The New Primal Blueprint

Book excerpt: Mark Sisson’s 2009 release of The Primal Blueprint was the catalyst for the primal/paleo/ancestral health movement to gain mainstream awareness and acceptance. Both the hardcover and paperback editions enjoyed a seven-year run at the top of the primal/paleo charts and selling hundreds of thousands of copies. Sisson, publisher of the acclaimed MarksDailyApple.com, the acclaimed and most-visited primal/paleo blog, has spent the past six years diligently researching and evaluating recent the most up-to-date science and reflecting on thousands of users’ experiences going primal. The second edition of The New Primal Blueprint offers a comprehensively revised, expanded, and updated message from the original runaway bestseller. The New Primal Blueprint serves as the ultimate road map for anyone wishing to make the shift from flawed conventional wisdom about diet and exercise to a healthy, happy empowering lifestyle patterned after the evolutionary-tested behaviors of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. The book details the ten immutable Primal Blueprint lifestyle laws that enable empower you to reprogram your genes to direct in the direction of weight loss, health, and longevity. The Primal Blueprint laws are validated by two million years of human evolution as well as an ever-expanding body of contemporary scientific research. Sisson’s philosophy was originally met with skepticism as he aggressively challenged numerous mainstream health tenets. Eight years later, mainstream medical and health science are validating the Primal Blueprint tenets assertions that a high-carb, grain-based diet will make you fat, tired, and sick; that a consistent routine of medium-to-difficult cardiovascular workouts can actually compromise your health and longevity and increase risk of heart disease; and that consuming (whole food sources of) fat and cholesterol does not lead to heart disease as we have been led to believe, but rather offers many health benefits. The New Primal Blueprint comes alive with a vibrant full-color presentation packed with photos, graphics, and cartoons to make for a fun, easy, and memorable read. Join hundreds of thousands of primal enthusiasts and embrace a new way of life where you take responsibility for your health, fitness, and happiness. Reject once and for all the flawed conventional wisdom that has left modern citizens struggling with fatigue, excess body fat, and elevated disease risk factors as a consequence of grain-based eating habits, exhausting exercise routines, sedentary lifestyle patterns, and high-stress existences that misdirect our genes and promote illness instead of wellness and longevity. Here is a quick overview of the ten Primal Blueprint laws that will help you quickly and effortlessly reprogram your genes in the direction of health, happiness, and longevity: Law #1 - Eat Plants and Animals: Enjoy the nutritious, satisfying foods that fueled two million years of human evolution. Law #2 - Avoid Poisonous Things: Avoid toxic modern foods (primarily refined vegetable oils, sugars, and grains) that make us fat, sick, and malnourished. Law #3 - Move Frequently: Enhance fat metabolism, improve cognitive function, and avoid the stress of chronic cardio by keeping active with aerobic workouts at a comfortable heart rate, increased everyday movement, and complementary flexibility/mobility activities throughout your day. Law #4 - Lift Heavy Things: Brief, intense sessions of functional, full-body resistance exercises supports muscle development, increases bone density, and prevents injury. Law #5 - Sprint Once in a While: Occasional all-out sprints turbo-charge fat reduction and deliver a boost of anti-aging hormones. Law #6 - Get Plenty of Sleep: Align your sleep with your circadian rhythm by minimizing artificial light and digital stimulation after dark, and creating a calm, quiet, dark sleeping sanctuary. Optimal sleep promotes healthy immune, brain, and endocrine function. Law #7 - Play: Balance the stress of modern life with some unstructured, physical fun! Both brief breaks and grand outings are essential to nurture a cognitively fluid mind and a free spirit. Law #8 - Get Plenty of Sunlight: Expose large skin surface areas frequently to optimize vitamin D production (increases energy, prevents cancer). Maintain a slight tan, but never burn. Diet alone doesn’t cut it. Law #9 - Avoid Stupid Mistakes: Learn to be mindful and vigilant against dangers, both extreme and routine. Cultivate risk management skills to stay safe and sensible and eliminate “avoidable suffering.” Law #10 - Use Your Brain: Engage in creative and stimulating activities away from your core daily responsibilities. This will keep you refreshed, energized, creative, and productive in everything you do.