Paleo Quick Tip of the Day podcast #7- Meditation for the Paleo Lifestyle

Meditation
This is podcast #7 in this series of gradually transforming yourself into a healthy, paleo lifestyle type of a person, step by step, and week by week.

We started by eliminating grains, in particular wheat, completely from our diet in week #1.
In week #2, we still kept away from grains, of course, and added in a full 8 hours sleep per night, at a minimum.  Next, we added in 15- 20 minutes of visualized resistance exercise daily, and for #4 we added in a daily green paleo smoothie.

On week #5 we eliminated pure junk foods like soda pop, candy, pastries, cookies and cakes.  And in week #6 we sought to find a good source of pastured, grass fed and finished beef, naturally raised pigs and chickens, and free range eggs.

You'll notice the pattern that, each time  ask you to eliminate something, I balance that out by adding in something positive.  This week on #7 I am again adding in something, something vital and enjoyable, but something that is not widely done- meditation!

Meditation is something that helps to ground you, make you "live in the moment", something that we should always be doing, but that is very, very hard to do consistently!  By practicing a simple form of meditation, we can reinforce this way of living in the moment throughout our daily lives.  It's not easy, but the rewards are great indeed.

Start in the early morning, as you awaken in bed.  Start breathing in deeply, into your diaphragm below your belly, and strive to get in as much air as possible.  Breathe in slowly, and very deeply- saying to yourself as you do "1-1-1", thinking only of the number 1.  Take in as much air as you can- once your diaphragm is full, start filling up your chest, until your whole lung cavity is full of life-giving oxygen!

Then, gradually exhale, letting the air slowly go out of your lungs, and only thinking of "1-1-1-" again...

Then, repeat the cycle, never letting random thoughts to come into your mind- if they do, and they certainly will, especially at first, just gently push them aside and think calmly "1-1-1-"  over and over again.  The idea is to live entirely in the moment, just you lying comfortably, with your breathing your only concern.

This type of breathing, where you totally fill up and consciously use your lungs is called costal breathing, and is a very ancient way of breathing that energizes, and revitalizes the body.  In conjunction with concentrating on living in the moment, with no "monkey mind" or left side of the brain chatter going on, this exercise will revitalize you, and gradually awaken you in a wonderful way, leaving you ready to start your day alive, not groggy, and actually is a wonderful ab exercise in and of itself!

5-10 minutes of this in the morning is plenty.  I have done this for many years, and it is key to starting your day fresh and vital, and with a deep sense of gratitude and grounding.  It is very much like prayer, in that you are opening yourself up to God and nature.  Try it, and along with all of the much more down-to-earth types of more practical recommendations that we have made, like eliminating gluten, exercising, eliminating junk food-like substances, and consuming top quality, locally raised meats and a daily green paleo smoothie, and getting adequate sleep each night, you will begin to markedly improve the quality of your life, and the interrelations you have with other people in your "Tribe"!

Later in the day, try to find time for another 5-10 minutes, and do the same- this time seated in an armchair, or even on your car seat!  Do the same thing, seated, and observe how revitalized you become by doing this one discipline for a brief time.

I know, this might seem a little "out there" for some of you, who probably have never even thought of trying that crazy meditation...  but trust me!  Like many things that our modern culture has thrown in the dustbin, this is one other thing that we should have never lost, but now, thankfully, can regain.

Meditate on it, here with Alan Watts!  

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #6- Get Your Food Locally!

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #6- Get Your Food Locally!

 www.paleojayquicktipoftheday.blogspot.com

I don’t mean just from a local store- I mean locally raised! I am talking meat here, primarily, since not only is meat, and the fat on that meat a major source of toxins in the Standard American Diet, it is also key to supplying our bodies with the nutrients and other “building blocks” that are so crucial to maintaining and rebuilding our health!

Grass fed beef is a wonderful source of everything your body needs, with nothing of the hormones and antibiotics that are laced throughout conventional, CAFO or confined animal feeding operations beef. We want to consume healthy animals, that have been fed as God and Nature intended these animals to eat. Not only for the improved nutrition and non-toxic food that they provide; but also for obviously moral and ethical reasons. They go together! By eating abused, unhealthy animals, we are also abusing our own bodies and making them unhealthy.

