Yellow Glasses are PALEO! On Paleo Quick Tip of the Day podcast

Sleep is very, very important! For all of us, paleo, keto, low carb, livin la vida- whatever.   Sleep is at least as important as proper diet!

I hope you know the basics by now of ‘sleep hygiene’, but then again I realize most average people don’t-  

You need to sleep in total darkness; if you live in an urban (meaning lots of lights left lit all night) area- you need blackout curtains!  Even a slight amount of light after dark will disturb your all important circadian rhythmns.  

You need all electronics (especially a TV in the bedroom!) out of that bedroom entirely.  

If you have a nightlight, make sure it is with a red bulb.  Like in an old-fashioned darkroom- this will not disturb your circadian nightime settings, like any light with a blue light spectrum.  Like any white light.

And there is one more thing you can do, that is really important- wear blue blocking lenses or else just don’t look at screens before bedtime.  Read a book or take a walk on a dark rural road before bed (like I do).   Read one of my books under my pen name Jess Thornton set here in the Driftless region- guaranteed to put you right to sleep…

But this last is kind of my main point in this podcast- if you wear eyeglasses, like I do when I drive at least- get your lenses tinted yellow!  

I know, it sounds simplistic.  But, I am here to tell you that I have had yellow tinted lenses for well over a year now, and that slight yellow tint has made a huge difference!  Not just in sleep quality; I mean, I don’t usually wear my glasses at all at night, but if I did, I could watch TV or the computer assured that blue light was not startling my eyes and body into alertness just before bedtime.

There are other benefits as well- I researched this, as I do, greatly before taking this step:

This yellowish tint blocks blue light, as I said, and this helps to prevent macular degeneration.  It also makes it much easier to drive without being blinded by other autos headlights, since the yellow tint serves as a kind of sunglass, without being a dark lens.  

In fact, the yellow tint is almost unnoticeable, since you can wear it indoors just as you wear standard eyeglasses.  I even find that now, when I sing in church with my choir, that the bright light of the sunshine through the stained glass no longer bothers my eyes at all!

I used to want to wear sunglasses in church, but was reluctant to look like “Joe Cool”, wearing sunglasses indoors as I sang…

So now, I just wear my yellow tinted glasses instead.  I smile, knowing that while I don’t look like I’m trying to be cool with (slightly) yellow lenses-

I know that I secretly….  AM!  

Because I am spreading the word about blue blocker lenses.  Almost subliminally!

  

PJSC podcast #123 Exercise and Health for New Moms

You know, I remember how exhausting it is to have a newborn child, even though it’s been a long time.  I remember vicariously now through my daughter, since now I am a grandfather!  

Those little children take all we have in their early years, especially that first one.  It’s tough to get through, physically and emotionally intact, but it is the most important time in your (and their) young lives!  And so, what to do to remain fit and sane under the stress of sleep deprivation, no time, and lack of exercise?

I think the first thing to understand is to maximize sleep.  I know this is the hardest thing of all to get hold of, but it is also the most crucial- if you don’t get enough sleep, it is WORSE for you than not getting enough exercise and substandard nutrition put together.  I am not kidding here: lack of sleep will make you insulin resistant, primed for fat gain and depression, and put you on the downhill slide faster than anything else.  

When your baby sleeps- you sleep!  Get all that you can, it will help your mood, and if you are happy your baby will only benefit as well.  

And if your baby is asleep and you are awake?  NOW you can fit in a little exercise!  

Rebounders are ideal- just bounce away as your baby snoozes; you will be right there, energized and ready once the little tyke cries his awake signal.  And you can even watch television as you bounce, catching up on the real world news as your lymphatic system is put into overdrive, flushing out the waste products.  Nothing is better for this than rebounding!

Another great “tool” is a kettle bell- they are cheap, they are becoming ubiquitous (Target and Walmart are awash with kettle bells now)- but, they are also incredibly effective for a total body workout.  The only real exercise in my mind for you to do with them is Kettle bell Swings:  Just swing them back between your legs, bending the knees, and then swinging them forwards.  Repeat, 30 - 50 reps is ideal.  Think of it as a total body exercise, that hits everything, but especially the legs, lower back, butt, hips, abs, and upper back- hey, sound good, new moms??

