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The perfect paleo workout routine for weight loss & muscle gain

Posted on 22 April, 2017 by | 1 comment

the best paleo primal workout for weight loss muscle gain

Let’s cut to the chase: you want six-pack abs, a toned yet shapely butt, and arms that don’t have jiggly bits underneath. You want to get rid of those stubborn kankles, ease the constant chafing between your thighs, and not have sore knees, hips, and back ALL the time. Heck, you might just want to fit back into that old pair of jeans you allow to lurk at the bottom of your drawers, in the hope that one day, one day, they’ll slip back on like a glove. Well, the answer is simpler than you think.

Workouts don’t need to be complicated, drawn out, unenjoyable affairs. They don’t even need to be that frequent, to get the results you want. I’ve spent the last 10 years perfecting the ultimate paleo workout routine, from what protein to consume to which exercises to perform, and it’ll have you transitioning from flab to fab in no time (guys – feel free to replace the decidedly feminine “fab” with something manly like “jab”, if it makes you more comfortable).

So without further ado, here’s quite possibly the best workout routine you’ll ever lay your eyes on.

Your pre-workout routine

First, know that your body won’t respond well to strenuous exercise if it’s tired or still recovering from a previous workout. Ensure that you haven’t done an intensive weight-bearing workout in at least the past 2 days, preferably 3. Also ensure you got enough sleep last night, as your body is already stressed in this case and you don’t want to introduce any more stress into your life with a hard workout.

Step 1: prepare a protein source

For me, this is almost always a protein shake. While many people have been led to believe that whey protein isn’t that great for your health, it’s hands-down the best protein source for workouts if you get hold of the good stuff. That means whey from grass-fed cows, that has no additives or artificial flavors, and is preferably organic. This protein powder ticks all those boxes, and it’s been my go-to protein powder for the past 4 years. If you’re completely against whey protein (just FYI, often people with dairy allergies respond well to whey protein isolate, which shouldn’t contain lactose or casein), then you can always try an organic pea protein powder. Or even just a big hunk of meat, preferably the size of your palm. Your choice! Aim for around 30 grams of protein.

Drink half the protein shake 10 minutes before the workout, and half after the workout. This allows your muscles to synthesize the protein while you work out, which means faster muscle gains and quicker muscle recovery.

Step 2: warm up

Here, we just want to get your blood flowing and your muscles limber, so you don’t do any damage during the workout. This means 2 minutes of jumping around, shaking, dancing, or doing star jumps like nobody’s watching. I hope for your sake that no-one’s watching, as you’re going to look like a complete nutcase.

Your optimum paleo workout

After you’ve knocked back half your protein smoothie (10 mins before exercising) and warmed up a little, it’s time to get down and dirty. A couple of important points to keep in mind:

  1. Use whatever equipment you have available. I regularly work out using a 10 liter container of mineral water, as it’s a good weight for many exercises and has a handle – kind of like a rudimentary kettlebell. Nothing beats an actual kettlebell, however – I’ve found that a good starting kettlebell for ladies is 6 kg or 8 kg, and 10 kg or 12 kg for men.
  2. Perform the reps (reps = repetitions) to failure, unless otherwise stated. This means doing as many reps as you can of a given exercise until you literally can’t do any more. This will shock your muscles as much as possible (a good thing), which means faster fat burn and greater muscle mass development. No half-arsed attempts, people!
  3. Ensure your form is spot on! If you have to practice an exercise at a lighter weight initially, so be it – you need to do the exercise how its supposed to be done, or risk injury.
  4. Take a 1 minute rest between each exercise – use this time to have a sip of water and write down how many reps you did! You’ll need to keep increasing these reps with each new workout, in order to grow muscle mass.

Workout #1 (day 1)

  • 10 glute activators (essentially just hip thrusts which you can do on the ground or on a bench that help to activate your glutes, which are often dormant going into a workout)
  • kettlebell bicep curls (remember to keep your arms in by your sides, and you can just do one arm at a time if you only have one kettlebell)
  • wide-grip pull-ups – the guy in that video cracks me up, but he’s right about how to do it! (use anything around the house or gym for this – could be a lateral tree branch, a pergola, a doorframe, or a chin-up bar. If you don’t have any of these, just skip this one)
  • full-extension kettlebell crunches
  • crazy ivans using your kettlebell
  • slow pushups (5 seconds down/5 seconds up. You don’t have to do it on your knuckles like this guy! Keep your hands in line with your shoulders)
  • alternating kettlebell lunges
  • kettlebell deadlift (slow and steady wins the race with these bad boys!)

Workout #2 (day 3 or 4)

Post-workout

After your exercises, take a couple of minutes to shake it off and loosen up if you feel a bit tight. I find just going for a very quick jog around the yard helps with this. Now its time to drink the rest of your protein shake and rehydrate. Drink lots of water during and after the workout – dehydration is not your friend!

Workout 1 shouldn’t take you more than 20 minutes, and workout 2 shouldn’t take you more than 15 minutes. Studies show that shorter, more intense workouts are more effective for weight loss and muscle gain than long workouts. Give yourself plenty of time to recover between workouts (I always space them at least 3 days apart, interspersed with days of mild to moderate cardio like walking, running, cycling and kayaking).

I always have my phone with me during workouts – I use it to note down how many reps I do per exercise for each workout, so that I can ensure I’m always increasing reps over time. I also use it as a timer for the side planks. You should also consider getting yourself a good exercise mat or yoga mat, to make your experience a whole lot more enjoyable. And crank those snazzy tunes! Nothing like a good workout playlist to get the blood pumping. I’m digging Spotify’s “Motivation Mix” right now.

That’s it! Easy, right? Try this routine for a month, and see how you look and feel. We’d love to hear if it kicked those kankles and busted that butt!

