by Sean Croxton

It goes without saying that I’m a HUGE fan of the paleo diet.

Though I don’t call myself “paleo” — I prefer to say that I just eat real food — I think a diet and lifestyle based on ancestral living makes a whole lot of sense.

And judging by the lean physiques and energetic presence of last week’s Paleo FX presenters and attendees, eating and living this way definitely works…

But not all of the time.

If I had to guess, I would say that for every one person who has tasted success with paleo (it tastes like bacon, by the way), there are at least ten who have failed.

And that’s because following a paleo diet means you have to follow a paleo diet.

Unfortunately, it’s not so easy a caveman can do it.

The honest truth is that, for most people, going paleo isn’t just a matter of reading the latest paleo book and dropping the grains, legumes, and dairy.

As with any change in behavior — in this case, diet and lifestyle — a concurrent shift in perspective must take place, without which the change is sure to be short-lived.

Or as this week’s UW YouTube guest and author of The Paleo Coach Jason Seib says, you’ll soon find yourself doing your second or third 30-day paleo challenge.

This is the difference between those who succeed with paleo and those who do not.

Of course, you need the nuts and bolts — food lists, recipes, workouts — and know-how to get started with your paleo lifestyle.

However, it is a shift in mindset that ensures that you stick with it.

In the video below, Jason and I discuss the missing psychological piece of the paleo puzzle.

You’ll learn….

* why focusing on appearance alone won’t get you very far
* why intrinsic motivation is the key to long-term success
* the pitfalls of implementing too much paleo too soon

Check it out and leave a comment with your thoughts!

Sean
Author, The Dark Side of Fat Loss

by Sean Croxton & Dr. Sara Gottfried

THIS is interesting.

I won’t bore you with a blog post. All I’ll say is that I hope this information goes viral. More people need to know about it.

Click the video below and let the doc break it all down for you.

You can also check out the entire episode by clicking the mini-player underneath the video.

By the way, Dr. Gottfried put together a FREE hormone quiz for my female readers, listeners, and viewers.

Take it HERE –> www.hormonecurequiz.com

See you Monday!

Sean
Author, The Dark Side of Fat Loss

by Sean Croxton

Oh no, not another one!

That’s exactly what went through my head when I heard that Mark Sisson had a new book on the way.

In my opinion, the last thing the world needs right now is yet another Paleo book recommending that we eat real food and remove grains and dairy from our diets.

I think I’ve read that book about 15 times — with 15 different authors and titles — in the past year or so.

Besides, Mark did an outstanding job teaching us what to eat in The Primal Blueprint. What more could he have to offer in his latest opus The Primal Connection?

The answer is quite a bit. In fact, The Primal Connection has little, if anything, to do with diet. It’s about all of that other stuff.

That other stuff has become one of my favorite topics these days. Yes, we know that our dietary choices can have a dramatic impact on gene expression, switching the good (or bad) genes on or off. But it doesn’t end there.

Environmental factors — social interactions, sunlight exposure, our inner dialogue, and even laughter — can have just as profound an effect on our genes as what we stuff into our mouths. I’ll give you a few examples:

Did you know that laughter turns on the genes that fire up your immune system by increasing production of NK (natural killer) cells responsible for defending against cancers, infections, and other bugs?

I remember learning in my CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coaching course that the average person chuckles just once a day. A chuckle. That’s not even a full-blown laugh!

Did you know that simply being touched can turn on the gene that controls the receptor for the stress hormone cortisol, thus reducing its effects?

These days, being touched brings to mind allegations of sexual harassment more than its potential to mitigate the effects of stress.

Or, did you know that your genes expect you to spend time in nature? The sights, sounds, and smells are all hardwired into your DNA. In fact, the Japanese are finding tremendous hormonal and cellular benefits as a result of what they call “forest therapy”.

When was the last time you got “nature-fied” — a hike, a climb, a dip in the ocean?

These are but a few examples of how your overall health is determined in large part by what you do in between meals and workouts. We are meant to laugh, play, touch, love, socialize, sleep, get dirty, relax, and even get an adrenaline rush here and there.

Your diet may be amazing, but are you feeding your genes everything else they expect?

Are your truly living?

Last night, Mark and I spent an hour chatting about everything non-food related on UW Radio. My favorite part was our discussion of his Ten Habits of Highly Effective Hunter-Gatherers…

#1. Take responsibility
#2. Be selfish
#3. Build a tribe
#4. Be present
#5. Be curious
#6. Trust your gut
#7. Pick your battles
#8. Get over it
#9. Sharpen your spear
#10 Be affluent

Click the video below to listen to a short clip on Taking Responsibility and Being Selfish. Or click the mini-player to listen to the entire episode.

Be sure to pick up your copy of The Primal Connection.

I know it’s really early, but so far it’s my 2013 Book of the Year.

Great job, Mark.

Sean
Author, The Dark Side of Fat Loss

by Sean Croxton

To starch or not to starch.

With so much emphasis these days on Paleo, low-carb, and low-glycemic, confusion abound over the role of starch in the human diet.

I prefer to keep it simple and recommend that we eat like our ancestors.

But were our ancestors starch eaters?

Last week’s UW Radio guest Paul Jaminet seems to think so. And in the latest edition of his book Perfect Health Diet he outlines the scientific evidence supporting this premise, including…

* isotope signatures of fossilized bone
* the structure of hominid teeth
* the diets of modern hunter-gatherers
* genetics

Check out this quick clip from our show to hear Paul explain how our ancestors lived in open grasslands, and what it had to do with their starch consumption.

Listen to the ENTIRE SHOW below.

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

Sean
Author, The Dark Side of Fat Loss