Email #1 Start with the easy stuff

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

Where are you at in your journey?

Are you wanting to lose fat?

Are you wanting to eat better?

Are you wanting to reverse an illness or disease that you may have?

Do you want to live a longer and healthier life?

I believe that all of these things are possible given the right diet and lifestyle! It is up to you, no one else… You have the ability to learn what is good for you, and what is not. Like the old saying goes…

”You can always find someone who will give you enough rope to hang yourself”

A great analogy to the Standard American Diet. You see, mainstream wants you to believe that all of the good tasting junk out there, is not bad for you. I won’t get started…

Back to the point at hand, you are the one in control of your life. If you want things to change, you have to make changes. By the way, weight, age, gender, genes, none of that necessarily means that you are healthy, or unhealthy. There are many people out there that are very skinny, and have issues and diseases.

A little tip that I have learned is to not focus on losing weight, or lowering your blood pressure. Don’t focus on the symptom, focus on, and fix the cause, and the symptoms will take care of themselves.

Diet and lifestyle are greatly attributed to the illnesses and immune responses that we experience. So, wherever you are at in your journey, start with quick and easy adjustments.

1. Stop using all types of cooking oils in your house to start with, except olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil (preferably organic). Vegetable oils and peanut oils have got to be avoided.
2. Stop drinking soda and other drinks that are full of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Really, you need to stay away from all of the sugary drinks (even if they are diet (aspartame)). Start drinking water instead. If you need a flavor in your water, add some fresh lemon juice, lime juice, etc. (preferably organic… My local Walmart has a great selection of organic lemons and limes. I flavor most of the water I drink with these.)

A good lemon squeezer is a must, like this one HERE.

I also like to get every bit of juice out that I can, so I use the lemon squeezer first, and then I put the squeezed lemon/lime into THIS, and get the rest of the juice out.

If you would like to do a little more reading about carbs and how your body reacts to them, check my blog post out HERE.

Start the week off with a new challenge to look forward to. With every new positive change you make in your lifestyle, you’re that much closer to looking, and feeling great.

“The wise man sees in the misfortune of others what he should avoid”

-Marcus Aurelius-

Look around you everywhere you go… If you want to be different than most people, you have to live different than most people.

It was a pleasure offering my advice to you based on my own personal experiences and knowledge of this lifestyle!

P.S.

If you would like to wear a tribute to your new/or continuing Wild and Primal lifestyle, or start off the morning with a cup of coffee gearing you up in a Wild and Primal kind of way, check out my store HERE.

Talk to you next week!!

Email #2 Lemons and Detoxing

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

Each individual person’s body, is one big chemistry experiment.  When you put something onto/into your body, the chemical reactions that take place are enormous.

My overall goal, is to keep my body as alkaline (not acidic) as possible.  Alkalizing foods will tend to neutralize the acidity in your body as well as volatile toxins (ingested from the dirty air your breath, foods with harmful chemicals, un-natural fragrance from skincare products, just to name a few).

It’s been approximately 10 years since I have used shampoo, body soap, toothpaste, lotions, cologne, or anything else of the sort.  I use baking soda for most of my cleaning uses HERE.  I have figured out that constantly bombarding your body with toxic substances (pretty much anything that you would not consider eating on the ingredient list) keeps your body and immune system from being at its best, and breeds disease.

Fresh lemon juice (from organic lemons) is one easy approach to help alkalize the body.  I add fresh lemon juice to my half gallon, stainless steel jug of water (I recommend that your water is mineral water from glass, or untreated well water), that I take everywhere with me.  Although lemon juice is acidic outside the body, when ingested, it has an alkalizing reaction on the body.

Most fresh raw vegetables (only choose organic, as non-organic is most likely chalked full of pesticides and other chemicals) are alkalizing to the body as well. I do wear deodorant once in a while.  Before work everyday is the most common time that I put it on.  I try not to put anything on my skin on the weekends or when I am at home.  There are a few brands of deodorant out there that are, how should I say this…  Better than most…  I tend to use this brand, For Women and For Men.  

Have you heard of “cold water therapy”?  If you think about it, early humans and our early DNA were founded on an environment without heated water.  One easy approach to help simulate that environment, is to take cold showers.  The health benefits can be encouraging.

Research has shown that exposing the body to cold water can help immune function, help with fat loss, and benefit your hormones, just to name a few.  When combined with a low carb/sugar diet, good (organic, grass fed, wild meats) sources of fat and protein, this can be a secret weapon to fast track your body to the Wild and Primal zone.

I like to start my shower with warm water (washing my body, brushing my teeth, etc.), and then end my shower with 5-10 minutes of cold water (as cold as it will go).  After doing this for a while, it has become a very refreshing and welcoming experience.  Our bodies are begging to be Wild and Primal!  This 5-10 minute ritual allows our DNA to experience a snapshot of what we were built for.  

P.S.Remember, with big changes, start small.  Last week I talked about removing vegetable/canola oils from your diet/house, and replacing them with good (preferably organic) olive and coconut oils.  Also cutting back/removing soda and other sugary (and diet/aspartame) drinks.  Stay away from chemicals, even if they taste good!  Stick to pure water (preferably non treated and non plastic soaked), flavor with fresh organic lemon and lime for added taste and electrolytes.  

Just think Wild and Primal when you go to put something in/on your body!

See you next week!!

Email #3 Eat For Primal Health

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

I would like to say, life is good! I’m very thankful for my life and how things are going. My health is great, I feel great, and everything seems to funnel from there. I can honestly say, that since I learned how to take control of my eating habits, and gathered the knowledge on how to lose fat and still have muscle with little effort, there’s no turning back!

You see, several years ago, I was just like your typical person. I ate the Standard American Diet (SAD). I juggled between exercise routines (at the gym/p90x/etc.) when I had the time. I would get ahead here and there, but then life/busy schedule would cause me to lose motivation.

Year after year, I would put on a little more weight than the previous year. My jean size would go up a size every couple of years. Finally I said enough!! I’m 5’-10”, and I was up to around 250 lbs. I was starting to get headaches on a regular basis. I would have a severe migraine two or three times every year. I was gaining fat. Losing focus on exercising, plus didn’t have the time to spend an hour or more at the gym. I started having these awkward (vertigo) type feelings often, when I would get out of bed, or stand up after sitting for a while. The list goes on….

I had conversations with my mom about some of these experiences. She was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease (Multiple Sclerosis) several years ago. She told me that I should go get tested for MS, because she was experiencing many of those same symptoms before she got the diagnosis.

All of this disruption and unhappiness with my body has actually helped to give me the desire to make changes.

Get this… “Modern” food, for the most part, exists because it tastes good, we need a way to feed large populations of people, and someone is getting rich from selling it. If your diet is largely grains, added sugars, processed sugars, processed/preserved foods, vegetable oils, etc., your body, health, and immune system is most likely suffering.

In my opinion, you have got to find an important reason to change! You simply reading what I have to say may not be enough. A lot of people can’t break their “carb/sugar” addiction! That’s right…. I said ADDICTION… The body’s hormonal response/dependence to carbs. and sugar, is said to be similar to that of taking drugs (like heroin). Your body gets a hormonal “high”, and keeps telling your body to repeat that process. Most bodies are “trained” to receive carbs. on a regular basis. If you don’t give the body carbs. , it will experience very unpleasant side effects (severe hunger feelings, low energy, headaches, stress, etc.). You want to snack regularly, plus get that next meal of the day with (bread, pasta, soda, potatoes, etc.), to satisfy that craving. Then the process repeats itself.

Many people fail, when trying to change their lifestyle. They start cutting out carb./sugar based foods, but they don’t want to eat anything that’s good for them. Healthier foods just don’t taste good to them, because their taste buds have been trained for taste, not nourishment. It takes time to change the body’s hormonal profile. The body will eventually quit telling itself to desire carbs./sugary foods. It is a process though…. In the meantime, you have to give your body nutrients/electrolytes. The best sources are from raw organic vegetables (salads, mixed greens, etc.), non-preserved meats (wild-hunt your own/have a friend help, grass-fed, no nitrate added/no nitrite added/uncured store meats if no access to wild or grass fed, organic nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews) I still eat nuts even if I can’t get organic, organic/raw milk, and organic free range eggs (I have my own chickens!). These choices are the base of my eating habits for the most part.

I am currently putting together some of my most used recipes (seasonings, salad dressings, drinks, etc.). In the meantime, here are a couple of my most used (good sources of fat, other than from wild/grass fed meats, and nuts) Organic Olive Oil and Organic Coconut Oil. In my opinion, it is very important to obtain sources that are “first pressed” and organic. Again, like everything else, sources that have been “heated” during extraction, will be unnatural, damaged, and have a shorter shelf life. Of course, be aware of any “nut allergies”. As those have been known to show up with coconut use! Both of these oils can be used during sautéing and cooking. I try not to cook for too long, or too hot, if possible. Remember, good fats are your friend, as long as you are consuming them, absent of a high carb. diet. High fat consumption, combined with high carb. consumption, is a recipe for disaster (massive fat storage)! Read this POST if you would like to understand more about how carbs. work.

