'So Ana, what's this Primal stuff you're always on about, and why is it so important to you?'
This is a question I get a lot and actually there isn't a short simple answer beyond Primal being a way of living based on our prehistoric ancestors – Paleo comes under the same umbrella, as do Ancestral or Evolutionary living although these differ slightly in some ways. But to make the short story long, as it were, this is what Primal means to me.
1. Food based on the hunter gatherer diet
And no, I don't actually go out to hunt and gather my dinner – apart from visiting some great Spanish markets to hunt out some fabulous local produce; this is really about eating foods which would have been the staple diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, and actually, this is as much about what they wouldn't have eaten as much as what they would. We have been brainwashed over the past 40 years into believing the low-fat, high-carb message and although so many people have tried to comply, waistlines get bigger and diet-related diseases have increased. Our bodies simply are not designed to cope with the excessive carbohydrate intake of the modern western diet. And before you point out that we've probably moved on slightly over the last 20 or so millennia, studies of current hunter-gatherer tribes, such as the Hadza and the !Kung bushmen in Africa who still maintain the ancient way of life, show that they experience exceptional physical and metabolic health.
What they don´t have are:
✗ Sugars in a processed form, and especially not high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
✗ Refined carbohydrates such as flour, cereals, pasta or bread
✗ Industrially refined vegetable oils – sunflower, corn, canola, rapeseed etc.
✗ Additives such as artificial colourings, flavourings sweeteners and preservatives
✗ Instant and processed snacks, designer coffees and teas, takeaways on every corner
✗ Food 4,5,6 or more times a day – when you have to hunt and gather your food, you sometimes go a long time between meals (see 6 below)
Instead they have a wide range of plants, animals, fish, nuts, seeds and some incidental carbohydrates in the form of wild tubers. Sugar is obtained in ripened in-season fruits and maybe honey if it can be found but these are occasional treats not every day fare.
2. Exercise based on natural human movements
Our ancestors didn't have gyms, running machines, stationary bikes or weights. All their movement occurred in their day-today lives – walking to find food, lifting to build shelters , climbing, crouching, crawling to stalk prey, and the occasional all out sprint either to catch food or to keep safe. These movements worked the whole body and our ancestors were exceptionally fit – if you weren't fit, you didn't survive. And do you know what? Those movements sound a whole lot more appealing to me than spending hours in a gym (all that sweat and testosterone – yuk!) or pounding the pavement until I look like a sweaty tomato which, believe me, is deeply unattractive. These days, I walk, swim – in the sea if at all possible, do 2-3 body weight strength sessions per week and occasionally, when I'm feeling ridiculously energetic, I do an all-out sprint. That's all I need and it takes a lot less time than the gym sessions, aerobics and road-running I used to do.
There is a lot of evidence that increased daily movement at a gentle pace with occasional High Intensity Training (HIT) is extremely effective for overall health – HIT session need only take 7 minutes a week. Strength training is especially important for us ladies of a certain age – we all lose muscle as we age and loss of muscle is a key factor in falls in elderly people. Again, strength training does not have to be a major session – I can do a full body workout in about 20 minutes using nothing more than press-ups, squats, planks and my version of pull-ups (one day, I might even manage a proper one!).
3. Emphasis on Sun, Socialising and Play
Interestingly, although life was undoubtedly tough for our Primal ancestors and the risks of injury and death were high, they didn't have the stresses that we suffer in our modern life. According to a study of modern hunter gather communities, in some ways, life was actually much more relaxed:
HOW GROK PROBABLY SPENT HIS DAY
Habitat-, shelter-, basic-human-needs–related chores....3 hours
Hunting or gathering food...5 hours
Leisure time consisting of play and family or group socializing.....6 hours
Sleeping, napping, resting, relaxing..10 hours
(Estimates derived from studies of the modern hunter-gatherer culture of the !Kung Bushmen in Africa.)
From 'The Primal Blueprint' – Mark Sisson
In our modern lives, it's easy to forgo time socialising with family and friends (or we do it via social media, as we have to at the moment), relaxing, playing and just enjoying life; we think we don't have time, or worse, we think we're too adult to 'waste time' with such activities. The whole 'first to arrive, last to leave' mentality which pervades so many workplaces is indescribably destructive to our physical, mental and spiritual well-being and finding time for social activities, relaxing, taking in some sun and just playing is essential to our overall health.
I love to sit in the sun and read or chat with my husband; my BFF and I have 'pool days' when we play with a giant, pink, inflatable flamingo (shout out to my lovely granddaughter); I love beach combing or just sitting listening to the waves, and, of course, paddle boarding. And rather than feeling guilty about these things, I know I'm doing the best for myself.
4. Be creative and use your brain
I know, I know, you sometimes think if one more thing goes into your head, it will probably explode so what is this idiotic woman talking about?
But..
We need to use all parts of our brains and for the most part, unless you're in a creative industry, much of your brainwork will be 'left-brain' - the logical, linear, analytical part of the brain we seem to value so highly in the West, but our ancestors had to use their whole brain to survive: to build, create tools and weapons, plan, communicate, hunt and stalk, select the right things to eat or avoid, create communities and learn about their environment, as well as telling stories, educating and sharing life together and making music, art and songs.
