Every day life is busy enough
I think exercise is a daily necessity, we are not genetically used to sitting at a desk all day we are used to moving around all day at a moderate pace. Well, I was doing that but feeling guilty for doing it, feeling bad for rushing from one thing to the next, not taking any 'time out' to relax. But the list of things to do never ends! There are kids to feed, clean up from, then feed again repeat a million times, there is washing to do and hang out and sort and put away, cooking, baking, shopping, feeding all of the animals, tending to weeds in the veggie patch, plus random house projects such as painting bits of furniture, clearing out the kids drawers, cleaning the house, vacuuming, mopping end and repeat. Right? I know you relate. Whether you are a guy or a gal, your list of jobs is never ending. So I decided to view this as activity, therefore a good thing. My Grandma was busy like this with her three kids and I bet the woman before me in my line had similar chores to do. It's physical. It's enough.
But what if I get weak?
The other area I wanted to focus on was strength. Mark Sisson in The Primal Blueprint suggests this as the recipe for optimal health and fitness, (among other Primal Blueprint Laws)
- Move frequently at a slow pace
- Lift heavy things
- Sprint once in a while
- Get adequate sunlight
- Play
- Get adequate sleep
Ok so I am nailing the first one. Lift Heavy things, Sisson suggested that these four exercises encompass them all: push ups, squats, plank and pull ups. I did start by just reps of the four but found it SO BORING. I love yoga but never really classify it as 'real exercise' (I know, what a fool) but figured that yoga encompasses all of those moves and decided to commit to doing 20-30mins per day on the lawn. I use the Yoga Download app on my phone, it's free and I get to do whatever class I feel like on that day. I am loving it and so is my back. I have suffered with facet joint syndrome for years, bloody agonising lower back pain. Reducing the inflammation in my body by eating primal has all but eliminated the joint problem and the millions of forward bends and ragdoll poses I have been doing has brought an end to my back problems. Man, that alone would have been reason for me to go primal. The gym classes made my neck and shoulders tight, as did the stress of being exhausted from the class, the rushing to get there, plus all of the moving around at a slow pace ON TOP of gym work. I was stressed, it was too much for my system.
How getting adequate sleep and sunlight turned my world around
My sleep was pretty rubbish. Hard to get to sleep, slept lightly, woke regularly, struggled to get back to sleep. I read that getting outdoors in blue and green space and seeing white light early in the day can help you sleep at night by setting your circadian rhythm. I thought that sounds good, lets give it a whirl. Yoga on the lawn, followed by a beach walk with sprints on the days I felt energetic enough, followed by a dip in the ocean is my personal recipe for world peace! Tick tick tickety tick. I felt on top of the world all day after this little routine and by evening I was winding down all yawny and looking forward to beddies. How could you get more sunlight into your life? Maybe a walk in the morning before work, or at lunchtime, get your arms and legs exposed and be careful not to burn.
A note on play
Pre the experiment I was too tired, busy and stressed to really get down to some serious play with the kids. I know you can relate. Anyway, Dad's are good at that right? But I had never considered play as prescriptive to overall awesome health and hey if my idol Mark Sisson suggests it as Primal Blueprint Law Number 7, lets give it a bash. So, because my beachy yoga workouts didn't take as long as a drive to the gym, hour class, shower, drive home (3hrs), I had more time to do my jobs as outlined above and more time for play! I was in a better mood too and not stressed and shouty. So a bounce on the tramp, a kick of the footy, frizbee, bike ride races, Uno, monopoly, snakes n ladders etc etc have come into our family life, as well as just some simple tickles, or my fave tickle maths (I ask a maths question to Sam and tickle him til he answers it correctly!) It. Felt. Cool! Such a good stress reliever and chance to connect with my kids. Feels good.
Neck pain relief
I have chronic neck pain. I've got the right pillows, I have massage, I see the chiro and we have decided that it's my mindset that creates the neck pain. That stressed out feeling, that busy busy busy. I cancelled my scheduled chiro appointment yesterday as my neck is way looser than before my experiment. Hoorah to that. It is still a bit tight, so I'm just off to do some chair neck yoga.
My take away message
Our lives are so busy, most of us are active enough, strenuous gym workouts add to the stress on the body. Most of us are over stressed as it is, some with adrenal fatigue. There is a simpler more pleasant way to get the benefits and be fit and strong without knackering yourself!!! I didn't get weak or unfit! I am just as fit as before, but less stressed!
As Mark Sisson puts it, "Overexercising is a common scenario when you consider how our active population has such a strong focus, dedication, and willpower to push through signs of fatigue. Our bodies are simply not adapted to benefit from chronic aerobic exercise at intense or even mildly uncomfortable heart rates nor to slog through exhausting circuits of resistance machines several days a week. The mild to severe difficulty of these Chronic Cardio or strength workouts overtaxes the stress response (commonly referred to the fight or flight response) in your body. Here, your pituitary gland tells your adrenal glands to release cortisol into your bloodstream. Cortisol is a powerful stress hormone that is critical to a variety of physical functions and energy production. The spike of cortisol in the bloodstream from a stressful event increases respiration, heart rate, blood circulation and mental focus and even converts muscles tissue into glucose for quick energy. This is a great example of how we abuse a system that was genetically designed to respond to emergencies, such as Grok facing a predator."
What do you think? I love to hear your comments.
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