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Friday, December 30, 2011

Getting Rid of Eyeglasses!

I wore eyeglasses from my teens, until I was in my late 50's...

I never really thought about it much, except that it was kind of a pain.  Especially when exercising, skiing, playing sports- come to think about it, it kind of got in the way in almost everything I loved doing!  Except for maybe reading...

And, my prescription got stronger every time I went in for a checkup!  I never thought about it, but my eyes were steadily getting weaker, year after year, even while my progressively strength trained body got stronger.  It was only when I found out about the supreme importance of nutrition, specifically the paleo diet of real food- meat, seafood, vegetables, healthy fats, nuts seeds and fruits- that is when my health took a dramatic turn for the better!

But this is about eyesight, right?  
Here is a link for you: Are eyeglasses a scam?

But, for now, just remember this- eyeglasses are casts for your eyes!  

If you wear a cast on your arm, what happens?  That's right, the arm in the cast withers, and weakens- and quite quickly and dramatically, too!!

Wear these "casts" on your eyes, year after year, and what can you expect but dramatic decrease in eye sight strength?  How can you avoid this?

First off- don't get stronger prescriptions!  Insist on a slightly weaker prescription, if you are already wearing glasses.  Get one just strong enough that you can, with some effort, make out what you are looking at.  Do this, and the next time you go to the Eye Dr., get an even weaker prescription.

I know this sounds strange, but let me say this: I no longer wear glasses at all, and this is after over 40 years of wearing them!  I can't tell you how liberating it feels, in more ways than just improved eyesight!
One of the major benefits I have noticed is that, since my left eye was considerably weaker than my right eye, and the right, intuitive side of the brain controls the left eye, my creative side was stifled and controlled by the left, dogmatic, purely logical side of my brain!

Now that my left eye is stronger than my right, it has wrought a profound personality "shift", making me a much more creative, free-thinking, live-in-the-moment kind of person.  Also, I believe that just the constant act of looking at life through little lenses puts you in the position of being "removed" from the action- makes you more of an "observer" than as a real, living, participant in life!

Leaving glasses behind is really that life changing!

OK, so how do you do it?  Simple- just don't wear glasses when you don't need them! (First step)
It depends how bad your vision has deteriorated, but many of us really don't need glasses as soon as we get up, to walk to the bathroom- yet we often put them on immediately!  Don't!

If you can read without glasses, don't put them on!  If you need them currently to drive, take them off when you get there!  When you read, move the print back just enough that you can make out the print.  Don't make it too easy- make your eyes work- and periodically look up, and focus on something farther away.  If you are far sighted, do the opposite!  Move the print closer; make your eyes focus just "on the edge" of where it starts to go out of focus.

You get the idea!  Gradual eye improvement will happen, if you let it, naturally!  Just minimize the unnatural times you immobilize your eyes behind the casts of eyeglasses or contact lenses!  

One other thing I'm convinced of is that, just as in all else in health, eating a paleo, or ancestral diet, consisting of REAL FOODS and devoid of grains, sugars, and industrial seed oils if paramount in restoring and building the health of your eyesight, or of any other part of your body or your mind! 
Nutrition can make or break anything you do- it really is that important!!

Work at your vision, and you may, like me, surprise yourself and become free of glasses!

Here is another excellent link:  gettingstronger.org

Just be persistent, and get in touch with an optometrist that works in Behavioral Optometry!  
Other optometrists tend to be...resistant to working with your desire to lessen your prescription.  Just as most standard MD's tend to be resistant to the idea of "Letting nutrition be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food", despite the fact that that last is a quote from Hippocrates, the founder of Western Medicine, whom all Medical Doctors are sworn to follow!  Ironic, I know, but there are good an bad doctors, just like there are good and bad in all walks of life...

I found Dr. Ann Wonderling in my area of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and she is "wonderful" to work with indeed!
BEFORE-Just getting started...

AFTER- in touch with my creative side 3 years later...


Tuesday, December 27, 2011

New Year for a new Paleo You! The BEATLES would have LOVED PALEO!!

New Year for a new Paleo You!

Wouldn't you have liked to be at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, circa 1961?

How cool would that have been?  There is just something about being...

WAY ahead of the curve- at the bleeding edge- really, really ahead of the game!  I mean, you could have gone up, after their set, and introduced yourself to a grateful for the attention John Lennon and Paul McCartney!  (And Ringo wasn't even around!  YOU would have been cooler than him!!)

Well, that is you, RIGHT NOW, if you decide to go ahead with the paleo diet, because it is the smartest, most beneficial thing you can do for your health, BAR NONE!!

I know, I know- that's a really strong statement!  But really, should you care to investigate it, all of the science is there to back it up, along with even more anecdotal evidence than you could believe.


But, you think, is it HARD?

Well, yes and no... NOT hard to understand!  

1. Eliminate grains and legumes!
2. Eliminate sugar, and industrial seed oils (Crisco, corn oils, soybean oil, etc.)

It's all really actually rather simple...

The only hard part is unlearning all of the marketing BS we've been fed since childhood, i.e.:

(Marketing Lies):

Saturated Fat is bad!
Healthy whole grains!
Skim milk, and other LOW FAT choices are healthy!
Calories in- Calories out!!  Exercise MORE, and eat LESS!!
Cardio/Aerobic exercise is best!