You will ONLY hear this from me, the redoubtable PaleoJay, but isometrics are ideal for new moms, and actually for anyone!  They are the least time sensitive exercise there is, there is no chance of injury, and they have more “bang for the buck” than any other type of exercise!  Here is how to do them:

Standing, gradually flex your calves, then your thighs, your butt, and so on up your body, until you are doing a “most muscular” pose in a bodybuilding contest!  Really- hold that pose for maybe 10 seconds.  

Relax, and then repeat.  3 times is ideal.  This one exercise, done daily, will do more for your total physique, and also your blood pressure and circulatory system than anything else.  And you can do it anywhere, and no one will even know you are doing it if, say, you are gassing up your car, flexing away in front of the pump… If you do it several times daily, you are really accomplishing something great for your body.

Of course, pushups, all sorts of floor stretches, and pull-ups are great.  Just don’t expect too much of yourself, since the baby comes first- you will have more time later to sprint barefoot, and do pushups on your gymnastic rings!

Squeeze in some exercise, you’ll feel SO much better.  SLEEP a LOT!  And, above all, maximize your (and your baby’s) nutrition- cut out GRAINS, vegetable oils, and almost all SUGAR!  

Those are the biggies.  Most of what is the “enemy” in our modern day is self inflicted- 

Low Fat!

High Carb!

Pharmaceutical Drugs!

I know, you’ve been told over and over and over that all of these are great, and you should follow them…

Don’t.  They are all negative, bad, and self serving prescriptions.  

Eat plenty of good, God and Nature made fats, like coconut milk, pastured dairy, pastured meats and eggs!  Get out in the sunshine (no sunscreen chemicals!), just don’t get burned.  Get fresh air on a daily basis, take the little one out in the stroller as much as possible.  Get out in NATURE, let pollen fall on you and your baby, let the peace of the natural world enter into your body and soul.  GARDEN, let your toddler help you in the good, microbiota rich dirt, you will be all the healthier for it.  And, above all?

Stay away from the Medical Clinics and Doctors as much as possible.  

They are great when you are at death’s door…

But worse than useless to regain health.

PaleoJay Podcast #27- Optimal versus average health- Eat happy animals -The wonders of coconut!

PALEOJAY PODCAST 27 HERE! (Rate me on iTunes too, Cave person!)

Go to a standard Medical Dr. today, and he will consider how healthy you are by comparing you to other people of your age and sex... How helpful is this, really?

Now that the vast majority of people are overweight, with inflammation run rampant in their bodies, particularly their inflamed intestines or their “leaky guts”- why, if you are healthy and fit, you will  be off of their charts in health, especially as you grow older!

The sad part is that the medical industry in now comparing  very unhealthy people, by and large, and determining from that, by plotting a Bell curve of unhealthiest to just pretty unhealthy, that if you are in the middle of that curve, you are “average healthy”.

This has nothing to do with what you are capable of in your health journey- you should be looked at as how far you are from your OPTIMAL health- or just how good could you feel, look and function?  What is your body lacking to make it the very best it could be?  

Usually, for most adults quality SLEEP is lacking- and this is a huge part of health!  Sleep, for at least 8 hours per night, will do more for your overall health than anything else- more than exercise, more than changing your diet, more than ANYTHING- it will start to cure the chronic stress and tidal wave of cortisol stress hormones that almost everyone is inundated with- so- get your rest each night!  Don’t worry about waking up, or that you are not sleeping a solid 8 hours- it is NORMAL to wake up periodically, or be half awake- this is called segmented sleep, and is the natural way to sleep- we have just forgotten it in our simplistic reduction to “sleep 8 solid hours, just like you work 8 solid hours”- this is just what we were taught by the dawn of industry when everyone worked in factories, and the day was split evenly into three 8 hour segments, and the factory whistle blew at each segment...

We’re not factory workers any longer- we are cave people!  So get in touch with your inner Cro-magnon self and sleep, wake, sleep again- just don’t cut it short!  In sleep, more really is better.  And, if you don’t believe me, well sleep on it...

