When NOT to Work Out!

A really big lesson that needs to be learned about health, fitness, and wellness is to not work out sometimes!

I know, for me this was a hard, hard lesson to learn, and actually internalize.  If you are motivated to change your diet to a paleo path, eliminating grains and vegetable oil, and replacing them with good meats and seafood and a green smoothie loaded with veggies and coconut milk, spices, green tea and berries- why, then you are highly motivated indeed.  Just like me!

And diet is definitely the number one thing most folks need to change.  There is no reason to go “by halves” here- clean up your diet- it is all positive!  No downside whatsoever.

But, here is the thing: exercise is different.  The big thing is this- everyone thinks that more is better!  

It’s not.  It seems as if it is at first, when you make great gains in musculature, endurance, and everything else.  

“Let’s just keep this going forever,” you think, “ I will exercise myself into a superman or woman!!”  You envision yourself getting bigger, leaner, and stronger forever, and eventually wearing a cape or carrying a golden lasso…

It doesn’t work that way.  At least not in the real world.  

Especially as you age.  And although I am now 65, I don’t mean that you have to be that old to change your exercise protocol- even if your are 30- well, you are no longer 20!  

The better your diet, actually, the less you NEED to exercise!  Diet is by far the most important element of fitness and health, and although I personally exercise every single day if I can- diet trumps exercise!  Exercise simply stimulates the body to use the good nutrients you have eaten, and takes advantage of the good rest and sleep you have had to utilize these nutrients to build your body into the healthy, wonderful shape that you want.

The takeaway here is this: if you feel you have to exercise every day, no matter what-

You don’t.  

Relax.  Chill out.  If your diet is good, if your home life is largely stress free (no one’s is, entirely!), and you have slept a good eight plus hours per night for a while-

Exercise is a good “plus” for you!  Do it, and go at it Perfectly Paleo Exercise style: hard, intense, and briefly.  This will stimulate muscular building, and also cardio improvements- but don’t forget stretching.  Stretching is almost as important as building muscle and endurance, and as you get older, it is even more important!  

Get on the floor, squat down for time, and STRETCH every day of your life.  And the older you are, do it more and more, not less and less as most do!  

And while you are young: don’t think you have to exercise to failure.  (EVER)  Don’t think you have to exercise every single day, although if life lets you, why do it, because it feels good and natural.  

But, if you are writing a list for your daily chores, DO write this: 

1. Exercise 1^st thing, unless you really can’t- then don’t, and don’t worry about it

2.  Eat Paleo, meaning real food

3.  Rest well, avoid stress, and cultivate your “tribe”, facilitating family relationships

4. Get to bed early, so you can wake up and exercise without conflict from more important things

THIS is Perfectly Paleo Exercise in a nutshell!

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Superslow-

If you have been listening to this podcast for any length of time, you know that I vastly prefer bodyweight, isometrics, and especially virtual resistance training over any other type!

I do like heavy hands, where you walk along (preferable barefoot or in Xero type shoes on God’s green earth), grounding yourself electrically as you go, pumping small weights in your hands as you go, which exercises you panaerobically, meaning you are working as much of your musculature and your heart and lungs as you go.  This is a great adjunct to the aforementioned  training types, and can give you a total body workout in as little as 10-15 minutes.  It’s intense! 

I do not like heavy weight lifting, or long slow distance types of running.  I think they are dangerous long term, and result in injuries that will dog you into your old age- things like busted-up joints, torn muscles and injured tendons and ligaments that take a long, long time to heal.

And I like super slow training, which is a system arrived at years ago by Ken Hutchins.  In this form of training, you move very slowly as you do each exercise.  Very slowly!  Ken always recommended 10 seconds up, and 10 down.  He normally used special machines with very low resistance within the mechanism, and his results were very impressive indeed.

I have done it, off and on, for years, and I recommend you add it into your training mix.  Only I recommend using it exclusively with body weight exercises, not with weights at all!

