No claw-footed tub in the woods here. No Calgon fantasies for the frazzled mind or romantic shower under a waterfall. (Sorry to disappoint.) Think more science, less whimsy, but definite Primal roots. Forest bathing, as it has been dubbed, is actually a studied medical practice. In Japan, the research is spawning a whole new dimension of patient treatment called “forest therapy.”
Forests, like other wild settings, engage our senses in more subtle but evolutionarily familiar ways than our typical modern environments. Sounds in nature are quieter but more subtly layered. Our sight is more expansive. Our sense of touch, finer. Our smell, more acute. Surrounded by nature, our perception reorients to its default setting. As we’ve highlighted in the past, an increasing amount of research shows just how “natural” time in nature is for our physiological and psychological well-being. Exposure to green space offers protective factors against depression and anxiety and […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

“Fat people eat too much.”
There are a lot of misconceptions about obesity, but this could be one of the most prevalent.
The idea that anyone and everyone who is overweight is constantly eating much more food than they need is actually a misconception.
As is the idea that they overeat by 1,000, 2,000 even 3,000 Calories every single day.
While this misconception does come from some facts that are correct (They did overeat at some point), the stretching of these truths creates a prejudice against obesity.
Find out the real truth here, then don’t forget to go check out www.EatStopEat.com when you are done
BP

Original post by Brad Pilon

Hypothyroid has been covered to death before. I’m particularly fond of The Healthy Skeptic’s coverage – check out Chris Kresser’s ongoing series (possibly before you read on) for some great information on the thyroid. Carnivorous Danny Roddy did a good piece on it last year as well. As such, I won’t be redoing or rehashing an “intro to thyroid.” Instead, I’ll give a brief overview and then discuss why I think some of us may be looking at thyroid “dysfunction” in the wrong light.
The thyroid is a complicated little bugger wielding a lot of influence over the metabolism, and it seems like just about anything has been fingered as a trigger of its dysfunction. Lack of carbs in the diet, too few calories, too much iodine, too little iodine, too many grains, intermittent fasting, excessive cortisol, and multiple other factors have gotten the blame. Unraveling the multiple potential triggers for […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

In most locales, summer is upon us. The sun acts as powerful beacon, a call to action for even the habitually sedentary to venture out and frolic in its rays. Hopeful mothers and fathers nudge chubby kids with creaky Xbox fingers, barely able to grasp the brand new football with which they’ve been tasked, out the door to partake in a mysterious, archaic activity known as “play.” Running shoes are finally removed from shoeboxes and attached to feet. Excuses to avoid going outside grow exceedingly pathetic and totally unconvincing, even to the skilled self-deceivers, who can no longer deny the basic awesomeness of a summer day. Squinting into this wonderful, terrible new light, they all gather in public areas – parks, hiking trails, outdoor malls, beaches – each in turn making personal pledges (or fulfilling imposed ones) that this will be the summer they finally take advantage of the great […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

Fat loss should be easy. It certainly looks easy on paper. What makes it tough is the fact that we tend to over complicate things. The human mind comes up with all sorts of ideas that seem legitimate at the time, but are really just excuses to avoid change. My goal in this post is to call out the common lame excuses that get in the way of hitting fat loss goals. I don't want this to be some generic bland post. Let's dig deep into excuses. I'll list some ones that I see consistently, but would love for you guys to continue in the comment section. I love digging into the psychology of achievement, success, etc. This should be fun.

[Unfortunately, the tricks that your mind plays on you don’t seem bizarre like this lizard lady. They seem perfectly normal and logical.]
"I Should Rest and Take A Nap to Insure […]

Original post by admin

With all the recent focus on alternative and complementary therapies, the number of people using acupuncture and the variety of conditions it’s used for are quickly expanding in the U.S. A good number of MDA readers use it, I know, and quite a few have asked about it over the years. A few I know visit a practitioner regularly and maintain that the routine figures strongly in their ongoing good health. Some reject it outright as a medical practice, while still others look to it as a last resort for a specific (and often acute) problem. Finally, some have considered using acupuncture but remain on the fence, like reader Abe:
Dear Mark,
Going fully Primal several months ago has helped me lose all the weight I needed to, and I’m in good shape since changing my workout when I began reading your blog a year and a half ago. The problem […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

Figured I’d post some meals me and my clients are eating.
Rest day meal

This is a good way to start rest days. I’ll usually throw together some fattier cuts of meat and fry it with mushrooms, onion and veggies. Quick, easy and very satiating.
300-400 g ground lamb. I’ll use ground beef or ground chicken for variety.200-300 g mushrooms and onion.300-400 g veggies. Goes well with broccoli.
I always include some kind of treat afterwards. Cottage cheese and berries is a favourite.

250-500 g cottage cheese. 1-1.5% fat depending on brand.200-300 g berries. Usually strawberries, raspberries or blueberries.
Pre-workout meal and a treat (Andreaz)
This is what bodybuilding champ Andreaz might be eating as a pre-workout meal.

200-250 g of chicken breastA baked potatoMore potatoesSalladSome sauce (looks like ajvar)
He tends to eat out a lot so the above is guesswork on my part. Here’s a nice little treat he likes to eat:

Protein muffins. Check out the stats […]

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Martin Berkhan)

In recent years, nose to tail eating has been embraced by celebrity chefs and gourmands, but it’s hardly a new idea. Eating an entire animal, not just the prime cuts of meat, is seen by many as a way to respect the animal that has been butchered, not to mention it’s darn practical. “Waste not, want not” is something many grandmothers preached long before terms like “sustainability” were being thrown around. Speaking of grandmothers….for many of us, the savory aroma of liver frying in a pan brings us right back to her kitchen. If your grandmother was like most, liver was either fried up with onions or chopped up with hard boiled eggs. It was not done up Cajun-style and served over a bed of greens, but we’re thinking if it was, we just might have eaten more of it.

Cajun Blackened Chicken Livers with Lemon and Garlic is the first […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

Yesterday I mentioned that sea vegetables are a great source of iodine. “But what is iodine?” many emailers asked. Well, dear friends, iodine is elemental. Let’s take a trip through the land of iodine to learn what it is, what it does for the human body and whether you should make an effort to get more iodine in your diet.
What is Iodine?
Iodine is a highly water-soluble trace element that’s rare in the earth’s crust, but fairly prevalent in its seas. Our bodies require it, for several reasons. Our thyroid glands use it to make thyroid hormones (T3 molecular weight is 59% iodine; T4 molecular weight, 65%), and a severe deficiency can manifest in the development of goiter, which is the thyroid gland swelling up in an attempt to keep up the pace of iodine uptake from the blood and thyroid hormone production. Lovely stuff, eh? Other common symptoms of iodine […]

Original post by Mark Sisson