For this next introduction – or re-hashing, for some of you – of an essential Primal concept, I’ll be covering the three basic Primal laws of fitness (click the image to zoom in). This one can be the most difficult hurdle for some. If you’re carrying a personal history of weight gain, for example, you’re most likely somewhat inactive, too. Being overweight, you see, leads to inactivity. And yeah, being inactive can perpetuate the weight gain, but it usually starts with a bit of added weight and the sluggishness that comes along for the ride. Good times, right? They end this month.

As often as I make the case that “diet is 80% of the battle for body composition”, and as often as we take apart Conventional Wisdom for its misguided views on diet, exercise, and weight loss, exercise does matter. Sure, if you could make just one change to your […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

The Prize:
Bacon. It’s meat candy. It’s the real part of a complete breakfast. What’s better than bacon? Six months of bacon. Bacon Freak is a bacon hub, they have bacon wallets and bacon soap, bacon shirts, and bacon gifts. And today they’re offering the contest winner a six month membership to their bacon of the month club. That’s $250 worth of Cajun bacon, jalapeno bacon, sun dried tomato bacon, vanilla bourbon bacon, and an assortment of other blue ribbon varieties. And for the true bacon lovers out there, get all your bacon news at Bacon Today, and form a bacon meet-up at BaconEvents.com.
But Grok can’t live on bacon alone…

To go along with the theme of today’s contest, we’re also throwing in a spear. Cold Steel gave us three Assegai spears, and today we’re giving away the last one. I’ve received a few questions about these spears, so I’ll clarify: Yes, […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

TV does not want you to be awesome.
It warns you against being awesome every single day.
Losing weight, getting six pack abs, working out, getting a better job…all bad.
What’s worse…it warns our kids about the horrors of Awesomeness.
Don’t believe me? Let’s look at some case studies…
What happened when Bill from King of the Hill started working out? He got six pack abs. He also became a vain, self-obsessed Jerk. In the end everything became better once he went back to being a lazy, fat, divorced, spineless, jobless, but kind-hearted neighbor.
What happened when Peter from Family Guy started working out? He got six pack abs too. He also became a vain, arrogant jerk. His family hated him for it, but don’t worry, everything became better once he went back to being average.
What happened when Marge Simpson from the Simpson’s started working out? Six pack abs and..yep…Same thing.
What happened when ANY character on […]

Original post by Brad Pilon

I love carbs, which is why I could never be 100% Paleo. I do eat Paleo meals and even occasionally have low carb days, but I can't imagine a world without carbs. I enjoy gummy candy and red vines when watching movies and this is a habit that I don't want to break. Anyway over the past 20 years I have learned a few carb strategies that allow a person to eat tasty carbs without putting on a bunch of excess weight. This stuff isn't ground breaking or anything, but I know it doesn't hurt to be reminded of these effective strategies. I will create a list of tips and put the ones that have helped out the most towards the top. Of course, I would love to hear your thoughts as well in the comment section.
Read more on Carb Strategies That I Have Found to Work Well for Staying […]

Original post by admin

We’ve officially rounded the corner into the second full week of the 30-day Primal Blueprint Challenge. Updates, anecdotes, anyone? How is everyone doing – and feeling? As the Challenge progresses, it’s inevitable that the surge of initial gusto moderates while something else – something ultimately more important, more influential – takes its place. With a week under your belt, you’re undoubtedly shaping the Blueprint to your life, using the principles but adapting the particulars to your own circumstances and tastes. That’s how it’s designed. In fact, it’s exactly how it works best! I thought now would be an apt time to add another layer of perspective to our efforts. It’s a bit of advice that nicely reflects this personal progression as well as the overall versatility of the Blueprint. I’m talking that bastion of PB pragmatism: the 80/20 Principle.

