You probably know I’m a CrossFit addict by now. It’s more fun than a cooler full of coconut milk, more effective than erosion, and anyone can do it just about anywhere. However, done on its own, with no regard to your nutrition, isn’t going to get you nearly as far or as fast as if you pay really good attention to what you’re eating and why.

Enter: Primal.

It’s not that CrossFit doesn’t have a nutritional recommendation: it does. And it’s about as simple and clear as it can get: Meat and veggies, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar. And any CrossFitter worth his/her salt is going to be able to rattle that off like a well-grooved mantra. And, at the same time, knowing what to do and actually doing it are often not the same thing at all.

I’ve read all kinds of fantastic nutritional information before, and have for years, but never have I been able to make it a lifestyle like I have since adopting the “Primal Blueprint Eating Plan” like I have with Mark Sisson, at Mark’s Daily Apple.

Primal living is, in my own words, a prescription for eating the way we’ve evolved to. Our genome has honed itself for over 2 million years, adapting to a particular style of eating that didn’t really fluctuate until about 10,000 years ago. And, since that “recent” shift, we’ve done nothing but go downhill, health-wise, except for the hygienic changes that have increased our average lifespan. It’s pretty clear if you look at how we’ve evolved to eat that it makes a lot of sense to stick close to our own internal genetic recipe. After all, you wouldn’t pour rocket fuel in your car’s gas tank, right? It’s just not designed for it.

Primal living isn’t just about nutrition, though. It’s about the whole grain-free enchilada – fitness, play, rest, and natural living in all sorts of ways. I’m not going to talk all about it, because Mark has already done a fantastic job of that on his blog for the past three years. I’d highly recommend reading this post for a bird’s eye overview, this post if you want a jumping-off point for a bazilion different resources on Primal living, and if you want the clearest explanation of what nutrition is all about, my all-time favorite post about Primal eating is this one right here.

If you like what you see, then the best thing you can do (short of buying Mark’s book) is to sign up for the special Primal Primer newsletter series that he created for this past month’s big Primal challenge. It’s the best, most comprehensive bundle of useful information on your health that I’ve probably ever seen. Seriously.

Now, Here’s Where I Need Your Vote:

As a part of Mark’s month-long Primal Blueprint Health Challenge, there were a number of contests created, ranging from super-simple to more elaborate… including creating a video of a Primal recipe that you love. I made a video of my Primal Coconut Pancakes/Waffles, which you can watch here, and it made it into the contest! Woo hoo!

Now, in order to win the prize, I need your vote – today. It’ll only take about 3 seconds, and would mean the world to me, if you could click to this post here and vote for my video: Primal Coconut Pancakes/Waffles. And, of course, I’d love to hear what you think of them if you make them yourself! (A few people have left comments on the video post, and so far, they’re a hit.)

If you’re curious about anything Primal-related, including my journey that brought me here, or anything about the video or the contest, please don’t hesitate to ask.

UPDATE: Bummer! I lost the contest by four measly votes (185 to 181). Ah well, that’s how the coconut crumbles… for all of you who voted, I appreciate it more than I can say!

Image by alaina.