Now, when I first started changing my eating years ago, I did not use organic sources, or much wild meat. I have gradually focused on more “high quality” sources in order to bypass all of the pesticides/chemicals that are in our store bought foods by choosing organic. If you don’t choose organic, you can still get away from the carbs./sugars, but you are still giving your body that extra stress (removing toxins from pesticides/chemicals).

There is no better time than now! Start making the effort to clean up your lifestyle!! Start small… When I first started, I used the 4 out of 5 rule for the longest time. Meaning… I would eat 4 out of 5 meals the way I planned (low carb. but with good sources of fats and proteins), and then the 5th meal would be more of a “reward” meal. You will see, as time goes on, that 5th meal will start to not mean as much to you. You will want to keep more aligned with your goals of not eating unhealthily.

What should be your daily carb. limit? I typically stay under 150 grams of carbs., and a lot of the time I’m under 50 grams (ketosis zone) for the day. I don’t count calories (I just pay attention to carbs., not sugars added, just total carbs.). I usually eat until I feel satisfied. The majority of the time I will eat some organic fruit, dark chocolate (at least 60% cacao, the higher the better though), and nuts for a dessert/snack. Even if I can’t get organic nuts, I still choose to eat them in place of carbs. Walmart (Great Value brand) has an organic 60% dark chocolate pack of baking chips that I choose.

P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!

Email #4 Intermittent Fasting

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

I’m going to get right to the point this week… Intermittent Fasting (I.F.) is a standard practice within my lifestyle. It works, and it makes since! Think… Your DNA was designed many, many, years ago. Early humans did not have food at their fingertips at all times during the day. Your genes are designed to efficiently take care of your body, and all of its functioning. What you have been feeding/exposing your body to (lifestyle), will tell your body what genes are turned on/off.

Constantly feeding your body carbs. and junk is going to put your body into calorie surplus mode (not good). Your body gets somewhat “lazy” with its processes and goes into cell production mode. An overabundance of cells can create a multitude of issues (poor immune health, disease, cancer, etc.).

I like to try and keep my body in cell repair mode (instead of cell production mode). It takes the body less energy to repair cells and get some extra/efficient life out of them, as it would to produce new cells. If you keep your body in repair mode, this will happen more. If you keep your body in production mode (caloric surplus), you will be mostly producing new cells, not much upkeep on your existing cells.

So how does this all come together? Well, you have to remember that there is not just one “magic” ingredient to this whole plan. I.F. is great, but not by itself. Eating organic is great, but not by itself. Removing chemicals from your skin is great, but not so much if that’s all you focus on. You get the picture, right? This whole “machine” of achieving health and vitality will start coming together one piece at a time, but you need many pieces to construct it. I.F. is just another one of those pieces where the juice is worth the squeeze, accompanied by other healthy pieces.

Remember, success is going to come when you have your sights set on the big picture, not just losing weight, or just lowering your blood pressure. Great things will come when you start focusing on changing your entire lifestyle in whole. So…. Put all of my previous emails, together with this one, and you will start to notice several pieces that need to come together in order to maximize this process. Really, you are trying to simulate a “Wild and Primal” environment. This is all about gene expression (turning on the right genes to represent that ideal environment our body thrives in)! It takes time, and consistency to make this happen, and keep happening.

I.F. gives your body just a slight “taste” of that starvation mode. Literally not starving, but your body thinks, “Hold on boys, something is going on here, we need to start making everything count.”

There can be some hang ups though, getting started. If you are very new to changing your lifestyle (your body is still carb. dependent and not efficient at burning fat for energy), then I.F. will most likely be more uncomfortable for you, compared to me. If you are a female, I.F. can be a little more uncomfortable, causing irregularities with your cycles. Don’t be afraid though, good things will come with time. Don’t just jump right in. Start employing one piece at a time with care, time is your friend. I believe that all bodies will adapt and start thriving, it just takes time to purge your body back to default.

How do I do it? When I first started my lifestyle change, I did an I.F. twice a week. At this point, I do it at least once a week, sometimes more depending on what happens that week. My goal is to go at least 16 hours (sometimes closer to 24 hours) with ZERO calories AT ALL (very important to reap the benefits of fasting). I like to start, right after I eat supper one night. That way, a lot of my fasting time will be spent sleeping. I skip breakfast, and lunch the next day, and then eat supper that night, it’s pretty easy really! If I happen to slip up on my eating during the week (eat a burrito, chips, salsa, ice cream), I will strategically do a fast from there into the next day to help get rid of those carbs. quick, and get back into fat burning mode again. Don’t start using this as an excuse to do “bad” all the time though, or it will lose its value in the whole process.

I drink water, and black coffee when I’m fasting (no candy/gum, creamer, dark chocolate, not even a pretzel). You should not consume anything of any caloric value. Look at the ingredients and make sure it has 0 carbs., 0 fats, and 0 protein. Really, nothing is best (just water), but I do drink a little black coffee. What about all of these new “sugars” out there that are not supposed to have any effect on blood sugar (0 calories)? I do not use any of them, to each their own though. I believe, in order to get that quality gene expression, keep it extra “Wild and Primal” in this case!

If you try I.F. and find yourself miserable and failing, don’t give up. Give yourself something to eat, just try to keep it aligned with your goals (don’t fall back into a carb. frenzy)! Wait a week or two, and try again. When your body is finally starting to adapt to a low carb. lifestyle, your body then has the tools to burn fat for the majority of its energy needs. At this point, those hunger cravings will start to cease, and I.F. becomes more welcoming.

P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!

Email #5 Bodyweight Exercises

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

Good to see you all again!!

So I get asked all the time……. You must spend hours in the gym every week/day…… Nope! Just 10-15 minutes of bodyweight exercises, Monday through Friday, in my kitchen usually, with minimal equipment. Once in a while I will do a HIIT workout (more on this later) on a Saturday or Sunday, or a Mon.-Fri. evening.

You see, my philosophy on exercising has changed over the years. When I was in High School, I played sports, and burned a lot of energy. I also lifted weights periodically. I was in pretty good “athletic” shape, but still never under 10% bodyfat. Plus, I ate the typical S.A.D. diet. I didn’t know any better…..

In college, I really started hitting the weights hard. I’d spend 1-1.5 hours in the gym, pretty much everyday. I got pretty strong relative to myself, and put on quite a bit of muscle. I would say that my bodyf at percentage juggled around between 10-15%. I never got lean, just bulky. I didn’t really want to be lean anyway, I wanted to try to get 20 inch biceps like Arnold! Of course I never got close to that. I started to learn that in order to build some massive/unnatural muscle, I would have to give my body something I could not give it naturally. I continued to workout and exercise though, striving to get as big as I could get.

After college, I got my first “real” job in Branson, Missouri. I lived there for 2 years. This is still the “pre-kids” period of my life, I still had quite a bit of time to hit the gym after work. I continued pretty much the same regimen that I utilized in college, lifting and a little cardio everyday after work.

I eventually got married and started a family, switched jobs, and moved back to my hometown. As I tried to continue my everyday workout regimen at the gym, I realized there just wasn’t enough time in the day to satisfy all that I needed to do. Anyway….. Fast-forward several more years, and I eventually developed a new philosophy on diet and exercise.

I have learned, and now believe through research of early humans, that we were not meant to bench-press 500 pounds. We were not meant to be overweight, and/or unhealthy either. Our body’s were meant to be lean, robust, and have an immune system that will take care of/fix/repair itself without synthetic medications. My goal is now to eat, and live, to support this idea of building a natural body, with a natural, and sustainable lifestyle. A 100% natural lifestyle is hard to achieve, but I think the more that we can try to simulate this environment, the more our genes/hormones will respond appropriately.

So when it comes to exercising, I believe that we were meant to be able to carry/lift heavy things when needed. We were meant to have short term stamina. We were meant to sprint fast when needed. We were meant to be able to manipulate our own body weight in different situations (climbing, crawling, etc.). I believe that the closer we bring our bodies to this environment, the more authentic our gene expressions will be towards quality health and authentic muscle growth.

My Monday-Friday workouts consist of pullups/chinups, different variations of pushups, squats, dips, and a few stretches. All of this is done using my own body weight, minimal equipment, and under 15 minutes. I have more muscle definition, and less body fat now, than I ever have had in my 20+ years of working out! How is that? I’ve heard it/read about it all of my life…… 80-90% of your physique is based on your diet/lifestyle. That’s just the part you see!! There is a massive chemistry experiment going on inside your body that’s brewing potions for a healthy immune system, balanced hormones, more energy, and so much more! You have got to start putting the pieces together in order to get those potions brewing!