And I’m not just talking about beef here, although grass fed beef is as healthy as wild caught salmon! It’s loaded with the Omega 3 fats that are so crucial to our health- those same fats that are virtually nonexistent in corn fed, sick and diseased animals. But pastured pork, free range chickens that are allowed their natural lives to play out eating what God intended them to eat, are very healthy animals that will make you very healthy in your turn! What goes around, comes around...

Chickens are not vegetarians, neither are pigs; and, for that matter- neither are we! This isn’t just my opinion- we have teeth designed for tearing meat, and a shorter digestive tract similar to other carnivores... We are also omnivores, and can eat a wide variety of foods, of which meat is a staple to every culture, ever studied or discovered, in the history of the world. No exceptions.

And so, how do you go about getting this wonderful, God made food, natural pastured meat and locally raised veggies and dairy into your paleo life? www.Farmmatch.com is a site where you can check out local farmers and ranchers that provide excellent, humanely raised meat within their area. I use St. Brigid’s Meadows, and wonderful small operation that delivers in my own local area of La Crosse, Wisconsin. But, if you don’t live here, you can use farmmatch.com to find local farmers in your neck of the woods!

There is also the option of US Wellness Meats, which is the homesite of... US Wellness Meats. I have heard good things about them- the only thing is, to make it worthwhile and affordable you do have to order quite a bit at a time! No problem if you have a freezer, though.

The local option is the best, and the most sustainable long term. Also, it is the most satisfying, since you interact with, and can view personally the treatment and conditions of the animals that this farmer provides for you! We are stewards of these animals, each and every one of us, and it behooves us to get back into the loop, since industrialization of our food system is not only poisoning our bodies, it is poisoning our very souls. We all need to vote with our food buying dollars for local, humane, sustainable farming and ranching!

www.paleojay.com

Check out this episode!

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #5- Just eliminate the JUNK- (and have some dark chocolate, every day!)

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #5  Now, just eliminate the JUNK!

This week, let’s focus on eliminating all of the junk you have been eating and drinking, and really dial in our burgeoning Paleolithic Health!  And let’s start with a really pernicious and horrible habit- soda pop, especially DIET soda!

I know, I told you to give up wheat, soy, and most grains the first week, but remember- in week number #2, the second Paleo Quick Tips podcast I added in a good night’s sleep!  Then, in number 3 I added in some simple, rejuvenative exercise for your enjoyment, and in #4 we added in a wonderful, filling, super-nutritious Paleo Green smoothie!  So, I don’t always want to “take away” things...

But, if you want to avoid some nasty problems in your health and fitness, there are some things you MUST eliminate!  And my number one HATE in this category is SODA POP!  Coke, Mt. Dew, Pepsi, even my once-beloved root beer- they all have to go!  ESPCIALLY the DIET versions!!  Why diet pop especially?

Partly, it’s because most people feel they are harmless- no sugar, so no calories, right?  Utterly benign... NOPE!  Those chemical, fake sweeteners are insidious, and have really bad side effects, like:

Kidney damage
weight, read FAT gain, particularly BELLY FAT!
rotting teeth

Another problem is that it displaces really healthy beverages, like water, green or white tea, and especially a wonderful green paleo smoothie!  It pains me to see folks drinking pop in the mornings, along with a candy bar or pastry- if there was a better prescription for feeling horrible an hour or two later, and setting yourself up for an unpleasant day, I don’t know one.  Just the dental problems caused by such a combination are awful...

And as for sugar, or high fructose corn syrup sweetened colas and sodas- they are just as bad, but in different ways!  High fructose corn syrup is linked to diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome, which is the precurser to all modern, degenerative illness.  In addition, sugar is the fertilizer of cancer. It has been shown in recent studies that by going on a ketogenic diet, which is a diet without ANY sugar or carbohydrates, that cancer cells in patients are actually starved!  Also, many autoimmune diseases are also reversed by using a ketogenic diet...

SO- your task for this week, now that you are grain free (remember grains turn to sugar right in your mouth anyway!), well rested by sleeping at least 8 hours per night, exercised each morning by your 15-20 minutes of Perfectly Paleo exercise of visualized resistance in front of the television, and then fueled for maximum nutrition by way of your Green, Paleo Smoothie- IS TO JUST CUT THE JUNK!

