Nassim Taleb is definitely a 'thinker of the moment'. He has offered a great point about success breeding stress, because the successful need to be organised and organisation demands a schedule. Schedules demand a timetable and agenda - which is a source of mini-deadlines and their attendent stress as we seek to fulfill the schedule on time.
This is a concept I alluded to in my post on flow. There are important things and unimportant things. The difficulty is knowing the difference. But, you will NEVER address all of the things, whether important of unimportant.
Agenda and timetables comprise task/work events. They are a useful way of arranging a bus service or airline flight schedule, but for us humans, they can become obstacles. Time will wash you past that obstacle, whether you like it or not; whether you met that task or not.
Are you going to let this affect you? It probably will as any agenda item that was important enough for you to document will have a degree of criticality. My solution? Don't put the obstacles there in the first place. Chose the obstacles you wish to tackle carefully. Understand the limitations of what you can control, embrace the unpredictable, learn from the feedback and 'go with it'.
Monday, 14 July 2008
Thursday, 10 July 2008
Eat food. Not too much. Mainly plants
I was on a blog recently discussing this very advice and the idea that "your appetite will adjust, at least to some extent, to your intake."
Here is an abridged post of what I wrote. The bolded headings are the 'arguments' used to explain obesity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Eat food. Not too much. Mainly plants" - sounds simple doesn't it. Along with "eat a balanced diet" it is actually misses the point. Let me explain...
I have said before that few people if any, think "You know what, I have eaten 'enough food', but I think I will now eat some more!" People eat in accordance to their appetite. So why can't we trust our appetite to dictate how much we eat (or indeed to ensure we eat 'not too much')? Is it because our appetite can be misled by certain foods or is there some other mechanism at work?You would think that when in calorific deficit - particularly after exercise, our appetite would spur us to eat a bit more to rebuild our reserves. If we have had a particularly easy day, and energy expenditure is low, you'd think our appetites would diminish accordingly.
This seems to be the way it works in much of the animal kingdom (I have yet to see a wildlife program featuring a fat lion in its native habitat). What is undoubted is that nobody can persist in a chronic state of hunger - eventually you will give in to your hunger. Thus, the advice to eat 'not too much' seems to miss the point.
Portion Size
It has been suggested that we are fat because portions are bigger. I don't buy this idea! This might seem like a contrived analogy, but think about your breathing. Breathing adapts to your body's oxygen requirements - but if you force yourself to breath harder, faster and deeper several times a day, over time will you develop a NEED to breath in more air? I think not.
Affluence
Hunger is controlled by appetite which one presumes evolved over millenia to regulate energy consumption and respond to energy requirements. If people eat to the point they become obese, we have to entertain the possibility that our appetite has somehow been blunted/desensitised/misled by *something*. Even considering affluence (which may mean we can buy more food), it does not follow that you will simply eat more food (again we are back to the breathing analogy). Affluence might however affect the TYPE of food you eat. The type of food you can now buy may offer poorer satiety or maladapt the hunger response.
Clean Your Plate/Social Conditioning/Learned Behaviour
The idea of a learned behaviour is interesting - as children, most of us will have had our parents demand we eat all of our dinner with a 'reward' of desert, but if I over-eat (like at Christmas), and push myself to eat more, I like most people feel sick. Furthermore, I eat less at/delay my next meal.
Do More
In addition, if I expend more energy, I eat more. This is why I don't but the 'eat more do less' advice. Exercise makes me hungry - something most of us experience, particularly after something like swimming. If I cut back on food, I feel weak and less able to exercise (or at least limited to exercising at a lesser intensity).
Eat Less
If I cut back on food intake for a few days, I have to binge. The binge is my body telling me that it has been running on fat stores and needs to replace the fat.
American/Cultural Obesity
US food outlets offer massive portions. They are also an affluent nation. They are less physically active than just about any other nation and car ownership is high. Ownership of labour saving devices is also high (such as dishwashers). But the nutritional profile of the American diet is markedly different to that of the Japanese for example, who are generally thin. Look at the consumption for HFCS in America. This is the kind of thing that I would suspect of 'blunting' our appetite response.
Eating To Regulate A Large Body-Mass
I am not sure that upkeep of a large body mass is credible. Fat guys have to carry more weight around, they have to work harder simply to move and so I suspect will have a higher basal metabolic rate. So there is no advantage for the body to adapt this way.
For me, it is more likely that our physiology dictates consumption/appetite rather than psychology. I still hold the idea that our appetite is being misled somehow.
Here is an abridged post of what I wrote. The bolded headings are the 'arguments' used to explain obesity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Eat food. Not too much. Mainly plants" - sounds simple doesn't it. Along with "eat a balanced diet" it is actually misses the point. Let me explain...
I have said before that few people if any, think "You know what, I have eaten 'enough food', but I think I will now eat some more!" People eat in accordance to their appetite. So why can't we trust our appetite to dictate how much we eat (or indeed to ensure we eat 'not too much')? Is it because our appetite can be misled by certain foods or is there some other mechanism at work?You would think that when in calorific deficit - particularly after exercise, our appetite would spur us to eat a bit more to rebuild our reserves. If we have had a particularly easy day, and energy expenditure is low, you'd think our appetites would diminish accordingly.
This seems to be the way it works in much of the animal kingdom (I have yet to see a wildlife program featuring a fat lion in its native habitat). What is undoubted is that nobody can persist in a chronic state of hunger - eventually you will give in to your hunger. Thus, the advice to eat 'not too much' seems to miss the point.
Portion Size
It has been suggested that we are fat because portions are bigger. I don't buy this idea! This might seem like a contrived analogy, but think about your breathing. Breathing adapts to your body's oxygen requirements - but if you force yourself to breath harder, faster and deeper several times a day, over time will you develop a NEED to breath in more air? I think not.
Affluence
Hunger is controlled by appetite which one presumes evolved over millenia to regulate energy consumption and respond to energy requirements. If people eat to the point they become obese, we have to entertain the possibility that our appetite has somehow been blunted/desensitised/misled by *something*. Even considering affluence (which may mean we can buy more food), it does not follow that you will simply eat more food (again we are back to the breathing analogy). Affluence might however affect the TYPE of food you eat. The type of food you can now buy may offer poorer satiety or maladapt the hunger response.