This Doorway Pullup Bar is a must! It allows me to get going quick, right from my own house.

I also love these Pullup Rings!! When I want to take my workout outside, or on vacation with me, these are a must have!! I find a solid tree limb, or other support, strap on, and get to working out in minutes, wherever I’m at.

When it comes to cardio, I don’t do long runs anymore. When was the last time you saw a long distance runner, with any muscle mass? You don’t….. That’s because it’s stressful on the body, and is not conducive to building muscle.

Look up some pictures of people who sprint….. These people are the ones that have some muscle! That’s because short bursts of intense exercise have been shown to stimulate muscle growth, and so many other positive processes within the body. Sprinting (AKA high intensity interval training (HIIT) mentioned earlier) is in the same category as some of my previous tips. Cold showers, intermittent fasting, and sprinting sort of have the same idea in mind. Your goal is to alert your body quickly, and short lived, to a situation that needs immediate attention! You stress your body, and immune system for a short time, and then let it recover.

There is a lot of research out there on cold water therapy, intermittent fasting, and HIIT. You should really look into it! I’ve been doing it all for years, and have 100% faith that they all are very powerful regimens, especially in the presence of a Wild and Primal diet/lifestyle!

Here is my typical Monday-Friday workout:

• Warmup/Dynamic stretches (2-3 minutes). Know your own body on this one. Maybe warmup longer if you’re new to exercising.
• Superset: Pullups (as many as you can do) with bodyweight squats (30 for me). (2-3 minutes)
• Rest 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Repeat pullup/bodyweight squat superset. (2-3 minutes).
• Superset: Pushups (10-20 moderately slow pushups for me) with door frame curls (10 very slow curls for me). (2-3 minutes).
• Rest 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Repeat pushup/door frame curl superset. (2-3 minutes)
• Finished!

Here are two of my typical HIIT workouts that I love to do:

1. Once every week or two, I will go for a short run. I will jog very slowly as a warmup for a half mile or so, then I will stop and do some dynamic stretches for a couple of minutes. Next, I go into my HIIT workout session where I will take off sprinting for 20-30 seconds, then walk for 1 minute. I repeat this process 4-6 times. Then I’m done, and I go home. This usually takes me 20 minutes, from start to finish. This is a great workout for stimulating muscle growth, and your fat burning engine!
   
   *Warning: If you are new to exercising, you will want to make sure that your sprints are not 100% “all out”! Start with a few sessions of maybe 50-75% effort on your sprinting until you get your body skeleton acclimated to the sprinting!

2. During nicer weather, once every week or two, I like to get my punching bag out, hang it in a tree, and create a HIIT workout. I will warm up a little, then do 4-6 rounds of: punching combinations for 30-60 seconds (100% “all out”), and then stop and rest for 1 minute. You can change it up… Having FUN is the main thing!!

With HIIT training, your focus should be to maximize effort and heart rate, while minimizing time spent doing the exercise. Then let the body recover, and repeat a few times. This is perfect for getting in, and out, quickly!

I move through my Monday-Friday workouts with precision, and no interruptions! With each exercise, I focus all of my attention on the “main” muscle group that I am working with (e.g. focus on my quads while squatting, chest with pushups, shoulder/back with pullups, biceps with door frame curls). This workout can definitely be modified. If you want to use more weight, you can hold something (dumbbells/ankle weights) during your squat/pullup exercises. If you need/want to do more/less repetitions, you can. There are many different types of these exercises you can do to change it up (e.g. elevated feet pushups, clap pushups, hop squats, lunges, etc.). Try to make it doable, fun, challenging, and make it happen at least 5 days a week! Tell yourself that, if I want to eat/drink, I have to do some type of physical activity in order to get that food/drink each day! Do something!!!! That is the key…..

A little exercise, combined with clean (I stay under 150 grams carb. per day, in addition to eating some “good” meat/eggs/nuts/fruit, and as much veggies as you want) eating, get rid of the smelly good rub on chemicals/metals, take some cold showers, and you’ll eventually initiate a gene expressing process that can be responsible for reversing disease, improving health, promoting fat loss, balancing hormones, building muscle, and so much more!!!!

Important Note: I believe that too much exercise can create a few problems, especially if your body is still in carb. burning mode (instead of fat burning mode). The more you workout, the more calories you burn. This causes hunger…… If you let your hunger take you down the dark alleyway leading to carb.ville, you can kiss your efforts goodbye!! You are just going to fire that carb. engine right back up again, shutting down your fat burning engine, creating insulin release, and showering your internals with feel good hormones related to carb. addiction….. Not good in my opinion!

So what’s a person to do……. Easy….. Don’t feed your carb. engine! Feed that engine with good quality fat, and proteins from good meats and vegetables. If you are new to this process, it can be hard to discipline yourself. So be careful not to let yourself get in this “hunger” state by working out too much, until you can walk the straight and narrow!

How’s your diet going anyhow……? Are you getting rid of the sugary drinks? Replacing them with some good lemon/lime water?

Have you found a good source of toothpaste (no fluoride, or other junk!)? My go to is this BAKING SODA. I have not found anything else that meets my Wild and Primal criteria.

Have you found a deodorant that is fragrance/aluminum free? For Women / For MEN

Have you trashed those nasty cooking oils, and replaced them with good oils? COCONUT OIL / OLIVE OIL

Have you figured out how to get good sources of meat? Either wild/grass-fed (best), or store bought with NO nitrates/nitrates (AKA uncured).

How’s the snacking going? Hopefully you are finding some alternative ways to handle this, instead of the carb. filled monsters! When I have to do this, I go for walnuts, almonds, and dark chocolate 60% cacao or higher (sparingly on the chocolate. Dark or not, it’s still easy to overdo it!!!).

COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK:

I would like to hear from you! Do you have any questions or concerns? Reply to this email if you would. I am going to use your questions and comments for next week’s newsletter. I would like to combine, and share them with everyone (I will not include any personal info.).

I hope you are doing well on your journey to carb. freedom!!

Just remember….. It takes time and persistence! Focus on creating a Wild and Primal diet and lifestyle, and the rest will follow!

P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!

Email #6 Responses To Your Questions

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

When is the best time to do an I.F. (Intermittent Fast)?

I’m so glad someone offered a question involving I.F.! I.F. is such a powerful tool to optimize your health. There is this process, called “insulin resistance”, that is mainly caused by eating a diet heavy in grains/sugar. Insulin resistance is a real “bad guy”! It is said to be one of the main culprits for a long list of health ailments and diseases. The idea is, your body gets pounded with carbs. for so long, causing your pancreas to release insulin to remove all of that glucose from your bloodstream (your blood sugar level). Your body starts becoming “numb” to this process (hormone/endocrine disruption) and eventually stops responding to the bombardment of carbs., therefore resulting in high blood sugar, diabetes, along with other problems/diseases.

I.F. helps your body to stay “insulin sensitive”, which is what you want. When your body starts getting used to tapping into “fat” for energy when it needs it, hunger cravings start to diminish, and blood sugar levels will start to stabilize. Remember though, I.F. alone will not make up for a terrible diet/lifestyle. You will not see positive results if you do an I.F. once, or twice a week, while in the meantime chowing down on some Ramen, Little Debbie snacks, fast food, and washing it all down with a Dr. Pepper!! Read more about the I.F. process in one of my previous emails HERE, if you haven’t already.

To answer the question…… In my personal opinion, I think it is best to structure an I.F. around your schedule. Oftentimes, I like to pick a day that I am going to be fairly busy, and utilize the time spent not worrying about food, doing something I like/need to do. Saturday is one day of the week that I always do and I.F. because of my schedule. I’m usually either outside doing something that I enjoy, or at my kid’s ballgames (not eating concession stand food is a plus!!!) so it’s a perfect time for me.

I know a few people that do an I.F. on certain days, like Tuesday and Thursday, no matter what. I started several years ago doing this. Later, I decided that it works best for me, to use a Saturday.

If I would happen to over do it on carbs. on a night through the week, say on a Monday or Thursday, I will choose to do an I.F. directly after that outing (though I am better these days at not falling victim to this).

This may sound a little cheesy, but I found that the more I put myself in a “Wild and Primal” mindset, the better I do. For example, on days that I am fasting, sometimes it’s difficult to be around/witness other people eating (mainly my family). So I have started putting myself in a “protection” mindset on these days. In my mind, I tell myself that there is only a small amount of food available, and I choose to let someone else (my kids, wife, or other family members) have it. Now, if this was really the situation 50,000 years ago, I would have to be on the lookout for predators (crazy people in today’s world) trying to steal our food. So, while I politely let others eat on those days, I am on the “lookout” for possible threats (maybe you’re in a restaurant, at a ballgame, heck even your own house). I have been doing this for a while, and I notice that my instincts (hormones/gene expression) respond well to this mentality. I recommend you give these tips and tricks a try, and see how you get along.

