Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #63 Virtual Resistance exercise it the PERFECT core exercise!

pqtd 63  Do Virtual Resistance Exercise as the CORE of your workout!

 

This is a hard one to tackle via a podcast- HOW to describe how to do an type of exercise that we all should know, and do, on a daily basis...

 

But that no one knows how to do anymore???

 

It’s like how we eat in the present day-  most people nowadays live almost totally on processed foods, and fast foods- in other words, “fake” foods that come in a bag or a box, require none or minimal preparation, and contain calories but almost no nutrients!  We actually have forgotten how to prepare and cook our own food- this is a skill me must relearn to regain the health of our forebears, and escape the nightmare slide into diabesity, autism, autoimmune diseases, and pharmaceutical overkill for profit!

 

Simple things like making stock from beef bones or a chicken carcass, obtaining the nutrients from those bones which are crucial for our health- grilling meat and then eating it throughout our week, making our own soups and stews- real, healthy foods that build the health of our bodies in a huge and uber important way- foods that have been largely abandoned in modern, Government subsidized grain based diets that sabatoge our diets, destroy our health, and ensure that we are addicted to a diet that makes us very sick, and very fat, but does not kill us, as long as we take the many very expensive drugs that mask the symptoms of our many diseases, but do not effect any cure of the underlying cause.

 

And that is because the cure is very simple- eat real foods, mostly prepared at home, and do real exercise!!

 

Not joint destroying exercise like heavy weight training, or prescriptions for overtraining like P-90X or Crossfit or any of all of those overkill protocols- and no jogging/running for endless miles that only destroy your joints and muscle tissue, and produce massive amounts of cortisol, the stress hormone, that will actually encourage your body to store fat at the same time it is destroying muscle...

 

No- you want simple, classic, timeless, Perfectly Paleo Exercise, especially in the form of virtual resistance exercise!

But, unless you are from before the 1970’s, you know nothing of Charles Atlas and his “dynamic tension”, and even if you are from the 1970’s and past you probably never heard of Arnold Schwarzenegger “posing” for contest prep, or of Bruce Lee and his katas and isometric holds.

 

All of these were expressions of the most ancient, effective, and powerful methods of training ever discovered- Virtual Resistance Training!

 

This is a good modern terminology for this ultimate exercise, that requires NO equipment, can be done anywhere at any time, and builds muscle and strength without any wear and tear on the joints and tendons whatsoever- 

 

It actually builds tendon strength as it also strengthens muscle tissue, avoiding injury from the get-go!

 

And so- how do you do it?  I will refer you to my site- www.paleojay.com  

 

I have several short videos of how to do these exercises there for you.  You can also get my ebook Perfectly Paleo Exercise with similar videos and links.  The most comprehensive example of how to do virtual resistance is at http://transformetrics.com/exercises 

 

John Peterson and Wendy Pett do a great job demonstrating the basics of virtual resistance training!

 

I know- it almost seems too simple and easy...

 

And it is simple- but not easy- generating the resistance yourself is every bit as taxing and difficult as lifting weights, and takes a LOT of mental concentration that weights do not as much- but the results are actually superior, and will build a far more symmetrical or beautiful type of lean, defined physique than will weights, that build a bulky, or blocky type of look, with a fat butt and bulging abdomen.  And virtual resistance will also NOT build a “skinny-fat” body, as will endless aerobics or long distance running.

 

Virtual Resistance exercise will build a natural, balanced, pleasing and symmetrical physique that is like that represented in ancient Greek statues- a physique that is strong in real world terms of strength!  A body that has tendons that can throw, lift, twist, bend and squat- a body ready for action, NOT for the lifting platform, the posing dias, or any other artificial event...

 

BUT A BODY BUILT FOR REAL LIFE!

 

 

 

Check out this episode!

Paleo Quick Tp of the Day #62 Keep Sundays Sacred- and Paleo!

PQTD 62 Keep Sundays Sacred- and Paleo!

 

We all know that it is important to have Sunday be “a day of rest”.  And it certainly IS!  But why, really, is it so important to have a day of rest?  Don’t we all have lots to do, and not enough hours to do those things, and besides, doing nothing just sounds... well, boring!

