Blog

There’s No “i” in Team, but There Sure Is in “fitness.”

March 28, 2014

Fitness is one of the most individual pursuits. It’s not like team sports where even the greatest athletes are limited by their reliance upon their teammates. Fitness is simply you against you, you against “getting better,” or you against an unbiased, impartial movement pattern. The problem is…we lose to ourselves far too often. We give up, we quit, and we stop short. We quit challenging our bodies when the going gets tough. Or, sometimes we don’t even try something challenging. You may not...

Before You Self-Diagnose Food Addiction

March 21, 2014

What image pops up in your head when you read or hear the term "addiction"? I imagine, for a lot of people, there’s this screenshot of a desperate or lost teen popping pills and binge drinking to feel accepted while numbing painful memories of the past, or possibly some woman hiding in a bathroom stall while she sticks a needle in her arm. Historically, addiction has represented uncontrollable, yet dangerous behaviors that are born out of the wombs of fear, pain, and desperation. Over time, I'm...

Exercise is Therapy

March 14, 2014

In a world and life full of victories and defeats large and small, exercise is an oasis. It's an escape that feeds the often unfulfilled human need of many for victory, success, improvement, essentially…accomplishment. In essence, exercise is therapy. Sometimes humans forget how much a sense of accomplishment can affect us. We walk just a little taller, our chin held a bit higher. Our days are more likely to be filled with anticipation and optimism than dread and pessimism. Our relationships...

The Truth About Paleo and Disordered Eating

March 7, 2014

Before I delve further into the truth about Paleo and disordered eating, allow me to share with you a discussion that I had with a friend to put this piece on Paleo and Disordered Eating into context: FRIEND: So, you’re saying that some people use “Paleo” as an excuse to restrict food or over-exercise? ME: Yes, but there are many people who don’t—some start following a Paleo template to heal an illness caused by food allergies or leaky gut, or lose weight for medical reasons, like obesity,...

Paleo Shopping Tips for Saving Time and Money

March 7, 2014

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When discussing transitioning to a Paleo lifestyle, one of the very first questions I hear are often about shopping and budgeting. These are some concerns that are usually pretty quickly squelched, but at first, may seem tough to tackle. We feed a family of five and although my kids are young, they can (and do) eat like adults. In addition, with less of the things we are used to eating to “fill us up” it’s common to eat more by way of whole foods than...

Adaptogens: Restoring Homeostasis

February 28, 2014

Adaptogens are herbal plant compounds that induce adaptation and survival during that plant’s oppression—that can be anything from poor soil, poor sunlight, to freezing conditions, etc. Have you ever seen the inspirational quote about survival with a photo of a flower growing in the middle of the desert? Well, that flower had a butt-load of adaptogenic compounds. Adaptogenic compounds can also provide similar benefits to us during critical stages of stress, whether we are suffering from the...

No Weight Loss on the Paleo Diet

February 28, 2014

Weight loss is a common motivating factor for embarking on the Paleo Diet, and there is certainly no shortage of testimonials of incredible weight loss transformations that have occurred by following a Paleo template. However, not everyone experiences effortless and steady progress when it comes to budging the scale. If you begin the Paleo Diet with high expectations of weight loss, it can be disappointing and frustrating if you don’t see results as quickly as you had hoped. In this “Ask the...

Rep Your Way to Movement Control

February 28, 2014

We can agree that there are genetic outliers in the human population who are simply bigger, stronger, and faster than most of us. No shame, it’s just the way it is. So thinking about movements we can all learn to perform, what is required for mastery? When I speak of “mastery” I don’t literally mean perfecting a movement, but rather, developing a consistent, repeatable, accurate, and successful movement pattern. Take for example the following movements: • Throwing a baseball accurately •...

How to Support Fair Food Access

February 21, 2014

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] This is my neighborhood store. It’s an alcoholic’s nightmare (or dream), with over 200 selections of wine and beer arranged by country and color. Row after row of brightly colored packaged foods beckon me while canned provisions, condoms and over priced paper products give the illusion that all things can be found here. There is exactly one half aisle with fresh food. Apples, oranges, and single bananas fill one crate. Hard boiled eggs and bagels with cream...

Interview With Clifton Harski

February 21, 2014

By Mario Singelmann, Evolutionary Strength, Fitness Director Paleo Movement Magazine Clifton Harksi is a progressive mind in fitness and holds a BS in Kinesiology from SDSU, and is currently the Director of Programming and National Head Coach at Fitwall, Master Coach for Animal Flow, and Master Coach for KB Athletics. I first became acquainted with Clifton Harski through the Paleo online community and later had the pleasure to meet in person at the 2013 Paleo FX in Austin. I confirmed two...