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Posted in Healthy Weight, Holistic Health & Personal Development, Natural Self Care, Primal Lifestyle, Uncategorized

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Easy Paleo recipe: remineralizing tooth powder

Posted on 15 April, 2017 by | Leave a comment

thrive primal paleo tooth powder remineralizing

Last week, I discussed the merits of oil pulling, and whether there was any scientific evidence to back up all the claims floating around on the net. It turns out that there was, and as a result I’m halfway through a two week oil pulling regime. Hurrah! But something that all the studies agreed on was that oil pulling alone wasn’t enough for optimum oral health – for that we need the humble toothbrush…

Why conventional toothpaste is harming your health

Have you ever paid any attention to those Colgate (or any other big-name toothpaste brand) ads? You’ll notice they always have snappy signoffs like “the toothpaste that dentists use!”. Well, while your average conventional dentist might know his or her way around a tooth filling or cavity, they’re not always up to speed on the latest and greatest when it comes to everyday oral hygiene.

And it turns out that the “toothpaste that dentists use” isn’t something that you want to be using! There’s all that triclosan, all those synthetic chemicals and additives, and of course fluoride (hint: it’s not as healthy as you think!). As one recent study concluded:

“A proportion of ingredients (28.9% [n = 13]) were found to be both unnecessary to improving the oral health of children and solely used to increase their appeal. Of this list of unnecessary ingredients, 69.2% (n = 9) were shown to have contamination risks associated with chronic consumption, including enamel demineralization.”

Let me just get this straight: almost a third of ingredients in toothpaste are completely unnecessary, and some of them can even damage your teeth?? That probably explains why 98% of the population suffer from oral health problems. Thanks a lot, toothpaste.

Make your own DIY paleo toothpaste

As ever, the solution is to take matters into your own hands. With the exception of the wonderful folks over at OraWellness, you can’t really even trust the supposedly “healthy/alternative” toothpaste brands. They always manage to slip something nasty in there, regardless of best intentions.

And as I was scouring the net for a solution, I came across a tooth remineralizing recipe from WellnessMama. The below recipe is a slight adaptation on hers, and it’s just as effective – I can personally attest to that! We use it morning and night, and it’s working wonders for our pearly whites.

DIY recipe: remineralizing “toothpaste”

The word “toothpaste” has quotation marks around it because it’s more of a powder, if I’m completely honest. But don’t let that put you off – the powder is just as easy to use as conventional toothpaste. If you don’t have all the ingredients, don’t stress too much – the main thing is that you use bentonite clay and baking soda. Bentonite clay is a swelling clay that attracts and binds to toxins in the mouth (or anywhere for that matter), making it an excellent choice for detoxifying the mouth and giving your teeth and gums a helping hand. Baking soda (which you’ll incidentally find in conventional toothpaste – quite possibly the only good ingredient!) contains essential minerals, whitens teeth, and is alkalizing.

Ingredients

Instructions

Track down a wide-mouth mason jar or medium-sized glass jar of any kind. Make sure it has a lid, as you’ll be using this stuff for at least a few weeks!

Next, carefully spoon/sprinkle all of the ingredients into the jar. Using a teaspoon, mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are blended equally.

To use, either dip your toothbrush into a little coconut oil or simply dampen with water, then dip your brush into the powder mix. Use the bass brushing technique to get rid of all that plaque without damaging your gums, and rinse with cool to warm water.

To store your remineralizing tooth powder, simply put the lid on! It’ll last for months, as there’s no ingredient that will spoil. Plus there’s no risk of mold, on account of all the antimicrobial agents present in your powder.

And if you can’t be bothered making your own, there’s always the OraWellness HealThyMouth Blend. It’s your call!

Have you tried a natural oral care routine? Has it helped to reverse cavities, kick bad breath…that kind of thing? We’d love to hear your stories!

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Posted in Holistic Health & Personal Development, Natural Self Care, Oral and Dental Care, Uncategorized

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Oil pulling: is it actually good for your oral health?

Posted on 5 April, 2017 by | Leave a comment

what are the proven scientific benefits of coconut oil pulling?

In my time as an alternative health guru, I’ve come across loads of old wives’ tales that simply don’t stack up. Tonics that cure all manner of illnesses. Home-made lotions that clear up all kinds of skin problems. Strange habits that somehow, mysteriously cure health conditions people have been trying to treat for years. Some work, and some fail. Some are funny, some make a lot of sense, and some are downright dangerous. So which category does oil pulling fall into?

What actually IS oil pulling?

Alright, so you’ve got a vague idea of oil pulling involving coconut oil and your mouth…but what does it actually mean?

Oil pulling developed as an integral part of Ayurveda, a traditional form of Indian medicine which took shape between 3000 and 5000 years ago. Essentially, it involves swishing any kind of edible oil around in the mouth for a period of time, to prevent dental decay, oral difficulties, bleeding gums, and plenty more. Commonly used oils include sesame oil, sunflower oil, olive oil and coconut oil. Coconut oil, being the new golden girl of the alternative health world, is the obvious choice for most oil pullers.

While it has it’s origins in ancient Ayurvedic practice, it wasn’t until the early 1990s that oil pulling was popularized by a certain Ukrainian doctor by the name of F. Karach. In 1991, Dr Karach delivered a lecture to the Houston Indian Senior Citizens Association, and word got out. Next thing, the good doctor’s lecture was posted in the Journal of World Teletherapy, and it was on to bigger and better things from there.

Dr Karach had some bold claims about the benefits oil pulling could provide for not only oral health, but general health as well. Karach believed that oil pulling could cure upwards of 30 systemic diseases and health conditions, including asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and even migraine headaches. While some of these claims are undoubtedly farfetched, modern science continues to establish links between oral hygiene and general health. A well-researched example is the association between oral infections and diabetes mellitus.