Pushups are perfect for this regimen:  Start with a standard pushup.  Let’s say you do sets of 30- do a pushup really, really slowly- it doesn’t have to be 10 seconds necessarily, but that will work wonderfully.  Start with 5 up, 5 down; if you are new to this that will be plenty slow enough!

If you can do 30 at a time, I’ll bet 5 pushups done super slow will be more than enough!  It is that grueling, and that effective.  You can try it with chin-ups or pull-ups, but if you can do one real super slow pull-up you are really, really strong!

So, what are the advantages to super slow?  Well, it is incredibly time efficient- if you are pressed for time to get in a workout, two sets of super slow pushups will do just about all you need for your upper body.  Really!  Add in one set of one pull-up, and if you can also do a super slow set of pistol squats, balancing yourself with a free hand grasping your gymnastic rings, and top it off with a super slow set of leg raises to parallel- well, you’ve accomplished an amazing workout in less than 15 minutes, probably more like 10 minutes!

So, do I always work out in this fashion?  No.  For one, it does not pump the muscles with oxygenated blood as does a high rep set.  And two- it is so grueling, psychologically, that on a regular basis I find that such training will just burn you out- you will find yourself dreading training!

But, don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.  On an occasional, or perhaps on just one exercise per session, it is fantastic- really hits the muscle fibers deeply.  Especially if you are short on time, and really want a great workout, super slow is a great tool. 

Bottom line?  Super Slow is…super!

Check out this episode!

How to Work Out on Paleojays smoothie cafe podcast

Virtual Resistance Exercise demonstrations

Wow- this is an all-encompassing podcast, to say the least-  HOW TO WORKOUT?  Well, all I mean really is to give you a template.  A What to do when type of workout schedule.

I just see so many folks flounder when it comes to working out!  Really- it is not that complicated, and it definitely is not that hard.  It takes effort, sure; but so does working a job.  And most high achievers (no welfare folks need apply), have no problem with that!

Here is how I see it:  the problem areas- 

1. Work out at home.  Yup, the number one reason for not working out is “lack of time”.  Working out at home gives you that time.

2. Don’t use a gym, or elaborate equipment.  Again, equipment is not only unnecessary, it is counterproductive.  Just use your own body!

3.  Realize that diet trumps exercise- REALLY.  As important as exercise is- and it definitely is, as I do it every single day- diet is way, way, WAY more important!!

That is basically it, as far as exercise is involved.  Use your own body- virtual resistance, Perfectly Paleo Exercise should be your core exercise, along with bodyweight exercises such as pushups and hindu squats and straight-legged setups and stretches, along with using gymnastic rings to do these bodyweight exercises…  Hey- check out my ebook Perfectly Paleo Exercise to see what I’m talking about!

But, one thing that has really helped me is this: 

1. Choose one day of the week for one exercise program!

I know, it doesn’t sound like much, but let me tell you that there are many things that derail your exercise program.  Many.  Life intervenes.  So, what to do?

Today was Thursday, which for me is pushup day.  This makes it super simple- I wake up, and think “It’s Thursday!”  I know that that, and Sunday, are the big, pushup and whole body workouts of my week.  

It doesn’t matter if I haven’t had a chance to work out in a week, or even two.  On this day, this Thursday, I know I should, if I can, be doing pushups- so I do!  I get out my Perfect Pushups and, after I do my Perfectly Paleo Virtual Resistance Exercises (as I always do, 99% of the time when I awake), I know I need to do pushups today, along with wheeled ab extensions and side ab raises. (Those are what I have chosen- you may choose differently, but I hope not too much…)

On Fridays, I do Virtual Resistance, and then rebounding with further virtual resistance..

And so it goes- the important point is this: 

Each day has it’s own exercise protocol!

And so, even if you miss a day, or two, or three, or- whatever- you know what to do on that day, when you finally can!!

It’s just like brushing your teeth- you do it if you possibly can!  And taking a shower, during which you oil pull, swishing coconut oil between your teeth as you shower- wonderful feeling of health, again!  

