THE EXPERIMENT
THE QUESTION(S):
CAN A "EVERYDAY HUMAN" REALLY FOLLOW THE 10 PRIMAL LAWS? AND IF SO, WHAT WOULD LIFE LOOK IN A YEAR?
I consider myself a "everyday human" in that I work full time (and not in a gym), I don't have a personal chef, and 'm far from wealthy. Maybe it's just the blogs I read but it seems that what their lives look like and what mine looks like couldn't be any farther apart. So can someone like me, really follow the "10 Primal Laws"?
1.) Eat lots of animals insects, and plants.
Animals and plants sure, but I'll be taking a pass on the insects...
2.) Move around a lot at a slow pace.
Marks says 2-5 hours a week, boy, my dogs will be happy with all the extra walking!
3.) Lift heavy things.
35-40 minutes 2-3x a week, per Mark. I'll do some weights and some body weight stuff.
4.) Run really fast once in a while.
I'll probably do sprints on my bike, but that still counts...
5.) Get lots of sleep.
So work plus all the cooking, walking, lifting and sprinting and I'm still supposed to find 8 hours to sleep?
6.) Play.
No, not board games, active fun.
7.) Get some sunlight every day.
Sun, yeah, that's something we're all missing here in the midst of a midwest winter. It's just getting sunny as I go to work and dark when I drive home, so will standing outside for a few minutes during my breaks and lunch count? For now it will have to...
8.) Avoid trauma.
Wear your seatbelt-check. don't smoke, do drugs or drink- check, check, mostly check. Develop a sense of awareness- ha, I'm oblivious to 90% of the things going on around me, so I'll really have to work on that...
9.) Avoid poisonous things.
For the most part I'm very aware of what I put on my body (we make out own laundry soap, I do the oil cleansing method to clean my face,
we use natural soaps...) but I need to be better about what I put in my body.
10.) Use your mind.
I love to read and I've got a list of books I want to read this year and we build and paint cornhole board which is a great creative outlet but
man, I can waste time in front of the tv or on Sole Collector...
CAN A "EVERYDAY HUMAN" REALLY FOLLOW THE 10 PRIMAL LAWS? AND IF SO, WHAT WOULD LIFE LOOK IN A YEAR?
I consider myself a "everyday human" in that I work full time (and not in a gym), I don't have a personal chef, and 'm far from wealthy. Maybe it's just the blogs I read but it seems that what their lives look like and what mine looks like couldn't be any farther apart. So can someone like me, really follow the "10 Primal Laws"?
1.) Eat lots of animals insects, and plants.
Animals and plants sure, but I'll be taking a pass on the insects...
2.) Move around a lot at a slow pace.
Marks says 2-5 hours a week, boy, my dogs will be happy with all the extra walking!
3.) Lift heavy things.
35-40 minutes 2-3x a week, per Mark. I'll do some weights and some body weight stuff.
4.) Run really fast once in a while.
I'll probably do sprints on my bike, but that still counts...
5.) Get lots of sleep.
So work plus all the cooking, walking, lifting and sprinting and I'm still supposed to find 8 hours to sleep?
6.) Play.
No, not board games, active fun.
7.) Get some sunlight every day.
Sun, yeah, that's something we're all missing here in the midst of a midwest winter. It's just getting sunny as I go to work and dark when I drive home, so will standing outside for a few minutes during my breaks and lunch count? For now it will have to...
8.) Avoid trauma.
Wear your seatbelt-check. don't smoke, do drugs or drink- check, check, mostly check. Develop a sense of awareness- ha, I'm oblivious to 90% of the things going on around me, so I'll really have to work on that...
9.) Avoid poisonous things.
For the most part I'm very aware of what I put on my body (we make out own laundry soap, I do the oil cleansing method to clean my face,
we use natural soaps...) but I need to be better about what I put in my body.
10.) Use your mind.
I love to read and I've got a list of books I want to read this year and we build and paint cornhole board which is a great creative outlet but
man, I can waste time in front of the tv or on Sole Collector...
THE HYPOTHESIS:
First, let me say I am not an unbiased "scientist" here. I have been eating paleo (off and on, more off for the last few months) so I know that weight loss is a given (and that when grains are added back into your diet, so is weight gain, big time, trust me...) but I have not really attempted the rest of the "primal lifestyle"
I think that with a lot of conscience effort (at least initially) and a lot of time, a "normal human" can follow the 10 primal laws as long as we don't "let the perfect get in the way of the good." There will obviously be days when I am so far from the laws but if those remain isolated incidents, that's still awesome!
As far as what life could look like in a year, Mark says the laws will make you : "Healthy, Energetic, Happy, Lean, Strong, Bright, and Productive." I'd take that list of adjectives!
First, let me say I am not an unbiased "scientist" here. I have been eating paleo (off and on, more off for the last few months) so I know that weight loss is a given (and that when grains are added back into your diet, so is weight gain, big time, trust me...) but I have not really attempted the rest of the "primal lifestyle"
I think that with a lot of conscience effort (at least initially) and a lot of time, a "normal human" can follow the 10 primal laws as long as we don't "let the perfect get in the way of the good." There will obviously be days when I am so far from the laws but if those remain isolated incidents, that's still awesome!
As far as what life could look like in a year, Mark says the laws will make you : "Healthy, Energetic, Happy, Lean, Strong, Bright, and Productive." I'd take that list of adjectives!
THE EXPERIMENT:
For the next year I am going to do my very, very best to follow the 10 laws and report my successes and pitfalls to you a few times a week here in the "Observation" (and please, join along and add your thoughts to the conversation). Monique will be throwing in her thoughts about the food we eat periodically and I'll point you towards others current thoughts in the paleo/primal world.
For the next year I am going to do my very, very best to follow the 10 laws and report my successes and pitfalls to you a few times a week here in the "Observation" (and please, join along and add your thoughts to the conversation). Monique will be throwing in her thoughts about the food we eat periodically and I'll point you towards others current thoughts in the paleo/primal world.
ANALYSIS:
Every quarter for the next year I'll look back at the previous three months and analysis the results...
Every quarter for the next year I'll look back at the previous three months and analysis the results...
CONCLUSION:
Can a "normal human" really follow the primal laws in today's insane world? Will I be "Healthy, Energetic, Happy, Lean, Strong, Bright, and Productive?" Well, follow along and check back February 2015 for the final results...
Can a "normal human" really follow the primal laws in today's insane world? Will I be "Healthy, Energetic, Happy, Lean, Strong, Bright, and Productive?" Well, follow along and check back February 2015 for the final results...