Remember, always be lenient towards others, and be a hard master on yourself!

This mentality (when it comes to diet/exercise/healthy choices/etc.) has been the backbone of improving my health and lifestyle! Don’t put it on your wife, husband, or anyone else to improve your health. You make the necessary changes, find a way. If others don’t choose to follow you, that’s alright. The best you can do is to try and improve your situation, gain results, and be a positive influence on others.

I can barely do 1 pullup…… What do I do?

Several years ago, when I first started this new routine, I could only do 3 or 4 good pull ups before I would start struggling. I weighed somewhere around 230 pounds, and never thought that a couple years later I would be doing 12 good pull ups without failing. Consistency, and adaptation is the key!

If you can’t do a pullup, or very few, modify what you are doing so that you can get some type of repetitive movements in. That’s why I love having the pullup rings with me HERE, to use with the pullup bar HERE.

You can attach each strap from the pullup rings, to the pullup bar right inside of your doorway. This allows you to lower the point that you will grip with your hands. You can make the handles hang down to somewhere around your chest area, grip the handles in your hands, then start leaning back while moving your feet forwards, setting your body up to do an “inverted row” movement, shown HERE. This allows you to redistribute your bodyweight so that you can get some repetitions in during your exercise. I still do these once or twice a week, in combination with others.

The key is to get some type of exercise in, at least 5 days a week. Trying to focus more on your big muscle groups (chest, legs, back) with body weight movements is my go to. Like I have said earlier, I only spend 10-15 minutes exercising each day through the week, and maybe 1 HIIT workout at some point during the week (20 minutes on the HIIT). “Work for your food mentality” helps to keep me faithful on getting some exercise in, on the regular.

Exercising and stretching have so many benefits, aside from building muscle. You breathe heavier when exercising. Deep breathing is a great way to help remove toxins. When you expand your lungs, your internals (lymph nodes, organs, muscles) get squeezed/stimulated, helping to expel/release toxins, eventually purging while exhaling. The more processes you can take part in to help break toxins free, the better chance your body will have in expelling them naturally through breathing, urination, the stool, and other organic processes.

Don’t forget your diet and lifestyle. There are so many “toxins” that are built into our typical SAD diet!! Metals, pesticides, manmade cooking oils (hydrogenated), high estrogen mimicking compounds (fake sugars, HFCS, BPA, etc.), Preservatives (nitrates, nitrites), and there are so many more!

Don’t forget all of the toxins within the products people put on their skin/body (fragrance, phthalates, aluminum, etc.).

Start changing your relationship with this “junk” everyday, and those 10-15 minute workouts will give you more “bang for your buck” since your body won’t be bogged down by so many toxins!

Thank you for the questions, please keep them coming! I will try to address them along the way. I am by no means an expert, but I do believe it helps to hear an opinion from someone that has experience, and that I have.

P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!

Email #7 Improve Your Sleep Habits

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

This week I want to talk about an important element of your health, that is widely neglected, quality sleep. Notice I didn’t just say sleep…..

I know we’ve all heard this one growing up, “Get plenty of sleep!” I’m sure most of us believe it, but at the same time we go on with our lives, and do what is needed to try to succeed in this modern/fast paced life. I didn’t pay much attention to this for the longest time, not until I started making efforts to improve my lifestyle. I’m a big “why ?” person. So I’m going to give you some tips on “why” quality sleep is just another one of those “pieces” of the puzzle.

I can’t even tell you how important your hormones are to the efficiency/productivity of the inner workings of your body. The more I learn about the body, the more I believe that hormones could be the most significant influencer in the role of governing our health! The problem is, they are kind of hard to understand, even for scientists and doctors.

Some people take medications that can alter this natural process. Many people try to fix health issues with artificial chemical reactions, using prescription/over the counter medications. Artificial light and digital stimulation, especially after dark interferes with our body’s natural release of hormones. Consuming processed foods (chemicals to preserve our foods), and junk foods (carbs., trans fats, fake sweeteners, etc.) can also interfere with this process.

Your sleep patterns, and sleep quality, directly affects your hormone profile, as well. The body releases certain hormones to tell the body what it needs. When our body releases melatonin, our body starts to get sleepy. When our body releases ghrelin, our appetite is stimulated, and we get hungry. Leptin is responsible for telling our body to burn or store fat. Cortisol is the “stress” hormone, when this gets elevated, it can cause your body to have sugar cravings.

The list goes on, but my point is that this delicate hormone discussion within our body (endocrine system) can get mixed up. When this discussion gets mixed up, our body can get confused. It can start storing fat, getting stressed/causing inflammation, craving sugar/carbs., feeling awake when you should be sleeping, and so on.

This process can even be magnified on a cellular level. Your body can start storing dead/corrupted cells, instead of detoxifying them, and getting rid of them (tumors). Your body can get confused, and start destroying good cells, thinking they are bad cells (autoimmune issues). Your joints and muscles can start hurting from lactic acid build up (inflammation). Your body can start losing its ability to control blood sugar levels (diabetes).

All of these issues can be traced back to imbalances of hormones. The things we eat, and the environment we expose ourselves to on a daily basis, causes our hormones to speak. We sleep every day. The way in which we go to sleep, and sleep, is in itself, a hormonal discussion everyday. 50,000 years ago, we used the sunlight to determine when it was time to go to sleep, and wake up (our circadian rhythm). Our body’s are programmed to receive signals (release appropriate hormones), based on light, and time of day. A habit of being on your phone, computer, or watching T.V. at night, will not support the release of hormones that refreshes cognitive function/solidifies learning, optimizes tissue repair, or regulates appetite/metabolizes fat. Our body’s are programmed for more sleep when the days are shorter, and less during longer summer days.

What are some things we can do to improve in this area? Try not to eat anything with caloric content at least 2 hours before you go to sleep. Get your last meal of the day in before 8 p.m., assuming you will be going to sleep around 10 p.m.

Don’t get into a routine of filling your eyes full of artificial light (phone, computer, T.V.) right before bedtime. Maybe, go to bed an hour earlier, so you can wake up an hour earlier to check those emails.

Try to create a nice, cool, dark environment to sleep in. Your body needs to cycle through rapid eye movement (R.E.M.), and deep sleep patterns through the night, so try not to disrupt the pattern.

One thing I started doing years ago, was to use a new hobby (something I wanted to learn about/book/research) to establish a new pattern. I started going to bed earlier (I’m usually asleep by 10:30 p.m. at the latest), and I wake up at 5 a.m. I spend about an hour each morning doing something that I enjoy (reading, researching, website, blog, newsletter). I try to make it a point to spend an hour on something new, that I believe is going to benefit/improve my life. Compound all of this over a 7 year time period, and here I am now. I have a totally different outlook on diet, exercise, and daily habits. I do not believe that I am perfect, but I do feel like I am constantly taking steps to improve.

–Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still–

Chinese Proverb

Use the things that you do everyday day (sleep, eat, drink, shower, breath, move, etc.) to maximize, and improve your health. Get into new healthy habits, one step at a time, and eventually it will feel like you have always been there.

Remember, there is no amount of running, exercise, or pills that can fix a diet/lifestyle that is not promoting your body’s primal/genetic makeup. Eventually, something is going to explode, and cause disruption. I believe that we can very much slow down, and maybe even avoid this “explosion” with our daily habits/choices.

P.S.

I just talked to a friend of mine this past week. Her husband just got back from the doctor, with news that he is at high risk for diabetes. They are now trying to alter their eating/drinking to avoid further complications. I am glad they are trying to fix things with lifestyle choices first, instead of popping pills. Later that day, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “why are so many of us waiting until something goes wrong, to try and fix it?” I don’t know about you, but I want to go into my 50’s and 60’s with momentum! No matter your age now, start making better choices now!

P.P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!

Email #8 Get Stronger Fighting Illness

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

First of all, I want to make it clear that I am not telling anyone to do anything specific. I know sometimes I use the terminology “you have got to….”, or “stop doing this…”. Think of it like, me talking to myself. I reiterate this, because I know that medications and things of that nature are a touchy subject. I am not a doctor, and I don’t claim to be. I simply am giving you viewpoints of my own, based on my personal (non-funded) research/experiences. I have put in hours of research (world renowned nutritionists, Primal/Keto/Paleo experts, etc.) that has led me to where I am in life. Am I right? Do I have all the answers? No! I don’t believe anyone can say they are right, or have all the answers. You have the freedom to take your life in whatever direction you want. I am simply offering advice on my experiences. I have put in the time to research, and learn things that many people out there have not/will not. If you find value in my offerings, Great! If not, that’s fine too!