 

Throughout most of human history, people were worked almost to death during their daily lives, doing hard manual labor that literally worked their bodies, and especially their joints and tendons to such an extent that they were crippled, and often ruptured just from this extreme overwork.  Think of the extreme overwork of pioneers to this country, who struggled to uproot tree roots to get a field to plant, using only oxen and their own bodies and those of their families to get the job done!  They literally often worked themselves to death, or to a point of severe injury and damage.

 

In those days, people realized that keeping Sunday sacred, and a day of rest was vital for mere survival, and the rest of that one day might keep you  healthy to survive yet another brutal week.  Even the animals were spared on that one day, and that probably meant their survival as well, since rest can accomplish what no amount of work ever can, both physically and mentally.

 

Fast forward to the present, when “rest” is pretty much the national pastime!  Your average suburbanite or city dweller is required to do almost nothing in the way of physical strain, and has suffered mightily for this leisure, becoming fat, weak, sick and diabetic in consequence.  But lately, in classic over-reaction, we have seen a huge surge in Cross Fit, and other disciplines in which trainees are encouraged to work themselves harder, and harder, and with heavier and heavier weights, in intense WODs which are workouts of the day which overtax the human body in an ever increasing fashion.  All of the infomercial types of P-90X and the endless TV clones of exercise are all similar- work harder, and faster, and then you have more time to, well, work harder and faster at other things too!

 

I get it- when you don’t work out, you feel (and quite frankly also look!) like loser.  But if you go too far to the opposite extreme, as so many are today, you are back at the point where our pioneer ancestors were- overworked to the point of joint destruction, and where the human body starts manufacturing stress hormones like cortisol that actually encourage things like fat storage!  NOT what you after, is it?

 

How to get back onto a middle track, where our bodies can be stimulated enough to get stronger and fitter, but are also rested enough that they can bounce back and actually GET stronger, leaner and fitter- start with Sunday the day of rest!  Use this day for contemplation, meditation, family restful activities like going to church, preparing a dinner as a fun family activity, and conversing.  Play cards or board games together, maybe horseshoes in the back yard.  An evening movie together for the family is OK, but just make sure it is uplifting and family friendly like a Disney movie, or the LEGO movie... “EVERYTHING IS AWESOME”!  What a great family movie!!

 

And the rest of the week?  Get enough sleep!!  I mean 8 hours PLUS per night!

 

This one thing will do a lot for your overall health and fitness; probably even MORE than working out will!!

 

And for workouts?

 

This is where I lose folks, and it’s sad, because it would help them so very much- ditch the weights!

 

There, I said it!  Do Perfectly Paleo Exercise, the type that uses your own body as resistance.  Virtual resistance is ideal as the base- just flex to supply the resistance as you move- this is the perfect human/animal exercise- just observe a CAT in “training” as they stretch/flex.  And do likewise!

 

In addition, add in self resisted exercises, with one limb resisting against another, and then calisthenics like pullups, pushups, sprinting, and hindu and pistol squats... sprinkle in a liberal amount of stretching on the floor daily, and you have the perfect physical regimen, as done by almost ALL cultures including the Greek, Roman, Indian and Chinese for thousands of years.

 

Do it daily, but not for more than 40 minutes maximum, and only go to about 80% maximum effort, enough to feel energized rather than drained afterwards...

 

Except for Sundays!

Check out this episode!

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #61 Cook your Grass fed Beef RIGHT!

pqtd 61  Cook your grass fed beef RIGHT

 

The health benefits of beef that is totally GRASS FED are legion!  MUCH higher in Omega 3 fats, much leaner, so much better for your than feedlot beef that is almost all omega 6 fats, and loaded with antibiotics that go right into your body.  Animals that are grass fed are so healthy that they do not NEED these drugs to stay alive long enough to slaughter- healthy animals are good for you!  Drugged animals are NOT.

 

Grass fed beef has an Omega 3 ratio that makes it as good for you as wild caught salmon.  In addition, with no other change whatsoever, if you switch to grass fed beef from CAFO or feed-lot beef, with no other changes, you would lose 6 pounds per year, strictly because of the leanness of the meat.