So there’s obviously some truth to Dr Karach’s beliefs, but the problem is that there’s very little scientific basis to most of them. Sure, oil pulling might help you treat diabetes, headaches or even asthma, but it also might not. So what benefits do we know that oil pulling provides, without a shadow of doubt?

The scientifically proven benefits of oil pulling

Happily, there’s actually a reasonable amount of studies into the health benefits of oil pulling. While many of them so far have been small and for a relatively short duration, the results show that there’s some definite scientific substance to several claims about oil pulling.

Oil pulling treats gingivitis and plaque

Research indicates that oil pulling is an effective treatment against gingivitis. A 2009 study published in the Indian Journal of Denture Research took 20 compliant teenage males with some seriously nasty oral hygiene and asked half of them to do oil pulling using sesame oil once a day, along with their (presumably lacking) usual dental routine. The other 10 boys were given chlorhexidine mouthwash to use on a daily basis as a control group.

After 10 days, the test subjects were checked to see how their oral health was coming along. The researchers found that both groups had comparable reductions in both plaque and gingivitis, and that these reductions were significant. In their words: “the oil pulling therapy showed a reduction in the plaque index, modified gingival scores, and total colony count of aerobic microorganisms in the plaque of adolescents with plaque-induced gingivitis.” And of course the winner here is oil pulling, because it doesn’t expose your gums (and therefore bloodstream) to nasty chemicals and additives like those found in the commercial mouthwash.

Oil pulling treats Streptococcus mutans

This is good news, because Strep mutans is one of the leading bad guys in the harmful oral bacteria world. This 2008 study once again grabbed hold of 20 adolescent boys, which leads me to believe that there’s some affiliation between this study and the previous one that looked at gingivitis. Nothing wrong with that, technically.

Researchers gave the half of the boys sesame oil to conduct oil pulling once a day for 2 weeks, and the other half that same nasty chlorhexidine mouthwash. After checking up on the lads, they found that “the reduction in the S. mutans count in the plaque of the study group was statistically significant after 1 and 2 weeks.” This suggests that while oil pulling is effective in treating Strep mutans, you need to do it for at least a week to see any results. Good to know, right?

While much of the research has focused on sesame oil, coconut oil shows even more promise. A comprehensive 2011 study published in the Asia Journal of Public Health found that coconut oil was not only effective against S. mutans, it also exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against our old foe Candida albicans.

Oil pulling treats halitosis (bad breath!)

We all know someone who battles with bad breath. Perhaps that someone is you. Either way, constantly belting out great clouds of fumes isn’t great for one’s social life. Luckily, there appears to be an easy solution, and it’s not carcinogenic “sugarfree” chewing gum. Yup, it’s oil pulling!

A 2011 study published in the Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry (say that ten times!) once again pitted sesame oil pulling against regular mouthwash to see which was most effective in treating halitosis and the bacteria that cause bad breath. Weirdly enough, they also conducted the research using 20 adolescents. Interesting. Regardless of the deja vu, the results were promising: “oil pulling therapy has been equally effective like chlorhexidine on halitosis and organisms associated with halitosis.” Garbled English aside, 2 weeks of oil pulling appeared to make a big headway into treating bad breath.

Oil pulling DOES NOT detoxify the blood

Sadly, this is one rumor that simply isn’t true. This study puts it nicely: “oil pulling cannot actually draw toxins out of the blood as claimed because the oral mucosa does not act as a semi-permeable membrane to allow toxins to pass through.” In other words, while toxins can enter the bloodstream via the gums, oil can’t somehow magically draw those toxins right back out again. Toxins still in the mouth? Sure. Toxins elsewhere in the body? Nope.

How to do oil pulling with coconut oil

While much of the research has examined oil pulling through the lens of either sesame oil or sunflower oil, coconut oil is still your best choice in my opinion. It’s a wide-spectrum antibacterial and anti-microbial agent, meaning it can kill off a range of different pathogens in your mouth, and it has a much better omega-3 to omega-6 ratio than sunflower or sesame. Because more omega-6 fatty acids mean more inflammation, coconut oil is the logical choice.

Here’s what to do:

  • Pop a heaped teaspoon of coconut oil into your mouth. If it’s solid, give it a minute to melt before you start the next step.
  • Swish the coconut oil gently around your mouth. The idea is to move it between your teeth from one side of your mouth to the other – like you would with mouthwash, but more gently. Continue doing this for 10 to 20 minutes – the longer you do it for, the more bacteria you’ll draw out of your teeth and gums. Try to avoid going over 20 minutes however, as word has it that your body starts to re-absorb the toxins after that point.
  • Spit the oil out. Don’t be tempted to keep the coconut oil for cooking or anything else, as it’s loaded with your mouth toxins! Gross! I usually spit it into a paper towel and put it in the rubbish, as it could clog up your plumbing if spat into the sink and it’s too fatty for the compost.
  • Rinse your mouth with warm water, and spit that out as well!
  • Brush your teeth as per your normal routine. For best results, and because I care about my gums, I use the OraWellness Healthy Mouth Blend along with the Bass toothbrush. They’re more than your average toothpaste and toothbrush, but a worthy investment in your health.

As we saw in several of the studies, your best bet is to continue oil pulling every day for at least 2 weeks. Feel free to take a break after that point, but there’s nothing stopping you from making this a part of your regular dental routine. Your teeth just gave you a high five!

Oh, and just so you know – I’m literally giving oil pulling a go as I type this post! I’m planning on doing it every day over the next couple of weeks, and I’ll report back on whether it’s made any difference to my pearly whites at the end.