So, don’t get me wrong…. Modern day medicine has its place! I know that it has saved countless lives, and may be what a person needs in certain situations. On a day to day, month to month, even for me…. year to year basis, I have no need for it. Will I someday? I hope not. The point is, I believe that “we” have become too dependent on instant satisfaction. If we don’t feel good, we go take some medicine. When we get sick, we take medicine. We get a scratch, we put medicine on it…… and so on.

I don’t even remember the last time I took any medicine, other than for a headache. I try not to even take that, unless it gets to the point of a near migraine. Since I have cut out ALL of the soda in my diet (the last 3-4 months), my random headaches have quit.

The reason I have taken this stand against medicine, is because modern medicine is aimed to attack viruses, germs, bacteria, and other microbes. Chemicals/poisons are used to achieve this. While these formulas are destroying the bad guys, they are also destroying the good guys (all of your good gut bacteria, microbes, etc.) and eventually causing deterioration of the body.

My viewpoint is that healing/immunity is all about detoxification. If your body is equipped with the right tools (good hormone conversation, good macro/micro nutrients, out with the bad guys like processed foods, chemicals, etc.), it will more than likely be successful at detoxing efficiently. We are going to get sick from time to time, end of story. This is our body’s natural way to cleanse (get an oil change/tune up). If our body is efficient at detoxing, we may still experience drainage from the nose, muscle soreness, headache, fever, diarrhea, etc. I welcome these forms of detoxification, I don’t go take medicine to stop my runny nose/cough.

Medicines not only treat the symptoms, while ingesting them they dump additional toxins into your body that then either need to be detoxified (or end up getting stored somewhere to cause later damage). All of that “good” gut bacteria that took you months to build up, can be destroyed in one dose of antibiotics. Your body’s own bacteria, mold, yeast, and viruses are the ones responsible for breaking down/decomposing dead/weak cells/body tissue.

I truly believe that the better we can get at allowing our body to take its natural course with colds and things of that nature, an increase in health is a natural result. That is, if we are giving ourselves the right tools to accomplish this natural cleansing process. What are the right tools?

Well, if you are new to the list, or have missed out on any of my newsletters, I suggest you go HERE, and get caught up. My tools list, is not just picking up one or two things. It’s a way of life, choices that I have to make everyday that usually do not align with the “norm”. Getting my nutrients from as many raw, organic, wild/grass-fed animals, vegetables, fruits, and nuts as I can is the foundation of my practices. There are so many other bits and pieces though, that play into my everyday choices. Remember, there are many pieces to the puzzle. There are so many obstructions out there right now, that are destroying your body’s Wild and Primal instincts! Most of us, including our parents (and possibly generations before them) have been doing/using these obstructions, and don’t even think anything is wrong with them.

Don’t be fooled!! Modern day comfort (feel good foods/carbs. in abundance) and convenience (all things good/bad at our fingertips) comes with a hefty price tag. The term/payback on this loan can be years though….. Before you know it, it’s time to pay! What will your payment be? Heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, obesity, arthritis, cancer…..

Each and every person has the ability to change their direction. Don’t blame your health on your parents, or grandparents. The best thing to ever happen to me was to start getting fat, and feeling unhealthy. My body was telling me to change my lifestyle. Listen to your body….

Those people that seem to never gain very much weight no matter what they eat, are the dangerous ones. A small percentage of people are like this, I am glad I am not one of these people. These people have mutated enzymes, that seem to break down food differently than the rest of the people. Just because you are not overweight, does not necessarily mean that you are giving your body the right lifestyle to thrive. The loan collector will come find these “skinny” people too, at some point!

I am not a huge advocate of taking supplements, and things like that. However, I do use a handful of herbs on a regular basis. 50,000 years ago, I believe we indirectly got value from the things we were eating (roots, dirt, bacteria, aged/fermented sources, etc.). There are an abundance of anti-inflammatories, essential amino acids, and hormone supporting goodness in some of our plants, and roots. If you are into supporting these processes of your body, then herbs can be a great resource.

Next week, I am going to talk a little about the herbs that I use on a regular basis, to help support my overall health.

P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!

Email #9 The Power of Pine Pollen and Turmeric

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

In addition to eating quality meats and vegetables, quality herbs are also a great option. In my opinion, you need to be careful where the herbs that you are taking come from. Just like our meats and vegetables, herbs can be grown in environments that can harbor the same villains. Pesticides, other chemicals, fillers, and also heavy metals can show up in some of the herbs that are being offered for sale.

That is why I like Lost Empire Herbs so much. They put all of their herbs through extensive testing/grading systems before they are offered for sale. Click the image below to learn more about Lost Empire Herbs and how they test/grade their herbs.

What herbs do I take? I take just a handful of herbs, to help fill in the missing holes from day to day. Turmeric, Pine Pollen tincture, Black Maca, Ashwagandha, and Beet Root Powder are my choices.

The herbs that I take, I have selected for specific reasons. Hormone support, antioxidants, inflammation reduction, and nitric oxide are some of the main benefits on my list. If I had to just pick two of these herbs, it would most definitely be Turmeric, and Pine Pollen. Learn more about these two herbs in an article I wrote, Must Use Herbs List.

If you would like to learn more about what herbs to take to help with a certain area in your life, I recommend you to take this short quiz to help guide you.

Taking a few herbs can help deliver some important benefits to your body. Amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins/minerals, detox support, hormone support, and anti-inflammatory properties just to name a few. In most cases, you would have to eat a lot of different types of foods to gain access to these benefits, where you could just take a small amount of herbs on the regular instead.

Taking herbs can be very beneficial, but again it is not the “magic” potion. No one thing is. Complementing your lifestyle with quality herbs can produce some awesome results, as long as your body is getting treated right in other areas.

By the way….. How’s your diet going? Have you made some positive changes regarding meat, and veggie selections? Have you made efforts to cut out the soda and crap drinks (HFCS, Aspartame, Sugar, etc.)? How’s your grain/carb. intake coming, hopefully lower than it was! Are you decreasing your calories from carbs. and increasing your calories from good quality protein (wild/grass fed meats, uncured store bought meat) and fat (olive oil, coconut oil, wild/grass fed meat, raw dairy/eggs)?

How’s your chemical intake going? Are you still dousing down your armpits with aluminum, and fragrance? Still using soap/shampoo/conditioner on your scalp/skin? Remember, all of this junk is having to be detoxed by your body (or maybe it’s getting clogged up inside your body causing disease/cellular disarray).

If you will start cleaning these areas of your lifestyle up, herbs like Pine Pollen can really help your body clean house! The tincture will last you several months taking a few drops daily/every other day.

Turmeric is one of my favorite herbs. It’s cost effective, and I personally like the taste. Turmeric has been a big component of my fat loss the past several years. Here is a good source of Turmeric Powder that I use. If you are not a fan of mixing the powder with a drink, I would suggest the Turmeric Capsules.

I am also a big fan of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar! Walmart has a couple of good choices for a great price. There are numerous studies out there that show ACV helps the body burn fat, and detox more efficiently. You need to use Organic, and make sure it has the “mother” in it (which means it has not been heated/filtered/processed). I love the taste of ACV too. I mix it with a glass of water, and also put it on my salads. A lot of people don’t like the taste though. Apple Cider Vinegar Capsules are a good choice, if you don’t like the taste of the liquid.

Winter is almost here, and then summer will be right around the corner. This is a great time to make some changes, and have a new “you” brewing by Spring time. Weight loss, muscle building, discipline with your diet, confidence, and knowledge are all great signs that you are taking steps to improve your life/health! People notice these things, and when they do, that will give you even more momentum to keep it up.

–The chains of habit are too light to be felt, until they are too heavy to be broken–

Warren Buffet

P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!

Email #10 Major Player In My Game

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

I have received a good amount of feedback related to turmeric. Remember though, it is not a miracle herb/spice. With myself, I have combined taking turmeric, with changes in the foods I eat, what I drink, what I put on my body, and so on…. If you have been following my newsletter, you know what I mean. If you are new to the group, then take a few minutes to get caught up by reading all of my previous newsletters in the link towards the bottom. Turmeric, combined with other positive lifestyle changes, can pack a powerful punch. Turmeric alone, with a toxin/grain/sugar filled lifestyle, will probably get drowned out by all of the bad.

The medicinal spice turmeric (of the ginger family), which is composed of the polyphenol curcumin, is high on my list these days!! It is widely known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

A 2017 study, published in the PubMed Central (PMC) regarding turmeric and its beneficial properties documents compelling evidence for its use. Other than favorable medical studies, I have first hand/personal experience with this spice.

To keep it short, if you have muscle aches/soreness, joint pain, excess fat to lose, a desire to recover faster from exercising, or just a desire to ingest something natural that can benefit your body in so many ways, then turmeric is a good option.