If you don't already know it:
ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE LIES!  
MISINFORMATION! PROPAGANDA TO PROMOTE DRUGS/PROCESSED FOODS!!

If you "take the plunge", and follow the paleo diet

Not only will you save your health, and that of your loved ones...

But you will be really, really cool!!  BEATLES COOL!!

And, since you are ready to be really, really, really COOL- 

I am offering you a free download of a really cool book! 


This is an eBook that will, at the very least, open your eyes to just how to approach your life, and the world in general, to maximize your own potential.

This is the first step: your attitude.  Your approach to living.

The next, logical step, is to revamp your diet!

No surprise, I have a book that will help you there, as well!  

It's not free, but, since I wrote it, I know it will make your paleo diet journey as painless, and easy as it can be made!  


There you go- shameless self-promotion!

But, I wouldn't do it if I didn't think it would really help you achieve a better, much healthier life!!

If you don't want to buy the book, that's fine by me.  You can just eat Paleo, read my own and other blogs, like that of Robb Wolf and Mark Sisson- there really is all the information you need therein!

The thing about the Paleo Quick Start smoothie, though, is that...

It just makes it all really easy!!

Paleo eating demands lots of cooking-  the use of the smoothie really cuts down the cooking!

Nutrient dense foods are the cornerstone of any ancestral diet, of which Paleo is the main lynchpin!

The Paleo Smoothie makes the vegetables, coconut, and other adjuncts you need all very, very bio-available to be easily, and beneficially digested and utilized!!

So, get both of these books, if you want to be as COOL AS THE BEATLES!!

Or, if you just want to be really healthy, slim, and disease free!
J



Wednesday, December 21, 2011

How to eat paleo- why and how-paleo in a nutshell- in diagram form-by Melissa Mcewen reviewing Robb Wolf



THIS IS REALLY THE MOST CONCISE WAY TO DESCRIBE THE PALEO DIET THAT I HAVE YET SEEN!  
Forward to all of your inquisitive friends and acquaintances that 
constantly ask you
"HOW do you eat??"
And WHY??

A comprehensive solution to modern health problems
He makes a convincing case for not including gluten even in paleo "cheats." At his seminar he said to "cheat" with a gluten-free beer or a corn tortilla and not to wreck your immune system with bread. Because that's exactly what wheat does. Lectins in wheat are generally considered by researchers to be the most dangerous because of how they can disrupt the gut lining. In good digestion the gut cells have healthy microvilli (the brush thingys) rich in enzymes that help break things down in order to usher usable proteins into the bloodstream.
Yay, this steak is so nicely broken down, your microvili are very happy
Lectins in gluten assault the microvilli, potentially leading to poorer absorption of nutrients and increased gut permeability, which can allow poorly broken down proteins into the bloodstream. This can activate the immune system, leading to autoimmunity and inflammation.
W/ Gluten Ur microvilli R sad
Sound complicated? The Achilles heel of Robb's book is that it might not appeal to people who are intimidated by science. If you like watching NOVA and enjoyed biology class, this book is for you.
If the very thought of omega-3 fatty acids gives you a massive headache...maybe you need some fish oil and frankly you can skip the science-y chapters, because they make up only half of the book. The other half is practical implementation: how to get nutrients, when to supplement, how to exercise, and how to plan meals. One of the take home messages is that almost everyone has the ability to do paleo. If you can make scrambled eggs and saute chicken breast, you can do paleo. Paleo doesn't have to be complicated, it can involve foods you already eat and love! Furthermore, Robb tells you how to customize the diet based on your goals:

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Plantar Fasciitis!

All human beings should be able to perform
basic maintenance on themselves



Above: Kelly Starrett, of mobilitywod.com


I have had plantar fasciitis.  Most people who walk and/or run a LOT eventually develop this problem!   And it is a real problem- quite debilitating, really.  Each and every step is... a pain. Not a good way to go through life!

What to do?

The first thing to understand is that the pain is caused by inflammation; this is the same inflammation causing most of the other ills in our bodies- all of the "itis" diseases-  all are inflammation of our tissues to some extent or other.

The main cause of inflammation, of course, is our diet, which is off the charts high in grains, sugars, and industrial seed oils. 


So, the first order of business is to get these out of our diets!


The next step is to add omega 3 oils INTO our diets.  Wild caught Salmon, sardines, and a good quality cod liver oil, such as Carlson's, should become staples of your diet!

I know, I KNOW-  you're in pain, and we all want immediate fixes in the modern day world.
After all, that's what drugs have always promised us!


Let's get past the "quick fix" mentality- it's too good to be true, and it's not true.  We want to correct the cause, not the symptom.


The primary cause of foot (and knee, and hip, and BACK pain is):

SHOES!

Really!  We think:

 "Oh, my foot hurts, I must need more padding/arch support/insoles/cushions etc. in shoes and around my feet!"

The thing is, our feet are meant to function barefoot; balancing our weight throughout the complex foot structure, making minute adjustments to our gait as we amble along- shifting from big toe to little, and all in between... like a cat.  Encasing our feet in shoes, while necessary in our modern world, is still like putting them in casts.  

What happens to your arm in a cast?  And Quickly, too??

Your arm withers, loses strength, and gets... really small!  