Really do it!  It should be easy, now that you are feeling so great from the other steps you’ve already implemented.  When you are thirsty, fine- DRINK!  But drink...water, or green tea, or green smoothie you have handy from the morning- NO POP!

And, it goes without saying (I hope!) that this means other forms of sweeteners need to go as well- candy bars, chips (yes, they are just as guilty of becoming sugar right in your mouth as any other grains!), hard candy- you get the gist!

But, as another addition that you are going to love-

HAVE SOME DARK CHOCOLATE, EVERY DAY!!

Yup, I really mean it.

Dark chocolate, I mean at least 70% dark, is loaded with antioxidants, just like your paleo smoothie!  It helps slow aging, and prevent cancer!! It is loaded with vitamins and minerals, like potassium, copper, magnesium, and iron, and also has theobromine, which actually hardens tooth enamel!  Dark chocolate lowers blood sugar, and causes your brain to release endorphins to make you feel happier, just like exercise does.
AND, it helps to increase insulin sensitivity, to keep you naturally thin, and non-diabetic!!

Oh, and did I mention, it really tastes great, too?

So, when everyone around you is eating candy, and drinking soda, nibble on your dark chocolate and sip your smoothie, and smile slyly- You’re not only getting healthy, but you’re having something  really tasty- much better than what they have!!

J

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #4 A Green, Paleo Smoothie is VITAL!

Now, last Wednesday’s podcast was pretty controversial in Paleo-land, since the safety and efficiency of Virtual Exercise, or Visualized Resistance Exercise has somehow become forgotten, although it is older than recorded history in its successful useage!
A daily, green Paleo Smoothie, chock full of every single nutrient recommended by paleo gurus and researchers should be a no-brainer - I mean, c’mon- every thing that the latest science and history and even folk-lore tells us that we should be eating, and here it is in one tasty, liquid, and easily digested package- it’s even pre-chewed by the blender, and is made almost instantly by just throwing real foods, either frozen or fresh, into the canister and then flicking the “on” switch...
I mean, what’s not to like about that?
Well, there are some who really love to hate the idea of any “liquid calories” being good!  That may be true when we are talking about soft drinks, or juice products, or even straight ahead juicing, that is making juice NOT in a blender, but in a dedicated juicer that eliminates the fiber... But not in a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix!
ALL of the fiber, the pulp, and the phytonutrients are ALL included in a Blended Smoothie- and it is so ground up, or “pre-chewed” if you will, that ALL of the nutrients are instantly available for your body to USE.  There is no waste- even “woody” leafy greens from your garden in Summer or from the market are fine to use- the Vitamix blender will render them entirely into the smoothie, very “smoothly” indeed!
I have a Paleo Smoothie recipe on my website at www.paleojay.com, and that is where I recommend you go to keep up with my ever-growing knowledge about just what should go into your daily miracle drink! I also have a link to purchase a new Vitamix, even a reconditioned one, with free shipping!  A note on that: often, people try to get a cheaper blender, and that’s fine... but that route, while it may suffice as an introduction, is vastly inferior to getting a good machine, that will probably keep you healthy and well-fed for the rest of your life!  It really is a small investment- I use mine much more than I use my oven, which is far, far more expensive!
 New information is always being made available, new discoveries are made, and I make it my business to keep up with the science, and to
know just what can give your smoothie a little more power to cure, maintain, and to MAXIMIZE your health.
I think the core teaching of Hippocrates, the founder of Modern Medicine, is the one you’ve probably heard:
“Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food”
Hippocrates would not be pleased by what his supposed followers, the M.D.’s of today are doing instead of this!
So, go back to what the founder of Medicine recommended.
Eat Real Food!  And drink it, too!  It may be hard to eat a couple of pounds of veggies per day, as Terry Wahls, most Paleo Practitioners, and even vegans recommend...
But it’s really, really easy to drink it!
J

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Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #3- Add some Exercise to your Paleo Transformation!

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day podcast #3

Visualized Resistance by Steve Reeves!

Week #3- Add in some exercise to your Paleo Mix!

