Going Paleo
For some reason I tend to avoid really talking about food on this site. It might have something to do with the fact food and I have a love/hate relationship; I love food but certain foods hate me.
Some background
Over the past couple years I've completed many of the top Beachbody workout programs including P90X, Insanity, TurboFire, and Insanity: The Asylum (affiliate links). As you can see in my transformation post I've made a lot of progress.
Physical exercise is the easiest part of getting healthy and fit. It's also the most painful part—or so say your muscles. What's really the hardest part is proper nutrition. It takes much more concentration, dedication, and preparation to get your nutrition in order.
While moving your body is extremely important it doesn't count nearly as much as proper nutrition. The accepted mythos being exercise counts for 20% of your results while nutrition counts for everything else!
Getting to the good stuff
Ok, now we've got that sorted out let's get to the point of this post. I'm going Paleo/Primal. More accurately, I have been going Paleo/Primal for the past two weeks.
I'm still learning as I go but so far it's been amazing. After eating I feel way more satiated, less gassy, less bloated, and much less lethargic. My energy level has increased and I'm pushing harder in my daily workouts. Even my sleeping patterns have changed for the better.
What the heck is Paleo?
To put Paleo in it's simplest terms, it's about eating whole, organic foods with emphasis on lean/grass-fed meats, fowl and wild caught fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats. This particular lifestyle advocates freedom from rigid eating schedules (aka, eat when you're hungry instead of every 3 hours), getting plenty of sunlight (Vitamin D is good for you), and moving your body.
Here are a couple good resources to check out:
- Mark's Daily Apple: Primal 101
- Robb Wolf
- The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss
(affiliate link)
- The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet
(affiliate link)
This is a quick primer on Paleo. In the future I'll be posting more about food, the science behind Paleo, and talking about my progress.
One more thing
While the Paleo movement has been gathering a lot of steam recently, it's great to see friends figuring out what works for their bodies. One example in particular is my friend Rochelle Griffin. After a week of self-discovery (and eating organic whole food) she's never felt better. After a little self-experimentation she's decided to go gluten free too.
Here's a video of Rochelle explaining why she's making the change.