UPDATE: I’m two weeks into my daily oil pulling commitment and actually really enjoying it. My teeth have definitely gotten a couple of shades whiter (which could also be in-part due to my remineralizing tooth powder recipe), and my mouth feels a lot fresher. I also had a small cut on one of my gums from a rare chip eating incident, and it healed super fast with the oil pulling. I’m going to keep this up for at least another week and see how things go!

Thanks for reading, everyone! What are your thoughts on oil pulling? Still think it’s just a load of codswallop, or have you used it already and seen significant improvements in your oral health?

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Posted in Holistic Health & Personal Development, Natural Self Care, Oral and Dental Care, Uncategorized

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Buying the best essential oil diffuser

Posted on 26 March, 2017 by | Leave a comment

thrive primal essential oil diffuser guide

So, you’ve seen the amazing health and wellness benefits that essential oils can bring into your life. Excellent. You’ve signed up as a wellness advocate with the likes of doTERRA or Young Living, are buying oils on a regular basis, and use them daily. Awesome. Perhaps you’re just buying oils occasionally, when you’re favorites run out. That’s cool too!

But what about diffusers? They’re typically a larger investment than single oils, and you’ve heard that a lot of diffusers don’t really cut the mustard. You want a diffuser that’ll stand the test of time, fill your home with wonderful aromatics, and above all not break the budget. It’s a hard bargain you drive, but a commendable one.

This post is all about helping you reach an informed decision about which diffuser is best for your needs. While I’ll admit up front that I’m a doTERRA advocate (because they’re so darn awesome!), I’m making a point of being as impartial as possible and reviewing a wide range of diffusers from different companies.

Common types of diffusers

There’s plenty of confusion out there when it comes to diffusers, and part of that is because of the wide range of types that are available on the market. Ultimately, however, there’s 4 main varieties of essential oil diffuser:

  • ultrasonic diffusers
  • nebulizing diffusers
  • heat diffusers
  • evaporative diffusers

From the experiences we’ve had and the preliminary research I’ve conducted, I personally wouldn’t recommend using heat diffusers or evaporative diffusers. From most accounts, they aren’t as effective at spreading the essential oils throughout a space, and in some cases (as with the heat diffusers) the essential oil may be denatured by the process. Feel free to make your own conclusions on this one, however.

Whether you choose to invest in nebulizing or ultrasonic diffusers is up to you. Here’s a few pros and cons for each:

  • nebulizing diffusers are perhaps the most effective diffusers at covering a large area. The essential oils attach directly to the unit, so there’s no water required, and they can fill a room much more quickly than ultrasonic diffusers. However, they do tend to cost a little more than ultrasonic diffusers, and you’ll go through your oils quicker.
  • ultrasonic diffusers are generally cheaper than nebulizing diffusers and double as a humidifier, which is useful for those cold, dry winter months or if you’re sleeping in a room with low relative humidity. Many of them do tend to have lights that you can’t turn off, which isn’t great for melatonin, and they’re not quite as strong as the nebulizing diffusers.

Purespa ultrasonic essential oil diffuser

This is one classy ultrasonic diffuser. It’s relatively compact, looks good, and is BPA free. Here’s the pros and cons of the Purespa Deluxe Ultrasonic Diffuser:

Pros

  • Large 120 ml tank, which means it can be left on for up to 10 hours. That’s considerably longer than most other diffusers, which typically range between 2 and 6 hours.
  • The LED lights can be completely switched off! This makes it a great choice for having in your bedroom as you sleep.
  • Easy to clean and refill 
  • It looks pretty darn sexy, if I’m honest.

Cons

  • Many people have reported that the diffuser went downhill after a month. Some have said that it becomes noisy or inefficient after that time, but it’s worth noting that the company who makes them seems to have good customer service, and they typically replace the unit no questions asked.
  • The touch-sensitive on/off switch can be difficult to operate for some people.
  • It’s a little noisier than some other ultrasonic humidifiers. Not super noisy, but the slight whirr may annoy some people.
  • The lights continuously toggle through a series of colors rather than remaining on one, which might put off some people.

Overall, the Purespa Deluxe diffuser deserves much of the hype it receives. The fact that the some of the units degraded after a month might worry me, but that was only for a very small minority of the purchasers and that’s likely to happen to many diffusers, no matter how good the quality is. I really like that it can go completely dark, which to me makes it a great diffuser+humidifier combo at night.

Cost: $40-$50 on Amazon (there’s a less fancy, but equally effective, version of the Purespa diffuser for $10 less than the deluxe version)

Trillia MINA III Aromatherapy Nebulizer diffuser

The future is here, and it looks like the Trillia Mina III Nebulizing essential oil diffuser. It’s a ridiculously long name for a super-sleek yet down-to-earth diffuser that packs a serious punch. If you’re ok with spending a bit more money, this could be the right diffuser for you.

Pros

  • Looks fantastic, either in the natural wood finish or the sleek white version
  • For a nebulizing diffuser, it’s one of the most quiet I’ve found. The pump is rated at a super low 5 db noise level, so it’s almost as quiet as an ultrasonic diffuser
  • The nebulizer and high performance air pump mean it can service up to 800 square feet of your home! That’s actually pretty impressive. 
  • Your essential oils are completely encased in glass, meaning there’s no potential for plastic degradation as with some ultrasonic diffusers

Cons

  • It’s a whole lot more expensive than your average diffuser
  • It’s still a little noisier than some of the higher quality ultrasonic diffusers
  • Shuts off automatically when the oil runs out, but the light stays on until it is manually switched off. Kind of unnecessary.

I’m actually hard-pressed to find much wrong with the Trillia Mina III. I love that the essential oil is completely encased in glass, because I simply can’t bring myself to fully trust plastic diffusers. This means that you can diffuse citrus essential oils without any concern of plastic breakdown, as is the case with some other diffusers. I’m also impressed with how much coverage this thing has – some people have even reported that it can diffuse effectively over 1000 square feet. This means that, while it’s more expensive than other diffusers, it does the job of 3 or 4 cheaper diffusers. Kind of a no-brainer, really.