And, like drinking a green paleo smoothie as I outline in www.paleojay.com  

Exercise on a daily basis with Perfectly Paleo Exercise virtual resistance as a core, shower and “pull” coconut oil as you do so, and consume a daily green paleo smoothie- 

This is not only “how to work out”- THIS IS HOW TO LIVE!

A Paleo Life is a Stoic Life PJSC podcast

You’ve probably heard about being stoic, which has come to mean “toughing it out”, “not complaining about hardship” and the like.

But actually, this is all that is left in modern times of a deep, and well thought-out school of philosophy that flourished from it’s founding in the third century BC, and right up through Roman times and beyond.  This gist of it was this: the path to happiness for humans is found in accepting that which we have been given in life, by not allowing ourselves to be controlled by our desire for pleasure or our fear of pain, by using our minds to understand the world around us and to do our part in nature's plan, and by working together and treating others in a fair and just manner.

Sounds kind of like Christianity, and “following the Golden Rule”, doesn’t it?  And one of the key tenets was that the way you live your life is far more important than what you say you believe.  Hypocrites need not apply!

I believe that I have been a practicing Stoic for the past few weeks, since in stoicism one needs to set one’s emotions aside, and live in harmony with Nature, since all of life is capricious, and changeable.  I have recently lost my father, during the same time that we are without a kitchen, in the midst of a remodeling that has left us washing our few dishes on a table with a basin and a hose outside, and cooking on a propane cooker I usually use for cooking down maple sap for syrup!

There is no relation between the two, but I am making the point that all of life is like this: chaos and random events define our lives.  The best way to “train” for this is to periodically put ourselves into what we consider the worst that could happen.  The stoics did this all the time- they would wear rags for a week, and dine on the poorest food they could find- just to show themselves that, if the worst did happen- if they lost everything they owned- it was not big deal, really…

The birds still sing.  Nature goes on- just today I saw several bluebirds, and tomorrow I look forward to seeing my little grandson, still shy of 2 years of age.  I went to a birthday party of a neighbor’s children that were 1 and 3 respectively - I have known their mother since she was about 6.  (They made a “healthy” birthday cake that was 100% whole wheat flour, with frosting of natural sweeteners, but that is another story!)  I ate none of that…

It is as if I am living in stoic rags, in a way.  We have no way to wash clothes, and will have to visit a laundromat soon, although we have so much going on that will be difficult.  But as I washed dishes today, in a plastic tub on a card table in the yard with a hose for rinsing, I found I actually enjoyed it.  The birds all about, the sound of the falling water from our little fountain- who cares that someone ran into the side of my wife’s car yesterday, smashing in the side- there were no injuries.  

My father is gone.  But, he lived for almost 97 years- what can be sad about that, really?  He has left me as the patriarch of the family- the oldest male of my line, since his brother passed away one week before my father, at 98!  Both died peacefully at home- is this really something to tear out one’s hair over?  No- it is a happy event, actually- a NATURAL EVENT.

I am living now almost as a homeless person, with the exception that I do have a home, only without the means to prepare food!  I am wearing dirty clothes, and trying my best to eat healthy, making smoothies on my workbench in the garage, and grilling our foods on the charcoal grill.  In the ancient tradition, I thank Zeus daily for the refrigerator in that garage, along with the sunlight of Apollo!  

And I know, that when it is all done, over a month from now- I will really, really appreciate it!  And why will I, really?  Because of the deprivation!  We all need to consciously deprive ourselves of luxury, of what we have all assumed to be our right in this modern, quasi-decadent age, if only to remind us just how good we have it here in the land that Capitalism built, in the model envisioned by our genius Founding Fathers!

And with that said, I want to share a short story of an obituary I wrote about my father’s passing, along with the almost simultaneous death of his brother, my Uncle Ken.  Every word is true!

Phil Bowers, my dad, along with the father to six other brothers and a sister, passed away this morning, June 1, 2017.  

My mother, Carolyn, and my brother Roger were with him when he took his final breath, leaving this world while still in his sleep, as he had wished.  He was in his home of the past 57 years in La Grange Park, Illinois, where his children, their spouses and families, and their childhood friends all still came frequently to visit.  With eight kids they were used to a busy house and yard, and it continued throughout Phil’s entire life.

Roger and my mother were startled to hear the local marching band play outside, just after he passed.  This was so appropriate, as Phil was a lifelong musician!

Just last week I was home to help out, as all of my siblings have been throughout his recent decline.  He was slipping out of his chair, and so Roger and I lifted him up to carry him to his bed.  He slipped to the side, and all at once I was carrying him myself, like he had carried me when I was a baby.  He was so light!  I remarked after I laid him down that ‘he is like a bird now’.  

He was nimble and vital, right up until the last month or so, going upstairs to his bedroom each night, because ‘stairs are healthy’!  Phil enjoyed tennis throughout his life, which was second to him only in playing trombone and performing, which he had done steadily- starting back in the 1940’s in the big band days, hence his nickname Big Band Phil.  In fact, he used to walk around upstairs playing his trombone, walking into our bedrooms to the raucous rendition of some jazz tune or other, and then, cutting off playing, would shout out some chores we had to do that day, and then leave, picking up the tune where he left off.

But by these last few weeks, he could suddenly no longer walk at all.  He and my mother would spend the days just looking out the large picture windows in their living room to their wooded back yard, just watching the many birds and squirrels.  They always made special note of a red cardinal or striking bluejay visitor, since that was special.

This morning Roger texted us all, (Roger has been the major caretaker of my parents for months, and I believe is slated for sainthood), telling us that dad had passed away, peacefully.  

I went into the other room, and looked out the large window to our wooded back yard.  Right beyond the glass, looking back at me, was a beautiful bright bluejay.  It stayed there for quite some time, as of course did I.  Then, another bluejay came down, right next to the first- they both looked in at me.

One week ago, Phil’s big brother Ken passed away in Florida, also in his home- he was 98.  I believe that Ken had shown his little brother the way, and they had both left their broken old bodies behind.  They were making their earthly rounds, checking on all of us one more time.  

They had been bedridden, unable to walk, but now- THEY COULD FLY!  

WEED your gut to get LEAN pqtd

Yes, that’s right- “weed’ your gut, trimming back those bad microbes that swarm about your intestines, converting the food you eat into either energy, or FAT.  Do the microbes within our micro biome really have this much power over our bodies?

You bet they do!  The bugs break down complex carbohydrates in our food. They manufacture crucial vitamins and other nutrients that we wouldn’t be able to produce otherwise, like vitamin K and niacin. They help protect against pathogens (such as E. coli and Salmonella) and break down toxins. They also communicate with both the immune and nervous systems, sending signals that may influence whether we develop auto­immune disorders and how we regulate our appetite and mood. 

They also can determine whether we are Lean or Fat.

You probably are thinking that I will say now that you should ‘eat lots of probiotics’, supplements and fermented foods like yogurt and sauerkraut… and yes, I think you should!  But first, it is crucial that you weed your gut, getting rid of bad microbes like the Firmicutes: a group of gut bugs that has been associated with an increased risk of obesity.  

If you eat lots of starchy carbohydrates and sugars, you are encouraging these fat-making little bugs to proliferate, crowding out the Bacteroides, which is a group of gut bugs that is been associated with leanness.  So, the first step in improving the quality of your all-important gut bugs is to not feed- starve those firmicutes!  

This allows not only the bacteroides to have room to multiply, but if you also eat good foods to replace those bad, starchy sugary ones- replacing them with good real fats like olive oil, coconut milk, and full-fat, pastured dairy, you will be feeding desirable strains like the bacteroides and L. Acidophilus.  This bacterium colonizes most densely in the small intestine, where it helps maintain the integrity of the intestinal wall, ensure proper nutrient absorption, and support healthy overall digestive function, among other important functions, such as improving immunity.

There are many other strains of bacteria that are at home in our guts, and the more diverse the population, the better, as they all do different things, or have different functions.  We don’t know that much about many of them, but we do know that some are very beneficial, and others are actually indicative of bad health, from having to multiply to service an unhealthy diet; that is, one high in processed starchy foods and sugars!

I’ll leave you with this:  it has been determined that during bariatric surgery- bypass surgery, where the intestine is rerouted into a “stapled off” smaller stomach, which bypasses one part of the intestine, that the gut micro biome dramatically improves in its diversity, with many more of the bacteroides and other good types, with much less of the firmicutes and other bad, fat producing and disease encouraging microbes.

In my opinion, having this surgery, despite this good effect, which usually results in a formerly obese patient almost miraculously being cured quickly of diabetes, obesity, sleep apnea, and many other modern diseases of civilization- is a mistake!  For one, it is a life-threatening operation that costs tens of thousands of dollars…

But the main reason is this: simply by changing our diet NOW, we can achieve the same result, naturally- 

Without compromising our digestive tract

Without going ‘under the knife’ and imperiling our life

ALL JUST BY CHANGING OUR EATING HABITS!

  

Goodbye to my dad!

The above is my dad performing at the age of 88.

This is a difficult podcast to write and speak.  This past week I lost my father, as well as his brother, my uncle Ken!

Phil Bowers and Ken Bowers, small town Wisconsin boys who went on to accomplish great things, have gone to the Afterlife almost together- elder brother Ken died just one week before his little brother.  Ken was born in 1919, and Phil was born in 1920.  Elder brother led the way…

Both of them led stellar lives: Ken was active in WW2, becoming a Major in the US army, before retiring and moving to Florida.  Both had multiple children, although Ken’s streak was cut short since his wife died young, leaving Phil to win that particular “race”- which he won handily with 8 children!

Back when they grew up in small town Wisconsin, my father told me that “When you woke up in the morning, you just went down and loaded the wood stove!”  I’m sure this was an aside telling me how easy I had it, in the early 1950’s, where furnaces were gas fired…

Their little town had a small town dairy, and of course all of the milk and cream was from grass-fed cows.  Every morning, his parents (my grandparents) would pour off the cream from the top of a glass bottle of milk onto a bowl of berries, usually raspberries in summer.  When I visited, this was almost as rapturous a vision as if I was transported to Mount Olympia to consume the “nectar of the gods”- this is how good it was!

Of course all of their dairy products, their butter and milk and cream was pasture raised.

And of course all of their eggs were free range, from natural, unconfined hens- (I know, since they were at my Aunt Ella’s, just down the road)!

Their meat?  

Well, we know none of the cattle was confined, or fed GMO’s, or subjected to antibiotics to make them gain weight and simultaneously keep them alive briefly until they were slaughtered…  

Natural cattle, natural meat, both pig and beef and chicken too!

They spent their young lives running around in nature, barefoot for the most part according to my dad.  Ken was an athlete, and given his height he excelled in basketball.  My father Phil went the musical route instead, and wound up playing in the Big Bands of the 1940’s and 50’s, eventually meeting and marrying my mother, Carolyn, who was a vocalist in a trio that he was backing.

But the point is that both of them achieved wonderful, long, and very healthy lives!  

And just how did they achieve this, living to almost 100 years of age, both of them?  

All of the above: A Natural lifestyle, a life of pre-interference in how animals and crops are raised, a pre- FDA screwup of natural processes.  

If there is one takeaway from this, it is THIS:

Anything that BIG GOVERNMENT touches they will ruin!

ANYTHING.

Natural food,

medication regulation,

TAXES of any sort:

THEY WILL SCREW IT UP!

What we need is small, almost non-existent government.  Small town Americana, such as existed and was espoused by Abraham Lincoln, along with most of the Founding Fathers of this nation.

BIG government has proven, over and over and over again that they are horrible at regulating us for “our own good”.  They need to get out of the way- stop telling us what to do, and let us just do what needs to be done!

And then: they need to ask us how they can fix their big government-centered, clueless, liberal/progressive/loser way of life, so they can finally actually be productive members of society, instead of the constant drags on the tribe of humanity that they have become!

If they actually do this thing, Phil and Ken will, up in the Afterlife, raise their glasses in a toast of 

Thanksgiving!  In fact, I think they are- just look!