Clean Your Plate/Social Conditioning/Learned Behaviour
The idea of a learned behaviour is interesting - as children, most of us will have had our parents demand we eat all of our dinner with a 'reward' of desert, but if I over-eat (like at Christmas), and push myself to eat more, I like most people feel sick. Furthermore, I eat less at/delay my next meal.
Do More
In addition, if I expend more energy, I eat more. This is why I don't but the 'eat more do less' advice. Exercise makes me hungry - something most of us experience, particularly after something like swimming. If I cut back on food, I feel weak and less able to exercise (or at least limited to exercising at a lesser intensity).
Eat Less
If I cut back on food intake for a few days, I have to binge. The binge is my body telling me that it has been running on fat stores and needs to replace the fat.
American/Cultural Obesity
US food outlets offer massive portions. They are also an affluent nation. They are less physically active than just about any other nation and car ownership is high. Ownership of labour saving devices is also high (such as dishwashers). But the nutritional profile of the American diet is markedly different to that of the Japanese for example, who are generally thin. Look at the consumption for HFCS in America. This is the kind of thing that I would suspect of 'blunting' our appetite response.
Eating To Regulate A Large Body-Mass
I am not sure that upkeep of a large body mass is credible. Fat guys have to carry more weight around, they have to work harder simply to move and so I suspect will have a higher basal metabolic rate. So there is no advantage for the body to adapt this way.
For me, it is more likely that our physiology dictates consumption/appetite rather than psychology. I still hold the idea that our appetite is being misled somehow.
Do Not Do As I Say, Do As I Do
Don't believe what I say. Not a word of it. Look at my disclaimer. It should tell you all you need to know. I have no formal medical background. I have no formal athletic background. I have no super-powers, psychic abilities or supernatural skills of any sort. I cannot divine, nor read your palm or the stars.
Do As I Do
My education in nutrition and athletic training comes from reading. Lots. Now "reading lots" does not mean "well read"! But like many avid armchair athletes, I devour as much literature as I can regarding fitness and health. The problem is sorting out the wheat from the chaff.
So How Do You Sort The Wheat From The Chaff?
After a while reading books, papers and blogs, you become adepts at spotting themes. For example, many diets are the same principle rehashed with a new title. The details may change, but the underlying theme remains the same. The low carb/paleo diet is chock-full of such diets. This is marketing at work. Ignore it. Try to understand the underlying principle of a diet or a mode of training. Once you have done this, your will see the marketing for what it is.
Ultimately, the way to develop your knowledge is from personal experimentation and to respond to feedback.
Baseline
First things first. Baseline your current level of fitness and health. Go to the doctors and get him/her to check you out. Get as much checked out as you can - cholesterol, blood pressure, body fat percentage, heart rate, the lot.
Next, take some measurements of your own. Record rashes, aches and pains. Use a diary to record daily periods of energy and exhaustion. Take key measurements such as the circumference of your waist, the size of your biceps and thighs. Use a mirror to look at yourself undressed. Can you see your abdominal muscles? Is your posture symmetrical?
Measure your resting pulse. Go for a short run. Run for ten minutes or so. How far did you get - a mile? Note the route you took. Think of a short circuit of maybe one or two kilometers, which starts and finishes at your house. How long did it take you to complete?
After running exercise, take your pules every five minutes or so. (After running don't just sit down, keep walking slowly around). How long did it take for your pulse to return to normal?
Go to a gym and get and introduction. They should give you and introductory session. Try to use this session to get an idea of your strength in basic exercises (ensure good technique). What is your maximum lift in a dead lift and/or squat? They may also provide you with an introductory program.
Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight.
Ignore your weight.
In case you missed it. Ignore your weight.
The Next Stage
Write down your goals. Make long term (up to and over one year), and medium term goals. Make sure your goals are achievable. Add in 'checkpoints' along the way.
Start off slowly. If you have not exercised for years, make your goals broad and vague. Something along the lines of "Over the next three months, I will engage in vigorous exercise for 30 minutes, twice a week."
If you have been reasonably active, then you might want to put some more specific goals in place. This might be to knock your time down on your 'favourite' run by a minute, or, to achieve 10 pull ups. In each case you should apply a time period in which to achieve the checkpoint and goals.
Devise a program to achieve your goals.
Gyms often issue a vanilla template for nutrition and exercise. It will be a good starting point for the uninitiated, but don't be afraid to change it. Make small adjustments at first - based upon knowledge you have drawn from other sources. Be critical with these changes (see below). Experiment!
Specificity is key. If you want to be good at 100m and have a goal of knocking 1/10 second off your PB, no amount of rowing is going to help you with this!
Rest! After a hard session take a day off. If you end up doing two days 'on', take the following day off. You will be the last to know when you are over-training.
Over-training can be simply identified as the point where, after your usual rest period between training sessions you continually lose gains. There are other indicators - injury (training causes localised trauma but your rest periods should be designed to allow you to recover), a lack of motivation, perpetual colds. It is hard to over-train, but harder to spot it yourself. Conversely, it is easy for others to spot in you!
You may plateau around six weeks. This is a point where you stop making gains in a particular exercise. Shake things up. Change the repetition and sets. Take a break from that exercise and try a new movement.
Work on basic movements that involve many muscle groups rather than isolation exercises (e.g. a chin up rather than a concentration curl for the biceps). Always maintain good form.
Review
There is no failure, only feedback. Periodically review your training. Did you miss a goal? If so why? Were you making the checkpoints? If so then a rest might be in order, or an extra checkpoint prior to your final goal.
Compare your current statistics to your baseline. If you wanted to lose body fat and you still cannot see your abs after a year of hard training and a careful diet. Don't panic, maybe your waist size has shrunk dramatically - you may be closer to your goal than you think.
After any nutritional change, you should visit the doctor for an annual medical.
Failure to Review
I have blogged before about some of the people at my gym. I have seen some of them training hard for at least five years in a bid to lose weight. They talk of calorie restriction and arduous sessions on the treadmill and bikes. However, they are just as fat now as when I first saw them. They are definitely fitter (they have to be, given the volume of work they do). However, cognitive dissonance stops them from looking at themselves and realising that their program is not working. I guess this is because their personal trainer is advising them - and there is a belief that the guy in the tracksuit with a diploma knows what he is on about. But if, after five years of trying to lose fat, you have not lost fat, at what point do you expect things to happen? Next month, next week, a year, five years?
Again, review your performance and be critical. Use your baseline measurements and reflect on your goals. Slow progress to a goal is still progress - don't be too hasty in getting rid of anything that offers progress, even if it is slow progress.
