pqtd podcast #129 Paleo Politics

Boy, will I ruffle some feathers with this one!  Well, that’s fine: I have never been either politically correct, or a moderate “flip-flopper” like so many…

 

I watched the Democratic Party Convention for awhile last night, and it was… horrendous.  There was NO American flag, but a Syrian one and rainbow flags all in evidence.  It turns out that the Dems have abandoned actual working people, and have become a party of privileged elites, with  welfare and illegal immigrant votes to prop it all up.  I waited and waited to hear what Bernie Sanders would say, since he had been conned by Hillary and the rest of the elite, ruling democrats to believe that he and his supporters had a chance at getting the presidential nomination. 

I waited, and all the rest of us waited, and waited… the elite Dems purposely waited until about 11 PM central time to put him on, and so I, and all the rest of Paleo People (not to mention the stoned Bernie supporters and all people who actually had to go to work the next day) were asleep in their beds!  (Inclined, hopefully!) 

As Bernie started to speak, his Robin Hood-hatted supporters, once he caved in and supported evil Hillary, booed during his whole lackluster, cookie-cutter speech!   On a repeat the next day, even I was “feeling the Bern”, a little.  The Betrayed Bern of his supporters, that is- it appears, once again, that Socialism and Communism, those kissing cousins, are all about power and perks for the elite- with some crumbs thrown to the supporters.  That is the bottom line- no “shining city on a hill”, that is classic conservatism my friends.

 

Today, as I mowed my acreage in 90 degree heat, I listened to Rush Limbaugh wax eloquent on the whole thing:  Bottom line?  Here is the platform of the New Democrat, Obama and Hillary party:

 

Black Lives Matter, New Black Panthers, Occupy Wall Street, stripping God from their party platform, transgender bathroom advocates, anti-police, pro-death panels, baby butchers!

 

I know, it sounds extreme, doesn’t it?  But- doesn’t it also ring completely true??

 

Everyday, pretty much, there is a new Islamic fundamentalist Terrorist attack, killing innocents in the West, both the US and Western Europe.  We have a terrible NON-President Obama who will not even name the enemy!  His successor, Hillary Clinton, is just as evil, and will up the ante on the Obama agenda, if elected. 

She has already betrayed us, giving up our secrets to Russians, Chinese, and other enemies of America.  She should be in jail!  If we all lived in small tribes, as in the Ancestral lifestyle, Hillary would have been banished from the tribe long ago.  Character reveals itself quickly in tribal settings…

 

That is all I will say politically, although I could go on and on and on- I’m sure you could too!  The thing I’m trying to point out, though, is that political correctness, or “just going with the flow”, is very anti- Paleo! 

Liberal Democrats go with the flow.  They are completely onboard with things like GMO’s (Obama swore to fight them, and they have been increased under his regime far more than any other), big corporate food, (Michelle has supported the WORST school lunch program of all time!); they love big government solutions to everything:

 

Government schooling in the inner cities: Total failure

Agricultural subsidies for big grain farmers: Total decimation of the nation’s health

FDA control of pharmaceuticals: Resulting in big buyouts of government by those same corporations

And a total lack of faith in the individual, and capitalism.  This failure runs throughout all of the nation now, with the Federal Government taking control of almost EVERYTHING, and mandating their horrible agenda over all of us.

 

I hope I don’t soracy theorist, because we are now far past all of that!  The madmen are now running the asylum.  Small town America has beeund like a conspin made an enemy of the Federal government, with ALL of their support going (with your tax dollars) to things you would abhor, if you were aware of them.  Like those I’ve listed above.

 

Please- vote Republican.  I don’t care if you hate Trump; if this was a horse race, HE is by far the best choice.  Not just because he will win, but because the other horses are toxic and evil, both to you and your families, and to Liberty itself.  Still in doubt?  Go watch “Hillary’s America” as soon as you can.  It really does explain it all, at last.  Your substandard education will get an upgrade!  And you will actually know American History at last!