Cost: $99 on Amazon.

Urpower ultrasonic essential oil diffuser

Easily one of the most popular diffusers available, the Urpower Essential Oil Diffuser has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 from a whopping 12,000 reviews on Amazon. It’s hard to argue with those statistics. At the time of writing this post, it’s also one of the cheapest diffusers we’ve come across, at a measly $20.

Pros

  • Two mist settings, meaning you can up the ante when you need more essential oil action around the home or if you’re using it in different-sized rooms  
  • Super quiet, perhaps the most quiet ultrasonic unit I’ve come across
  • Small and compact, making it a good travel companion
  • Considerably more affordable than most other high-quality diffusers.

Cons

  • It can be hard to twist off the top of the unit to fill up the reservoir.
  • Only operates for up to 6 hours
  • While the LED lights can be turned off at night, the small “on” indicator light can’t. Not great for sleeping.

If you’re looking for a solid choice at a low price, you could do worse than the Urpower Essential Oil Diffuser. You’re not going to get as much coverage as the Trillia Mina III, nor as long an operation time (like the Purespa Deluxe), but I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to any first time essential oil users.

Cost: $20 on Amazon (currently on special)

Innogear ultrasonic essential oil diffuser

Look the same as the Urpower diffuser? That’s because it is! Exact same product, different name. The Innogear essential oil diffuser is also going for $20 right now, so it’s really just down to the name.

doTERRA ultrasonic petal diffuser

The doTERRA petal diffuser is simple and straightforward. It lacks many of the finer points that other diffusers offer, and is admittedly a lot less aesthetically pleasing, but I don’t mind that – not every diffuser needs to be a work of art! This was my very first diffuser, and it continues to work without a hitch 3 years later – it’s even travelled with me across several continents, so that’s saying something!

Pros

  • Simple and reliable. I’ve never had any issues with this product  
  • Reasonably quiet, although does have a slight tinkling sound occasionally
  • Mist reach of up to 330 square feet, which is more than many other ultrasonic diffusers

Cons

  • The LED light can be switched off, but there’s still a small light behind the “on” indicator that can’t be switched off. This does create some light, which can be annoying for sleeping.
  • A bit “uglier” than some other ultrasonic units
  • Could do with a slightly longer operation time

Ultimately, the doTERRA petal diffuser is still a good first choice for those starting out with essential oils. I can personally say that these things just keep on going, so there’s no doubt to its quality. It is, however, a bit more expensive than many of the other ultrasonic contenders.

Cost: Currently $58.60 on Amazon. Note that it can be bought wholesale for $47 if you’re a doTERRA Wellness Advocate.

doTERRA ultrasonic lotus diffuser

I haven’t tried the doTERRA lotus essential oil diffuser yet but based on preliminary reviews wouldn’t recommend it. It’s horribly overpriced, and as far as effectiveness it’s about the same as most other standard diffusers. You’re better off investing in the Trillia Mina III, which is still $20 cheaper and works far more effectively. 

Pros

  • Looks nice, and has a relatively unique design
  • Doesn’t take up much surface area

Cons

  • Ridiculously overpriced for what it is: a standard essential oil diffuser.

Cost: $120 on Amazon.

Young Living ultrasonic diffuser

The Young Living Rose Home Diffuser is essentially just a more expensive version of the doTERRA petal diffuser. It has all the usual features that most ultrasonic units provide, and is a solid yet unexciting choice for your first diffuser.

Pros 

  • Looks nice-ish, if you like roses!

Cons

  • Super expensive, for what you get: a standard ultrasonic diffuser
  • Has been known to break down after 6 months
  • Has a smaller coverage than the doTERRA petal diffuser

Overall, it doesn’t really make sense to buy this unit (or the Young Living “Dewdrop” diffuser, for that matter) when you have so many other, more reasonably-priced diffusers available.

Cost: $75 on Amazon.

Which essential oil diffuser is best?

It’s difficult to say which is the king (or queen) of diffusers, as there’s just so many different kinds out there. I have, however, reviewed a good range of diffuser types over varying price ranges, so this gives you a good idea of how the market is segmented. Based on my own experiences with these diffusers and other people’s reviews, here’s my two picks.

Best ultrasonic essential oil diffuser: the Purespa Deluxe Ultrasonic Diffuser. For what is still a reasonable price of around $40, you get a top-quality diffuser that has an impressive operation time of 10 hours and with lights that can be completely turned off to help you sleep. It’s only shortcoming is a slightly smaller coverage than the doTERRA petal diffuser.

Best nebulizing essential oil diffuser: while I only reviewed one nebulizing diffuser, the Trillia Mina III Nebulizing diffuser is the obvious choice for top-quality essential oil aromatherapy. I love that it’s made from hand-blown glass, that it doesn’t contain any nasty plastic, and that it can diffuse over a huge area. In this way, it replaces up to 4 ultrasonic essential oil diffusers. The price may deter some buyers, but if you’re looking for quality, this is a great choice.

What essential oil diffuser to you use? Would you recommend any specific diffuser to the team here at Thrive Primal? We’d love to know how you got on with your diffuser purchasing experience!

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Posted in Essential Oils, Holistic Health & Personal Development, Stress, Uncategorized

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The Paleo lowdown on eating fruit

Posted on 8 March, 2017 by | 1 comment

thrive primal is fruit paleo

It’s a question I’ve been asked time and again since becoming something of a health authority: is fruit paleo? An excellent question, and one which I usually don’t have enough hours in the day to answer in sufficient detail. This, in case you’re wondering, is not one of those times.

Can you eat fruit on a Paleo diet?