Now think of your poor feet.  They have been encased in little "casts" for most of your life!  They are almost as weak as the feet of the Chinese brides whose feet were "bound" so they could be artificially made tiny!  

Just by wearing shoes most of the time, your feet are weak, and frail, and ready to fail!  (Hey- note to self: great song lyric!)

So, that's how it happens- your weak, pampered little feet, encased in the little casts you constantly wear on your feet, finally get so weak and inflamed that they start to really hurt!!

WHAT TO DO?

Firstly, go barefoot as much as possible!  (Stockinged feet counts as barefoot!)

Start to walk around your yard barefoot!  Just like Tom Sawyer!!  Really- it's how our feet were meant to function!!  Eventually, graduate to barefoot sprinting, detailed elsewhere in this blog, (and elsewhere on other sources).

In shoes, less is more.  Less cushioning/padding is really more natural, and better for your feet than more padding is!  Go Natural!!  God made us a certain way for good reason!!
And Forget the High Heels!!  Geez...

Now, I know you wonder:

"But PaleoJay- WHAT DO I DO IN THE HERE AND NOW??"

Check out this video, pilgrim: plantar fasciitis exercise video

Some very effective, no-nonsense fixes here!  This guy really knows what he's talking about- not a fancy video (to say the least!), but if you really want to address your problem, not just be coddled (like those silly little immobilizing "boots" that physicians and others try to sell), Kelly Starrett here tells you how to really fix the underlying problem!

And all you need is a La Crosse ball or two...

OK- follow the above, and not only will you solve your plantar fasciitis foot pain:

But, following the dietary anti-inflammatory advice, 

You will cure most of the modern day diseases of civilization!  

Really!!

No (Wheat, Rye, Corn, Soy) GRAINS!  No (Corn Syrup, Cane Sugar, Agave) SUGARS! 
 No SOY, CORN, or other Industrial, (Rancid) Seed Oils!!

=

NO MODERN DISEASES!!

It really is that simple.  

J
And, for a reward for reading through all of that information, I offer you this photo of my daughter Holly (in the RED), riding her bike with her cherished, paleo cat, ZEKE, in her basket.  
Obviously, Holly does NOT need a headlamp!!

Does an all-meat and fat, paleo CAT diet lead to lambent eyes?
Possibly the subject of a future post...

Saturday, December 17, 2011

The Perfect Paleo Exercise!

You've heard of weight lifting/ strength training/bodybuilding










You've heard of power lifting.










You've heard of Olympic lifting!





You've even heard of Movnat!




Movnat is a great step in the right direction...

But, what you have NOT heard of is...

Visualized Resistance!   (Here are all the exercises you need, in a form you can easily duplicate.  Thank John Peterson and Wendy Pett for the demonstrations, but then, just do them, daily).

This is the stuff that Charles Atlas made his reputation from-  self resistance generated within the muscles!  It is also known as DYNAMIC TENSION!  (Remember from the comic books??)
The Comic Books withstanding...  it WORKS!!





You just- self resist throughout the range of motion.  So simple it seems almost... fake!

But it is not at all!  I honestly believe that, for MOST people, Visualized resistance is ALL that they really need to be totally fit!!  


That, and a completely PALEO DIET, eschewing grains and sugars, primarily!

I really think that, from a "Moving Naturally" and a "Paleo" perspective; i.e. getting back to what is natural for humans, nothing is more natural than this self resisted, cat-like means of natural exercise!

And NOW, my new eBook is out on Amazon- Perfectly Paleo Exercise
Soon to also be available on all other vendors, including the iBookstore...

Bottom line?

Fix your diet!  Eliminate grains and sugars.  NOW!!  
That is at least 80% of the battle!!

For the rest of the battle?  Well, I would say:

Incorporate a paleo smoothie that immediately fixes the deficiencies in your diet that you've had for decades:   


All of the micro-nutrients, proteins, intestinal-repair and rejuvenating agents, vitamins, minerals, and just plain nutrient dense foods that you've been lacking for... decades, at least!


That is MOST of the battle!  REALLY!


But, after you've incorporated all of the dietary changes that will revolutionize how you look, feel, and perform...


Well, you need to perform!  


These exercises will help you to do just that:

Safely- Easily (No equipment needed!!)- and VERY effectively!!


I know, I am a lone voice in the wilderness on this; but trust me:

Weight lifting is a dead end.  Body weight resistance is not only adequate...

It is really all you need!!  


AND SELF RESISTANCE (VISUALIZED ESPECIALLY) IS THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN NATURAL HEALTH!


Just try it, please!   Coupled with a paleo diet there is nothing better for you.

I think it doesn't catch on, primarily, because, just like the Paleo Diet-

THERE IS NOTHING TO SELL!!


J



Thursday, December 15, 2011

Paleo Diet, Dairy, and home made Kefir!

There is a lot of confusion in the Paleo sphere about dairy:  is it OK?  Sometimes?  Often?  WHAT!?
I have found that, at least in my case, dairy is a fine addition to my Paleo diet!  Granted, I rarely drink milk; the bulk of my intake is in the form of Kerrygold (i.e. pastured/grass fed butter), full-fat Greek style yogurt, and now- ta da!- homemade Kefir.

