Effortless Paleo podcast on PaleoJay Smoothie Cafe

I have been involved in the ancestral lifestyle for a long time now.  I don’t go to conferences, or meet up with like minded paleo people, because for me it is simply a lifestyle and conviction, not a business.  

But I do try to spread the ‘gospel of paleo’ if you will, at least among friends and family.  And I’m here to tell you it is a tough sell!  For people to change what they eat, to start exercising if they never have, and to get a good solid night of sleep in a blacked out room if they have fallen into bad, modern habits- why, change is difficult!  And to change your entire lifestyle, if it has gone off the rails like most folks nowadays- well, that just seems overwhelming.

Sometimes, if you have an autoimmune disease, and either it is explained to you or else you have discovered yourself through research that a paleo diet can be both preventive and healing for such a condition- that is enough to scare you straight!  It certainly should be, in my opinion.

But the sad truth is that most people, given the option of changing their diet and lifestyle to become disease free and vibrantly healthy or taking prescription medicines- they say just give me the meds doc!  I think they do this unaware that, while the meds they are prescribed might mask some of their symptoms, they do nothing in terms of healing the underlying problem.  And so, by taking what they assume to be the ‘easy’ way (although usually very expensive and fraught with side-effects from the drugs), these people gradually become sicker and sicker, not to mention fatter and less vital day by day, year by year…

And then, inevitably: this person gets another autoimmune disease!  This stuff is cumulative, folks.

But there is a rather effortless way to go about all of this.  A way to reap all the benefits of a paleolithic, ancestral type of diet and lifestyle without changing things up that much.  What is this miraculous secret formula?  

Simple- substitute ingredients in foods you enjoy that are healthy and natural!  Usually the results are superior to those fake foods you thought were so tasty, and so it is kind of like having your cake and eating it too.  It is possible to eat a wonderful paleo diet and not restrict yourself to mountains of vegetables and huge plates of grass fed meat.

For instance, today I made a wonderful sardine salad that was nearly indistinguishable from a normal tuna salad, although it had a real tang that I loved.  Not fishy at all, I think the greek yogurt and mustard, paprika and scallions, onions and carrots I added made it into the best ‘tuna’ salad ever- and super healthy, since sardines are one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet!  (Cheap too).  I mean, there is nothing wrong with tuna, but a bottom of the food chain fish like sardines are free of mercury and other heavy metals, and loaded with every part of the animal, not just the muscle meat- the bones, the skin, the organs- everything.  But, mixed into a yummy salad, you don’t have to choke it all down, not at all.

I even made a sandwich of it!  I know, heresy, and there was a time when I would have never done it but- I used gluten free bread that I toasted.  See, you can eat as you like, just substitute things.  Of course, I still don’t recommend eating every gluten free cookie and cake and bread and french toast etc. that you want- that isn’t healthy.  But, sometimes- if you use the gluten free, non-sprayed liberally with poisonous glyphosate alternative- you will enjoy what you want, and not poison yourself in the process.

It’s not like it used to be- there are gluten free alternatives everywhere, even in many restaurants!  And you can use as much butter as you want, since you know that it is the grains and sugars- not the fats- that cause the problems in our health.  If you have margarine or vegetable oil in your cupboards, either just throw it all out, or use it to lubricate hinges and locks.  That is what it was originally for, and really all that it is good for!

As for exercise: if you think that the ‘only’ way to be paleo is to join a Crossfit gym and spend hours training per week- well, it’s not, and that isn’t even a remotely good idea, in my opinion.  The best, most productive way to exercise is on your own, by yourself, at home.  You hardly even need any equipment to get amazing results!

Do virtual resistance training, also called the ‘Tiger Moves’.  This is where you flex while putting your limbs through their full range of motion- you do a flex-stretch over each part of your body.  Read my ebook Perfectly Paleo Exercise to get the idea, or else just go over to transformetrics.com and check out the exercises demo.  This is truly effortless, lifetime exercise for everyone!

Exercise first thing in the morning, and if you go to bed early and get up early as you should, you will have plenty of time.  Do it in front of the television, and you will look forward to it as I do!  You can add in pushups, and stretching on the floor (I use a yoga mat), straight legged sit ups and hindu squats, ab roller exercise and plank holds.  

I also recommend isometrics, the most time-efficient and result strength producing exercises of all time, done with a simple nylon strap, followed by rebounding as you go through the Tiger Moves once again.  But I have added in all of these over time, as I replaced my basement gym weight workouts gradually more and more with these Perfectly Paleo sorts of exercises…

Start with just 15 minutes, but trust me- you will become addicted, and want to add more and more, because it just feels so good!  (And because you want to finish your TV program!)

Then, make some scrambled eggs with pastured cheese and scallions along with your coffee in the French Press.  (Sprinkle cinnamon, cloves, and cacao powder on the coffee you grind before you press it- healthy and tasty).  Heck, even make yourself a slice of gluten free toast, slathered with butter or a nut butter- you’ve earned it!

Go for a walk in the woods or in a park, somewhere in nature, whether a sun-dappled glade in summer, or a snow covered trail in winter- Nature is our Mother, and calms us as nothing else.  Meditate in silence somewhere during your day, whether after lunch in your truck on the job site, or in a comfortable chair on your deck as the birds chirp.  Shut your eyes and just think over and over to yourself 1-1-1-1.  This works well for me, turning off my chattering ‘monkey mind’ as I become as one with my natural environment.  10-15 minutes is plenty, you will be totally refreshed and revitalized.

And then- reward yourself and your family, occasionally with a gluten free pizza!  Sonoma makes a great one- I like to add additional onions, tomatoes, cheese, and anchovies!  Paleo isn’t so hard now, is it?