Drop It
After several years of training, you should be able to reach a point of instinctive training. It is still useful to note what exercise you perform and include measures of rep schemes, loads and times, but as long as you maintain variety, and are happy with results, you do not need to compulsively log each ailment, measurement and indicator.
Conclusion
There is a lot to take in here. The worst action is no action. Don't get bogged down in detail. Above all keep the changes small, the review periodic and above all experiment!
Do As I Do
My education in nutrition and athletic training comes from reading. Lots. Now "reading lots" does not mean "well read"! But like many avid armchair athletes, I devour as much literature as I can regarding fitness and health. The problem is sorting out the wheat from the chaff.
So How Do You Sort The Wheat From The Chaff?
After a while reading books, papers and blogs, you become adepts at spotting themes. For example, many diets are the same principle rehashed with a new title. The details may change, but the underlying theme remains the same. The low carb/paleo diet is chock-full of such diets. This is marketing at work. Ignore it. Try to understand the underlying principle of a diet or a mode of training. Once you have done this, your will see the marketing for what it is.
Ultimately, the way to develop your knowledge is from personal experimentation and to respond to feedback.
Baseline
First things first. Baseline your current level of fitness and health. Go to the doctors and get him/her to check you out. Get as much checked out as you can - cholesterol, blood pressure, body fat percentage, heart rate, the lot.
Next, take some measurements of your own. Record rashes, aches and pains. Use a diary to record daily periods of energy and exhaustion. Take key measurements such as the circumference of your waist, the size of your biceps and thighs. Use a mirror to look at yourself undressed. Can you see your abdominal muscles? Is your posture symmetrical?
Measure your resting pulse. Go for a short run. Run for ten minutes or so. How far did you get - a mile? Note the route you took. Think of a short circuit of maybe one or two kilometers, which starts and finishes at your house. How long did it take you to complete?
After running exercise, take your pules every five minutes or so. (After running don't just sit down, keep walking slowly around). How long did it take for your pulse to return to normal?
Go to a gym and get and introduction. They should give you and introductory session. Try to use this session to get an idea of your strength in basic exercises (ensure good technique). What is your maximum lift in a dead lift and/or squat? They may also provide you with an introductory program.
Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight. Ignore your weight.
Ignore your weight.
In case you missed it. Ignore your weight.
The Next Stage
Write down your goals. Make long term (up to and over one year), and medium term goals. Make sure your goals are achievable. Add in 'checkpoints' along the way.
Start off slowly. If you have not exercised for years, make your goals broad and vague. Something along the lines of "Over the next three months, I will engage in vigorous exercise for 30 minutes, twice a week."
If you have been reasonably active, then you might want to put some more specific goals in place. This might be to knock your time down on your 'favourite' run by a minute, or, to achieve 10 pull ups. In each case you should apply a time period in which to achieve the checkpoint and goals.
Devise a program to achieve your goals.
Gyms often issue a vanilla template for nutrition and exercise. It will be a good starting point for the uninitiated, but don't be afraid to change it. Make small adjustments at first - based upon knowledge you have drawn from other sources. Be critical with these changes (see below). Experiment!
Specificity is key. If you want to be good at 100m and have a goal of knocking 1/10 second off your PB, no amount of rowing is going to help you with this!
Rest! After a hard session take a day off. If you end up doing two days 'on', take the following day off. You will be the last to know when you are over-training.
Over-training can be simply identified as the point where, after your usual rest period between training sessions you continually lose gains. There are other indicators - injury (training causes localised trauma but your rest periods should be designed to allow you to recover), a lack of motivation, perpetual colds. It is hard to over-train, but harder to spot it yourself. Conversely, it is easy for others to spot in you!
You may plateau around six weeks. This is a point where you stop making gains in a particular exercise. Shake things up. Change the repetition and sets. Take a break from that exercise and try a new movement.
Work on basic movements that involve many muscle groups rather than isolation exercises (e.g. a chin up rather than a concentration curl for the biceps). Always maintain good form.
Review
There is no failure, only feedback. Periodically review your training. Did you miss a goal? If so why? Were you making the checkpoints? If so then a rest might be in order, or an extra checkpoint prior to your final goal.
Compare your current statistics to your baseline. If you wanted to lose body fat and you still cannot see your abs after a year of hard training and a careful diet. Don't panic, maybe your waist size has shrunk dramatically - you may be closer to your goal than you think.
After any nutritional change, you should visit the doctor for an annual medical.
Failure to Review
I have blogged before about some of the people at my gym. I have seen some of them training hard for at least five years in a bid to lose weight. They talk of calorie restriction and arduous sessions on the treadmill and bikes. However, they are just as fat now as when I first saw them. They are definitely fitter (they have to be, given the volume of work they do). However, cognitive dissonance stops them from looking at themselves and realising that their program is not working. I guess this is because their personal trainer is advising them - and there is a belief that the guy in the tracksuit with a diploma knows what he is on about. But if, after five years of trying to lose fat, you have not lost fat, at what point do you expect things to happen? Next month, next week, a year, five years?
Again, review your performance and be critical. Use your baseline measurements and reflect on your goals. Slow progress to a goal is still progress - don't be too hasty in getting rid of anything that offers progress, even if it is slow progress.
Drop It
After several years of training, you should be able to reach a point of instinctive training. It is still useful to note what exercise you perform and include measures of rep schemes, loads and times, but as long as you maintain variety, and are happy with results, you do not need to compulsively log each ailment, measurement and indicator.
Conclusion
There is a lot to take in here. The worst action is no action. Don't get bogged down in detail. Above all keep the changes small, the review periodic and above all experiment!
Saturday, 5 July 2008
Further, Faster, Stronger, Fasting
I try to keep abreast of all the dietary research out there. I read plenty of blogs and visit plenty of sites dedicated to diet, nutrition, sport and training in general. I have a limited knowledge of both and specialised medical research and highly scientific debate can 'lose me' after a while!
My opinion is informed from medical literature dedicated to nutrition and training, and also from a few selected blogs. Fortunately I have my own body on which to experiment and actively do so by adapting my nutrition and training. Ultimately I simply go for what feels 'right'. If I follow my own intuition based upon stuff I have read, and see improvements in my physical performance, a reduction in injury and illness, and get a general thumbs-up from the doctor at each annual medical, I assume I am doing something right.