 

I hope I have convinced you to make the switch!  It really is a no-brainer.  Just find a local source, ideally, and the cost will be about the same, and you will have made a connection that can also hook you up with free range eggs, raw milk and cream, and pastured pork!

 

BUT, you do need to learn how to change up your cooking methods!  Yesterday I grilled a grass fed roast, then ground beef, pastured bacon, and finally a rib eye steak...  and you have to cook them all LOW and SLOW.

 

With a Weber grill, which is the gold standard as far as I am concerned, or at least the most commonly used grill in the USA- keep the temperature DOWN.  If you have a temperature gauge on your grill, try to keep it between 300 and 360 degrees, and hold it there.  But let’s retrace our steps here:

 

Put all of the charcoal to one side of the grill!  I know, Weber says to put charcoal on either side, and a drip pan in the middle... don’t bother!  All on one side, either start with a propane torch as I do (total time 1 minute), or with a chimney starter (total time about 10 minutes)...  

 

I love my torch!

 

NOW, put your meat on the OPPOSITE side of the grill that you have the charcoal on.  OH, by the way, Paleo Person- only use real charcoal, hardwood charcoal, sometimes called cowboy charcoal- forget Kingsford and others, that are mixed with petroleum byproducts- YUCK!  

 

Also, forget lighter fluid, which is also petroleum based, and super toxic- YUCK YUCK YUCK!!

 

For a grass fed roast, put it on first, and cook it extremely low and slow...  later, if you add ground beef, you can also add your bacon, and finally your steak!

 

Now, with a standard grocery store feedlot steak, you would just sear it on high, maybe 500 degrees, for maybe 2-3 minutes per side...

 

Not so with grass fed my friend!!  Very different...

 

It should take at least 20 minutes to grill your steak!  Sear it briefly, and then, cover on the grill, turn it down as low as you can... just sit there, drinking your green smoothie (Hey, I’m joking- have a light, cheap, corn-based beer dude), and keep it LOW and SLOW.

 

Check often; the opening will only lower the temp.  Take it off before it is even medium rare, and all else will be done as well- the roast should be about an hour, the ground beef about 1/2, and the steak 20 minutes.

 

At last, you have learned to cook grass fed, and pastured meat, no problem!

 

You have learned to cook GRASS FED, super healthy meat!!  It is a short learning curve, resulting in incredibly improved health and actually improved taste- once you go grass, you won’t go back!

 

Check out this episode!

Cure your Hemorrhoids cheaply, safely, and naturally!

PQTD 60 Cure your hemorrhoids cheaply, safely, and naturally

 

OK, my friends- this has to rank right up there with most awkward podcasts/articles ever- but no less important for all of that!  When I read that 75% of people will experience the pain and suffering of hemorrhoids throughout their lives, I realized that I had better weigh in on this important matter, since it can be every bit as painful and debilitating as bad tooth pain!  Extreme pain, in either end of the body, whether teeth, or bottom, can pretty much derail your life and happiness.  Fortunately, through an ancestral or paleo type of lifestyle and diet, all three can not only be cured, but actually prevented and stopped for good!

 

But today, let’s talk hemorrhoids!  

 

Not getting enough fiber from copious amounts of vegetables, preferably green veggies, can be an instigator.  Couple that with not enough liquid throughout the day, and straining at stool... coupled with a sedentary lifestyle- you will wind up with hemorrhoids.

 

But say that NOW, you are plagued with the painful condition, and just want to know how to treat it!  Here is your immediate answer:

 

Get a bottle of witch hazel at the local drug store.  After having a painful bowel movement, take a thickish wad of tissue, double it over, and then douse with a healthy portion of witch hazel.  Wipe your bottom with the witch hazel, and then repeat!  Perhaps a third time if it is really painful.

 

This should stop the acute pain!  Next, get a good two-fingers full of coconut oil, and massage it right onto your bottom, onto your anus area itself.  Wash your hands really well!!