I purchased some kefir "grains" via eBay, and added them to a quart jar of whole, organic, local milk. (Pictured above)  This milk has to be tasted to be believed- kind of like what was available from the "milk man" when I was a wee lad...  And they also sell organic cream (in glass)- YES!

So, up above is the jar of the cultured Kefir, and to the right is a small dish of my precious, multiplied, ever-regenerating kefir grains.  Now, I have two quart jars going of kefir, one of whole milk, the other of goat milk!  Actually, 2-3 days after adding about a Tablespoon of the grains to a jar filled with milk, and the kefir is perfect!  I just let it sit on the counter at room temperature ( leave the lid jar loose- the effervescence of the fermenting could break the glass otherwise) - nothing could be easier!

When I purchased my kefir, (it's rather expensive), I would only use about 1/2 of a cup in my Paleo smoothie... Now, though, with fresh, active, cheap, really tangy and tasty kefir, I use about a cup and 1/2 in each smoothie!  

What a difference in the taste of the whole smoothie!!

Really, this is the way to go- get some grains, and make your own kefir.  Very easy, and the benefits of the fermented beverage are so good in terms of gut health and repair.  The probiotics, or intestinal bacteria that kefir affords your system are incredibly valuable, especially in this modern age of damaged intestines with permeable membranes, insulted by having been subjected to high levels of grains, legumes and sugars over a lifetime of poor, Big Ag eating.

And, these probiotics, or gut bacteria that we are putting back into our guts where they belong, help us in so many ways!  They help us to digest (we don't really do most of the digesting of our foods- our friendly bacteria do that for us).  They also are potent cancer fighters; we all have cancer and other "predator" agents within us at all times- the only thing that protects us is our ability to fight them off!  
Gut bacteria, or probiotics are one of our first, and most potent lines of defense.

If you are of Northern European descent, full-fat dairy will probably not be a problem for you at all to digest!  (Northern Europeans have been consuming dairy for many thousands of years as a mainstay of their diet).  And, even if you are not, by consuming kefir daily for a couple of weeks, you will colonize the bacteria within your intestines...

and you will become able to digest dairy!
Or, rather, the kefir bacteria that you have introduced into your system will
digest it for you!  

So, give kefir a try!  This is the first real change I've made to the Paleo Quick Start smoothie, tripling the amount of included Kefir, and it's a big improvement, both in taste and in nutritional value!!
J

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Are we just like ancient Rome in Poisoning ourselves?


Contaminants in our water and other environmental hazards- are they making us sick?  Especially mentally sick??

One of the theories about the fall of Ancient Rome is that of lead poisoning.  The Romans used lead in their famous aqueducts; also in sealing their wine jars (of which they drank a great deal!).  The most recent, and most convincing theory is that the aging vats of their wine-making were universally sealed with lead- this makes the most sense of all...

Also, that they used lead paste as a birth control method.

This last is right up there with us using the "pill" as birth control- deregulating hormones, and really screwing up the metabolism long-term!!

But my other point is this: our widespread pollution of groundwater, not to mention our addiction to plastics and teflon in our cooking and food storage-

Is poisoning us as surely as the Romans poisoned themselves with lead!

I have friends with well water that has tested high in arsenic- until testing, they were totally unaware of this HUGE hazard lurking in their lives!

I also know of many people, some older, but an alarming number of younger people, who are being diagnosed as bi-polar, and with depression, fibromyalgia, and a whole litany of mental disorders.

To me, and I know this is anecdotally, but it sure appears there is a strong connection between the pollution of our water and other foodstuffs and our mental (and of course physical) health.  

The Greeks thought that those who ignored history were condemned to repeat it.  I think we are doing just that, by repeating the poisoning of ourselves, just as the Romans did!
J

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Misled and Ill fed- implementing the paleo diet in spite of a lifetime of "misinformation"



Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food
- Hippocrates, the founder of Western, scientific-based medicine


It is overwhelming for many "newbies" to paleo to have trouble determining just how to switch over to a grain-free, low sugar, nutrient dense type of ancestral diet!  And rightfully so; it is hard to turn off a lifetime of mistaken and misleading brainwashing, and turn on a way of eating that will truly nourish our bodies and minds.

I truly feel that this is the very beginning of the end for the Goliath of Big Food, Big Pharma, and big Medicine!


This Goliath, that has, in self-interest or else in complete ignorance and delusion destroyed the health of the Western world, is gradually, and more-and-more coming into confrontation with the David of the Paleo Diet- that David  that is now quite small, armed only with a tiny "sling", which is the internet, but the same little David that has the ultimate, long-range ability to bring down the incredible Goliath of our economy, which collectively (Big Pharmaceuticals, Big Food (GRAIN) cartels, and conventional Medicine) commands over 40% of our economy.


This 'PaleoDavid' can also bring our health, nutrition, food and wellness back down to a local, grassroots, manageable level.

How to achieve good health, banish disease and feel really good, all without prescription drugs, processed foods, and huge medical bills?

Dr. Terry Wahls has an interesting answer for all of us:

http://www.terrywahls.com

What she espouses is basically the Paleo Diet!

Go thou and do likewise-
Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food!


Friday, December 9, 2011

Aerobic Isometrics- Goes GREAT with Paleo Diet!

But, no one knows it!  (Except YOU!) and me, of course...



