Lifestyler with Josie McKenlay: The primal blueprint (part 2)

Josie McKenlay 13:51 21/08/2014
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  • Health and fitness guru: Josie McKenlay.

    Last week I gave you the first four rules of the Primal Blueprint you should incorporate into your lifestyle in order to live a healthy prolonged life, just like our ancestors from thousands of years ago.

    The last part of this series will focus more on the caveman diet, and how the quality of food can make all the difference and what to do if you are a vegetarian.

    5. Get plenty of sleep

    THEN: Our ancestors would have slept from dusk to dawn to enable the body to recover and repair itself after a physically active and perhaps stressful day.
    NOW: 7 to 9 hours of good quality sleep are necessary for both the mind and the body. At rest your body can repair and heal itself and your mind can be totally at peace so that you are alert the next day. 

    6. Play
    THEN:
    Their working hours would have been far fewer than ours so there was plenty of time to play. This released the “feel good” hormones, encouraged bonding and honed hunting skills.
    NOW: The same is true now – we all need some enjoyable leisure pastimes to dissipate the chronic effects of stress.

    7. Get outside
    THEN: Our ancestors spent much of their time outdoors which allowed them to get adequate amounts of vitamin D, vital for good health.
    NOW: Sunlight is the best source of vitamin D and essential for the health of our bones and teeth.

    8. Avoid trauma
    THEN: Any injury could lead to death or painful ill-health in later years in the absence of modern medicine and doctors and they were careful.
    NOW: Dangerous actions or bad habits can lead to health issues which will impact negatively on your life and those around you, sometimes even death. Stress also has a major impact on your health.

    9. Avoid poisons
    THEN: Caveman used all his senses to avoid poisonous foods which could make him ill or kill him.
    NOW: How often have you eaten or drunk something you knew you should have avoided and felt bloated or worse?

    10. Use your brain
    THEN: Diet and the constant use of their brains to survive led to a rapid increase in the size of our ancestors brains over just a few thousand generations, setting us apart from animals and ensuring our survival.
    NOW: Use it or lose it. You have got to be creative, inventive, aware and stay socially active all the time.

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