Doing creative and challenging activities which are separate from our normal work helps us to keep our minds supple and strong, can help alleviate stress and anxiety and can even reduce susceptibility to dementia. Since moving to Spain, obviously one of the major challenges for me has been learning the language – it's hard work but fun, and very satisfying when someone actually understands what I just said, even if they snigger a bit too. I love being creative in the kitchen and finding new ways to prepare and cook lovely local produce; I write letters to my family in the UK and keep a journal from time to time. I've even got a Spanish guitar which I occasionally dust off and play (then put it back in its case for another 6 months). Whatever it is, find something creative and challenging and try it instead of collapsing in front of the TV every night – you may well be surprised at how good you feel.
5. Sleep
At last, sleep is getting the credit it deserves in relation to our health and well-being. We now know that lack of or poor sleep can have serious negative effects on our health, including:
Decreased mental ability – even a small amount of sleep deficiency can affect the brain as much as drinking alcohol
Increased appetite for high-sugar and high-carb foods – this is a real issue if you're trying to lose weight as suddenly those chocolate-covered Hob-Nobs with a vanilla latte become irresistible (you can tell I've been there can't you?)
Disturbed hormone function which again can make you more susceptible to weight-gain
Irritability and difficulty in concentrating
Impaired immune function, making you more likely to catch whatever bugs are going round
Increased risk of hypertension
Everyone's sleep needs will be different, but the stuff our mums used to tell us about needing 8 hours is probably about right – it's likely you need more in winter and less in summer but generally having less than 7-8 hours sleep on a regular basis is probably not doing you a whole lot of good.
Unfortunately, modern lifestyles aren't conducive to good sleep. We stay up late, maybe to try to get some time with (or without!) the family; we use our digital screens until bedtime (this is possibly the worst cause of sleep deprivation); we flood our homes with artificial light, and we fill our sleeping spaces with clutter from the day.
Our Primal ancestors mostly would have lived with the rhythm of the sun – rising at sunrise and settling down as it got dark. Evenings would have been spent together for warmth and safety and of course, they didn't need to check their phones or tablets every few hours/minutes/seconds. We don't have to become Luddites or throw all our technology in the bin though. Here are a few ways to improve your sleep and your health:
Try to set a regular pattern of sleeping and waking, even at weekends.
Soon after dark, try to unwind without too much technology – dim the lights and settle into a calm evening. If you need or want to use phones and screens, many now have apps you can use to reduce the blue light which is the main sleep disturber, or you can get blue-light reducing glasses
Make sure your bedroom is calm, cool and uncluttered – about 18ºC is ideal, although here in southern Spain in the summer we're lucky if it goes below 25º
Try to avoid heavy meals late in the evening as your body will not be able to relax if it's suddenly got a whole load of food to digest
Avoid alcohol, again especially later in the evening. Alcohol will make you feel sleepy but then wakes you up in the early hours – there have been more than a few times that I have woken up at 3.00 in the morning, hot, uncomfortable and with a 'buzzy' head after drinking later in the evening
If you can, try to wake up without an alarm. Once your sleep is optimised, this becomes easier. Waking naturally will set you up for the day gently rather than being shocked out of bed with an alarm. When I was working, I used a sunrise alarm with a light that came on gradually so it was similar to waking up with the sunrise
And then of course there's the wonderfully civilised Spanish habit of the siesta. The body's natural rhythm often makes us feel sleepy in the afternoon and this really isn't just because of the heavy lunch or boring meeting (Yep – done that too). So if you've lost some sleep, or even if you haven't, and you just feel the need for a gentle afternoon nap, go for it and enjoy every moment.
6. Intermittent Fasting (IF)
Our Primal ancestors did not eat several times a day. If they were lucky, they might eat once with some grazing on nuts and berries if they could find them. In winter, with game and plants in short supply, they might go several days without eating, but here's the thing - our bodies are perfectly adapted to famine and feast and it has been shown through many recent studies that fasting is a powerful tool in the fight against disease and ageing. There is another myth, this time perpetuated by the snack industry, that we need to eat 5-6 times a day to 'keep our blood sugar up'. This has partly grown out of our high-carb diet as the body quickly burns through the carbs and leaves us feeling hungry again. When we eat Primally, with fewer carbs and those from good sources as opposed to instant-fix processed snacks, we find that hunger doesn't become this irresistible force which drives us into the biscuit tin like the Cookie Monster.
IF has some astounding benefits including:
Weight and body-fat loss
Lowered blood sugar
Increased energy
Increased mental clarity
Increased cellular renewal through a process called autophagy
Some mitigation of Type 2 diabetes
For more information on IF, there are some excellent resources on Diet Doctor and through the work of Dr Michael Mosley who is famous for the 5:2 diet – the BBC Horizon documentary 'Eat, Fast and Live Longer' is available online and is well worth a watch.
So these are the main reasons I like to live Primally – better health and well-being, more energy, fewer illnesses and ailments and a feeling that I'm living the way my body is meant to be.
I'm absolutely not perfect – I have lazy days, carb binges and occasional late nights watching some addictive rubbish on TV, but generally Primal is the way I like to be.
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