All right: the above is me in my farmhouse basement, doing an "aerobic isometric" dip exercise.  I made the dipping bars about 30 years ago, from pipe I bought from Menard's.  The cost was very minimal...

Anyway, that's not the point, really!  Dip stations are readily available- the problem is doing the dips!
Most people just can't do them!  They are demanding, just like chin-ups, and dips are especially demanding (and even somewhat dangerous for the untrained!) in the extreme low position.

The "aerobic isometric" version of the dip solves all of this!

By helping the "dip" just enough with the legs, the dip becomes:

1. As easy as you want, or need it to be
2. As safe as can be!
3. MORE productive than a standard dip, even for a trained athlete who has done them for years!


How can this be?  Easy:  the exercise is being done in a manner that invites and encourages loading of the musculature and joints through a full range of motion, slowly, without "momentum, i.e. heaving of the weight".  It also includes complete loading of the targeted muscles throughout- 
all done with complete safety, and, given the duration of the set- maximum inroad to the musculature involved!

What this means, in a nutshell, is that aerobic/isometric exercises exhaust, and initiate strength gains in your muscles in a completely safe manner, in one of the most productive formats possible!

It's like "Paleo Exercise"!  Aerobic Isometrics are one of the easiest, safest, most productive exercises on the planet!

Here are a couple more "aerobic isometric" exercises for you to explore:

There are more, but they will be the subject of further posts...  For now, just experiment with:
Aerobic Isometrics!  Odd to the uninitiated, but very effective!


I even have more in the category of aerobic isometrics- I mean, you can do these with other exercises-

But they are made to order with the chin and dip exercises!!  
J





Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Liquid Breakfast, Paleo style!

OK- here is my breakfast today: A paleo smoothie, coffee (actually espresso) topped with real organic whipped cream (THANKS Kitchenaid Mixer!),  and hot chocolate, a wonderful beverage made with Hershey's special dark cocoa, two Truvia packets,  hot water and MORE whipped cream...

The HOT beverages are then sprinkled liberally with cinnamon and cloves!

I mean, this is the lap of luxury!  In the ancient world, these ingredients would be enough to signify incredible wealth, if not the meal of royalty.  But we, in the western world, can have these, daily, easily and cheaply...

WHY THEN DON'T WE??


I really mean this!  Since we can have incredibly satisfying, nutritious foodstuffs  virtually whenever we so desire, why do most of us choose cheap, processed, unsatisfying, non-nutritious CRAP???


Two words:  Marketing and Laziness

We have been "marketed" to from our births.  The ability of marketers is incredible: they can make us desire things that we have never even considered, to the point where we will do almost anything to acquire those things that they are... pushing!
In the immortal words of the rock band Steppenwolf- "God Damn- the pusher man!"The Pusher Man!

Actually, that is somewhat harsh- they are just doing their job- convincing us to buy their "stuff".  But, they do intentionally mislead us, when they tout the benefits of "whole grains" and "vitamin fortified" to get us to buy their Count Chocula and Captain Crunch types of crappy nightmare breakfast cereals.

They really are the "pusher man", come to think of it!

Laziness: That's the other side of the coin.  We ALL want things to be "easy".  Why not??

And so, the pusher man latches on to that fact, and tells us how easy it is to just eat a big bowl of "healthy" cereal, with nutrient "heart healthy" pasteurized skimmed milk, and then to eat a Big Mac super sized meal (you deserve a break today!), and then have a hearty, heart-healthy bowl of pasta and low fat breadsticks for supper, since you are concerned about your health!

If it was up to you, in the "wild", with not pusher man around, what would you choose?

I'll tell you what: you'd choose the most nutrient-dense food you could find!  Eggs, vegetables, seafood, tubers, fruits- whatever you could get your hands on!!


Fruity Pebbles would not even be on your radar...

And you'd be the better for it!!

Our bodies crave nutrient dense foods.  If we deny it, our bodies will demand that we eat more!
And more!
AND MORE!


Until we satisfy their need for vital nutrients!


And, if we keep eating "pusher-man crap"?  i.e. Mc Donald's, breakfast cereals, donuts, pop...


Our bodies will tell us to just KEEP ON EATING!!
"WE NEED NUTRIENTS!!"  


But if we keep eating "junk/pusher-man marketer mainstream low-fat crap"...

Our bodies will continue to scream: "EAT MORE!!" ad infinitum...


J

Monday, December 5, 2011

Perfect paleo addition!

KEFIR!

Kefir, a fermented milk beverage that is NOT pictured above!  (That's from a wonderful restaurant called Maldaner's in Springfield, Illinois- Pork and vegetables in a wondrous presentation- oh my!!)

Anyway, back to Kefir- a fermented milk, sometimes water, and sometimes coconut milk beverage from the Caucasus of Russia!  The milk version is unbelievably good; I have started with standard cow milk and kefir grains; goat milk is preferable if you have milk digestive problems.

I love my homemade kefir!!


It is so cheap to make, and so fresh, that it has become a Paleo Quick Start Smoothie mainstay!  And it is so easy to make, once you try it you won't want to be without it!


I've used Kefir for quite some time now in my smoothies; but, in the interest of making it easy, I used the store-bought version.

I'll never go back!


Not only is this easy, it is even easier than going to the store to buy all of those small, plastic, processed bottles of the stuff!  Basically, all you do is put some kefir grains in a jar, add milk, cover loosely, and leave on the counter for a day of two- that's it!!