There are several blogs out there run by doctors. The level of debate suggests that these guys know their stuff - but I noticed that more than a few of them have derided the paleo approach to nutrition. This got me thinking; "have I simply swapped one dietary dogma (low fat, complex carbs) for another (paleo)?"
Just because the paleo diet is 'natural' in terms of being an eating pattern based upon an ancestral template, does not necessarily mean that it is optimal.
This is one of the most important points I think we should all bear in mind. We think of 'natural' as somehow 'better' and 'safer'. The reality is far from this simple. Consecutive days of very hard training will require rapid replenishment of glycogen in your muscles. Arguably complex carbohydrates would be an optimal way of achieving this goal. (Whether training hard on consecutive days is 'optimal' is another matter).
Back to the blogging doctors. Several of them had put up posts criticising paleo diets. And this really set me thinking. I was reassured by my annual medical (including a cholesterol test), that eating a diet high in saturated fat, nuts and red meat with about 35-50% of my diet (by volume) coming from vegetables and fruit was an effective way to live, but is it optimal?
Now in the past year I have included a 24 hour fast periodically. I normally fast from tea-time one day to tea time the next. I fast every three or so days. Herein I found an answer to my question.
When my nutritional profile was based upon the traditional food pyramid, I would often be ravenously hungry several times a day even though I would eat until 'full' at each meal. My blood sugar levels could plummet quickly - particularly after exercise. In fact I would awaken famished and even the stretch from lunch time to the evening meal (a period of no more than 6 hours), would cause me to get 'the shakes'. At no time on this 'traditional diet' would I have been able to contemplate a 24 hour fast! And this was the answer to my question.
Eating the paleo way, such problems are a thing of the past. I can fast effortlessly for 24 hours several times a week. I might get a mild hunger at some point during the day, but never a gnawing one. In fact on some fast days I do a 30 minute, intense workout at lunchtime, and then an hour of kickboxing that evening. All without any feeling of weakness. During exercise, the hunger actually goes away! On non-fast days, my hunger is well under control between meals.
Now after a fast, believe me, I 'chow-down' big style - eating more than I would at each meal after a non-fast day. Clearly after a fast I must have built up a calorific deficit and that is reflected in my appetite. In fact after a fast, I am more inclined to eat an extra (third) meal (normally I only eat two meals a day and rarely snack). I am in a position to trust my appetite and I never feel bloated or 'stuffed', regardless of how much I have eaten. I simply get a feeling of 'enough' and that is it.
For me this is a perfect situation. I can eat when I want (two meals a day normally suffice). I can fast for at least 24 hours without a deterioration in my performance. During a fast I MUST be accessing and cycling my fat stores - exactly what they were intended for! After a fast, I trust my appetite to dictate how much I eat for my body to replenish its fat stores. If I need an extra meal (particularly after a fast), I eat one. I adjust portions in any one meal according to my appetite. My body fat is well under 10%.
Doesn't this sound simple? Doesn't this sound EXACTLY how the body SHOULD function? I have only managed to achieve this on a paleo diet. I must add one more point about the fasting. After about three days of eating, I just don't actually feel like eating much if anything the next (fourth) day. Not eating until that evening is actually an appealing situation. As I have already said, I might have a mild hunger, but it is insufficient to compel me to eat. (As soon the hunger does develop to a point that prompts me to eat, I respond to it).
Many people learn to eat out of habit and social conditioning. This, in conjunction with the consumption of foods with elicit a poor level of satiety and for which we are poorly adapted, is what I believe has lead to many people becoming obese.
In a carbohydrate-scarce environment, it would make sense that we would gorge on such a valuable nutritional resource should we come across it (especially if it meant we could perform intense physical activity on consecutive days - a distinct evolutionary advantage in a dangerous environment). Given its scarcity, how could our bodies have adapted to handle chronic supply of such a resource?
Fat storage/cycling is simply a mechanism to keep us going between eating. I have re-engaged with my appetite and developed the metabolic pathways to my fat stores. Fasting for me has been an intuitive extension of my dietary habit and an indicator of my metabolic health. Body fat for me is not simply baggage that inhibits. It is a trusted source of energy to make me go. A resource that I can instinctively draw from and replenish. How could the role of body fat be any more complex?
My opinion is informed from medical literature dedicated to nutrition and training, and also from a few selected blogs. Fortunately I have my own body on which to experiment and actively do so by adapting my nutrition and training. Ultimately I simply go for what feels 'right'. If I follow my own intuition based upon stuff I have read, and see improvements in my physical performance, a reduction in injury and illness, and get a general thumbs-up from the doctor at each annual medical, I assume I am doing something right.
There are several blogs out there run by doctors. The level of debate suggests that these guys know their stuff - but I noticed that more than a few of them have derided the paleo approach to nutrition. This got me thinking; "have I simply swapped one dietary dogma (low fat, complex carbs) for another (paleo)?"
Just because the paleo diet is 'natural' in terms of being an eating pattern based upon an ancestral template, does not necessarily mean that it is optimal.
This is one of the most important points I think we should all bear in mind. We think of 'natural' as somehow 'better' and 'safer'. The reality is far from this simple. Consecutive days of very hard training will require rapid replenishment of glycogen in your muscles. Arguably complex carbohydrates would be an optimal way of achieving this goal. (Whether training hard on consecutive days is 'optimal' is another matter).
Back to the blogging doctors. Several of them had put up posts criticising paleo diets. And this really set me thinking. I was reassured by my annual medical (including a cholesterol test), that eating a diet high in saturated fat, nuts and red meat with about 35-50% of my diet (by volume) coming from vegetables and fruit was an effective way to live, but is it optimal?
Now in the past year I have included a 24 hour fast periodically. I normally fast from tea-time one day to tea time the next. I fast every three or so days. Herein I found an answer to my question.
When my nutritional profile was based upon the traditional food pyramid, I would often be ravenously hungry several times a day even though I would eat until 'full' at each meal. My blood sugar levels could plummet quickly - particularly after exercise. In fact I would awaken famished and even the stretch from lunch time to the evening meal (a period of no more than 6 hours), would cause me to get 'the shakes'. At no time on this 'traditional diet' would I have been able to contemplate a 24 hour fast! And this was the answer to my question.
Eating the paleo way, such problems are a thing of the past. I can fast effortlessly for 24 hours several times a week. I might get a mild hunger at some point during the day, but never a gnawing one. In fact on some fast days I do a 30 minute, intense workout at lunchtime, and then an hour of kickboxing that evening. All without any feeling of weakness. During exercise, the hunger actually goes away! On non-fast days, my hunger is well under control between meals.