Check out this episode!

pjsc 128 No Gym Needed

One of the biggest deterrents to someone actually doing the exercise that their body is crying out for is this: they think they need to join a gym (expensive and intimidating to the uninitiated), and then of course they have to find the time to get there.  Driving over, getting into your special workout clothes, waiting in lines to use fancy machines or heavy weights on supports and on benches covered with the previous users sweat…

and music you may hate is often blaring at you, and lines of folks peddle away on bicycle trainers, going nowhere, watching TV…

 

Doesn’t sound too appealing, does it?  And so, unsurprisingly, most people simply give it all up, and say “I just walk!” when the subject of exercise comes up.  While walking is fine, most people just walk really fast for exercise (this is silly and unproductive- walking is not meant to be rushed!), and then drive the rest of the time when they are not on their 1/2 hour really fast, dorky looking walk through the mall or the neighborhood.

 

So, I will agree: rule #1 of Perfectly Paleo Exercise: walk, but walk barefoot, outside in the grass when you can.  Pumping small weights ala Heavyhands is ideal, and a great total body workout can be had, pleasantly if not easily, in 10-15 minutes!  And otherwise- just walk into town if you can, or at least just park at the very back of the parking lot when you shop.  It never adds more than a few minutes at most to your trip, and makes parking easy and safe for your vehicle, and adds health to your life.

 

Rule #2: Exercise at home!  That’s right, in your living room, your den, your basement- wherever.  I have my gymnastic rings hanging in the basement, and it is so fast and convenient and productive to just go down there and do some pushups, pull ups, flies, and one-legged squats and rows.  Never takes longer than about 30 minutes to totally stimulate the entire musculature, safely and very productively.  No spine compression like with a barbell on your back, or shoulder destruction from bench pressing a heavy barbell- and flexibility is also enhanced. 

 

Rule #3: Work out, hopefully daily, and do it first thing in the morning.  Come up with a sequence that works well for you- I vary mine slightly from day to day, but each day usually has a focus- for instance, tomorrow is pushup day.  I’ll get up nice and early, to have the living room (and the television) to myself, and then I’ll walk in, coffee in hand, and start my Netflix show as I begin slowly flexing and working out.  Virtual resistance is always how I begin, slow, intentional flexing of each muscle group in the body throughout the entire range of motion, for 7-10 reps each.

 

Rule #4: Stretch! After my whole body has been worked via virtual resistance, I get down on my floor mat and go through a series of stretches.  I also work my ankles, my hands, massage my bare feet, ( I always exercise barefoot when I can), and finish with a long hold of a back bridge, adjusting my spine while I get the blood into my head- it feels great!

 

Rule #5: Do pushups.  You don’t need to do them every day, I like to concentrate them into 2 times per week, Sundays on the rings, and Thursdays on the Perfect pushup rotating pushup handles.  I do them with my legs elevated, and I do sets with regular width grip, wide grip, and then narrow grip.  30, 25, and 20 lately.  Then I repeat, for at least four sets; sometimes up to 10! 

If I do the 4 sets, that’s a total of 260 reps.  I pause briefly between sets, and sometimes to isometrics and self resisted exercises as I do so.  This is much more beneficial than any sort of heavy weight training, or long distance running, since it develops the entire body in a very beneficial way, giving your body a symmetry of proportion, not bulky, blocky muscles and a protruding stomach.

 

Rule #6: Get a rebounder!  I don’t want you to spend a lot on anything, after all, I haven’t asked you to join a gym, get special shoes or clothes, or anything much.  Ideally, you will have a one time purchase and installation of gymnastic rings, buy the heavy duty Perfect Pushup handles (the standard ones wear out quickly), and a mat for the floor. (I got a rubber yoga mat at Target). But, do get a rebounder, which is a mini-trampoline!  Nothing comes close to stimulating your lymph system, which processes your waste products from the body, and it naturally enhances the virtual resistance exercises as you gently bounce on it.  You actually have to experience rebounding to realize how healthy it is (I always finish up with the “Ab bounce”), and all you need is a cheap rebounder.  Mine, like my mat, was from Target- $30.00.  I’ve had it, and used it daily, for years!

 

Rule #7: Do sit ups!  I’m really coming to believe my grade school gym teachers had it right- back in the 1950’s and early 60’s, they had us doing multiple sets of pushups and sit ups, along with jumping jacks and burpees, chin ups and rope climbing!  What could be more paleo than that?

Somewhere along the line, body builders started doing “crunches”, which were said to totally isolate the abs.  BS!  I think they caught on because they are really easy!  Do sit ups!  Put your hands behind your head, do not anchor your feet under anything, and sit up all the way, getting your head down as low in front as you can.  After awhile, you will be touching your nose to your knees, or close to it. 

This is not just for the abs in isolate, like the crunch- this, like the pushup, is a total body exercise, and is particularly beneficial to the back and the spine. 

Tuesdays are sit up day, along with hindu squats (high rep squats to the floor, swinging the arms as you go), slow regular pushups with hands flat on the floor, and several other exercises I have adopted over the years.  All are detailed in my eBook Perfectly Paleo Exercise, and in PaleoJay’s Smoothie Cafe paperback.

 

Rule #8: EXERCISE!  It’s not optional, just like eating, our Ancestral bodies really require regular exercise, natural exercise that satisfies our flexibility, strength, and aerobic needs.  Good sleep, good natural foods made by God, not man, (this means no gluten!), and exercise are all necessary for health and well-being.   Get started tomorrow- just go in the living room and do some pushups and sit ups.  I don’t care if you can only do one of each!  Do one, rest, do another, and so on.  If that’s all you can do, then that is as good for you as hundreds are to someone else.  Do a little stretching, eat well that day in a Paleo sort of way, go to bed early, and do it again tomorrow- I guarantee it will be easier the very next day. 

 

Rule #9 & 10:  REPEAT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out this episode!

pqtd #127- Make Health your Hobby!

Western medicine today, although wonderful in crisis situations of acute trauma, is woefully bad when it comes to managing actual health, and in preventing disease!  In going regularly to an MD and getting numerous screenings and tests, you are doing nothing that will actually preserve your health- you will just be tested with numerous expensive procedures that tell very little about your actual health and wellness.  You will also undoubtedly be prescribed numerous prescription drugs, like statins, antidepressants, and high blood pressure medications whether they are really called for or not.

 

You need to become your own health care provider, in fact- your own doctor!  No one knows the real state of your health better than you yourself, and only you can develop the habits of good, paleo-type of daily nutrition, the stress relief of regular exercise and the rejuvenation of a good nightly sleep.  Those three things: proper ancestral diet, regular ancestral body weight types of exercise, and a good eight or more hours of sleep per night will do far more for you than any expensive prescription drugs, and for free.

 

I see it as coming down to this: the American Medical Association has devolved into the strongest labor union in the world, with the major goal being to take as much of your money, and that of the health insurance companies and the government as possible.  That has become their literal bottom line!

 

Not that many years ago, I recall, most hospitals were non-profit.  Even the Mayo clinic used to be a sanitarium where sick people went to be cured of disease with raw milk, fresh air and sunshine, and natural healing methods.  Now, they condemn raw milk, and are the jump to recommend controversial drugs and surgeries as a first resort!  Natural healing is derided by most doctors, and drugs are their answer to everything.

 

Do your own research- you will soon come to realize how you’ve been misled, since most MD’s today still rely on the outdated stuff they were taught decades ago in medical school, much of which is completely outdated, and proven wrong by the latest research.

 

You don’t want to be treated with 1970’s science, which has been turned upside down in more recent days.  Low fat, low calorie diets have been shown to be terrible, grains have been altered to the point where diabetes and obesity are rampant, and vegetable oils have been proven to be little better than poison.  Statin drugs have been shown to be far more harmful than beneficial, and most other drugs are little better than band aids that just treat symptoms, leaving your health even more compromised that it was before your took them.

 

Even many surgeries are just short-term fixes, stents merely propping open a vein for a bit, but leaving you to gradually close it off again with the bad effects of a horrible, standard American diet.  You need to address the root causes of the problem, not just prop yourself up for a while by handing over many thousands of dollars to a medical clinic.

 

If you brought your car to a garage because the oil pressure light was on, and the mechanic just disconnected the electrical wire to the light so it wouldn’t light up, would that satisfy the problem?  No, you just wouldn’t be aware of anything until your entire engine seized up and died!  But it you go to the doctor, and he prescribes pain medicines, antidepressants, statins, high blood pressure medicine, acid reflux pump inhibitors, and metformin while recommending you get a stent or two put in in the future…

He is doing the same as the mechanic!

 

He is treating symptoms, and doing nothing to treat the underlying cause of all of these disease symptoms- all of which are reversible.  Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease itself, all autoimmune diseases actually, are all reversible.  Naturally reversible, in fact they are not normal for the human animal at all. 

 

All that needs to be done is to clean up your diet, sleep, get regular exercise, meditate, walk around in your bare feet, and rejuvenate your gut flora with fermented foods and by avoiding glyphosate.  You need to get out in the sun for vitamin D, and you need a community or “tribe” of like-minded folks to connect with.

 

It might take a little time for you to turn around your conditions, but just living in such a pleasant, natural manner is really reward enough in and of itself!  “Euphoria” is supposed to be a deliriously happy state, but it really is, in the ancient greek meaning of the word,  just “feeling good and normal.”  If you live as I recommend, particularly in avoiding modern man made food-like substances and eating real, God made foods- why, not only will you look and feel healthy- you will constantly be euphoric!

Check out this episode!

PQTD #126 Get Down on the Floor!

What the heck?  What do I mean by telling you to “get down on the floor?!”

 

Just that- you cannot be flexible and fit, with your mobility intact, unless you get down on the floor (or ground) each day, to stretch, to sit, and to just exist!   We are not meant to exist in the sitting position, with occasional standing and walking only- we are meant, in fact we are designed through long evolution to be able to negotiate multiple terrains, and to do so without shoes, without eyeglasses, and without chairs.  The old adage to “use it or lose it” never rang more true in history.

 

I have seen many older people, and by far the majority lose the majority of their flexibility, mobility, and balance by their 50’s- and from there on out, it goes down at an alarming degree, until they are ultimately almost bed-bound.  Many are confined to walkers, and can only get out of their chairs by using “lift chairs” that electrically lift them into a standing position with no muscular activity of their own!

 

The key phrase here is no muscular activity of their own.  Before these people start their long decline in physical decrepitude, they begin by losing muscular strength.  Without a basic level of strength, you are dooming yourself to early, self-inflicted invalidism.  So, do your Perfectly Paleo Exercise, your strength training calisthenics and virtual, isometric, and self-resisted exercises every day, if you can.  But definitely three times per week minimum!

 

But, while you are doing your daily exercise, get down on the floor.  I have a yoga mat in my living room I do my pushups and sit ups (straight-legged- no wimpy “crunches” for this paleo man), my hindu squats and back bridges all on this- but, I also spend good amounts of time just sitting on the floor or ground, both inside and out.  Because, once you are accustomed to it, sitting on the ground actually just feels good, right, and natural.  Because it is!

 

I have been in Asia, and while we have a “chair based” culture, they have a “floor based” culture- and they are the better for it!  I was amazed to see 90 year old frail men and women over there rise effortlessly to their feet after sitting on the floor for a meal of an hour or more.  And I am not talking about exceptionally athletic people at all- just slender, kind of frail looking folks, but who had kept their mobility simply by continuing to sit on the floor throughout their lives!

 

Think about it- in a chair, you are really in a kind of “cast”.  A comfortable one, but a cast nonetheless!  In the old days (say before about 50 years ago), it didn’t matter as much, because in the course of daily living almost all of us moved our bodies all day long, standing, squatting, walking, pulling and lifting as we went about our daily lives. We would often be on the ground, to plant or lift something. Or just to lie back and contemplate the sky, instead of staring at a small screen for a break.   Survival required it back then. 

 

No longer.  Now we sleep in flat comfy beds- (if you haven’t inclined the head of your bed yet, do that- see “Inclined Bed Therapy” and read of the many benefits of raising your bed head 4-6”)!  Then, we get out of bed, sit in a chair to eat, then drive sitting to a job where we sit all day!  Then, come home, sit, and watch TV or at our computer til it is back to a flat comfy bed again.  Just by getting on the floor for 1 hour out of the 24, we would be vastly better off, health wise!

 

So, get down with your bad self!  Get funky, get on the floor- let your many stabilizer and trunk muscles do what they are there for.  Your core will work, your legs and back will regain flexibility and mobility.  All just from getting on the floor!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out this episode!

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #125 WHERE to live is a Paleo Decision!

This may sound kind of strange, but truly- WHERE you live is crucially important! To your health, to your psyche, and to the health and wellness of your entire family. It really is that important.
Nowadays, if you live in a big city, you are virtually guaranteed that your air is polluted, you are unsafe from criminal predators, and you are isolated from the fields and forests, the prairies and savannas that we are evolved to live within. You are instantly non-paleo!
You might fix your diet, many big city folks do, eating lots of leafy greens, full fat pastured dairy and meats, real oils made from coconut and olive and no horrid vegetable oils like canola or soy…
You might work out ata-out curtains that eliminate the constant artificial light that disturbs your circadian rhythms…

Congratulations! You are doing as well as you can, within that unnatural, unpaleo environment!

But, it’s a “good-better-best” scenario- you are merely “good”. You are still subject to a terrible crime epidemic that has taken over our large, and even some not-so-large cities. You still have an awful public school system in virtually ALL large cities, one that subjects children to violence and bullying, and offers pitiful instruction on subjects largely dealing with political correctness, and little else.
The very air you breathe is toxic, as is the public water system water, which is increasingly loaded with chlorine, fluoride, and a plethora of bad things that will kill your gut microbes, and damage your health in a huge way.
“Oh, but I live in a suburb, outside of the big city!” you retort. Well, this is not much better, my friend…
Although the school system will be vastly better, (and the police protection and government), it comes with a huge price. NOW, you need money-money-money in ever increasing amounts, because to live in the suburbs has become incredibly expensive. Incredibly expensive!
And why is this? Because people will pay any amount to keep themselves and their families safe from the predators that have taken over our inner cities. Anything. And this has led to suburbs that are like, if not literally “gated communities”, are pretty much in actuality the same thing.
And, in the suburbs, you have to do everything “by the rules”, which means having a perfect, carpet-like lawn, which is nowadays drenched in glyphosate via Roundup, leaving a toxic mess for your children to play on! And the pressure to compete, even in grade school- dance classes, gymnastic classes, soccer and tennis and swimming and- the list goes on and on. There is no way for kids to just hang out, be kids on their own, playing with sticks and balls, running around in nature- especially because, for kids in the city or the suburbs- there is no nature anymore! It’s all paved, or organized fields with adult coaches, or concrete.
And the suburbs have the same rotten treated water, the same congestion only a little less, but a huge, endless demand for money to live there! This is the worst- everything in life starts to look like a dollar sign. “I need more money, more more more!” Enough is never enough, because you always need more. This stress alone is enough to disqualify the suburbs as a paleo place!

“But PaleoJay, PaleoJay,” you say. “What shall I do?”

I shall tell thee, grasshopper- get thee to a small community! Rural is best, and actually just outside a small, well-chosen community lies the most wholesome environment for you and your family. There you can have well water, which will be free of chemical treatments. Wonderful, uncontaminated air to breathe, and a lack of congestion and crime!
If you can, buy an acre or more, so you have the room to walk about barefoot on your land, knowing it is free of chemical treatments. Now you can grow a garden, with healthful, organic vegetables! Another bonus!
In more rural areas, your taxes and living expenses will be much lower. This reduces stress dramatically, often allowing one spouse to stay home and actually raise the children, without the necessity for both to work.
One usually has to work to support the family, the other has to work to pay the taxes that support our current welfare state! This is what it has come down to, unfortunately.
So, for your health, and for the health of your family, and ultimately of the nation- go small!

Don’t live in Detroit, or the future Detroits that are developing around the nation. (There are a bunch! Chicago springs to mind!)
Move to a place, a small town or rural area around a small, vital city, where people actually go daily to work for a living. Get a small homestead, a few acres if you can, and work the land to raise a garden, chickens, whatever. Your kids will benefit just from the experience, and will develop into people you will be proud of, clean-cut and self sufficient; kids that won’t need to follow the latest fad, or get tattoos and piercings and listen to Rap Crap to be “cool”.
There really are many places in our country, mainly in the Midwest, but all over, that are conducive to a natural, paleo, ancestral, wonderful healthful lifestyle! You just need to “make the move”, which is difficult, but oh so worthwhile!

Just choose your place, and make the move!

Check out this episode!

PQTD #124 Barefootin'

I know- this seems like a small, inconsequential thing- going barefoot??  What is the big deal with that?

Well, like most things Paleo or ancestral, the big deal is that we just stopped doing basic things!  And have for a long time!

Most non-Paleo folks never, ever make bone broth- taking bones to slow cook in water to make broth, and extract all the nutrients… (and incidentally collagen, and everything else that we haven’t even identified yet that heals our leaky guts, gives us vital, focused nutrition, and, incidentally, doesn’t waste food!)  Bone broth also helps with digestion, helps our skin, hair and nails, and helps to prevent osteoarthritis, among other benefits. 

The point here is that making bone broth used to be just “common sense”.  As was going barefoot- just common sense! Now, if you don’t know it, most podiatrists, or “foot doctors”, recommend never going barefoot.  They say it is damaging, and will lead to foot pain- we need that elevated heel, and ample cushioning, or our feet will fall apart in pain!

B.S.  Our bodies have functioned very well indeed for millennia before foot doctors tread the earth in their Birkenstocks, and our feet are highly evolved “tension bridges” of elaborate tendons, bones and ligaments that are very sophisticated, and can adapt very well to what our bodies need on their own.  They didn’t evolve to need, or want shoes!

Strangely enough, cushioned running shoes did not become available until the 1970’s!  This is when the “running boom” started; also the low-fat high carb and sugar diet was recommended. 

All of these are unmitigated DISASTERS, and have left us with people of my age (50’s and 60’s), with permanently damaged joints, from their feet to their hips and back, and a leaky gut from all the wheat and carbs and sugar they were encouraged to consume!

 

NOW, we all KNOW to eat a high fat, low carb, wheatless diet with minimal sugars and maximum nutrition, or nutrient density. 

 

But, have you learned to “walk like a man” and go barefoot?  Even just standing barefoot, on the earth or grass, gives you earthing benefits, which means you are grounded with the earth (as we were all throughout history), and it equalizes your electrical energy with the earth.  (You are finally GROUNDED to Mother Earth!) 

 

This is not a small thing.  Just by being periodically grounded, inflammation in your body is lowered dramatically, leading to vastly improved sleep, less or eliminated snoring, and relief of muscle tension and headache, among many other benefits. 

And so, just standing barefoot for brief periods is hugely beneficial.  What about walking and running?

I do virtually ALL of my running barefoot, as I do my walking, at least in the warmer months.  When you walk barefoot, or with minimalist footwear, the multi-faceted suspension bridge that is your foot, legs, knees, hips and back works in synergy, like a fine-tuned machine.  Nothing gets out of “tune”, or stresses the alignment of your body- it all works together, strengthening what is weak, and adding flexibility to what is stiff. 

Add in cushioned, squishy, high-heeled shoes?  Everything is instantly out of sync, screwed up, you are like a gazelle walking on a thick mattress!  You didn’t evolve for this, and you can hardly stand, much less excel in movement.

 

You don’t need to jump in feet first and barefoot sprint, do back flips, and go crazy doing handstands… Just start going barefoot, for brief periods.  In the house, for sure- socks are fine, but do NOT wear shoes in the house.  Walk around your back yard, or the park, barefoot!  (What a concept!)

The irony is that walking around in our native state has become “strange”!  It’s not.  It’s as if if your vision is perfect, you really should be wearing glasses!  No, and actually wearing glasses makes your vision weaker over time, just as wearing shoes makes your feet weaker over time- but more on this on a future podcast! 

So, here is the bottom line, PaleoJay prescription for vastly better health, simply by not wearing shoes:

 

Spend all of your indoor time, either in socks or simply barefoot- (it’s really the same difference)!

 

Spend at least a few minutes outdoors totally barefoot, at least when it is warm enough.

 

Walk barefoot around your yard for amazing strengthening, stretching, and conditioning of your body from the feet to the lower back.  Plantar fasciitis will disappear simply from this, as will most knee, hip and lower back pains!

 

Invest in minimalist footwear.  I use the Xero shoes, which are simply a piece of rubber beneath your foot and the ground to protect your foot from glass, rough surfaces, and other damaging objects.  Otherwise, your foot performs exactly as it would when barefoot, and preserves the proper alignment of your body from the ground up.  And, if you occasionally just grab a tree, or touch the ground with your hand, you will be “grounded”, for that benefit.  ( It doesn’t take long)

 

In colder weather, I wear moccasins, ones that have no elevated heel, and no cushioning.  They are kind of like socks for the outdoors!  They work wonderfully for walking around, and keep my feet and lower extremities “fit and toned”. 

 

And in WINTER?  Well, here is Wisconsin, I give in!  I wear Sorel boots, I walk around in my woods with thick pac-boots, or on my cross country skis or snowshoes, and don’t worry about it.  But inside the house?

 

I pad about in stockinged feet, upstairs.  When I work out in the living room, I am always barefoot, and this is every single day!  And when I do my basement, hard charging, intense workouts, usually once per week, I wear my Xeroshoes!   My basement is rough concrete and dirt, so barefoot is not appropriate, and the Xero’s are wonderful in such an environment.  Even squatting, and pistol-style squatting is so much more natural and beneficial when done in a barefoot style with no raised heel or cushioning underfoot!

 

So- GO BAREFOOTIN’!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out this episode!

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #123 Slow Down and LIVE!

I am convinced that modern Americans’ being obsessed with speed, the need to get things done and accomplished as fast as possible is out of control! 

Virtually all of us have too much going on, all the time.  We say we don’t have time eat right, don’t have time to exercise, don’t even have time to do our jobs properly, with full concentration.  And this is in spite of rushing through our days, from dawn to dusk- commuting to work as fast as we can, not sleeping enough (because we have lots to do the night before!), no time to prepare healthy meals, and so on and on it goes.  No time to meditate, no time to feel grateful for what we have, no time for play, NO TIME!

This is self-delusion.  If your employer is forcing you to rush needlessly, your results will suffer, and your company will eventually fail, or at least do poorly.  Find another job.  Do it slowly, deliberately, or else just take your time, explain yourself, and take the heat.  You are in the right, know that at least!

Medical Doctors in residency are abused overall- forced to do without sleep, working 100 plus hours per week, and make tons of mistakes because of it.  And this is sanctioned by the AMA, this abusive treatment.  The future Doctors suffer, and so do the patients they treat.  So, our supposed “healers” wind up being some of the worst offenders of one of the basic tenets of healthy living- adequate sleep.

My advice?  JUST SLOW DOWN.  The only time I allow myself to rush now is when I am performing barefoot sprinting in the yard.  This is a deliberate, controlled stress that actually builds my strength and stamina, not deplete it.  It is short, and doesn’t last that long, and it is followed by intense relaxation.

The most likely causes of death are, in order: heart disease, cancer, iatrogenesis- which is a term for death by doctor.  This is dying because of an MD making a wrong diagnosis, a mistaken procedure, or simply caused by following his prescription drug advice!  Often, the “death by doctor” is aggravated by the doctor’s chronic sleep deprivation!

The fourth most likely cause of death?  Transportation deaths, usually car crash deaths.  The number one cause here is a tie: alcohol use while driving, and driving while sleep deprived!  Actually, being sleep deprived impairs your driving ability just as much as being drunk.

It is interesting that our expressways are loaded with folks in a huge hurry to get where they are going, at all times.  Even going on vacation, they rush there, and then sit around, exhausted from the mad rush and stress of driving at high speeds with danger all around.

Myself?  I have learned the pleasure of enjoying the journey, not the destination alone.  I take two lane roads across more rural areas, enjoying the drive, the scenery, the many opportunities to stop without danger.  (Expressways are most dangerous when you need to get off.) 

As the author of Blue Highways, William Least Heat Moon has put it: “On two-lane roads, life happens at the edge of the road, for almost every mile.”  And usually, the journey is less in terms of miles traveled, and is often as fast as, or nearly as fast, as taking a high stress tollway with cars careening at breakneck speeds, and giant semi-trucks that could crush your car with a slight wandering of the drivers attention.   Where I dreaded long interstate trips, I really enjoy leisurely, “blue highway” adventures in travel!

 

So stop the mad rush to nowhere, now!  Take the time to do things well and thoroughly.  Meditate, exercise, prepare wonderful paleo meals.  Make a daily green paleo smoothie to maximize nutrition.  Sleep a full 8 hours of more per night!    Remember, just because “everyone else” loves to drive as fast as they can on expressways all the time, seeing nothing, they are not paleo people, like you and I! 

They also don’t sleep enough, eat processed, fast food “meals”, rush through life without really experiencing it, don’t exercise, and are riddled with all of the diseases of modern civilization.  Just go through life at a human pace, a paleo pace- now, you are really living!

 

Check out this episode!