So now I double the quantity of kefir in my smoothies, or even triple it!!


It has improved the taste, nutrition, and digestibility dramatically!  And this is right out of the box- they say that the first few batches might be "off tasting", but as the grains incorporate local strains of "fauna" into the batches, it should even out the taste.  My first batch is just great- what will my 10th or 20th be like??  I really can't wait to find out!


"But Paleojay" you say, "How do I get started on this money-saving, health-promoting, life-enhancing endeavor??"

Glad you asked, grasshopper:


Have fun in your new hobby, and please- let me know how it goes!!  
I believe that Kefir will become a mainstay in your life, and in your health!
PJ

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Barefoot sprinting in Winter?

Obviously, barefoot sprinting is not something one would often do in Winter, at least not here in Wisconsin!  Since we just had our first, belated snowfall on December 4, and my Sunday, farmhouse basement workout was on the agenda, I needed a substitute.

I always usually do kettlebell swings on my Sunday workouts, but today I decided to... up the ante!


I did intervals of kettlebell swings, interspersed between my chins, dips, aerobic/isometric chins and dips-aerobic isometric dip  and aerobic isometric chin ups.

Just like the intervals I usually do sprinting across my acreage barefoot, the kettlebell swings tax every part of my body, for the 5 or 6 intervals I do, but in a do-able, and really kind of enjoyable way. (If your body has become accustomed to enjoying exertion!)

After you've "gone paleo" for a while, cutting the processed crap, grains and sugars from your diet, and added healthy fats, proteins, fruits and veggies (all easily done via the Paleo Quick Start Smoothie!), your body actually starts to crave exertion!  Just like our cat, Zeke craves to go outside and just run, jump, and play, even this old almost 60 year old wants to do the same!  Hard to believe, in our modern sick, medicated, under-exercised, sedentary society- but, if we become healthy again, we actually-

Feel again like we did when we were 10 years old!!  TONS of energy, and happy as a lark!!


I invite everyone to join me on the paleo journey!  Eat the way God intended us to eat- real food!
Move naturally!  Sleep LOTS!  Connect meaningfully with family and friends!  Play!  Make music, play golf, ride your bike, throw a frisbee, grow your garden, play in your yard, hike... you get my drift!

Live like you were put here by God to live a meaningful life, living up to your potential, fulfilling whatever gifts you have been given to develop, and then sharing them with others- this is what we are here for!

We are not here to watch spectator sports (we are meant to participate in sports- that's the whole point-they are supposed to be fun!) We are not here to watch TV- a little of good TVand movies is great; just think of TV and Netflix as dark chocolate- a little is great!  Too much... is heroin!  It will destroy you.

Start by eating right!  Believe it or not, then everything else will just make... common sense!
J

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Visualized Resistance training and isometrics as natural training, i.e. MOVNAT!

Here is my cat, Zeke!
When talking of MOVNAT, or natural movement training, he is my expert!  The way this little 8 month old runs, climbs, stretches and just plain MOVES is inspirational to me.  As I think it was to Charles Atlas, the comic book, mail order icon who resurrected visualized resistance training almost a century ago, after watching a lion (think ZEKE here!), who stretched, and FLEXED his muscles (as cats do!), and inspired him to think:

"Hey- if that's how cats (and other animals keep in prime physical shape... maybe that's how humans are meant to do so, as well!!"

He was right!  

You can do an arm curl (easy to visualize, that's why I use it), and consciously apply resistance, and make it as hard as you want!  Try it- see??  You just flex as you curl, and make it as hard as you'd like!

Then, you can add an isometric hold at the end of the curl- don't stint- flex with all you've got at the uppermost part of the movement!!

See what I mean? Do 7 reps or so of curls, with visualized, self-inflicted, mental resistance; top it off with an isometric hold for 4 or 5 seconds...

and you have just completed the hardest, most PRODUCTIVE,  set of biceps curls of your life!!

With no equipment, no set-up worries, and no danger of injuries!!

I think this type of training is a no-brainer!!  Do it for ALL of your body!!

Cats do.  Humans can too!  It's how the ancient Greeks trained, and the early Asian martial artists...  

It's so old, that it seems too "low tech" for us computerized, technology junkies.  But, simple training is probably (like simple eating, i.e. the Paleo diet humans have consumed for millions of years) the best for us!  

Check out visualized resistance training for a quick tutorial on visualized resistance exercise!  

Just do like John Peterson and Wendy Pett do on transformetrics.com!  They are the most current flag-bearers for visualized resistance, so pay attention!!


Zeke would help you, but he can't talk...

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

It's a Windows/Low Fat World! Paleo is the new Mac!

Years ago, the mantra was "it's a Windows World"; this was spouted by everyone who worked in an office, was immersed in the Microsoft business computer world, and wanted to impart their great wisdom to their offspring, and acquaintances as well-

"Don't fool around with this crazy Mac thing- it's a Windows world!"


Obviously, they have been proven very wrong, in spades!

But now we have the same mindset, in nutrition:

"Don't fool around with this crazy Paleo thing- It's a Low Fat World!"

Uh, it's just a supposition...

But maybe this idea will also be proved to be very wrong, in spades!
And actually, if you look at the science, it already has been.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Different levels of Paleo "buy-in"...

