulin responsibility, by virtue of having a leaner body composition you need less insulin. You don't need to worry about hypos - as you should be burning fat at this intensity. Mostly, it's just healthy - as we already have a long-term health condition, it's important we look after ourselves as a whole, and then our bodies will look after us as well. Remember, the lower your activity level, the quicker you die.

If you want to begin going barefoot for all the additional benefits - grab some vibram five fingers
They are awesome  :-)

Low level activity, when combined with the primal blueprint eating plan really are a match made in heaven. Fat burning activity, with little injury risk and all the benefits. Now, you likely wont build muscle with only laws 1,2, and 3; but, thats where the next law comes in - Law#4, lift heavy things. See you next time.

Respectfully,

Sam

My no-recipe flat chicken

I haven't shared any recipes for a while so I thought I'd be awkward and share one of my go to dishes - no-recipe flat chicken. This can be a custom recipe that you mould to your own tastes on that day.

Take however many chicken breasts as you need servings (I always do extra and the leftovers end up as cooked meats for lunch boxes in the following days). Coat with herb/spice mix of choice with some extra virgin olive oil to make it stick. Don't worry if you use a little too much as it can help with the next stage.

Now comes the fun part. Place the chicken on top of a sheet of baking paper and put another sheet on top. I suggest putting the whole lot onto a chopping board for safety also. Take a rolling pin and whack the hell out of the chicken until its relitavely flat - or at least having an even thickness throughout. Just don't go so rough that you rip the paper and spread spices all over the kitchen like I did the first time.

The before...

... and after

Slice the chicken artistically at an angle (or butcher it at an angle like I managed to do) and serve with masses of veggies, avocado, nuts, berries, or whatever primal foodstuffs you have going.

Grub up

So in short.
1. Grab chicken breasts and coat with spices/herbs of choice
2. Mash it flat
3. Pan fry it off
4. Enjoy the protein-y goodness
5. Post a response with your own suggestions of spice mix.

Try it out and I hope you enjoy this no-recipe.

Respectfully,
Sam

What the Primal blueprint means to me. Law#2 Avoid Poisonous Things

Law#2 Avoid Poisonous things

I made a mistake last time looking at the primal laws. Today's post will focus on what to avoid eating (and drinking) as part of the primal lifestyle. We might all think that we avoid ingesting poisonous things. We know not to drink bleach and that many drugs can be extremely harmful to our health. But is this the whole picture? Is it only things with a 'poisonous' label that we should avoid? Hint - no. We need to expand our view of poisonous slightly to include things that damage us, even slowly. We all agree that smoking is harmful (read: poisonous), but what about the harm caused by excess sugar consumption? (quick answer; increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes, autoimmune disease, and obesity just to name a few of the big ones)

Last time I mentioned some food groups held by conventional wisdom to be essential to a 'healthy diet'. Hopefully we agree by this point that eating similarly to the way we have evolved to is important. You wouldn't expect a lion to survive on tofu and lettuce, just as you wouldn't expect a rabbit to survive on beef steaks. Until recently in our evolutionary history; pesticides, herbicides, many chemical substances, as well as grains, cereals, legumes, processed sugars, artificial sugars, mass produced medications, trans-fats, and many others besides were not eaten by our ancestors. For fans of fast food, or junk food - note that these "foods" meet at least a few of the above categories. Remember, there is no junk food - there's junk, and there's food.

                      

Most of these poisonous things are not massively dangerous in the short term. However, years of ingesting these substances produces weaknesses in the body. Take legumes as an example, they have mechanisms in place to deter animals, including us from eating them. Toxic substances are released, especially if not properly prepared - causing inflammation, with links to autoimmune diseases. Hmm, autoimmune diseases, have I caught your attention type 1 diabetics? Subsequently over the years, the toxicity builds and even assuming that health conditions or complications do not arise, your body is still not functioning at full capacity. 

Human evolution, guess what caused the difference between the last two? I'll give you a hint, this whole post is about it.

What does this mean for me? Well, I have ditched all of the above (at least where possible some 95% of the time), and I don't have a bloated feeling after meals. That 'I feel fit to burst'  feeling my family gets after a meal (which is identical to mine barring my rejection of pasta/potatoes/rice/etc, in favour of slightly more meat and more veg where possible), I don't get. I feel ready to go, like I could happily get work done and get exercising. My meals give me energy rather than make me feel lethargic. Type 1 diabetics pay special attention here. After more than 90% of my meals I do not need to take insulin, as such I do not get the sugar crash shortly afterwards which leaves many type 1's tired and sleepy after a meal. Oh and for those who want to loose weight, by avoiding these substances it is almost guaranteed. Combine Law#2 with law#1 that I discussed in my first post of the series and you get; super tasty meals, every mealtime, that help you keep the muscle on, loose the excess fat and feel awesome. 