Now after a fast, believe me, I 'chow-down' big style - eating more than I would at each meal after a non-fast day. Clearly after a fast I must have built up a calorific deficit and that is reflected in my appetite. In fact after a fast, I am more inclined to eat an extra (third) meal (normally I only eat two meals a day and rarely snack). I am in a position to trust my appetite and I never feel bloated or 'stuffed', regardless of how much I have eaten. I simply get a feeling of 'enough' and that is it.
For me this is a perfect situation. I can eat when I want (two meals a day normally suffice). I can fast for at least 24 hours without a deterioration in my performance. During a fast I MUST be accessing and cycling my fat stores - exactly what they were intended for! After a fast, I trust my appetite to dictate how much I eat for my body to replenish its fat stores. If I need an extra meal (particularly after a fast), I eat one. I adjust portions in any one meal according to my appetite. My body fat is well under 10%.
Doesn't this sound simple? Doesn't this sound EXACTLY how the body SHOULD function? I have only managed to achieve this on a paleo diet. I must add one more point about the fasting. After about three days of eating, I just don't actually feel like eating much if anything the next (fourth) day. Not eating until that evening is actually an appealing situation. As I have already said, I might have a mild hunger, but it is insufficient to compel me to eat. (As soon the hunger does develop to a point that prompts me to eat, I respond to it).
Many people learn to eat out of habit and social conditioning. This, in conjunction with the consumption of foods with elicit a poor level of satiety and for which we are poorly adapted, is what I believe has lead to many people becoming obese.
In a carbohydrate-scarce environment, it would make sense that we would gorge on such a valuable nutritional resource should we come across it (especially if it meant we could perform intense physical activity on consecutive days - a distinct evolutionary advantage in a dangerous environment). Given its scarcity, how could our bodies have adapted to handle chronic supply of such a resource?
Fat storage/cycling is simply a mechanism to keep us going between eating. I have re-engaged with my appetite and developed the metabolic pathways to my fat stores. Fasting for me has been an intuitive extension of my dietary habit and an indicator of my metabolic health. Body fat for me is not simply baggage that inhibits. It is a trusted source of energy to make me go. A resource that I can instinctively draw from and replenish. How could the role of body fat be any more complex?
Thursday, 19 June 2008
Mind Matters
Confucious observed that, "When nature exceeds training, you have the rustic. When training exceeds nature, you have the clerk. it is only when nature and training are proportionately blended that you have the higher type of man."
Confucious draws our attention to both physical and cerebral pursuits. As armchair-atheletes many of us will have read up on approaches to training. Others will have delved in to the science of nutrition and so forth. Such material offers suitable intellectual challenges.
There are other sides to this the mental aspect of training. Just as it is important to follow a hard day of physical training with a day of easy training or rest, so it is that I commit myself to periods of mental rest.
All to often, simple physical rest is construed as mental rest, but how often do you consciously try to clear you mind? Often we have issues buried away in the back of our mind that stop us from truly relaxing on a mental basis.
I like to take 'time out' to reflect. Sometimes I employ diaphragmatic breathing exercises - attempting to slow and control my breathing, enlarging my abdomen with each breath rather than my chest. When done in peaceful environment it really can allow me to 'recharge'. The resultant feeling is one of mental refreshment.
There are times in my life when I find it hard to relax, particularly if I am working on something complex at work. In these cases I will review those things in my life that cause me stress or anxiety and seek to mentally address and manage them. Often I find the size of a problem is largely governed by how big I allow it to become on a personal level, rather than of a dimension determined by it's importance.
Exercise is a great way of mentally relaxing. The natural endorphin release after a physically exhausting workout is a fantastic relaxant. This also offers a perfect time to focus on finding inner tranquility.
So that is how I approach a mental rest. What of a 'hard' mental workout? Mentally taxing challenges are a feature of life. Most of life involves problem solving at some level. This might be fixing a computer or balancing household expenditure.
I enjoy throwing in some other challenges to my mind particularly those that involve mental creativity. Learning new pieces of music on the guitar is one approach. This can be a rather therapeutic pursuit but also devilishly challenging - especially if the piece is complicated.
I have other pursuits that are purely mental (and delightfully pointless). It also makes me stretch my mind in a visual capacity; remembering a pack of 52 shuffled playing cards. It takes me about 10 minutes to remember the pack, but I have performed the trick with no mistakes several times now. I only try it once or twice a week - and with more regular practice, reckon I could halve this time. The secret to this trick is rather simple and will form the basis of a later post.
Like the rest of your body, there is a 'use it or lose it' contraint on your brain. As an infant, your world is constantly stimulating - a place of wonder. And with your "beginner's mind" the opportunities to learn are numerous and the inclination to learn, to understand what is around you is inate. With time come familiarity and an attendant fall in stimulation. Seek out new challenges and with each success your self esteem and confidence will soar.
Whilst watching the Discovery channel will be informative, it is not participatory. You are going along for a ride with little control over the pace and content (even with Sky+ !). TV has its place but a more appropriate stimulation may come from reading a book, a musical pursuit or learning a skill (physical or mental) or a new language.
The goal is to pitch yourself against a range of challenges that vary in difficulty. And make sure you throw in the odd period of mental rest. Train yourself to relax mentally.
Force your brain to find new gears.
Confucious draws our attention to both physical and cerebral pursuits. As armchair-atheletes many of us will have read up on approaches to training. Others will have delved in to the science of nutrition and so forth. Such material offers suitable intellectual challenges.
There are other sides to this the mental aspect of training. Just as it is important to follow a hard day of physical training with a day of easy training or rest, so it is that I commit myself to periods of mental rest.
All to often, simple physical rest is construed as mental rest, but how often do you consciously try to clear you mind? Often we have issues buried away in the back of our mind that stop us from truly relaxing on a mental basis.
I like to take 'time out' to reflect. Sometimes I employ diaphragmatic breathing exercises - attempting to slow and control my breathing, enlarging my abdomen with each breath rather than my chest. When done in peaceful environment it really can allow me to 'recharge'. The resultant feeling is one of mental refreshment.
There are times in my life when I find it hard to relax, particularly if I am working on something complex at work. In these cases I will review those things in my life that cause me stress or anxiety and seek to mentally address and manage them. Often I find the size of a problem is largely governed by how big I allow it to become on a personal level, rather than of a dimension determined by it's importance.
Exercise is a great way of mentally relaxing. The natural endorphin release after a physically exhausting workout is a fantastic relaxant. This also offers a perfect time to focus on finding inner tranquility.
So that is how I approach a mental rest. What of a 'hard' mental workout? Mentally taxing challenges are a feature of life. Most of life involves problem solving at some level. This might be fixing a computer or balancing household expenditure.
I enjoy throwing in some other challenges to my mind particularly those that involve mental creativity. Learning new pieces of music on the guitar is one approach. This can be a rather therapeutic pursuit but also devilishly challenging - especially if the piece is complicated.
I have other pursuits that are purely mental (and delightfully pointless). It also makes me stretch my mind in a visual capacity; remembering a pack of 52 shuffled playing cards. It takes me about 10 minutes to remember the pack, but I have performed the trick with no mistakes several times now. I only try it once or twice a week - and with more regular practice, reckon I could halve this time. The secret to this trick is rather simple and will form the basis of a later post.
Like the rest of your body, there is a 'use it or lose it' contraint on your brain. As an infant, your world is constantly stimulating - a place of wonder. And with your "beginner's mind" the opportunities to learn are numerous and the inclination to learn, to understand what is around you is inate. With time come familiarity and an attendant fall in stimulation. Seek out new challenges and with each success your self esteem and confidence will soar.
Whilst watching the Discovery channel will be informative, it is not participatory. You are going along for a ride with little control over the pace and content (even with Sky+ !). TV has its place but a more appropriate stimulation may come from reading a book, a musical pursuit or learning a skill (physical or mental) or a new language.
The goal is to pitch yourself against a range of challenges that vary in difficulty. And make sure you throw in the odd period of mental rest. Train yourself to relax mentally.
Force your brain to find new gears.
Tuesday, 17 June 2008
De-Industrialise
I have been reading about cereals. I don't eat cereals myself as they cannot be eaten raw and so break the first of my nutritional ten commandments (search the site for the complete list). Basically, if I cannot eat something in a raw and unprocessed state then I do not include it in my diet. I am not totally strict on this - the occasional beer is consumed! But, as a general guide, it serves me well.
Refined carbohydrates are essentially sugar. It that were not enough, processing strips out most of the nutrients that would benefit humans. These and other additional nutrients are often added back in to the cereal towards the end of the manufacturing cycle - often with a whole lot more sugar just for added taste and crispness.
With heavy marketing including inferences of 'natural goodness', earthy imagery of nature and 'active people' for 'adult cereal', and a mixture of fun and cartoon characters for childrens cereal, the cereal market has somehow managed to convince people that it is actually good for us.
If you watch the adverts carefully, they usually carry the vague message that the cereal is beneficial to weight or general health as part of a balanced diet (whatever that is). But I guess cake and cardboard are 'beneficial to weight or general health as part of a balanced diet'. The get-out clause here is 'balanced diet'.
An Industrialised Diet
Let take a step back for a moment. Cereal is highly processed food. From your body's perspective, such highly refined carbohydrate is largely indistinguishable from sugar and will elicit a similar response in your insulin levels. Cereals usually contain high levels of additional sugar and salt. Further vitamins and fibre may be then be added. Does this sound remotely natural or healthy? Is a bowl of sugar REALLY a good start to the day?
Furthermore, cereal contains high levels of the carcinogen acylamide. This has caused such concern that the European Commission and the Confederation of EU Food and Drink Industries (CIAA) hosted a workshop to discuss the how to reduce acrylamide levels in baked goods. I can tell you how to avoid acrylamide in three words - home cooked meals.
De-industrialise your diet and you will reap the rewards.
Industrialised Exercise
Whilst posting this, images floated in to my mind of battery hens (I buy free-range eggs, poultry, meat and fish). I then thought about exercise - and the industrialisation of exercise. I can walk in just about any gym in the UK and, rain or shine, I will see the obese sweating it out on row after row of machine. The machines might be powered and contain flashing lights and displays testifying to how hard the user is working. The machines might be passive, and simply seek to limit exercise to specific range of motion (leg curls anyone?).
On hot days in particular I want to grab some of the people in my gym and say, "Come outside, come to the real outdoors. Let's run and jump! Feel the sun on your body and the wind against your skin." FFS, you can get a REAL workout with just your bodyweight and some space.
I know they wouldn't follow me. Like processed grain, what they do is stripped of much of its benefit. Presumably it will get added on at the end by a period on the sun beds or in the sauna.
Industrialised Lifestyle
I once heard a comment that all a man needs is a library and a garden. This thought left a deep impression upon me. Sure, friends and family are important - man is gregarious. But family are a given and friends come with time. What else could you want in life?
For me I have settled on a library, a garden and a guitar, next to a shoreline, a forest and a mountain. Not totally HG, but enough to let me explore both inwards and outwards.
I obviously have a computer, and have the usual collection of hi-tec gadgets such as a PDA/mobile phone and cable TV, but these are side orders. My main course comes courtesy of my own creativity and that of nature.
Refined carbohydrates are essentially sugar. It that were not enough, processing strips out most of the nutrients that would benefit humans. These and other additional nutrients are often added back in to the cereal towards the end of the manufacturing cycle - often with a whole lot more sugar just for added taste and crispness.
With heavy marketing including inferences of 'natural goodness', earthy imagery of nature and 'active people' for 'adult cereal', and a mixture of fun and cartoon characters for childrens cereal, the cereal market has somehow managed to convince people that it is actually good for us.
If you watch the adverts carefully, they usually carry the vague message that the cereal is beneficial to weight or general health as part of a balanced diet (whatever that is). But I guess cake and cardboard are 'beneficial to weight or general health as part of a balanced diet'. The get-out clause here is 'balanced diet'.
An Industrialised Diet
Let take a step back for a moment. Cereal is highly processed food. From your body's perspective, such highly refined carbohydrate is largely indistinguishable from sugar and will elicit a similar response in your insulin levels. Cereals usually contain high levels of additional sugar and salt. Further vitamins and fibre may be then be added. Does this sound remotely natural or healthy? Is a bowl of sugar REALLY a good start to the day?
Furthermore, cereal contains high levels of the carcinogen acylamide. This has caused such concern that the European Commission and the Confederation of EU Food and Drink Industries (CIAA) hosted a workshop to discuss the how to reduce acrylamide levels in baked goods. I can tell you how to avoid acrylamide in three words - home cooked meals.
De-industrialise your diet and you will reap the rewards.
Industrialised Exercise
Whilst posting this, images floated in to my mind of battery hens (I buy free-range eggs, poultry, meat and fish). I then thought about exercise - and the industrialisation of exercise. I can walk in just about any gym in the UK and, rain or shine, I will see the obese sweating it out on row after row of machine. The machines might be powered and contain flashing lights and displays testifying to how hard the user is working. The machines might be passive, and simply seek to limit exercise to specific range of motion (leg curls anyone?).
On hot days in particular I want to grab some of the people in my gym and say, "Come outside, come to the real outdoors. Let's run and jump! Feel the sun on your body and the wind against your skin." FFS, you can get a REAL workout with just your bodyweight and some space.
I know they wouldn't follow me. Like processed grain, what they do is stripped of much of its benefit. Presumably it will get added on at the end by a period on the sun beds or in the sauna.
Industrialised Lifestyle
I once heard a comment that all a man needs is a library and a garden. This thought left a deep impression upon me. Sure, friends and family are important - man is gregarious. But family are a given and friends come with time. What else could you want in life?
For me I have settled on a library, a garden and a guitar, next to a shoreline, a forest and a mountain. Not totally HG, but enough to let me explore both inwards and outwards.
I obviously have a computer, and have the usual collection of hi-tec gadgets such as a PDA/mobile phone and cable TV, but these are side orders. My main course comes courtesy of my own creativity and that of nature.
Friday, 6 June 2008
I am NOT the Messiah, naturally!
I am not the Messiah! The title of this blog is purely tongue-in-cheek. I chose a title that would reflect the profound influence that trying to apply 'natural' concepts has had to my life. Let me expand this idea...
...Several years ago I was training hard. I am in to weight dependent sports such as climbing and to a lesser extent, kickboxing (where weight determines the division you fight in). I used to do about three runs a week - each of which lasted up to an hour. In addition I would be in the gym for up to three or four hours a week lifting the iron. On top of all that were three climbing sessions a week. The training was periodised and I would always take care not to over train. I would vary my routines and always looked to use compound exercises and emphasise 'movement'.
My diet was high in wholewheat and wholegrain carbohydrate, with lots of fruit, vegetables and protein. It was also low in fat. I was a vegetarian so I guess the protein was not of optimal quality.
Puzzle
One thing that always puzzled me was why, given the amount of exercise I did and the minimal amount of fat I ate, were my bodyfat levels always around 10%?
This might seem quite lean, but I wanted to see how I could manipulate it (let me just say, I was happy with my physique at the time, I just like to experiment). So, I upped my running and really cut back on the fat.
The results were that any gains would be short-lived and I would quickly feel run down. Out of curiosity I persisted with tweaks to my diet - particularly fat levels and caloric consumption - and with the exercise volume and intensity. It was a struggle and I started to have issues with fatigue and hunger.
It was then that I came across the concept of how would someone survive on a desert island. I put a lot of thought in to what they would eat and how they would move. This idea fascinated me. It was a massive and immediate revelation; utterly compelling in its simplicity, and lead to me looking in to hunter-gatherer concepts and the whole paleo-diet philosophy.
Diet
I had heard of the Atkins Diet and had always been dismissive of it as it challenged conventional dietary advice and I had developed an athletic physique from following this conventional dietary advice. I could see how Atkins was built upon the paleo-diet idea - so it occurred to me that maybe it wasn't to be dismissed.
After 10 years of vegetarianism (three of which were as a vegan), I headed off to get some lamb chops from the local store. I wanted to experiment!
I felt awkward eating that first meal. It was odd not eating refined carbohydrates. A meal did not seem complete without rice, pasta, potatoes or bread. Eating lots of red meat and fat seemed to go against everything I knew. After a few days of 'adjustment' however, I settled in to my new eating pattern.
After a week I really noticed an improvement in muscle definition, particularly in my abs. I quickly dropped a few jean-sizes. By week two my shoulders and upper arms were much more defined.
As a vegetarian I used to get a lot of hunger shakes. Cooking the evening meal, I would be chomping on toast and fruit. Within the two weeks, these shakes had disappeared. I had a greater control over my appetite. There was no going back.
Action Stations
I was still consumed by the idea of paleo-movement, and by the end of week two I decided to adopt shorter and more intense exercise sessions. I was always a fan of basic lifts and often implemented sprints.
An interest in climbing meant that I conscientiously developed a thorough upper body workout in the gym that strengthened traps, lats, pecs, delts, rotator cuff, you name it....but there was a bit of an iron-head in me that demanded that I use a lot of isolation exercises (like crunches and curls), to make sure EVERY muscle was hit over the course of a week.
My thoughts on paleo-movement and the success of a paleo-diet gave me the confidence to let go of this way of thinking. I rejected the curls and crunches. Sure I would keep the heavy lifts and sprints, but now I would throw in more diverse playful activity - handstands, hand walking, jumps, pistols. Bodyweight exercise seemed largely the way to go.
I got some gymnastic rings which, in addition to my climbing, would really work out my upper body in multi-planar movement over a full range of motion. (Yeah, yeah. I know that Paleolithic man didn't use rings, but I wanted to emulate his likely range of motion when doing something like throwing a spear).
Paleolithic man would have exercised as a matter of survival. His exercise would have been diverse, adventurous and intense. The narcissistic, uninspiring and sterile world of the gym suddenly lost its grip on me. Climbing always gave me adventure and heart-stopping moments, but now my other strength and fitness sessions did the same. I might work out with logs in the local woods. Carrying a loaded back pack around. Jumping on to, and then running along fallen trees. I just started to really mix things up. I was motivated and inspired.
The handstands were a real revelation. Hand walking seems to have really strengthened up my shoulders. I can walk on my hands for over a minute (I am now tinkering with the idea of a hand-walk obstacle course), and am working towards static handstands of 20 seconds. This is nothing to a gymnast, but to an armchair athlete like me - this is serious progress.
My Conclusion
I don't think I am particularly vain but clearly look at my physique in the mirror on occasion! One thing I have noticed is that I maintain my leaness and muscle mass for longer during breaks from exercise. I feel that in general, I am in great shape.
I was clearing out some files on my work PC and noticed a spreadsheet of by sick absence from work. I averaged about two sick days a year. Since eating and exercising the 'paleo way' I have NEVER had a day off sick. We are talking several years here of excellent health. I recall that 'pre-paleo' I used to regularly get colds. They were seldom bad, but I got them nevertheless. Not anr more! My previous training regimes or particularly my vegetarian diet may have caused this so simply adding meat to my diet might have been beneficial.
I never worry about my fat levels - they are lower than they were and it is effortless to maintain it. I respond to my hunger. As long as I follow my dietary principles I outline below ("If you can eat it raw you can eat it"), I eat what I want without worrying about fat of calories. Physically I feel great. Workouts are attractive propositions as they offer fun and adventure.
I must add that my eldest child is also a massive inspiration on my training. We play on her climbing frame using plenty of static holds (isometrics are perhaps not strictly 'paleo'), balancing tricks and jumping. We finish laughing and exhausted.
This is how a work out should feel. This is how eating should feel. This is how life should feel.
...Several years ago I was training hard. I am in to weight dependent sports such as climbing and to a lesser extent, kickboxing (where weight determines the division you fight in). I used to do about three runs a week - each of which lasted up to an hour. In addition I would be in the gym for up to three or four hours a week lifting the iron. On top of all that were three climbing sessions a week. The training was periodised and I would always take care not to over train. I would vary my routines and always looked to use compound exercises and emphasise 'movement'.
My diet was high in wholewheat and wholegrain carbohydrate, with lots of fruit, vegetables and protein. It was also low in fat. I was a vegetarian so I guess the protein was not of optimal quality.
Puzzle
One thing that always puzzled me was why, given the amount of exercise I did and the minimal amount of fat I ate, were my bodyfat levels always around 10%?
This might seem quite lean, but I wanted to see how I could manipulate it (let me just say, I was happy with my physique at the time, I just like to experiment). So, I upped my running and really cut back on the fat.
The results were that any gains would be short-lived and I would quickly feel run down. Out of curiosity I persisted with tweaks to my diet - particularly fat levels and caloric consumption - and with the exercise volume and intensity. It was a struggle and I started to have issues with fatigue and hunger.
It was then that I came across the concept of how would someone survive on a desert island. I put a lot of thought in to what they would eat and how they would move. This idea fascinated me. It was a massive and immediate revelation; utterly compelling in its simplicity, and lead to me looking in to hunter-gatherer concepts and the whole paleo-diet philosophy.
Diet
I had heard of the Atkins Diet and had always been dismissive of it as it challenged conventional dietary advice and I had developed an athletic physique from following this conventional dietary advice. I could see how Atkins was built upon the paleo-diet idea - so it occurred to me that maybe it wasn't to be dismissed.
After 10 years of vegetarianism (three of which were as a vegan), I headed off to get some lamb chops from the local store. I wanted to experiment!
I felt awkward eating that first meal. It was odd not eating refined carbohydrates. A meal did not seem complete without rice, pasta, potatoes or bread. Eating lots of red meat and fat seemed to go against everything I knew. After a few days of 'adjustment' however, I settled in to my new eating pattern.
After a week I really noticed an improvement in muscle definition, particularly in my abs. I quickly dropped a few jean-sizes. By week two my shoulders and upper arms were much more defined.
As a vegetarian I used to get a lot of hunger shakes. Cooking the evening meal, I would be chomping on toast and fruit. Within the two weeks, these shakes had disappeared. I had a greater control over my appetite. There was no going back.
Action Stations
I was still consumed by the idea of paleo-movement, and by the end of week two I decided to adopt shorter and more intense exercise sessions. I was always a fan of basic lifts and often implemented sprints.
An interest in climbing meant that I conscientiously developed a thorough upper body workout in the gym that strengthened traps, lats, pecs, delts, rotator cuff, you name it....but there was a bit of an iron-head in me that demanded that I use a lot of isolation exercises (like crunches and curls), to make sure EVERY muscle was hit over the course of a week.
My thoughts on paleo-movement and the success of a paleo-diet gave me the confidence to let go of this way of thinking. I rejected the curls and crunches. Sure I would keep the heavy lifts and sprints, but now I would throw in more diverse playful activity - handstands, hand walking, jumps, pistols. Bodyweight exercise seemed largely the way to go.
I got some gymnastic rings which, in addition to my climbing, would really work out my upper body in multi-planar movement over a full range of motion. (Yeah, yeah. I know that Paleolithic man didn't use rings, but I wanted to emulate his likely range of motion when doing something like throwing a spear).
Paleolithic man would have exercised as a matter of survival. His exercise would have been diverse, adventurous and intense. The narcissistic, uninspiring and sterile world of the gym suddenly lost its grip on me. Climbing always gave me adventure and heart-stopping moments, but now my other strength and fitness sessions did the same. I might work out with logs in the local woods. Carrying a loaded back pack around. Jumping on to, and then running along fallen trees. I just started to really mix things up. I was motivated and inspired.
The handstands were a real revelation. Hand walking seems to have really strengthened up my shoulders. I can walk on my hands for over a minute (I am now tinkering with the idea of a hand-walk obstacle course), and am working towards static handstands of 20 seconds. This is nothing to a gymnast, but to an armchair athlete like me - this is serious progress.
My Conclusion
I don't think I am particularly vain but clearly look at my physique in the mirror on occasion! One thing I have noticed is that I maintain my leaness and muscle mass for longer during breaks from exercise. I feel that in general, I am in great shape.
I was clearing out some files on my work PC and noticed a spreadsheet of by sick absence from work. I averaged about two sick days a year. Since eating and exercising the 'paleo way' I have NEVER had a day off sick. We are talking several years here of excellent health. I recall that 'pre-paleo' I used to regularly get colds. They were seldom bad, but I got them nevertheless. Not anr more! My previous training regimes or particularly my vegetarian diet may have caused this so simply adding meat to my diet might have been beneficial.
I never worry about my fat levels - they are lower than they were and it is effortless to maintain it. I respond to my hunger. As long as I follow my dietary principles I outline below ("If you can eat it raw you can eat it"), I eat what I want without worrying about fat of calories. Physically I feel great. Workouts are attractive propositions as they offer fun and adventure.
I must add that my eldest child is also a massive inspiration on my training. We play on her climbing frame using plenty of static holds (isometrics are perhaps not strictly 'paleo'), balancing tricks and jumping. We finish laughing and exhausted.
This is how a work out should feel. This is how eating should feel. This is how life should feel.
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