It seems to me that there are different levels of "buy-in" into the paleo diet mindset.  Some people might want to just eat "paleo"- no grains, no sugar, on occasion.  "A meal at a time" might be their motto.

Others, such as myself, are committed- we just know too much!  
We think about it: "If I eat this bread, I know my blood insulin levels will rise dramatically, and there are a host of bad effects that go along with my consumption, etc. etc....

Still others want to "lose weight", and think about "paleo" from that standpoint- "If I eat a paleo meal, I will lose weight!!  Cool!"


I guess the point I am making here is that there definitely are many buy-ins to paleo:
There are very few of us willing to eschew grains, and sugars, virtually forever, and we don't really have a problem with it, except for a very few "cheats" as we journey through our lives...

MOST people who are exposed to paleo feel as if eating paleo is a temporary thing, so they can lose weight, look good, and then go back to eating "normally", i.e. the SAD American diet!
You can use it this way, but it's a very weak way to approach the paleo way of life.  BUT, it is better than nothing!

Even if you approach paleo eating "one meal at a time", I believe that you will be FAR better off.  By eating just ONE paleo meal: meat or eggs, veggies and NO bread or sugar, you are vastly improved dietarily.
TOTAL dietary change is ideal!

Incremental, meal-by-meal improvement, is still good.

Just like in Christianity, we are all "on a journey".

This is just our "Paleo Journey"- and the result is an earthly "revelation"!
J

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Rosle Garlic Press- tool of Paleo living extraordinaire!

The health benefits of garlic are legion: who has not heard of warding off vampires by hanging the cloves around your neck?

But, the stuff of legend is usually founded on reality- garlic does indeed ward off really bad things- like cancer!   Here is a brief link detailing some of that-


Garlic – Best eaten raw. Supplements do not work as well as the whole herb.  The first cancer studies ever performed on garlic was in the 1950’s where researchers took the valuable active ingredient in garlic known as allicin and injected it into mice with cancer. The mice that were injected with allicin lived for 6-months and those not injected lived only 2-months. Since then numerous studies have proven the effectiveness of garlic in preventing cancer and disease.
Another active ingredient of garlic, allyl sulfur has been shown to be effective in inhibiting or preventing cancer development. A large scale study performed on middle age women from the epidemiological Iowa Women’s Health Center tested out with great results. The women who ate raw garlic regularly had a 35% lower risk of developing colon cancer.
OK- you want the benefits of raw garlic- how to easily gain them?  
Glad you asked that question- check out this very, very brief video I made tonight about my....



Rosle Garlic Press



You will want one, I know- I did!!

J

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Simple is usually better...

Here is my "simple supper"!  Not completely Paleo, not "ideal" perhaps, but when I get home late from work, it is ideal!  


Macadamia nuts, cheese, and berries...

Makes for a happy paleo person- and WAY better than a Happy Meal!!

AND, I must confess- most nights, I don't even eat supper!  Intermittent fasting, and it just... HAPPENS!
If I get home late (after 6:30 PM or so), I'm just NOT HUNGRY!
Breakfast, of several eggs and a Paleo Smoothie, maybe some meat; and a late lunch of tuna, salmon, or beef salad, or perhaps a tin of sardines- and I am replete with nutrition- not hungry- eating-is-not-an-issue is my mindset.  I just want to get out the guitar, to tell the truth!

So, keep your meals (and your life!) simple.  The simpler, the less complicated, the better.

The rest of life is too complex- do your best to eat right, sleep right, exercise right, and then relax!
Everything else is the "small stuff".
J

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Palatability and obesity

I think palatability, i.e. tastiness!, is a huge factor in obesity, and even just plain overeating!

Don't get me wrong: I think the taste of food is very important- I love food! (doesn't everyone?)  BUT, not to go ancient Roman on you, but I think we have given the taste of food precedence over the nutrition of food, to our own detriment!  Animals know what to eat, they love what they eat, when they eat... but, in the wild, they never overeat!  


Why?  I think it is because they are focused mainly on nutrition- survival- living another day to kill another meal.


I think our own forebears were similarly focused.  If you are in a survival situation... well, you think only about surviving, and thriving under difficult circumstances.  You choose nutrition!

Conversely, if you are like:
A. Modern Americans and other Westerners
B. or ancient, decadent Romans or the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah

You are mainly interested in the PLEASURE you derive from food!


(Think vomiting after eating Twinkies so you can eat some more....)

Paleo eating is Pre-Roman- and pre Sodom and Gomorrah to boot!

It is ALL about the nutrition, first and foremost.  The moral of the story?

Put together your Paleo Smoothie.  Drink it, (happily)!
It's palatable, mildly sweet, filling yet not so delicious you want to puke and drink some more, right?

Perfect!  Maximum nutrition with minimal deliciousness!!


Health in a glass!


Stay away from bakeries/crack dens!
J

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Sunday Workout

As regular readers of Paleo Quick Start already know, I mainly do a body-weight workout routine each morning, usually in front of the TV (blasphemy!), watching streaming Netflix movies.  The beauty of Netflix is that it keeps your place; when you resume watching the next morning, you pick up right where you left off!  Beauty...

On Sundays, though, I do something different:  I go into the basement dungeon/workout room, and go through a routine utilizing my dip bars, power rack/chinning bars, and other weight lifting accoutrements...
But sans weights!