Quoted directly from the article in PubMed, “In addition, a number of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species can initiate an intracellular signaling cascade that enhances pro-inflammatory gene expression. Inflammation has been identified in the development of many chronic diseases and conditions [10,19,29,30]. These diseases include Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, cerebral injury, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, cancer, allergy, asthma, bronchitis, colitis, arthritis, renal ischemia, psoriasis, diabetes, obesity, depression, fatigue, and acquired immune deficiency syndromeAIDS.”

In other words, inflammation is one of the main catalysts responsible for the conception/progression of many different diseases and illnesses. Does anyone know anything that might cause inflammation? You guessed it…… Grains/carbs./sugar/insulin resistance!!

Now, you can get your hands on a good source of turmeric HERE, and if you don’t like the taste of the powder, get the capsules HERE.

Know, that the body’s absorption of the element curcumin is not very successful without adding some pepper to the powder if that is your choice. I also like to add a good source of fat with my powder when I consume it (to help my body utilize any fat soluble nutrients). Read my post HERE to learn more about the powder, and how to mix it.

If you choose the capsules, pepper has already been added to the mixture.

Also, Lost Empire Herbs is running a fall SALE!! If you are on the fence about trying any of their herbs, now is a great time to pull the trigger. I recommend the Pine Pollen Tincture, but there are so many good choices depending on what area of health you want to focus on. Take the Quiz, if you need help on what direction to go. If you decide to commit, make sure to use the coupon code WILDPRIMALHEALTH to get your 10% discount!!

P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!

Email #11 Are You Getting Outsmarted?

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

Conventional/Crash Diets……. How many times have you come across someone (maybe yourself) that is on a new “diet”? Buying pills, shakes, and the likes? How many of these people have ever continued to buy those pills for the rest of their lives? Sustainability is a key factor in doing anything in life. If you can’t continue to do something long enough to have lasting results, then why do it?

I hear people say, “I’m just going to lose 10 or 20 pounds real quick on this “diet”, then I’ll start eating “right” and keep it off.” Most crash diets leave you depleted of calories at the end of/during the day. You’re hungry nearly the whole time that you are on it (promoting your body to jump into survival mode). Or, all of those pills you’re taking (that are supposed to somehow suppress your appetite) are totally disrupting your hormone profile (hormone conversation I always talk about).

I see/hear proponents of a moderate/high grain diet talk about how studies show that consuming meats/fats leads to heart/cardiovascular disease. I too, have read several books on these studies. There seems to be a flaw in how these studies were conducted. The results that I have come across, showing that meat/high fat diets are detrimental to your health, are only valid in the presence of a moderate/high grain diet. These people that were surveyed about eating meats/fats, were also eating a S.A.D. diet (breads, pastas, etc.). Us primal eating people, already know that eating a diet high in fats, along with a nasty carb. filled diet, is going to cause an explosion. Also, the meats that these people were eating in the studies I have come across, are processed (full of nitrates, and grain fed meats from feedlot animals).

Consistent insulin release (from eating a moderate/high grain diet) is going to lead to chronic inflammation, promote fat storage, and allows ingested cholesterol/saturated fat to cause trouble in your arteries no matter if you eat meat or not.

If you are just coming off a high grain diet, have trouble with inflammation (joint pain, arthritis, etc.), or just want a good natural supplement in this area, Nettle Root Extract (Urtica dioica) is a good choice.

In a study, published in 2020, Nettle Root Extract (UDE), was shown to significantly improve Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) in men by decreasing biomarkers of inflammation, and oxidative stress. Testing of rats, also showed that components of UDE reduced lipid peroxidation, and tumor formation in the breast, and increased activity of certain antioxidant enzymes.

A great source of Nettle Root Extract (UDE) can be found HERE. Don’t forget to use WILDPRIMALHEALTH as your coupon code to get a 10% discount if you decide to make any purchases from Lost Empire Herbs.

With my experience using herbs, if I am just using one to “maintain” a specific area of my health, I will usually take half the recommended dosage (or maybe alternate the full dosage every other day, or every three days). If I am taking a particular herb to directly help an area of my health needing attention, I will take the full dose, until I start to see results, and then back off.

I am a huge proponent of not becoming dependent on herbs, but dependent on feeding myself good quality foods/nutrients everyday. I will use/cycle a few herbs to help give me that extra edge (because I can’t possibly get away from all toxins in the air, house, environment, etc.). Also, taking herbs and improving your lifestyle is a work in progress. Immediate results do not occur very often. In my opinion, you really can’t have one, without the other. Herbs can help give you that extra edge, but if you are cramming junk down your throat all day long that causes inflammation, oxidation, insulin resistance, and disease, you might not see any noticeable results.

One thing I hate worse than being defeated, is being outsmarted! Don’t get outsmarted by our modern S.A.D. diet. These taste good carbs. and chemicals speak to your body’s hormones, corrupting them. It’s a survival response…. Your body thinks you just scored a fruit tree 50,000 years ago. Your body sends out “feel good” hormones telling you and your family to eat the fruit, because it might not be there tomorrow. And….. it will be another 9 months before you get to taste that fruit again!!! Well, back to eating meat, and scavenging for leaves, nuts, and roots (not very many carbs. in these treats, except for a little fiber).

Hope you can find some encouragement in my Wild and Primal thoughts…. I speak from several years of experience, trial and error, hours and hours of reading/learning from holistic professionals, and a desire to learn/teach more everyday. I have experienced a total body transformation….. Not only fat loss, but muscle growth, noticeable relief/gone joint pain, more energy, improved/perfect health markers, and an increasing desire everyday to crush modern food use, and to not be outsmarted by greed/financial gain/ignorance.

Happy Living!!!

P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!

Email #12 Easily Make Your Own Dressings!!

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

Recent question from someone on the news list asks, “How do I make my salad dressing?” Also, what’s wrong with just buying some Ranch, or Thousand Island at the store?

Well, let me reply first to why I do not use the majority of store bought salad dressings. The majority of these dressings are made with hydrogenated oils (vegetable oils, soybean oils, etc.), not good (one of the 3 main modern poisons we should be avoiding). These cheap to make, mass produced, high heated oils create havoc inside your body. You see, your body recognizes fat molecules when you ingest them. Your body then decides what to do with them (extract nutrients, burn them for energy, store them for later use).

These, so called fat molecules that make up these nasty oils are actually corrupted. During the high heat process that is used to create these oils, the molecular structure of any beneficial fat molecules, has been altered. Just to make a point, high heat can alter the nutrients in most things that we eat/cook with. The heating and processing that takes place to make these vegetable oils though, is beyond what we “regularly” do in the kitchen.

When you eat these oils, your body actually ends up not understanding what to do with them. The cells in your body can not use these types of fat cells. They end up getting treated as toxins, and the body tries to rid itself of them. Sometimes your body can’t get rid of all of the toxins before they turn hard, and get stuck somewhere in your body (fat tissues, blood vessels, etc.), as with all toxins you give your body.

On the bright side, you can make your own salad dressings, if you like doing those types of things. You can also buy good salad dressings that are made with good quality oils as well. I do both…

One of my favorite, quick, go to recipes starts with approximately a 1:1 ratio of olive oil (I use high quality organic/first pressed olive oil found here) to balsamic vinegar (I use organic balsamic vinegar found here). I like a pretty strong vinegar taste, but you can adjust the vinegar ratio based on your preference. After that, season it to your taste…. I use pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, thyme, oregano, mustard, worcestershire sauce, and chia seeds to thicken a bit.

I’ll usually mix up enough to use for a few salads. About 1/8 cup of organic olive oil, 1/8 cup of organic balsamic vinegar. Then I add in around a 1/2 teaspoon of organic garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of organic onion powder, a couple of sprinkles of organic chili powder, couple of sprinkles of organic thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of organic oregano flakes, 1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper, 2-3 teaspoon of organic mustard (I use any kind, yellow, spicy, Dijon), just a dash of worcestershire sauce, and then a 1/2 teaspoon or so of organic chia seeds (Walmart has a good choice). I then mix really good with a spoon/fork. The more you stir, the thicker, and more “combined” it will get (usually a minute or so). I just keep it easy, and adjust the seasonings to your own taste. I think this dressing is easy, and tastes great! I store the extra in the fridge, and use it up in a few days, sometimes faster.

Or, sometimes it’s just nice to grab a great tasting dressing out of the fridge, that someone else took the time, and effort to create. In that case Primal Kitchen has several great dressings/sauces made with good oils, and largely organic ingredients. Don’t forget to use coupon code (10% off your order) WILD1811 if you pull the trigger on an order!

Start taking steps to clean up that modern, disease infested lifestyle!! Making/buying sauces to spice up your organic raw/whole foods was the first step for me several years ago. You have got to be able to find/create/prepare your own foods….. Don’t rely on anyone else!