The short answer is: yes! While many “hardcore” Paleo punters wouldn’t be caught dead beside a bowl of fruit, it’s totally unreasonable, and in many cases unhealthy, to completely remove fruit from your life. Phew! Am I right?

But that affirmative isn’t your one-way ticket to a daily fruit binge. We know that our Paleolithic ancestors certainly ate fruit – the berries or drupes that they came across in the wild would have provided valuable nutrients and minerals to fill in the nutritional gaps of their predominantly protein-based diets. But what we also know is that those fruits were not the same as those we find on our supermarket shelves today.

If you’ve ever walked through a forest glade and noticed a patch of wild strawberries growing in the sunshine, you’ll know what I mean. Wild strawberries have almost no resemblance to their monstrous cultivated counterparts, and this is due to thousands of years of genetic selection. Some time after the agricultural revolution, around 10,000 years ago, humans began to alter those “wild” fruit species that our Paleolithic forebears foraged. People realized that by only selecting and growing those fruit variants that were larger, sweeter, or more edible, they could develop a whole new “species” of superfruit. This selective style of cultivation continued throughout the millennia, to give us the fruits we are sold today. Yes, even the organic, non-GMO fruit!

In many cases, this was an essential part of allowing humans to eat and enjoy a certain kind of fruit in the first place. For example, the uncultivated, wild version of bananas are actually virtually inedible. Their seed to flesh ratio is so high that it’s almost not worth bothering to eat them, but every now and then a sterile banana is produced that doesn’t have any seeds. It was those sterile bananas that people loved to eat, and they therefore started taking cuttings of the sterile plants and reproducing banana trees without all the seeds. Because they’re all sterile, the only way these trees can be reproduced is by vegetative propagation – taking part of the original tree to create an exact genetic copy of it.

I happen to love bananas, so I’m not going to begrudge those enterprising farmers for playing around with nature. But what these genetic selections means is that cultivated fruit is completely different to the wild fruit our ancestors ate. It’s generally sweeter (so far higher in fructose), less nutritionally dense…and there’s a whole lot more available today than there was 10,000+ years ago!

With this in mind, for the Paleo eater, fruit should become less of a “health food” and more of a nutritious treat. That orange juice with breakfast or fruit smoothie for lunch, by the way, is not what the doctor ordered.

Not all fruits were created equal, however, so if you’re going to get your daily dose of fruit, which is best for your health?

Which fruit is best to eat on a Paleo diet?

There’s a few ways you can approach the healthiest fruit:

  • how much sugar does it contain?
  • how nutritious is it?
  • how much chemical residue does it contain?

Ideally, you’d only eat those fruits that are low in sugar, high in beneficial nutrients, and low in pesticides and herbicides. Often it’s hard to tick all three boxes, but here’s a short overview to get you heading in the right direction.

Sugar content of popular fruit

Generally speaking, your berries and sour citrus fruits have the lowest fructose content, while things like apples, grapes and mangoes have the most. Probably no great surprise – fruit that makes your face pucker up is generally low in sugar!

  • Avocado (yup, it’s a fruit!): 1 g sugar/cup
  • Lime: 1 g sugar/medium
  • Lemon: 2 g sugar/medium
  • Raspberries: 5 g sugar/cup
  • Kiwi: 6 g sugar/medium
  • Strawberries: 7 g sugar/cup
  • Grapefruit: 9 g sugar/medium
  • Watermelon: 9 g sugar/cup
  • Orange: 13 g sugar/medium
  • Banana: 14 g sugar/medium
  • Blueberries: 15 g sugar/cup
  • Dates: 16 g sugar/medium
  • Apple: 19 g sugar/medium
  • Mango: 23 g sugar/cup
  • Grapes: 23 g sugar/cup
  • Raisins: 86 g sugar/cup

This is just to give you an idea of which fruits are better than others on the fructose scale. On any given day, you’re better off sticking to berries like raspberries, strawberries, cranberries and blackberries, citrus fruit, and maybe the odd kiwi, plum, or watermelon. Fructose is highly inflammatory, and can contribute to conditions like fatty liver disease and diabetes. Generally the less fructose you consume per day, the better.

How nutritious is your fruit?

This is probably the most difficult aspect of prioritizing your fruit. Different fruits contain different ratios of various nutrients, making direct comparison rather difficult. If you’re suffering from cramps or headaches, you could be lacking in potassium, meaning from a nutrient standpoint a potassium-rich banana might be a good choice. If you’re worried about cancer, however, dark-colored fruits like blueberries or strawberries might be a better choice as they have more antioxidants. It really comes down to what your body is lacking. For fruit-specific nutritional content, you might want to check out this database.

Otherwise, a very committed researcher from William Paterson University ranked 47 fruits and vegetables based on 17 different nutrients considered critical for fighting heart disease and cancer. You can check out their handy ranking system in this article. You’ll notice that there’s far more vegetables on the list than fruit. That’s not a coincidence. I’ve stressed time and again that vegetables should form the backbone of produce in your diet, as they’re generally more nutritionally dense and lower in sugar than most fruit.

Those fruit that did make the nutritional cut are tomato (yep, also a fruit!), lemon, strawberry, orange, lime, grapefruit and blackberry. I’d also be inclined to add avocado to that list – it’s certainly a nutritional powerhouse.

All these fruits also happen to have relatively low sugar content. How convenient!

Is your fruit doused in chemicals?

I’ve written about this very topic in my guide to shopping for fruit and vegetables. Based on comprehensive data compiled by the Environmental Working Group, the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen lists tell you which produce is best to buy based on potential for chemical residue, and which is worst. Based on their findings, avocados, pineapples, mangoes, papayas, kiwi, honeydew melon, grapefruit and cantaloupe have the lowest risk of chemical pesticide, herbicide or insecticide residue. Unfortunately, lots of your favorite fruits didn’t make the cut, including strawberries, cherries, apples, nectarines, peaches, grapes and tomatoes.