I do regular chins and dips (my goal is 20 strict chin-ups by my 60th birthday next April, 2012.  Currently at 16 reps... BUT, after my regular chins and dips, I do the "Aerobic Isometric" version-

For chinups- I grasp the bar, but rest my feet on a small stool.  I slowly pull myself up through the chin, whilst keeping my eye on the clock.  I help myself just enough with my feet to barely make the rep happen, in strict slow motion!  I probably do 3 or 4 reps, max, in a minute's time.  That is my chin set!

Then, for dips, I do similarly: I help myself just enough, with my feet on the stool, to do the same 3 or 4 reps, throughout a very slow, full range of motion.  This technique enables totally loading the muscle in all positions- there is no "heaving" through some parts of the movement- for instance, at the bottom of the dip, where you are weakest, you can fully load the muscle, without fear of injury, with the help of your legs.

I do other exercises, such as hack squats, leaning way BACK whilst grasping the sides of the rack.  This takes the strain totally off of the knees!  And I similarly do one-legged squats, holding onto the sides yet again of the rack. (Helpful little power rack it is!)

My latest addition, however, is doing the kettle bell swing.  I'll do 20 reps, do another exercise, 20 more, another exercise, etc.  The kettle bell swing is a killer, but totally safe!

I'll have to list these exercises, with photos, for anyone who is interested.  Trust me- they are very effective, and get at the muscle fibers in a deeper fashion than body weight or even Visualized resistance exercises.  They just don't (and shouldn't!) be done very often!

Jay

Friday, November 11, 2011

Paleo is achievable, anywhere!

Here I am, in Columbus Ohio- I am visiting the North Market, which is a wonderful collection of independent restaurateurs, grocers, and butchers in one neat old building!  I'd never been to Columbus (or even Ohio!), but I was very impressed with the town, the people, and the culinary opportunities...

Most major, and even middle-sized communities are now like this: they have Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or some such marketer that supplies REAL FOOD in lieu of the processed crap that has become, lamentably, mainstream in the past few decades.  If YOU live in a major metropolis, you don't need to lament- real food is available now in metro areas easily- fresh, or frozen fruits and vegetables, meats, even grass-fed are readily available prepared and ready to eat! The only variable??

YOU!

You just need to choose REAL FOODS!  No boxes of "helpers", no "Ultra pasteurized", or "radiated" need to be chosen- vote with your dollars!  Real, Raw, minimally processed foods are ALL that we should eat.  This will get the attention of the food providers better than any proselytizing we could ever do- if the providers really believe that we only want REAL food- they will, finally, and reluctantly, move in that direction.

Processed, nutrition-less foods are much more profitable, and so they are reluctant to leave them behind...  there will be a backlash from the mainstream big-food grain cartels, Pharmaceutical companies and the American Medical Association that they support...

A BIG BACKLASH!!  Get ready!!

Lots of misinformation will be coming our way in the next decade or so!

Stick to your guns:

Real food.
Real exercise.
Real sleep.
Real relaxation and community with family and friends.

Medicine and medical professionals, i.e. Doctors, Dentists, Optometrists should be kept to a BARE MINIMUM!!

Go Old Westerns: you only see the old "sawbones" when you are shot, broke a limb, or you need a tooth extracted.  Otherwise, you STAYED AWAY and took care of yourself!!

SO, STICK TO YOUR GUNS!

"Have Paleo Will Travel!"

Finding the Person Within: A Mother and Daughter Journey | Mark's Daily Apple

Finding the Person Within: A Mother and Daughter Journey | Mark's Daily Apple

click on the link above, for an amazing transformation story!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Stress- a two-edged sword

We all deal with stress- you know, the stress from work, family, training, traffic, etc.....

NOT GOOD we all think!!

And, most of the time, we are correct in that assumption...

We DO need to manage our stress.  Minimize.  Consciously relax.  Meditate.

All of the above are important!

But, you know, stress is also our friend- we NEED stress!  The stress of physical training: overload on the muscles- more than the last strength training day.  After we STRESS our muscles and tendons and cardio system; we need to rest, eat wisely, and then...

STRESS them again!

For our muscles, stress is PROGRESS!

For our eyesight, again, stress is progress!  Do NOT let the optometrist talk you into a stronger prescription.  Ask for a WEAKER one!  The STRESS of a mildly weaker prescription will force your eyes to strengthen!  Then, you can get a new, even WEAKER prescription...
Progress in this fashion, and you are bucking the trend! If you wear a cast on your arm, it will get weaker, and wither away in strength....  Likewise, if you wear a CAST on your EYES, they will wither and weaken as well.

FIGHT your optometrist on this.You want the same, OR A WEAKER PRESCRIPTION!!

You need the STRESS of a mildly stressing prescription, or else your CAST-BOUND eyes will wither away!

Trust me on this.  I no longer need glasses!  Stress is sometimes your friend.

BUT, stress needs to be mild, and gradual.  If not, it will be TOO stressful (like in a negative job/relationship situation), and then...

Meditate.  Minimize.  Consciously relax.  Meditate.

The Ying and the Yang.  We need them both!  It's not really easy, but it does all make sense.
               Eyeglass Jay:

 Happier, NON eyeglass wearing Jay: