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.

© Adam for Adam Kayce, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments

If you aren\'t seeing the embedded video, click here to view.

(and thanks to @trib of Acid Labs for the heads up…)

© Adam for Adam Kayce, 2009. | Permalink | One comment

I read an article years ago about tall people, and their supposed nomenclature for describing how tall they are. “What are you?”, one tall guy says to another. “Three,” says the second guy, who’s 6’3″. “You?”, he continues.

“Five,” says the 6’5″ guy, clearly feeling superior about the extra two inches of height he was given (and didn’t lift a finger for, of course). The two men size themselves up for a moment, swagger and grunt a few times, and both walk away feeling good that they’re in the upper percentiles of vertically-endowed men, and equally happy they didn’t come across LeBron James. Or Leonid Stadnyk.

Is This True?

I don’t honestly know, although I can say with all certainty, as someone who’s 6’4″ myself, I’ve never referred to myself as “four”, nor have I ever had some guy come at me and say he was “six” or “one” or “hey, I’m four, too.”

The idea, though, of self-identifying with a number is, of course, pretty darn silly (not to mention indicative of some serious insecurities that you should probably seek help with). There are plenty of metrics you can use to get a better grip on where you are in your life, and height isn’t one of them, unless you’re a teenage NBA hopeful. For the rest of us, let’s take a look at one metric that can have direct bearing on the kinds of conversations you are having, whether you realize it or not.

The Three S’s

The Three S’s come from Rick Warren’s A Purpose-Driven Life, which is a phenomenal best-seller about finding your purpose in life. I haven’t read the book myself, but Rick’s TED talk is a great one.

One of the essential gems of Rick’s teachings is about the stages of life that people go through on their way towards a life of purpose: Survival, Success, and Significance. Here I go, paraphrasing again…

• In Survival, you’re just trying to hold on.
• In Success, you’re making it work.
• In Significance, you’re used to having it work, and now you’re concerned with making it count.

As you can tell, these are three very different modes of being to live in. The feelings, experiences, and concerns of each mode are very, very specific (the more of these you’ve experienced, the more you know what I’m talking about). The kinds of conversations happening in your life are very dependent on the “S-level” you’re at. Or, at least, they should be.

When you’re trying to make your bills, and keep the power from being shut off, you’re not talking much about trips to the French Riviera, or what color Bentley you want to drive… and that’s a good thing. It’s just not healthy to put a lot of energy into conversations that pull your focus away from where it needs to be.

Think about it: Is it really worth twenty minutes of poring through swatches to figure out what color of carpet you want in your Tesla, when you’re getting ten phone calls a day from bill collectors? Should you really be planning that pilgrimage to Mt. Kailas when you’re a financially-induced vegetarian? Your time is better spent figuring out how you’re going to put food on the table and pay the electric bill.

You can’t pursue your purpose if your basic needs of life are not met.

Now, I can already hear the Law of Attraction devotees screaming at me, “But we’re supposed to focus on what we want!” Of course you are. Dream, visualize, create vision boards… do it all. But remember what the big key is to moving forward: Action. And the best kind of action is action that’s taking account of your needs in the moment.

It is absolutely essential then that, before you take any drastic action, you first sit down and decide what your true needs are. What do you need to survive – to pay rent, to buy food, to keep the lights on and the water running? What do you NEED – not WANT – what do you NEED in order to ensure that freedom in your mind and in your reality.

The greatest thing about these quotes is who said them: Bob Proctor. That’s right! King of the Secret, Mr. Law of Attraction himself… Bob wrote that in a 9-page article called, “Purpose, Vision, Goals” in 2003. He goes on to give great advice about getting clear on what your needs really are, and how to start pursuing your dreams without putting yourself in jeopardy. I highly recommend it (and since it’s free, you can get your hands on a copy no matter what conversation you’re in).

Besides, I’m a big believer in the Law of Attraction (it just makes darn good sense, in my opinion). Focusing on what you want, believing that you can achieve it, and working towards it with passion… that’s a great recipe for success.

What seems to trip up so many people, though, is that when they’re just starting their businesses, or looking for ways to engineer their perfect lives, they try to get their businesses airborne AND figure out if what they’re doing is what they’re “supposed” to be doing.

When I read Bob Proctor’s piece about not stressing about figuring out your place in the universe while you’re building your life, it just made perfect sense to me. It’s tough enough creating a business, marketing yourself, and serving your patrons without wondering at every turn if you’re fulfilling your ultimate destiny.

So, as you’re creating your suited-to-the-moment plan for the life you want,

• Take into account which “S-level” you’re at,
• Come up with a plan to:
• handle your present moment, while
• visualizing your positive future
• Trust that when the time comes to reap what you’ve sown (whether it’s in Success or Significance), you’ll be ready for it.

Image by Modified Enzyme.

© Adam for Adam Kayce, 2008. | Permalink | 3 comments

If it doesn’t bring you joy, what are you doing it for?

If you aren\'t seeing the embedded video, click here to view.

Video by Nike Football

© Adam for Adam Kayce, 2007. | Permalink | 6 comments