You’ll notice that those fruits which made the Clean 15 all have thick skins which you don’t typically eat. Those that were included in the Dirty Dozen have thin skins that blemish easily and are almost always consumed (except for the oddballs who don’t like apple skin!). With this in mind, I have three recommendations: firstly, always buy organic when you can, as this sidesteps any risk of chemical residue. Secondly, if you can’t buy organic, go for those fruits with the thicker (inedible) skins. And finally, if you must eat your non-organic strawberries and other Dirty Dozen fruit, be sure to give them a good soak first.

Recipe: Paleo fruit salad

Personally, I take great pleasure in eating fruit. It adds a whole lot more flavor and color to my day, so I’m not willing to completely throw in the fructose towel! And when you take into consideration the above factors, there’s no reason why you should give up fruit either.

To rekindle your love of fruit, here’s a great recipe for a Paleo fruit salad I’ve honed over the years. Its filled with fruits that have lower fructose content and higher nutritional value, so it’s not only a tasty treat, but a healthy one too! Just be sure to limit your fruit intake to around 2 servings (a couple of handfuls) per day.

Ingredients:

  • 3 plums, cut into wedges
  • 1 peach, cut into wedges (organic or soaked is best)
  • 1 orange, cut or pulled apart into segments
  • 1/2 cup strawberries, chopped in half (organic or soaked is best)
  • 1/2 cup blackberries
  • 1/2 cup raspberries
  • 1 banana, sliced
  • 3 limes, squeezed
  • 1 sprig mint, finely diced

Instructions:

Using a lemon squeezer or your own trusty hands, squeeze the juice from your 3 limes into a small bowl. Remove the mint leaves from the stem, and dice the leaves relatively finely. Add to the bowl of lime juice, and allow to sit for at least 2 hours so that the mint infuses the lime juice.

Next, cut your plums, peach and oranges into wedges, adding to a large serving bowl. Chop up your banana and throw it in, along with your halved strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Peel the orange and add in the segments – if it’s a particularly big orange, you can cut each segment in half to ensure it doesn’t “steal the show”.

When you’re ready to serve, drizzle your lime and mint dressing over the salad, give it a gentle toss to ensure all the fruit is covered and well-mixed, and sprinkle over a garnish of mint leaves if you have any left over. The lime and mint dressing provides a refreshing counterpoint to the sweetness of the other fruits, and has the added benefit of helping to preserve your fruit salad for longer.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Let me know whether you’ve tried the recipe, or if you have your own Paleo-tastic fruit salad to share with the world!

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Posted in Ancestral Nutrition, Real Food Recipes, Uncategorized, Wild Foods & Foraging

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Everything you need to know about essential oils: Part 2

Posted on 21 February, 2017 by | Leave a comment

thrive primal uses for essential oils

In our previous post, we explored what exactly it is that makes a good essential oil and why they’re so darn fantastic. We also took a walk through the doTERRA wellness advocate and LRP programs, and how to go about getting the most from your oils.

In this article, I’m going to examine some of the many uses for essential oils, from joint pain to eczema. By the end of the article, you’ll have dramatically improved your knowledge of how to use different essential oils to solve everyday illnesses and ailments, and you’ll be that much more excited to get your hands on these wondrous elixirs of health!

Remember, however, that we’re not doctors – if you’re ever in doubt about something, consult a professional first!

Using essential oils to treat coughs

Coughs are a common enough occurrence around the home, especially during the winter months. But rather than knocking back nasty chemical-laden cough syrups or formulas, why not make up your own anti-cough essential oil formula? Here’s some of the most effective essential oils proven to treat coughs and other respiratory problems:

  • Frankincense – a strong anti-inflammatory oil that helps to clear the lungs and nasal passages and regulate breathing
  • Eucalyptus – helps to break down mucus in the lungs and alleviate inflammation in the respiratory system
  • Tea tree – can treat bacterial and viral infection associated with coughs
  • Lemon – long used as a potent weapon against colds and flu, lemon essential oil can fight the cause of your cough and boost your immune system
  • Peppermint – this essential oil is dynamite against dry coughs, and is a decongestant as well

Because the cause of your problem is located in your respiratory tract, the best way to use these essential oils to treat the cough is to use a diffuser. doTERRA has an excellent petal diffuser which you can buy through our store that we use every day, or you can grab a well-regarded diffuser on Amazon. Otherwise, make up a balm by adding a few drops of one or a few of the above essential oils to 1/4 cup of coconut oil. Rub the balm on the neck and chest (wherever the cough is bothering you) a few times a day.

Using essential oils to treat cramps

I’ve been known to wake up in the night with a teeth-grinding, often shriek-emitting cramp in one of both of my calves. Added to that regular feet and jaw cramps, and that’s a whole trifecta of pain right there! Do you suffer from these sorts of muscle cramps as well, or perhaps even menstrual cramps? Either way, you’ll agree that they’re not nice. Here’s a few easy solutions, essential oil styles:

  • If it’s general muscle cramps that you suffer from, mix up some coconut oil with a few drops of eucalyptus, lavender or helichrysum essential oil. Rub it on as soon as the cramp hits, or in advance if you have a sneaking suspicion that there’s cramps in your future.
  • If you regularly have problems with menstrual cramps, clary sage, cypress, lavender and ylang ylang are all effective ways to naturally balance hormones, increase circulation, reduce stress, and ultimately alleviate cramping. Use a carrier oil (such as coconut or castor) to rub in 2-3 drops of these essential oils onto your lower abdomen and groin. For even better results, use a warm compress after applying the oils to really get them working deep into your lady bits.

