Eat a healthy Paleolithic/Primal diet.

The primal diet is one consisting primarily meat and vegetables (loads of veggies), with some fruit, nuts, seeds, and possibly dairy. As I see it, the principles behind this diet are this: regulate your insulin levels and prevent inflammation. In theory, these two principles combined help to create an anticancer environment in your body, as well as decreasing your risk of heart disease, metabolic disorder, type 2 diabetes, and a host of diseases and ailments associated with chronic inflammation.



One of the most important things to me is the peace of mind and general fulfillment that comes with eating real, healthy food. Back in the days of Lean Cuisine and Hot Pockets, there was always a feeling, the feeling that I knew that what I was eating was crap. Nowadays, though, I love my food and I love eating. It is fun and interesting to cook new things. I feel good about what I eat and it always tastes great.

Do some form of exercise every day, but don’t let it be a chore.

Whether it is walking, lifting heavy things, sprinting, climbing, or playing a game or a sport, get out and do some sort of exercise every day. Bike to work, go for a walk on your lunch break, throw on your Vibram Fivefingers and go run and sprint around the neighborhood. Alternatively, pick up a copy of Starting Strength , get your form down pat, and get in the gym and lift some weights. I’m particularly fond of playing racquetball with my friends, even if it is just for fun.



Too many people get trapped in the standard American grind (SAG): eat way too many carbohydrates and processed food as a part of the standard American diet (SAD), and burn them off every day by running miles on the treadmill. Miss the gym? You get fat. When you’re adapted to a primal lifestyle, which by its nature is comparatively low in carbohydrates, you need not fool around with this nonsense. Learn to love your exercise! Get off the treadmill and go out and enjoy nature, play Frisbee in a field, climb trees, be a kid again, and periodically push your body with sprints and heavy lifts.

Do work that you enjoy. Don’t like your job? Find a hobby!

If you have the choice and are able to plan far enough in advance, find a job you are passionate about, something you enjoy doing most days. If this is not an option for you, then you should think hard about what your passions are, what really piques your interest, and then pursue that in the form of a hobby. I’m really interested in nutrition, fitness and medicine, so I read and blog about it. Fix up an old car, read up on physics, what have you! Find something you love to do and actually do it!





Find a way to relieve stress

It doesn’t matter if it’s meditation , yoga, getting together with friends and talking over a cup of coffee, going for a long walk, or even plopping down on your couch for a half hour for your favorite show. Granted, some options are better than others, but what is most important is getting the relief you need. Chronic stress contributes to chronic inflammation, so this is extremely important to your psychological and physiological health.

Don’t let anything ruin your day

Learn to let things slide. Was someone rude to you at the supermarket? Did your friend show up to lunch twenty minutes late? Sure, these things are rather annoying, and it’s perfectly okay to be frustrated, but try not to dwell. You shouldn’t let these trivial events spoil your mindset for the rest of the day. Shrug it off, put a smile on, and get back on track. It really is that simple!

Define what you think is the moral life, and live accordingly

This is something not much talked about in the area of lifestyle. Think critically – really – about what you think is the moral life. Do you have Judeo-Christian views of morality? Is it most important to make everyone happy? Are intentions all that really matter? Do you think morality is a social construct and think we all just live according to a social contract? Fine! Just make sure you act accordingly. Cognitive dissonance can be a powerful stressor, and you should be satisfied with yourself in all aspects of life, not just your six-pack abs and your longevity.

Treat others with respect and be nice

It sounds silly, but when you put an effort in to treat others nicely you’re bound to see a benefit. Smile at a stranger and more often than not they will smile right back, and that’s a good feeling. It’s nice to connect with people on some level in our daily routines, and this is something that is often lost in the grungy urban environments many of us live in.





Sleep until you aren’t tired

Your body knows it needs more sleep, and you know it too. This is something we have been told over and over by researchers, and truthfully it is difficult to understate its importance. Sleep gives your body time to reset and relax, and if you push yourself to stay up too late and get up too early you will only end up hurting yourself in the long run. Nothing makes me feel better than getting my full eight hours: my workouts are a breeze, getting through the work day is no problem, and you can enjoy your whole day rather than scraping by on caffeine. Ideally you would sleep without an alarm clock, but for many of us this is just not practical because of other commitments.

Sex

If you’re into that sort of thing, there are actually many different health benefits apart from the more obvious ones you are familiar with. In fact, there’s a whole book on the matter. That’s all I’m gonna say on this topic!

Live your life!

This is my favorite principle. Don’t get bogged down by trivial crap, non-necessities, or worrying too much. Chances are, if you’re following a Paleo/Primal diet as well as you reasonably can, and you’re enjoying life, doing things you love, and exercising regularly, you’re doing damn well for yourself. If you go to a friend’s place for dinner and they’re serving up some seriously non-Paleo food, what’s it matter? It isn’t what you do 5% of the time that is going to kill you, it’s the other 95%. So drink those occasional beers, eat that piece of cake, stay up too late having fun. These little indulgences will make you a happier person in the long run, and that’s what it’s all about.

Oh, and get rid of your running shoes.

The idea here is that modern running shoes effectively turn off your “smoke alarms” - the pain which would normally alert you to an improper running style. They encourage heel striking, improper stride length, and a host of other problems that cause things like Plantar Fasciitis, shin splints, tears in the achilles heel, etc. 60-80% of all runners are injured every year. It seems that those who run barefoot are forced to strike naturally - that is, with the balls of their feet - and are pain-adjusted into a proper stride. As they build up the muscles of the foot and rebuild their arch (which has been effectively destroyed by the arch support in modern shoes) they become very resistant to injury. So, run barefoot if possible. But, if you are like myself and live in a rough, urban environment, try some Vibram Fivefingers . I have them, my girlfriend has them, and my close friend has them, and we all love them. Since I got my Vibrams (“Vee-brums”), my knee and ankle problems have completely disappeared.



Still not convinced? I would definitely check out Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall, which offers an extremely compelling story for why barefoot running – or minimalist footwear – is the best kind of running. Excellent storytelling combined with great references makes this book one of my favorites.

What are your Primal Principles?

If someone asked you for a bullet point list of how to live, what would you give them? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter @RyanTown!





Work may be used freely if credit is given.