Good Luck On Your Journey!!

Let me know your thoughts any time with a reply!

P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!

Email #13 Give Thanks To Your Ancestors!🙌

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

Thanksgiving is almost here! Gathering with family/friends to show gratitude towards the things we are thankful for.

I am thankful for so many things in my life. My wife, children, family, job, and all of our freedoms that we get to enjoy here in this great country. Up until recent years, I would also have “my health” on that list as well, and I still do, but…..

What is health? In recent years I had the notion that I was young, alive, and felt pretty good, therefore I had good health for the most part. I did not realize in those days, that I was imprisoned in modern culture’s idea of food/nutrition. I was not healthy back then… Better yet, I was setting myself up for a future of illness and disease. I was standing in the long line with the “you only live once crowd” for my white jacket prescription (chalked up to… oh…. well… your family has a long history of auto-immune disease). I was being held captive, by the addiction, feel good hormonal constraints, and the “I got to eat now” lifestyle. It truly is an illness/addiction itself.

Think about it this way. We get to enjoy so many rights, and freedoms that our ancestors have fought for through the years. We get to enjoy living in a free country, with laws to protect our rights/wellbeing.

Just recently, I developed an analogy to this system of gratitude. Think about your own DNA. How was it created? It took thousands of years for our DNA to assimilate. Our genetic code (what our body recognizes/utilizes to thrive) has been tested, manipulated, and efficiently manufactured through selection pressures due to the environment. Humans long before us have gone through so much to survive, and pass along their genes to the next generation. Through this passing along of DNA/genes, some of them did not survive, and some became more resilient.

So what is it that our DNA/genes prefer based on this long history of “fighting” to survive? It only makes sense, protein, fat, and raw fruits, nuts, and vegetables. We did not get to where we are today by eating like most of us do in today’s world. We are not doing ourselves any favors by eating a high carb diet.

Years ago, I would use family gatherings/holidays as an excuse (cheat day) to eat whatever I wanted. Rightly so, some of you may do that as well. As time has passed, I have gotten better at sticking to what I believe, and not compromising as often.

So this Thanksgiving, when we are giving thanks to all that has been sacrificed by those before us, think about your early ancestors’ struggle to survive as well. Give thanks to those who struggled through the ice ages, famines, and predator attacks. Those who learned how to hunt down big game, and feed their families. Those who learned how to forage for roots, and vegetation. Those who would have frozen to death if it weren’t for learning how to provide shelter/warmth to their family. These trying times were the early building blocks of our genetic writings.

I have learned to honor these ideas by feeding my body what I believe it wants/needs/deserves. My body has rewarded me for this by providing me with fat loss, muscle growth, immune/hormone stability, and just an overall feeling of “Nothing Can Stand In My Way!” I can’t explain to you how it feels to be in total control of what I eat, and what I need to thrive.

Big change has to start somewhere, and the time will never be “just right”. I believe that you have to “Find Your Spark” in order to create big change.

Good luck on your journey to thrive!

P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!

Email #14 Primal Fitness Secret

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

I have been incorporating something new into my daily routine lately, and I love it! I talk to a lot of people that say they do not have enough time to workout/exercise. Our lives have become so dependent on the “go-go-go” mentality. Well, whether or not it is true that they don’t have time to exercise, or they just choose not to put exercise towards the top of their “to do list” is probably debatable. Either way, this information will be of great value.

To bring some relevancy to the table, let’s think about our civilization, say 50,000 years ago. Our exercise was probably pretty sporadic. We would exert energy when it was needed, throughout the day. Building shelter, gathering wood/water, hunting, and so on. Based on evidence, and historical conclusions about their daily habits, it is said that they were for the most part pretty sedentary. These people were also believed to be some of the most robust and healthy (low body fat, muscular, disease free) humans.

How can that be? Well, the truth is, you don’t actually have to exercise for hours on end in order to build muscle/lose fat. There is actually a point of diminishing return when it comes to putting your body through a stressful situation. When that situation becomes “chronic” (all the time stressor), your body will tend to start using cortisol to deal with the constant stressor. The more cortisol your body produces, the more your body struggles to efficiently take care of itself (lose fat, quality sleep, build immunity, etc.).

Stress is not always a bad thing, but the stressor needs to be acute (instead of chronic). Acute stressors tend to be beneficial for your body. Remember the other acute stressors that I have talked about in the past (cold showers, intermittent fasting, sprinting)? Stress your body for a short time, and then give it plenty of time to recover, that’s the key.  Again, this is only a small piece of the puzzle though. Feeding your body what it really needs (quality protein, good sources of fats, quality nutrients from fruits/nuts/seeds/veggies, raw dairy), is one of those bigger pieces of the puzzle. It is very important to take the processed foods, sugars, and hydrogenated oils out of your diet!!

So where does all of this information lead? I give you, Micro Workouts!! The idea is to provide your body with an “acute” stressor, throughout the day. So, maybe on the hour, or every other hour, drop down and do 30 pushups (or however many pushups is ideal for you). You can do a set of deep squats, hit the pullup bar if you have one near. Wall pushups, doorway curls, run in places, it really doesn’t matter. Provide a short, burst of energy, at random (or set times) throughout the day.

If you have your body trained to burn fat (instead of carbs), using micro workouts is a great way to stoke that fat burning engine. It also helps to keep the glucose burned from your muscles (so if you happen to be in ketosis, your liver will be putting out some ketones at the same time).

Also, your DNA expects this. This method is a great way to help your body remember who it is supposed to be. We were meant to move our body, lift heavy things (your body weight works great), exert ourselves (elevate your heartrate with a 15 second burst of energy), all in a periodic (acute) fashion, and then rest.

You don’t have to do an all out workout, which is great. This saves you time! Also, executing a handful/several micro workouts throughout the day is less intimidating than scheduling an “all out” exercise session. Although, I do not replace my morning 15 minute workout session with micro workouts. I like to include them, in addition to my morning workout routine. No matter who you are, or what routine you have, I am confident that incorporating micro workouts into your daily schedule can be very rewarding!!

Start giving micro workouts a try, and see how you like them!!

Warning: A possible downfall to this is……. If you are still burning carbs for the majority of your energy needs, then you are just going to constantly be burning the glucose out of your muscles, and then your body is going to want to replace that fuel source (saying EAT more carbs). This process should not make you hungry if your body is efficiently burning fat for the majority of its energy needs.

If you are still a “carb burner”, then I suggest you look back through my past email messages link below to learn more about transitioning into being a “fat burner”. It takes time, and yes a lot of effort/changing your daily habits.

By executing these Wild and Primal habits, you can truly start becoming a person that has control over what they eat. You can have the freedom/emotional detachment from all of those foods that cause your health/body composition to be less than ideal.

Also, please take the quick (one question) survey below to let me know what topics you are most interested in!!

P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!

Email #15 Becoming A Force Field!!

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

What if there was a way to burn fat without having to exert a bunch of extra energy?

What if there was a way to strengthen your immune system without taking supplements/medications?

What if you could turn your body into somewhat of a force field, building armor against illness and disease?

There is evidence suggesting that executing this routine a couple times a week can start to put you in this arena.

When it comes to diet/lifestyle, so many of us are bound to the emotional spikes that modern day foods give us.

Did you know that manufacturers invest millions of dollars trying to create molecules/ingredients/chemicals to put in our processed foods that stimulate our “addictive” and “emotional” hormone receptors?

I remember the days when I lived my life for the next meal. I mean, I would just get done eating lunch, and I was already thinking about supper, or the next snack in line for the day.

Even if you can’t totally overhaul your eating/lifestyle, there is something you can start doing to benefit your body metabolically.

What does it mean to be metabolically healthy? Basically it means that your body can run efficiently on different energy sources (carbs, and fats/ketones).

Now, if you’re not cutting out the majority of your carbs, processed oils, and grains, you are probably not very good at burning anything for energy other than glucose (from carbs). This puts your body at a metabolic disadvantage. So many health markers will start to decline as you age, being in this metabolic state.

There is mounting evidence to suggest that many diseases/illnesses, and in general a lower quality of life is created when you push your body towards being only a sugar burner.

I have just learned some pretty amazing information related to how intermittent fasting (IF) can benefit your metabolic markers, even when your diet is still not dialed in perfectly.

Recent research has determined that fasting for:

• 13-15 hours allows your body to start switching over to the fat burning mode. Your body also starts making ketones (good thing), and also starts making more Human Growth Hormone (good thing). If you are over 30, you don’t naturally create much HGH, so bonus here! Your body also starts to lower inflammation, and increase immune function.
• 17 hours stimulates autophagy. This is a state in which your body starts cleaning/detoxifying the cells in your body (very good thing). When your body is in a state of autophagy (also fat/ketone burning mode), it is believed that viruses (and other intruders) can’t replicate because they have no energy source to grab ahold of (sugar in the cells).
• There is also information for fasting from 24 hours, and up to 3 days periodically that has amazing benefits.

If you are not accustomed to burning fat for very much of your energy needs, fasting can prove to be a challenging practice. It is best to try and lower your carbs, and increase your proteins/good fats for 2-3 weeks to better set your body up for fat burning. Although, you can try a short fast at any time.

Throwing in one or two 13-15 hour fasts a week can have some tremendous results on your metabolic/immune health to start with.

Remember though, if you start to get really hungry before your fast is over, eat something and break it. This is not meant to be torture. When your body is ready, it will not be painful at all. If you are hungry before 15 hours, that means your body is most likely still in a state of burning sugar for energy. In that case, try to be more diligent about cutting out the carbs, and replacing those calories with foods built out of protein/good fats, nuts, and a little bit of fruit (don’t overdo it here). Try again next week.

Improving metabolic health is one of the keys to creating a healthy body, and long disease free life.

Start doing something now to improve your life now, and future. Most people assume they are healthy and doing great, until they are not. It happens just like that! Of course it usually takes years to build up to the explosion, but cardiovascular disease, and some others can be silent killers. A lot of symptoms are virtually silent, until they cause enough damage to show their faces.

Good Luck on your journey towards improving your metabolic health!!

P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!

Email #16 New Hobbies = New Life

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

Good to see everyone again!

I have been pretty busy the last 2-3 weeks due to the weather here in Missouri. We have had a cold spell, and a fair amount of snow. We have a “mini” farm (sheep/lambs, goats/kids, chickens, ducks, cows, donkeys, and dogs).

During this time of year, I spend a good amount of time before work/before bed checking/feeding my animals (harvesting eggs is one of my favorites). It does not take a lot of time, but it’s time, and it has to be done.

I have created this life for myself over the last few years (manifesting from my initial decision to change my overall lifestyle, including eating).

You see, I took it upon myself to create new habits/hobbies that would get me moving, keep my heart rate up, and also keep me away from the TV/phone (screen time).

Yes I know, farming/raising animals is not for everyone, that’s what I chose to do.

My point is, if you want to change something about yourself/your health/your lifestyle, you have to change something that you do everyday (aligned towards that goal/goals).

I very rarely watch TV, maybe an hour or two in a month’s time period. You know what, after a year or two of this, I don’t even miss it! It’s just like kicking the grain eating habit. After a certain time period, you don’t even remember what it was like to have that emotional attachment to it.

I bought a Fitbit just recently, because I wanted to get a better understanding of my heart rate throughout the day. I love to train/improve my fat burning metabolism (at the same time, starving out my sugar burning engine by not providing the fuel, AKA Carbs), as you all probably already know!

Something for you all to think about….. Your body tends to burn fat at the highest rate when your heart rate gets up to your Maximum Aerobic Function (MAF). Your MAF is reached at approximately 180 – Age. So mine, is somewhere around 180 – 38 years old, which equals 142 beats per minute.

If you exceed this MAF threshold for very long, your body starts to burn less fat, and switch over to predominantly burning sugar/glucose for its energy needs. The higher the heart rate goes, the less fat burning takes place, and the more sugar/glucose burning.

The more you train your body to burn fat, and less sugar/glucose, the better your fat metabolism will be. Now, what you put into your body for fuel, also has an influence on this process. If you continuously feed your body sugar/carbs, you are going to constantly be giving your body carbs to burn (sugar will burn predominately for energy before fat, naturally).

So, in conclusion, if you are looking for a reason to change your lifestyle/improve your health/improve your immunity/improve your fat burning engine, then create some new lifestyle choices/hobbies that have to get done (that are aligned with reaching your new goals)!!!

P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!

Email #17 The Dirty Dozen

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

Have you been trying to get more vegetables/fruits into your diet lately?

Hopefully you have!! Along with some good sources of meats/proteins/fats, without the accompaniment of those troublesome grains/breads/crackers/etc.!!

Your body needs the vitamins, antioxidants, and phytonutrients (that fights inflammation/oxidative stress) that vegetables offer us!

Some philosophies argue that our bodies do not need vegetables (because of the high “antinutrient” content they carry).

It has been suggested that a straight carnivore diet can support our health, and provide all of the nutrients needed to thrive! The one catch is, if you are not eating a “nose to tail” carnivore diet (meaning the brains, liver, connective tissues, organs, etc.), then you are probably not getting all of the nutrients needed to thrive.

Also, our typical meat sources are not of the greatest quality. Conventional meats are a product of being fed an unnatural diet (cows fed a diet high in grains sprayed with pesticides/chemicals), that in turn affects the quality/makeup of the nutrients in the meat/fat.

While plants, fruits, and nuts have their defensive mechanisms (lectins, phytates, etc.), they also have valuable sources of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Here is a list of the “dirty dozen” fruits and vegetables. Meaning, these foods are on the list of being heavily contaminated with chemicals from pesticides/sprays. If you choose to eat these foods, it is best to find an organic source.

• Apples
• Celery
• Cherries
• Grapes
• Kale
• Hot Peppers
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Strawberries
• Spinach
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes

Here is a list of the so-called “clean fifteen” fruits and vegetables. Meaning they have the lowest sources of contamination from chemicals.

• Avocado
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cantaloupe
• Cauliflower
• Eggplant
• Honeydew Melon
• Kiwi
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Papaya
• Pineapple
• Sweetcorn
• Sweet peas (frozen)

So, if you’re in the store, trying to make some decisions, maybe this can help answer a few questions that you may have.

As always, most of my decisions fall under the spectrum of “is the juice worth the squeeze?”.

Basically meaning, do the benefits (high in nutrients/vitamins/proteins/fats and low in sugars/processed sugars/carbs/grains/vegetable oils) of eating something largely/greatly outweigh the drawbacks (low in nutrients, high in insulin spiking components)?

Hope you are making progress towards restructuring your foods and lifestyle choices!!

There is more than one approach to making great improvements. Each person is a little different than the other.

One person may do really well incorporating a lot of vegetables into their diet, and a little bit of meat.

Another person may do better with more meats/eggs, and lower amounts of vegetables.

Try to make small changes over time, that way you don’t disrupt the microbiome in your stomach all at once. Give your body time to adapt to the changes in your food selections by incorporating new/different components, a little at a time.

If you are struggling with losing fat, wanting to improve health/immunity, or trying to reduce symptoms of an illness, then making diet/lifestyle changes/choices can greatly impact these areas!!

I hope your journey to improvement is starting to blossom!!

P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!

Email #18 The Next Best Step

Your Wild and Primal Tips:

Great to see everyone again!

So, I have been conducting a self experiment for the last 5 weeks. I have been learning about the body, and its ability to heal itself (given the right environment).

I am learning that our bodies are very intelligent (maybe even smarter than any scientist or modern medicine). Our bodies are designed to not only survive, but to thrive (again, given the right environment).

Now, it seems that we can basically do one of two things here. We can go through life keeping our bodies “smoldering” aka surviving, or we can ignite a life changing cascade of positive processes, rebuilding, rejuvenating, healing, confidence, power, aka thriving!!

As I sit here typing this information to you all, not knowing who is going to resonate with what I have to offer (in terms of insight/experience/values), I am going to share what I believe is most important in my own health journey.

Longevity!!

I have decided to put my focus into foods, movements, thoughts, hobbies, and environments (overall lifestyle) that promotes longevity.

I don’t want to have to take a prescription medication in order to maintain some aspect of my health that my body can’t regulate on its own.

I don’t want to be overweight, and incapable of doing the things that I need to do with ease.

I don’t want to be depressed, unhappy, or not in my “right” mind.

I want to be self-sufficient, strong, vital, happy, thriving, and living with purpose towards my long-term health. Heck, I want to be out splitting wood when I’m 90!

I know you only live once, I’ve heard that said a lot. I even had that mentality at some point in my past.

My perspectives have changed though, as I have witnessed the downfalls of having the “only live once” mentality from those around me.

The next few emails will be unpacking what I have experienced from my 5 week (still ongoing) experiment.

Hopefully you can find a way to maximize your own efforts towards improving your health, longevity, mental clarity, stress levels, and all other aspects of vitality.

As I always say, just take the “next best step”. Big changes are hard to follow through with, but tiny steps are not so hard. Lots of small steps, can build a staircase to the mountain tops!!

Howling for your health!!!

P.S.

If you are new to the group, you can find an updated record of my past email messages HERE.

If you decide you want to sport your Wild and Primal style, check out a few ideas HERE.

Interested in more lifestyle information, check my BLOG out if you haven’t already. I usually add to it a few times per month (when I’m not writing to you)!

Talk to you next week!!