Of course, you know about cutting out grains, sugars, industrial seed oils and processed foods, don’t you?  If not, you do now!  That is step #2...

Another thing you may not consider important is to eat happy animals!  Really- animals from a local farmer or rancher, cows that eat the grasses they were intended to eat, animals that are healthy and living lives as God and nature intended are not only being morally treated as they should be, but they are much more healthy for us to consume!  They don’t need to be pumped full of antibiotics and other drugs, which then go into US when we eat their meat or consume their dairy products- this really is a huge point- healthy animals make for healthy people- be they Concentration Camp Cows in Confined Animal Feeding Operations, or tortured porkers and chickens in similar circumstances, or even Foully Farmed Fish, being fed GMO corn and living in filthy cramped ponds!  All are innately WRONG, and by consuming such unhealthy creatures that we have treated so inhumanely, we are making OURSELVES likewise unhealthy!

So, eat happy animals!

Now, I think I’ll take a Kitten Break!  

Lastly, if you are not taking advantage of the wonders of the coconut, you are cheating yourself!  Get a big jar or two- one for the kitchen, and one for the bathroom!  Tropical Traditions has great quality stuff, and will ship right to your door at a good price in glass jars, or even in 5 gallon pails!  Start out with a couple of quarts of good organic stuff-

Put a tablespoon or so in your coffee each morning for Paleo coffee- top it with whipped cream, cinnamon and cloves, and you will be so satisfied and happy- and, very healthy as well- YOU will become a happy animal yourself.  Then, after you take your morning shower (and this is after doing your Perfectly Paleo Exercise in front of the TV) , take a butter knife and cut out a spoonful sized chunk of that coconut oil and rub it until its liquid in your hands- then, just rub it into your entire body, like the wondrous lotion that it is- you are a like an ancient Greek warrior, anointing his body with olive oil after the gymnasium training and cleansing- only you have an even better natural oil to work with- coconut!  Poor Alexander- no coconut trees in Greece or Macedonia!

Coconut is the best lubricant you can put on your skin- better than the “beauty creams” sold for hundreds of dollars- it’s quite  inexpensive, feels great, and promotes great skin AND interior health, as it’s medium chain triglycerides go right into the body through the skin!  “Leaky Skin”, in a good way!  You know, if you smear those petrochemical lotions on your skin, those CHEMICALS leach inside your body as well.  Don’t put anything on your skin that you would not put in your mouth...

Speaking of which, when showering, I highly recommend taking another spoonful of coconut oil and “swishing” it around your mouth whilst you shower- this “oil pulling” smothers bacteria in the mouth, and is probably the best single thing you can do for oral health, besides just eating a non-toxic, no plaque creating paleo diet!  Just be sure to spit the oil our after this, since it has accumulated all the toxins in your mouth- spit them out in the toilet, and flush them away- hurray!

Lastly, shave after you have put the coconut oil on your face (and ladies- your legs would benefit here as well!)   A layer or coconut oil will give you a closer shave than anything else there is!  

Again, for the ladies- there is NOTHING that will make your hair shinier and smoother than a small amount of coconut oil- 

And now, exercised and glowing smooth shaved and anointed with oil, the Cave Warrior (YOU!) is ready to go outside and enjoy the sun- AND, the coconut oil serves as a sunscreen as well!  But one which also lets in the beneficial rays of the sun, and is chemical free...

Enjoy your vitamin D hormone making experience, Coconut Cave Person!

J

Paleo Jay's Daily Affirmation- PaleoJay podcast 16 up NOW

PALEOJAY ON ITUNES- CLICK HERE!

Jessica's Daily Affirmation!

Can there by anything more inspiring?  This is a young, uncontaminated, if you will, Paleo person- no one has yet told her to be depressed, "more realistic", and to just settle for conformity.

This is how we should all be, each morning when we wake up!

An easy way to do this, is to just go to bed early every night.  Then, set your alarm to wake up before anyone else in your household.  Get psyched about it!

"Yes!  Tomorrow I get to start my day, doing IMPORTANT THINGS to me, without interruption, for a full hour!!"

You will have the best, most fulfilling morning you've had in a long while... perhaps since you were Jessica's age...

Here is my own affirmation, for tomorrow:

I like my job.  (I like anything!)

I like my tribe, my family, my Paleo Family-

I like my white hair.

I like my haircuts.  I like my tractor.

I like my garage.  I like my truck.

My whole house is great!

I can do anything good.  Yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah!!

I can do anything good- better than anyone!!

Thanks Jessica- you have taken what we have made complex and ridden with angst, and brought us full circle- to what God has meant us to be:

Happy children, ready to experience what life has to offer to the fullest- 

Hunting, gathering, living and rejoicing in the moment, happy in our natural, God-given health, which is our birthright as natural, uncorrupted native humans!

Go thou and do likewise:

Eat real, natural foods

Appreciate Nature and your surroundings

Love your "Tribe", those whom you hold near and dear

Above all- be enthusiastic about your one and only precious life!

You really are lucky, because you were born and alive, which is the ultimate gift!

PaleoJay and part of his Tribe:

Track Your Activity, Nutrition, and Sleep all at ONCE- With Dan's Plan!

Since a picture says a thousand words, I thought I'd just start off with Dan's (of Dan's plan) info-graphic!    Here is Dan: he kind of looks like my own little brother, also named Dan!  

But, he has come up with a great way for you to track your health variables, i.e. how much you Eat, Move, and Sleep!

Believe it or not, those three little variables have more to do with your health than anything else- 

more important than all the drugs you have been prescribed??

Yes indeedy- WAY MORE!  

Chris Kresser is fast friends with this guy- they see eye-to-eye on a lot of issues, and as you know if you have read much here before, I also see eye-to-eye with Chris... and, since Dan looks a lot like my little brother, and I like his info- I like him too!

So, do yourself a favor- sign up for Dan's plan.   It's free!  You will learn a lot about your current state of health, and more importantly how to dramatically improve it.

And, if you suffer from autoimmune disease, or any other serious problem that a basic "Paleo Prescription" can't cure, go directly to Chris Kresser- 

 If he can't fix it, nobody can!

Before you embark on your "makeover", just be reminded what Thomas A. Edison said at the turn of the last century, about 1902:

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease"

And let's not forget the founder of Western medicine, Hippocrates:

"If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health. "

That sounds exactly like Dan's Plan!!

Here is Dan's info-graphic for your intense study and perusal:

J

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Paleo diet and the importance of SLEEP!

Here is a brief info-graphic I found at Paleoliving.com; the accompanying article is quite long, and will tell you in detail just why sleep is so important, and how we have so disrupted our necessary and primeval patterns of sleep and rejuvenation.

But, the diagram above really puts it all together succinctly!

What you really need to know and to incorporate into your life is that sleep is not something that's optional- chronic skimping on sleep, meaning less than 7 1/2 -8 hours per night, minimum, will quite literally KILL you!

The rejuvenating effects of good, restful sleep are completely necessary for mental and physical health.  Lack of sleep is extremely stressful- your body cannot take it- we were made to require sleep.  Just as we require good, high quality Paleo foods, and brief yet intense exertion, we require good, high quality sleep!  It is really that important to our health.

If you are already having trouble getting a good night's sleep, here are some things that might help:

Black out your bedroom!  If there are bright lights outside, get heavy curtains that really block that light.  Don't watch TV or use a computer in your bedroom.  Try to make it the "sleep cave".

Don't stay up late!  This is crucial- we are meant to go to bed with the onset of darkness, and awaken with the dawn.  Try to replicate this cycle as much as possible!

Don't eat late in the evening!  Digestion is a big chore/stresser on your body, and will make it harder for you to sleep.

Above all, don't be a "Hero"!  Don't be someone who prides himself on "only needing 4 hours of sleep a night!", implying that you are so tough you don't waste time on something as nonproductive as sleep!  This is nonsense, and you are only fooling yourself- just as you could "get by" eating the most non-nutritious diet; i.e. fast food and soda for awhile, we all know that eventually this will literally destroy you!  Same result with cheating on SLEEP!