So far, the first week of your Paleo transformation started with you eliminating Grains, aka as Poison Food #1.  If you have kept off of grains, especially wheat, for these first two weeks, you are doing great!  You probably had some cravings, and know what it is like to be addicted to drugs during the first week, but you should be feeling better than ever now, and starting to notice positive changes in both physical and mental enhanced functioning.  You may have already lost some fat poundage, and maybe some nagging problems with your skin, hair and digestion are not really noticeable anymore- when they go away, we usually don’t even think about it at first...

If you have also really concentrated on getting ample SLEEP this past week as well, then I assume you are starting to feel really great on a regular basis- that’s how fast this stuff works- and it works together in synergy even faster.  Each step we add, each week, is not only incremental, it’s a multiplier of the benefits from previous weeks!

So, keep up with what you are doing from weeks one and two, and this week, plan on getting up about 15-20 minutes early each day, and doing some brief exercise.  Early morning is best, later in the day can come interruptions and distractions- just get it done early!

When you wake up, well rested but earlier than usual since you went to bed earlier, first lie on your back in bed, and just breathe deeply.  Breathe the life-giving oxygen deep into your diaphragm, expanding your abdomen first, and then gradually filling up your entire chest as well, slowly and methodically.This is called costal breathing, and actually counts as one of the most wonderful abdominal and overall beneficial exercises you can do!  Do this for just a few minutes, and arise.  You will feel very awake and energized.  Repeat this throughout the day periodically, and rejuvenate yourself!

So, after visiting the bathroom and donning your shorts, go into your workout space- I use the living room- and turn on the TV if your wish!  I always watch a Netflix show, but it’s your choice...I spread a big towel on the floor, and the “gym” is ready!

Start with the Hindu, or Asian squat- this is crucial to regaining mobility, and unless you are under 10, you are probably really, really inflexible in your legs, hips, and lower back.
Just bend at your knees until you are squatting as low as possible, and then just... hold.

At first, it won’t be long.  But after a few weeks, you will be able to rest like this indefinitely- this is how hunter/gatherer people still “sit”, since they don’t have chairs- and it is the way we are meant to sit, and it is wonderful for your whole lower body, both as a stretch and an exercise.
I think you will enjoy this brief video:

Next, I want you to try Visualized Resistance Exercise- this is where you use the resistance within your own muscles to completely exercise them to the maximum, without equipment, and perfectly safely and naturally!  The best form of exercise there is- think of how animals, in particular CATS exercise their muscles.

I have an ebook, Perfectly Paleo Exercise available devoted to this, and a large repertoire of additional exercises and explanations, but for now, just go to John Peterson’s wonderful website http://transformetrics.com/exercises

For now, just concentrate on these exercises-

The high reach
Full range pectoral contraction
One armed chin
Half squat
Ab contraction
Shoulder roll

Finish up with another Hindu squat, and you are done!  Go for 10 reps, flexing hard as you do each exercise, as all of the resistance comes from within your own muscles.
Put the brakes on the movement, if you will- the harder you make it, the more productive, as long as you don’t go crazy with tension.  Go say at 80-90% effort, and it will just feel really good, like a “moving meditation”!

The martial artist Bruce Lee was a big proponent of this Visualized Resistance type of exercise, as was bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger before competitions- nothing is better for a lean, ripped sort of look and function of the human body!

Honestly, if you only did these exercises on a regular basis, you would develop a healthy, lean and attractive physique that would last a lifetime, along with the dietary and lifestyle changes we are making!  And, not only can these exercises be done on a daily basis, unlike the brutal damage caused by weight lifting to the joints, muscles and tendons, they should be done on a daily basis because they actually rejuvenate the joints, muscles and tendons!

So start!  Especially if you are an exerciser that has damaged his or her body through endless, damaging cardio or running, OR through heavy weight training-

THESE EXERCISES ARE YOUR SALVATION!

So have fun this week!

J

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day podcast #2- You are getting Sleepy...

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #2 -You are Getting Sleepy...

Today is step number 2 in “going paleo”, and it’s a real sleeper...
That’s right- step #1 last week we getting rid of grains, in particular wheat, since that is the most consumed, and most devastatingly altered from its original, biblical and pre-biblical state!  If you have kept off of grains for the past week, Congratulations!

