Starting to shift toward a more Paleo food plan? Eliminating dairy, grains, and refined sweeteners are the first steps. But there is more to a Paleo existence. If you are taking on Paleo as a method to get well, there are other practices you can employ to supercharge your transition.
HOW TO PERFECT YOUR PALEO LIFESTYLE WITH THESE FIVE TIPS
MORE FAT: Many people have the misconception that becoming Paleo means you eat all meat and very little else. Quite the contrary, Paleo enthusiasts encourage a whole food approach with many multicolored organic vegetables and fruits as well as well-sourced lean meats and fish. But one thing you should consider including is a decent amount of healthy fats. “Healthy fats” include oils such as avocado, olive, coconut, macadamia, walnut and Ghee (clarified butter). Paleoists shun the use of over-processed vegetable oils. Want to know why vegetable oils are on the “out”list? (Other than they are crap.) Read this article HERE.
FERMENTED FOODS: Most of you have heard that adding more probiotics to your diet is beneficial. But probiotics do not just have to come from a pill. Fermented foods are the most natural and effective way to up your probiotic intake. Kombucha, Kefir and fermented foods, like sauerkraut, are a tremendous addition to your paleo plate. The good news is these foods are pretty simple to make at home. Want to know more. Click HERE
CREATE A SLEEP CAVE: The subject of sleep is one of my favorites! When you first start shifting to a Paleo plan you might think your changes will only concern what you eat. Not true at all, in fact, true Paleo people put as much emphasis on the lifestyle shifts they incorporate as they do their food. Creating a proper sleep cave is one of the most important changes you can make. Addressing “junk light” emitting from light switches and smoke alarms, making sure you have black-out shades, and ditching the TV, pets, and EMF-producing surfaces are key steps you can take to make your “cave” environment the most conducive to restorative sleep. Here are three articles that are perfect for making sure you are getting the best sleep possible.
“GO TO SLEEP!” SEVEN TECHNIQUES FOR THE ANXIOUS MIND
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HEAT THERAPY: Infrared sauna and Epsom salt baths are an important part of detoxing practices for those embracing our ancestral heritage. Did our caveman predecessors detox regularly? Unlikely, but they also didn’t have to. Today our bodies are bombarded with chemicals and toxins on a daily basis and theory holds it is crucial we are regularly working to right that imbalance. Infrared sauna and Epsom salt baths can expedite this difficult bodily process. Here are two great articles to check out more on this subject.
INTERESTED IN BUYING YOUR OWN SAUNA?
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INTERVAL FITNESS: Movement and play are a big part of the Paleo game because of their incredible power to improve cognition and reduce anxiety and depression. Incorporating more movement and play is essential, but actual exercise is elemental as well. I will take it a step further. Intentional interval workouts can really up the stakes if you are looking for weight loss and lean muscle gains from your Paleo plan. So what constitutes an interval workout? Put simply, any exercise routine with periods of high intensity, mixed with periods of low intensity. The most common name for these workouts is “high-intensity interval training” or “HIIT”. Considering applying the HIIT concept to workouts you are already doing. Instead of 20 minutes on the bike do 10, one-minute intervals with a 30-second rest in between. These workouts are more efficient, burn more fat and build more muscle than traditional workouts.
Read more about HIIT HERE.
“DON’T BALANCE, INTEGRATE”: We often talk about the necessity of reducing stress but how many of us are actually successful! “I need more balance in my life,” is often uttered and then failed at or forgotten. With a Paleo lifestyle, our stress, or lack of balance, and the impact they have on our mind and body is a big concern. What if instead of trying to get more balance, which rarely works, we looked at working toward better “integration?” Integration means we acknowledge that typically our base stress levels (family, home, health, job) are not going to fluctuate dramatically day to day, but that perhaps we can reduce the impact these forces are going to have if we create more efficient systems and practices in our life that facilitate a healthier existence.
Read this article on MULTITASKING and why we fail at it.
Read this article on TIMEMAPPING and move toward a more inte4grated life.
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As you venture forth on your paleo plan, and you get the hand of eliminating grains, dairy, and sweeteners, why not take it a step further and look at some of the other things you can integrate into your new healthier lifestyle? My recommendation is to pick one of these five suggestions and practice them for two weeks. Once successful, pick another and soon you will be paleo proficient.
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