The central point of the 80/20 Principle is this: if you’re eating […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

The Prize:
It’s Sensible Vice time…
Chocolate. The Malibu farmers’ market sets up shop about a half block from my office every Sunday, and one of the regular, irresistible booths is Choco Vivo. Organic, fair trade, fermented less than 3 days – this is chocolate for people who like cacao, not chocolate for people who like candy bars. Winner receives an assortment of 100%, 85%, 75%, raw nibs, and the cherry, almond, peppercorn blend. For those outside the LaLa Land farmers’ market circuit, you can find ChocoVivo here.
Coconut Juice. Today’s second sensible vice comes with or without pulp (or with a hint of lime). In the pursuit of all things coconut, the winner will receive two mixed cases of coconut juice, courtesy of Amy & Brian Naturals. That’s over a gallon and a half of liquid. For all the athletes out there trying to bridge the gap between ideal Primal living and […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

<p>The basis of Tabata Training is 4 minutes of intense interval training/circuit training. What you are doing is taking an exercise we'll use sprints as an example here.</p>
<p>Sprint as hard as you can for <strong>20 seconds</strong></p>
<p>Walk for <strong>10 seconds</strong></p>
<p>Repeat 7 more times for a total of <strong>8 sets</strong>.</p>
<p>So what you have is a total of <strong>4 minutes of workout time</strong>.</p>
<p>Tabata Training can be done with a number of different exercises the idea is to use an exercise that gets the whole body involved or at least the major muscle groups.Tabata Training can be done with Barbells, Dumbells, Kettlebells or just Bodyweight exercises. I'll give you some other exercises and routines to try in a minute but first let me give you some background and how Tabatas work.</p>
<p>Tabata Training was developed by Izumi Tabata (imagine that) at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. They did a study […]

Original post by WP-AutoBlog Import

Most folks who decide to give the Primal Blueprint 30-Day Challenge the old college try do so to correct an underlying health issue. Maybe their cardiologist’s recommended dietary plan hasn’t been improving their lipid numbers as promised, or perhaps they’re sick of fighting a losing battle with diabetes by submitting to a daily pharmaceutical cocktail that appears increasingly ineffective. Gentle (or not so gentle) prodding from coworkers and loved ones with incredible results is another common motivating factor. But, above all, most people get involved with this Primal stuff because they want to lose weight without stressing over calorie counts, fat grams, and endless hours on the treadmill. And in order to do that – in order to lean out effortlessly and maintain that leanness – it’s vitally important that you dial in your carb count.

Now, different people will be able to handle different amounts of carbohydrates differently. Highly active […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

The Prize:
I’m giving away another huge assortment today, starting with…
A Sous Vide Supreme – This is kind of a big deal. Sous Vide does to a steak what Barry White does to a love song. Today’s big ticket item is the Sous Vide Supreme, courtesy of Dr. Michael Eades. It’s a form of slow cooking using a vacuum sealing technique that keeps all the juices in the meat. But it’s so much more. It’s high culinary art captured in steel, praised by the NY Times, and used by top chef Richard Blais. Watch a few videos if you aren’t yet impressed. And for anyone still unsure of what’s going on inside that metal box, having one of these is like having a four-star chef sitting on your counter top. A tiny four star chef. Without the little mustache, puffy toque, or outrageous accent. Winner gets both the Sous Vide Supreme […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

Awesomeness tip: Learn to THINK awesome
It’s all in the language

Here’s a quick example:
Let’s say you’ve made it your goal to increase your flexibility, and you want to start stretching. You are about to email your favorite exercise Guru for advice.
Here’s the wrong way:
Hey Jimbo Fitness,
What do you think of stretching? I was thinking about adding 10 minutes of stretching to my workouts but was wondering when I should do it?
Thanks,
Brad
So why is this wrong?
Because you are asking for permission and approval of your goal. You are giving someone the chance to talk you out of your goal.
Stretching is stupid, Stretching is for sissies…10 minutes won’t do anything
These are the kinds of answers you COULD get (not saying you will for sure, but it’s a definite possibility)
Remember, to be awesome you have to OWN your goals, and a large part of owning your goals is in the way you think.
Let’s reword […]

Original post by Brad Pilon