I think I'll go take a nap...

J

Early to bed and early to rise- CRUCIAL FOR HEALTH!

I've been enjoying some vacation time!

I say this not to gloat (although it has been pleasant!), but to share with you some insights I've gained over this period:

Work/Activity is overrated!


All of us, Americans I believe in particular, have been brainwashed into believing that, if we are not being productive, i.e. engaged in making money, or preparing to make even more money, that we are wasting our time!

And on the other end, if we are spending our leisure time,  time we have gained away from work, we had better do it productively: 


Attending expensive spectator sporting events!
Luxury travel to far-distant "pre-packaged" destinations!!
Going to "spas" and "fat farms"; where we are told WHAT TO DO health wise!!!
And, don't just SIT!  Watch TV!!  It is at least 'mind-expanding'!!!!


I'm here to tell you, first-hand, that it is just not so!

Work is important; yes it's true!  Crucial even- but it needs to be real work!


How many of us can honestly say today that we go to work to... labor?  
To accomplish real, physical things?


Very few of us, in modern corporate America at least, can lay claim to doing so.  We sit in offices, we drive to conferences, we connect and network on our computers and other devices...

We don't really do honest work anymore!


I know, I know- I am pushing the point; of course we all are "stressed" mentally and socially, and have to cope with lots of paperwork and such...  but, my above point still holds.

THAT is why, when we are NOT engaged in "WORK", modern-style-


WE NEED TO REVERT TO OUR PRE-INDUSTRIAL AGE PAST!


1. Do LOTS of physical things!  
Work out.  Cut wood.  Hike.  COOK!!
2.  But also other "Physical" things we ignore:
Lie around.  Meditate.  Ponder things.  Sing and play with family and friends!  Pray!!

But mainly, we need to sleep!


The last few nights, I have gone to sleep around 8 PM or so.  And then, I have slept through the night, and not gotten up until 9 AM!


This from a guy who normally wakes up and gets going at 4:30 AM!

Why?  It is really a conscious decision to use my vacation to "reconnect" with my "paleo past" if you will...  and I believe it really paid off!
I have had several "lucid" dreams- strongly visual dreams that are actually more meaningful upon awakening than my real, actual life!  I am certain that these dreams are my "subconscious, inner self" trying to tell me what is really important.
Thinking about these dreams, and trying to interpret them, becomes more important than you would believe- if you have the leisure to actually contemplate them!


So, if you can, give yourself that leisure!  If you have a vacation coming up, don't turn it into a "work substitute", where you run from event to event, just like work! 


Try to actually relax; cut loose from things!  If you normally work out each day, don't!
If you rarely work out- DO! 


Try to eat really, really well- totally Paleo!  Vacations are where we are trained to "let it all go diet-wise".  Huge mistake- we want to get back in touch with our primeval selves!!

And then- sleep a lot!  I mean much more than usual- try out how it was for our primeval ancestors, before electric lights and alarm clocks.  Rejuvenating....

And if you don't have a vacation??


This is even more important for you:

Get to bed REALLY EARLY!  Early enough so you will have a good 8-9 hours of sleep....

GET UP really early!!  You will feel like getting up, since you've had ample sleep...

Work out, early morning!  If you do this one thing, you are setting yourself up for a happy, fulfilling, and ultimately very successful day!!

Start out with "mobility-type" movements, next do some stretches- include the Asian Squat-asian squat video

Follow up with self-resisted exercises- visualized, or self resisted exercises
Finish up with pushups, sit-ups, and hindu body-weight squats.  

If you do all of this, and if you are like me you will do it in front of the TV!!  Netflix streaming!!

Reward yourself for working hard!  You will come to LONG for your exercise sessions, if your restrict your TV watching to ONLY during those times!!

Trust me, you will feel great! Have a Paleo smoothie and toddle off to "work"-

Everything you experience there will "fall into place", and you will recognize everything for just what it really is...

And you will have some really interesting dreams to ponder, as you do your paperwork and teleconferencing and such...

J