 

Repeat the process each time you have to “go”.  Start fixing yourself a Paleo Green Smoothie each day, and drink it down!  Not only will this fix your lack of green veggies and their accompanying nutrients to repair the damage, it will also serve to prevent the condition from ever happening again.  With a large daily serving, the miracle of a smoothie will also completely hydrate you, and eliminate that other component that leads to ill health.

It really is that simple!  There are literally thousands of procedures, and ointments, creams, and salves, not to mention numerous expensive and painful surgical procedures that are invented to cure this problem...

 

but this is all that you need!

 

Like most things in life, the cure is simple, and natural, just as God and nature intended.  You will only be misled by hucksters, corporations, and other charlatans that want to profit from your pain- ignore them!

 

Witch hazel, and coconut oil- easy cheap and effective!  

 

Oh, and for future tooth pain?  

 

Just start with that coconut oil that you have on hand... each day, as you shower, “oil pull” with a spoonful or so- just swish that coconut oil around your mouth as you shower, and prepare for your day.  This ONE STEP will do more to prevent dental problems than anything else you can do-

 

And that includes going to the dentist AND brushing and flossing!

 

Don’t get me wrong, do the brushing and flossing, but the oil pulling rules!

 

Do these things, and you can give yourself a well-earned pat on the behind!

 

Check out this episode!

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day Train your FEET, your NECK, and your EYES!

pqtd 59  Train  your FEET and NECK -even your EYES

 

Today’s podcast is near and dear to me- Most people do lip service to exercise, since everyone knows (at last!) that physical exercise is vital to health and wellness.  Most older people, however, just walk at the mall, in highly cushioned shoes, or walk on a treadmill or around their neighborhoods- again, in highly cushioned walking shoes that are guaranteed to put your feet into a foam “cast”, and thus make them ever weaker.

 

In terms of health and wellness, if your feet are in constant pain and discomfort, who cares what your 10K time is, or how much you can lift?  Work out for a lifetime, I say, and that means first taking care of the basics!

 

Every morning, during my Perfectly Paleo Exercise routine, I do several exercises especially for my feet!  In addition, since I always work out barefoot in the living room, and wearing my Xero sandals when in the basement, my feet are constantly involved in whatever exercise I am doing, stabilizing with my toes, strengthening my arch, and twisting and bending as they are meant to do!  And, I also massage my feet with my hands, routinely, as part of my workout.  It doesn’t take long, but the results are so worth it... even my hands and fingers are strengthened by that massage!

 

In warmer weather, I sprint once per week in the yard, barefooted.  5 or 6 hundred yard dashes or so, sometimes longer, for maybe 10-15 minutes.  But build up to this!  Start by just walking around your house either barefoot or in stockinged feet- never wear shoes in your house! 

 

OK- that’s your feet, becoming their paleo, healthy selves for a lifetime!  Now, on to your neck...

 

The neck is the other part of the body that, when it hurts or is unnaturally weak, will really ruin your life!  Think about the last time you had a sore or stiff neck- you couldn’t do anything physical at all.  So, during your daily morning workouts (I suggest working out daily, or almost daily for at least a short while) take some time to manually resist moving your head against your hands- push your forehead against your resisting palms, then backwards, and then from side to side.  Push with perhaps a 70-80% perceived maximum resistance level, for a few seconds duration each way- that’s it!  It doesn’t take long at all, and can really make a long term impact on your health- do you really want to be one of those elderly people that is permanently hunched over?

 

So, you’ve saved your feet, and you’ve saved your neck!  Now, how important to you are your eyes??

 

It’s not widely known, but the eyes are like the feet- use them naturally, as they are meant to be used, and they will become stonger!  If you constantly wear eyeglasses or contact lenses, your eyes are essentially locked in casts- the will become weaker and weaker over time.

 

Don’t wear your glasses indoors, unless you really, really need to.  Hold books out to where you can barely read them, at the edge of your focus, and read them there. Don’t make the print on your computer so BIG that it looks like the first letters on an optometrist’s eye chart- make your eyes work.  