Just a reminder

I could talk at length about the things (I don't even call them foods anymore) that we shouldn't be eating. But, I think it is enough to lend these key points and suggest that everyone interested, whether you agree or not to check out marksdailyapple and the primal blueprint. Read the success stories and the amazing recipes on the site and try to tell me that your life is actually better from having any of these poisonous substances in your body.

I double-checked and next time it will definitely be Law#3 Move frequently at a slow pace. See you next time. 

Any comments, suggestions, agrees, disagrees and all that please comment and join the discussion.

Respectfully,

Sam

What the Primal Blueprint means to me: Law #1. Eat Lots of Plants and Animals

Law #1 Eat lots of Plants and Animals


Diet is a pretty controversial topic nowadays and the primal blueprint goes against current conventional wisdom. For any diabetic readers, you will notice a big difference between what I support here and what you will have been told by your doctor/diabetes nurse or other healthcare professional. I wont go so far as to say that the way we have all been told to eat is B#*#**#t, but at least some of it has been projected forcefully from a bovines rear end. If you agree or disagree, please comment and we can work on shared understanding. Can you tell that I really want more diabetics on the primal blueprint eating plan?
Our ancestors diets consisted mostly of plants and animals, we know that much. In addition, by studying modern hunter-gatherer societies a pretty consistent pattern emerges - geography depending. They ate what they could, when they could - meaning utilizing our amazing ability to store energy as fat for whenever food was more scarce. The lifestyle of our ancestors allowed them to be lean, strong, healthy, and prepared. It was not an easy life, but it was not as barbaric as we might imagine.

What does this mean for our diets today?

Basically, eat as much of all these goodies as you want.

from eatpreypaleo.com

Eat good quality meat, eggs, fish from pretty much any animal source, even insects if you're feeling adventurous. Eat tons of colorful vegetables, and healthy fats (animal fats, nuts, coconut, avocado).
Sounds awesome right? Eggs and bacon; steak, avocado and assorted salad; roasted veggies and jerk chicken; with snacks of nuts, berries and some fruit. Does anybody disagree so far, have I named any unhealthy, or disgusting foods (maybe apart from insects - though Bear Grylls makes it look like a good laugh)? or have I given a picture of some awesomely tasty, healthy meals? I believe the latter.

from www.allpaleodiet.com

Now the bit that gets on folks backs. What does eating this way avoid, and why?
Firstly, no grains or cereals. That's right, no cereal for breakfast, no morning bagel. No sandwich or pasta salad for lunch. No breaded or battered 'meat' for dinner.
Secondly, no refined/processed/artificial sugar. We all know its not good for us, so lets just all agree that cakes, muffins, cookies, milk chocolate and the wide range of foods most of us (me included) have over-indulged with.
Third, no legumes (beans). This is where primal and paleo differ somewhat. Legumes, including peanuts (I know, right) are inflammatory and in short, mess up our systems. Oh and for all us diabetics, they are also linked to auto-immune diseases. OMG right, so that whole - it was just luck of the draw or a roll of some cosmic dice that gave me type 1 diabetes may be wrong. Remember that the issue is that society, medicine, and science just don't understand type 1 diabetes fully yet - but, evidence for these links are forming. So, as people already disposed to autoimmune disease, it's worth avoiding it further, don't you think?
Fourth, eliminate trans- and hydrogenated- fats. These are not foods, full stop. There are good fats and bad fats. If anyone tells you otherwise, or you believe that all fats are bad yourself then you are wrong. No question, you are wrong and you especially should check out marks daily apple and develop your knowledge.

How does this look for our average daily/weekly consumption? Well, the SAD diet (Standard American Diet - or western in general really, I am in the UK) that conventional wisdom looks something like this. Around 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein. This is a great way to gain weight and develop health issues. The primal blueprint for me doesn't recommend specific ratios per se. I don't personally agree with ratios as it means that if you want to lose weight then you can only eat less and risk muscle loss. Also, if you exercise regularly, you might not be getting enough protein to rebuild yourself. The primal blueprint suggests eating something like 1g protein per pound lean muscle mass per day for an active person. For me this means around 130g protein daily depending on exercise needs. This is around 3 times what is recommended by conventional wisdom, no wonder the average person has pretty poor muscle tone. Your carb needs are determined by activity - within reason though, as primal seeks to be a fat burner diet rather than a carb burner diet. I would say around 100g daily for diabetics, but not much more. Any more and the weight goes on, any less you tend to lose weight. This is my sweet spot, but then we all differ. Note that these carbs come from berries, fruit and leafy veg. Finally your fat intake is essentially whatever remains to fill your daily calorie needs. For say 2000 calories; 130g protein, 100g carbs leaves 120g fat. Bear in mind that a gram of protein or carbs = 4calories, whereas 1g fat = 9calories. In essence, this means you need to eat less.