By now you must be feeling some of the benefits, and are just starting to get over the “withdrawal” from this drug-like insidious bad food.  Stick with it- getting rid of the grains in your life is still priority #1- take it day by day, and eventually you won’t even think of eating grains, since you will realize just how they make you feel, and how they make you look and perform, both mentally and physically- you will realize that they are just-not-worth it to consume!!

So, keep it up, but this week your assignment, should you choose to accept it- Mission Impossible-style- is to...SLEEP!

Really- getting 7-9 hours per night of good, quality sleep is more than just restorative, both mentally and physically- it is magical!  The latest information on sleep research is that some areas of the brain are much MORE active during sleep than waking.   It appears that, during sleep, the brain actually cleanses itself of toxins, among other essentials.  Suffice it to say- sleep exists for an essential REASON, otherwise there is not way that mammals in the wild would go into what are essentially short comas, during which they are incredibly vulnerable!  Sleep must not only be important- it is essential and necessary, for animals and for US.

So, for week #2 of your paleolithic transformation, going “Back to the Future”, you should plan to get around 8 solid, satisfying, wonderful hours of sleep each and every night!  Don’t stay up late watching TV- and also download this free little piece of software for your computer- http://justgetflux.com/  The flux app will automatically dim your computer screen at night, and make it brighter in the mornings, thus attuning the light conditions of your machine to your own circadian sleep rhythms- it really helps you get to sleep at night, bottom line!

So, enjoy this week of ample sleep.  You will begin to feel so much better, and be so much more productive, during your waking hours- thanks to this ample sleep.  It really is second only to- banning wheat!

Have a great week, sleep well, and next Wednesday we’ll have another stepping stone in your Paleo Transformation- on Paleo Quick Tip of the Day!

J

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day podcast #1 Grains are enemy #1!

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #1

Grains are Enemy #1

I know you don’t want to hear that about grains!  Grains, especially “healthy whole grains” have long been touted as the base of our wonderful food pyramid, loaded with minerals, vitamins, and wonderful carbs and protein...

But grains, i.e. wheat is the main one we consume, are also loaded with toxic chemicals  like phytic acid, which actually blocks your bodies ability to absorb these minerals, along with gluten.  Gluten and the lectins that accompany it are actually poisons that attack the microvilli in your small intestine, eventually making your intestine permeable.

This causes you to have a “leaky gut”- isn’t that a lovely condition?  Now, particles can pass right into your bloodstream from your intestine.  This can, and will, cause digestive problems and eventually autoimmune disease.  And the lectins actually stop your intestines from being able to heal the lining that the gluten damages!  Talk about chemical warfare against the human that ate the poor wheat babies- the grain!

The end result of grain consumption?

First, obesity, followed by diabesity, which leads to all of the modern diseases that are the scourge of civilization: cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis... the list goes on and on.  Is grain the ONLY cause of all of this carnage?  No, but it is the PRIMARY cause!  Just eliminate grains from your diet, and you are MORE than half way to being healthy, fit, and vital for the long term.

I know, it sounds hard, and it is.  I won’t kid you there.  But it is also very, very much worth it!  The results you and those about you will see from just this one elimination in your life are astounding- fat can rapidly disappear, skin conditions clear up, mental problems like brain fog and depression can go away... the changes can be magical!

And so, it is that important to get rid of grains in your life!  Try it for the next week.  Eat eggs for breakfast, bacon, sausage.  A Big salad topped with meat or seafood for lunch.
Grilled meat and loads of veggies topped with loads of butter for supper.  Nuts and dark chocolate for desserts and snacks.  You need NOT go hungry!

I don’t care what else you do that you think you should change!  If you don’t exercise, fine.  Smoke cigarettes?  Great!  Sleep 4 hours per night?  Good for you.

All I want you to concentrate on this one week is to eliminate grains!  No bread, crackers, pasta, cookies, buns, cake... you get the picture.  It is THAT IMPORTANT for your health that NOTHING else will improve your health as much.  Try it out, and I guarantee you will be amazed at the effect it has on your overall well being, both physical AND mental.    And later, well we can talk about those other small matters...