 

And above all, make a habit of looking off into the distance, and then back at something close up, and then back into the distance- exercise your eyes.  Consider getting a weaker prescription, not a stronger one next eye Dr. appointment.  Go to a behavioral optometrist, where they believe as I do- they will work with you to get gradually weaker prescriptions to strengthen your eyesight.  A standard optometrist will try to sell you on a stronger prescription, with expensive lenses and frames each and every time you visit them.

 

It’s a great business model for them, just like selling prescription drugs is great for the drug companies... but it will make your vision progressively worse.  Just as the prescription drugs will mask the symptoms, while making your health progressively worse.

 

So treat the cause!  Don’t walk with cushioned shoes, which lead eventually to a cane, and then a walker.  Go the other way- to LESS technology- walk barefoot!  Exercise your feet.

 

Exercise your neck, and while you’re at it, your spine and the rest of your body via Perfectly Paleo Exercise.  Be physically healthy the rest of your life- try going glasses free as much as possible too!  

 

We were created to be perfectly functioning humans.  We evolved to match an environment that we have unwittingly turned toxic, through too much ease and comfort on the one hand, and too much stress and unnaturalness on the other- toxic city water loaded with chemicals, endless job responsibilities, outrageous taxes and overbearing government control.

 

We need to go back as much as possible!  Our future is in our past. 

Try to live in the real world, the paleo world.  Anything else is madness.

Check out this episode!

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #58 Cut the Government Gluten- but Embrace the Real Nutrients

pqtd #58 Quit Gluten AND embrace natural nutrients

The big thing now, nutritionally, is to go “gluten free”, and believe me, that is a fad that is worth following!  Gluten, from wheat primarily in the American Standard American Diet aka S.A.D. is a protein found in wheat that is extremely caustic and damaging over time to the intestines of mammals.  It was increased greatly in the 1970’s in what was called at the time “The Green Revolution”, when wheat was altered to increase yields.

 

And it did increase yields, big time!  Unfortunately, nobody thought to test things like increased “anti-nutrients” like gluten and gliadin in this new wheat- they just looked at the yields, and went ahead full bore, replacing the wheats of the bible and before like Spelt and Einkorn that waved majestically 6 feet or more in the air, and replaced them with squat, gluten loaded monstrosities that yielded many more grains per acre, but at a as-of- then undetermined cost in side effects.  And so, yes, please, give up gluten!

 

But this is not the end of the story, and to simply replace all of our beloved processed foods and junk food with those made without gluten is an improvement, but rather slight when compared to gaining real health!  Along with eliminating wheat, we need to start adding in all of the nutrients that wheat has replaced over the years- cut the wheat, but vastly increase the green veggies, the cultured full fat dairy (preferably raw), the organ meats, and the FAT!  

 

This is probably the hardest concept to get across to people who have never really experienced the benefits of an ancestral or paleo type of diet.  After being brainwashed for over 50 years to cut the fat- eat low fat this and that, and skimmed milk, and margarine instead of butter- it is hard for folks to fathom that yes, indeed, their grandparents had been right, and modern medical advice has been dead wrong for at least 50 years.

 

The truth?  Orange juice is bad- it’s just sugar water- ditto all fruit juices.  And sugar is worse for you than smoking cigarettes- really!  It is the most cancer stimulating substance known- also, it will cut your insulin sensitivity, setting you up for diabesity, which is just the first stage of diabetes, obesity, progressive heart disease, cancer and alzheimer’s and many other auto-immune diseases.  They all get started in your “leaky gut”, which begins with wheat and sugar, continues with the ravages of industrial seed oils like soy and corn and canola and peanut, margarine and other nutrient lacking oils...

 

Take charge- cut gluten, then add in lots of fat- pastured butter, free range eggs, lots of wild caught seafood  (sardines are great) cod liver oil, and everything I recommend you put into your daily Paleo Green Smoothie!  

 

This fulfills the package, and lets your body truly rebuild and thrive from the inside out, repairing all the damage that has been done eating the “low fat LIE” diet over the years.  Cook for yourself and your family, go back to the days when we provided our nutrition for ourselves using real God made foods from nature, and turn your back on man made, processed foods promoted by Big Government and Big Corporations through subsidies provided by your tax dollars...

 

Throw out the Government Gluten, but at the same time embrace Real Foods with Natural Nutrients!