Sorry, the explanation got slightly out of hand there. Let's move on. For those that agree with the standard way of eating. I have only my own experiences to offer. My usual diet looks something like this. 3/4 egg omlette, maybe bacon for breakfast. Spicy chicken and massive salad for lunch. Veg heavy dinner, likely with fish/meat of some kind. Also nuts, berries and fruit as snacks. In the past few months, I have lost maybe 4 pounds. Not alot, huh. Well this comes with more muscle than I have ever had, as well as a decrease of maybe 4 inches around my waist. I like to say that the worst thing about eating primal is that I need to go shopping for smaller trousers, and I hate shopping. Specifically relevant to any type 1 readers, read this next bit carefully. I take hardly any insulin anymore; a daily dose and unless I cheat (sometimes cheesecake just calls too hard, but I'm working on it) I don't need any after meals. I haven't had a hypo in months. My last A1C was just above 5, though I forget the exact number. I haven't seen my blood glucose above 7 (or around 125, I forget the exact transformation between systems) in a while and like I say, never below 4 (80-ish?). I am full of energy and don't get those afternoon sleepy phases I did while on the SAD.

Primal pancakes anyone - seen here

Awesome lunches anyone? - this one for a future post

Mmmmmmmmmmmm

The diet element is one of the most extensive ones within the primal blueprint; however, it is only one of 10 laws for healthy living. Next time, we'll take a look at moving a lot, but at a slow pace.

Please do comment and feedback. Do you agree or disagree, have I missed anything vital?. Please help me spread this way of living to others, especially my type 1 brethren who deserve more to life than the roller coaster ride offered by masses or carbs followed by masses of insulin (and the resultant crash). We deserve to be healthy.

If this is your life as a type 1 diabetic then the primal blueprint is for you

Respectfully,
Sam

What is the primal Blueprint? A primer

I will shortly be writing a ten part series on the primal blueprint 10 laws my relationship to them. Many people know about the paleo or primal diet, but the primal blueprint is so much more - a lifestyle. In short, the primal blueprint attempts to replicate the lifestyles our ancestors had over 10,000 years ago, before the dawn of agriculture. Of course adaptations must be made as society has changed greatly since then, but our biology and our genes have not. So, we are built to eat and live like our hunter-gatherer ancestors. My interpretation of primal living has helped me control my blood glucose, improve my health, get fitter and stronger, built muscle and lose excess fat (without trying, seriously it wasn't an actual goal of mine) - all while eating awesome tasty food, enjoying exercise and not counting calories or carb counting. It is not a diet, but a lifestyle with some dietary guidelines. Hopefully any readers will gain some insight, perhaps enough to go to marksdailyapple and try it for yourselves. For those already initiated, maybe sharing some experiences will add to our pool of N=1 experiments. For type 1 diabetics like me, read carefully and please do find out more - diets often fail, but a lifestyle change like this only works. To quote Mark Sisson, Try It [the primal blueprint] for 21 Days, or Your Poor Health Back! seen here

Here are the 10 laws at a glance.
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 Your Brain

I will look at each in turn. I'll explain what it means, and what it means to me. Most importantly, I'll explain the aspects that have specific benefits to Type 1 diabetics.
See you next time

Respectfully,
Sam

Coconut Jerk Chicken

Simple and easy meal for you today. Full of protein and fat, our primal favorites. Just add to your side dish of choice
This isn't really a recipe so much as a general method I use to make this flavorful, coconut-ty plate full of goodness.

Ingredients

• Chicken - any cut or type, I have yet to try this with meat on the bone, but i'll have a try in the future. I use chicken breast for ease
• Desiccated coconut - unsweetened so you can keep the carbs down and enjoy the actual coconut flavor rather than just added sugar.
• Coconut Oil - for the frying and the oily goodness.
• Garlic - if you have it, add first to the pot/pan/wok.
• Spices - I have a few favorites, but chiefly; smoked paprika, garlic granules, some kind of jerk mix (if you make your own that's ideal, I haven't graduated to this level however), chili powder/flakes, and any other spice you like. Just have fun with the flavors - I tend to keep it to spices for this dish and leave the herbs for others, but each to their own. 

My regulars

The method

Cut chicken into small chunks, chuck into heated pan with coconut oil (or olive, but this is a coconut recipe after all). Cook until nearly done and add the spices. Stir in, then throw in the coconut flakes

Mmm, coconut

Stir in, and if the mix is too dry add a touch of water or if you need that fat boost, coconut oil.

Nearly done

Serve on a plate  or in a bowl with veg of choice. I like avocado and salad for this one because it balances the heat and spice of the chicken. I didn't have any nuts (bad pun), so I had a spoonful of almond butter on the side - also goes well with the chicken.

Picture taken, now I can eat

Now, if you have it, some sweet chilli sauce goes well on the chicken too but may not be 100% primal/paleo so depends on your preference. Enjoy!

Respectfully, 

Sam