I have just begun my ump-teenth restart of the Primal Blueprint 21 Day Challenge. For anyone who does not know, The Primal Blueprint is my most favorite lifestyle movement. It is akin to Paleo, only less strict, with a dash of Keto, a chunk of congruent human movement, and a whole bag of good living.
I was introduced to Mark Sisson via an online interview with a chiropractor way back in 2014. Mark runs a website, marksdailyapple.com (since 2006), and wrote a book, The Primal Blueprint (in 2009), in which he details his observations and research into "Ancestral Eating and Movement Habits." Basically, how to "Live Awesome." His book details his research into his brand of Ancestral Eating and Living Habits, what did our ancestors do 100,000 years ago. He argues, quite eloquently, that the height of human evolution was 10,000 years ago and before. Since then we have declined drastically. I will not go further into the specifics, but I want to convey that his logic and logical leaps make good solid sense, and are being proven right by scientists and medical science.
- Commentary: Here is Mark's simple statement that is both a "...powerful and compelling rationale for living according to the Primal Blueprint:"
- "Human beings prevailed despite incalculable odds by adapting to the life-or-death selection pressures in their environment over thousands of generations. Our primal ancestors were lean, strong, smart, and productive, which enabled them to survive, reproduce, and ultimately rule over more physically imposing members of the animal kingdom. This is no mean feat, yet conventional wisdom has essentially dismissed the legacy of our ancestors in favor of easy, quick-fix "solutions" to ill health that sell regardless of negligible long-term results."
Shortly thereafter, I became a Primal Blueprint Certified Expert. An online program that has since become the accredited Primal Health Coach certification program. I maintain the certification every two years, much like my chiropractic relicensure every two years.
- Commentary: Lets be very fuh-ing careful here, I did not say they are equal. I can just hear the anti-chiropractic hacks saying something like, "you said 'just like your chiropractic license!'" The FACT is that the chiropractic degree and license is equal to a medical doctor's degree and license (except for prescriptive privileges, obviously). The Primal Blueprint course and certification is like any certification that deepens and broadens a persons knowledge base. I am certified in many things, none of which are equal to my chiropractic degree but all make me a better practitioner. My goal, as always, is to develop myself as a higher standard; to bring the highest level of clinical excellence to my patients and my work.
Since 2015 I have done The Primal Blueprint 21 Challenge 10 times, this number also includes my 21 day Standard Process Cleanses. Each time I do the challenges I come out the other side feeling better, thinking faster and doing great. Unfortunately, every time I commit to a challenge I lose no to little weight. This has been deeply disheartening. This year, though, I finally feel a breakthrough and I am committing differently. First, I am in dire need to move more. One of the "action items" is to move everyday and commit to 2-3 workouts per week. I have been remiss in this endeavor, every single time. Second, I am not going to focus on my weight. Instead, I will focus on vital signs, such as blood pressure, pulse rate and pulse ox, as well as body measurements, waist, chest, neck, thigh and arms.
My hope is that I will see definitive changes in addition to feeling better. I have so many stories of people failing themselves, just as I have, because they were utilizing too much willpower and not enough easy lifestyle changes. Even though The Primal Blueprint is among the easiest of any of the lifestyle programs, I have found myself trying too hard. This should be easy. It has been shown that the number one reason for poor compliance to a diet is reliance on too much willpower. Essentially, the harder a diet is to stick too, the less chances people will stick to it. The Primal Blueprint has ease built right into it, but somehow I have fuh-ed that up and made it about me battling me. This is a no win scenario if I have ever seen one!
This time to victory. This time to the truest expression of my health. This time to ease and gentleness. This time I will breech the walls of Troy, not with strength of numbers and willpower, but with clever, cunning and seamless ease.
I will keep this post updated as to my progress...
Thank you for reading,
DocBDC