Check out this episode!

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #57 Phil Mickelson and LeBron James go PALEO

pqtd 57  Phil Mickelson and LeBron James both go Paleo

 

In case you haven’t heard the news yet, golf legend Phil Mickelson  and basketball great LeBron James have both adopted the paleo diet!  

 

I was watching a golf tournament with my wife, who is an avid golfer, the other day.  She had told me that Phil Mickelson had gone on the paleo diet, and sure enough, the announcers of the tournament were talking about it.

 

“It’s a cave man diet!”  said the one announcer.

 

“The what?  What does that mean?” asked the other.

 

“You know- you only eat what you can kill- like a caveman...”

 

And so they went, totally clueless as to what a true paleo type of ancestral diet really is!  I’ll read a brief article about it that was on the internet- hopefully you golf announcers are listening in, and will learn the basics here:

 

Phil Mickelson And LeBron James Score Weight Loss With Paleo Low-Carb Diets [Video]

image: http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Phil-Mickelson-Weight-Loss-665x385.jpg

 

Experts traditionally advise athletes to load up on carbohydrates, while those who want to achieve their weight loss goals are given low-fat diets. But in a nutritional sea change, more diet experts are recommending various types of low-carb diets, from Paleo plans to ketogenic high fat diets such as the Atkins weight loss program. And when 44-year-old golfer Phil Mickelson decided to make his comeback after slipping from fourth to eleventh, he chose a Paleo diet for weight loss success, according to Business Insider.

 

Phil’s trainer, Sean Cochran, was blunt about why his client is working so hard to shed pounds.

“Let’s be honest, he did not have his best year last year. I know what he’s capable of. I know he wants a successful year.”

And to achieve that success, Mickelson has chosen a Paleo diet, said his trainer. The food plan includes protein, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. He avoids dairy, starchy carbohydrates such as grains, and any type of processed food products. That means breakfast can include eggs and mushrooms, but toast is off the table.

It’s the same low-carb diet used by LeBron James, who told Sports Illustrated that he followed the Paleo diet guidelines carefully in an effort to improve his game, as shown below.

 

 

 

Although James initially planned to follow the diet for a month, he felt so good after 30 days that he kept going.

“I had no sugars, no dairy, I had no carbs. All I ate was meat, fish, veggies and fruit. That’s it. For 67 straight days.”

LeBron was so proud of his weight loss that he posted a photo of his newly slim body via Instagram with a philosophical caption.

image: http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/LeBron-James-Paleo-Diet.jpg

 

LeBron James flaunts weight loss success on Paleo low-carb diet.

“Throughout adversity, trials and tribulations. When you think you’re alone know your shadow will stand tall and always have your back! #OverComeItAll #StriveForGreatness.”

James and Mickelson aren’t the only famous folks who have turned to Paleo and low-carb diets for weight loss and health, as the Inquisitr reported. Both Anne Hathaway and former President Bill Clinton followed vegan diets for years.

But when Anne was filming Interstellar, she felt constantly fatigued and literally fed up with endless plates of garbanzo beans and tofu. She decided to experiment with a low-carb diet high in animal protein, and felt a surge in energy overnight. Now she’s firmly entrenched in the ex-vegan camp.

Clinton’s physician, Mark Hyman, was the one who persuaded him to veto vegan meals and boost the protein in his diet with foods such as grass-fed beef and wild salmon.

“It’s hard being a vegan to eat enough good, quality protein and not have too much starch. I know a lot of fat vegans,” said Dr. Hyman.

 

Now, I have to say that this is good news for all of us!  Not only will Phil and LeBron enhance their own careers and, more importantly, their health- but they also, as celebrities, will be in a position to influence many, many others into considering changing their own diets to that of the Paleo type, and eliminate the loads of junk that has cluttered up Americans’ diet and health for far too long.  We need celebrities to influence the masses.

 

 

And so, there you go!  Don’t go the other, wrong way and wind up a fat, sick vegan- be a lean, healthy paleo person!  It’s just the application of the most current science, but even more, the paleo diet is just common sense.

 

Check out this episode!