Using essential oils to treat diarrhea

You’d be surprised by how often this comes up! And rather than rushing to the drug store to stock up on Immodium if you’ve got a bad case of the runs, do your health a favor and give these essential oils a try first:

  • Peppermint essential oil – this can lower bowel inflammation and prevent the formation of loose poop
  • Ginger essential oil – in addition to it’s anti-fart (not the scientific term!) and anti-inflammatory properties, ginger is also a great natural anti-diarrhetic.
  • Geranium essential oil – this is an age-old natural remedy for diarrhea and other issues of the gastrointestinal tract, and by all accounts it works wonders!

While it might seem logical, ingesting essential oils is generally considered rather dangerous. Instead, apply them topically by mixing with a carrier oil and rubbing directly onto your abdomen – with the aid of the carrier oils, the essential oils will still be able to penetrate your GI tract and work their wonders.

Using essential oils to treat earaches

Earaches can quickly make your day a whole lot less enjoyable. Essential oils make a convenient, effective way to treat earaches, but only when they’re used correctly. Because the ears are so sensitive, make sure you don’t let any essential oil get inside your ear canal. I’ll talk about how to use essential oils safely around the ears, but first here’s some of the more popular essential oils for treating earache:

  • lavender essential oil
  • chamomile essential oil
  • tea tree essential oil
  • eucalyptus essential oil
  • rosemary essential oil

Probably my favorite way of treating earaches with essential oils, and one of the safer methods, is to use a hot compress. Simply soak a cloth in hot water for a minute or two, wring out the excess water, then place 2-4 drops of essential oil (lavender and chamomile are a great mix) onto the cloth and hold it against your ear for 10 minutes, or until the cloth cools. Another way to treat earache is to place a small amount of carrier oil in your hand, mix in 2-3 drops of one or several of the above essential oils, and gently apply to the backs of your ears.

Using essential oils to treat infections

If there’s one area that essential oils particularly excel in, it’s infections. They have long been used to treat both external (i.e. superficial) and internal infections – ranging from grazes to bacterial overgrowth and yeast infections. In this section, I’ll talk specifically about treating external infections, as things like yeast infection are a whole different ball game. Here’s my top picks for anti-microbial essential oils:

  • Tea tree (melaleuca) essential oil – this is my go-to for anything infection-related. Tea tree oil has potent antibacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties, making it a great all-rounder for treating almost any infection under the sun. I prefer to mix a couple of drops of tea tree with a small amount of coconut oil to dilute it and ensure it doesn’t irritate the area of application. If I ever get a graze, cut or surface wound that looks like it has the potential to get infected, I clean the area with water then immediately apply tea tree and coconut oil. You can also use tea tree to effectively treat fungal infections like athlete’s foot.
  • Lavender essential oil – second only to tea tree, lavender oil is another great treatment for infection. It not only has good antibacterial and anti-viral properties, but also smells amazing and helps to alleviate stress and anxiety, which often come hand in hand with an injury. Because it’s a bit more mellow, you can apply lavender directly to the area of concern, however I still generally mix it with a carrier oil.
  • Oregano essential oil – this stuff is seriously potent, and is the sworn enemy of any unwanted visitors to your body. It has been shown to effectively treat staph infections, along with a wide range of bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens. Remember that oregano is a hot oil, meaning it can easily irritate the skin if you don’t dilute it with a carrier oil. It’s also good to remember that a little oregano essential oil goes a long way!

Using essential oils to treat yeast infections

I’ve talked at length about treating bacterial overgrowths and yeast infections like Candida in my book The Paleo Guide to Beating Candida Naturally. It goes through changes you can make to your diet, lifestyle, and outlook to kick Candida and keep it where it belongs – including using essential oils to give it the boot. If you’re looking for some quick tips on how to use essential oils to improve your yeast infection woes, however, this may be of use:

  • Oregano essential oil – as discussed, this is a potent anti-microbial oil, and can work wonders against Candida and other yeast infections.
  • Thyme essential oil – the volatile oils in thyme have been repeatedly shown by studies to provide an effective anti-parasitic and anti-fungal treatment.
  • Tea tree essential oil – as above, tea tree works just as well against internal infection as it does against external infection.
  • Lavender essential oil – anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral. Enough said.

I’ve taken oregano and thyme essential oils internally to treat parasites without any ill effect, but I wouldn’t recommend that anyone else do this without expert guidance. Your best bet is to mix together 2-3 drops of all these oils and a carrier oil like coconut, and rub it onto your lower abdomen and around (not in!) your lady area at least twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening. Again, you can use a hot compress to allow the oils to penetrate deeper and give that pesky yeast infection the old heave ho.

Using essential oils to treat joint pain

Here at Thrive Primal, we always advocate using diet and lifestyle as your first defense against sickness and ill health…including joint pain. If you’re suffering from chronic joint pain, osteoarthritis, or rheumatoid arthritis, chances are your body is responding poorly to something you’re eating or excess stress you’re exposing yourself two. Often both.

But often there are times when that just isn’t enough. Or perhaps you’ve just come off your bike at high speed, kneed the corner of a cupboard, or literally fell out of bed and landed on your hip. Whatever the reasons, here’s the essential oil solutions:

  • Ginger essential oil – contains active natural compounds that have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, making it a great oil for alleviating the pain and symptoms of joint inflammation.
  • Frankincense essential oil – no surprise to see this versatile oil here – it’s ridiculously anti-inflammatory and helps to prevent the breakdown of cartilage.
  • Myrrh essential oil – combined with it’s old friend frankincense, myrrh makes an effective and time-tested treatment for arthritis and other forms of joint inflammation.

As usual, the two best methods to use these oils safely and effectively is either topical application or aromatically. If you suffer from chronic joint pain, diffusing a mix of frankincense, myrrh and lavender essential oil will help to soothe your mind and ease the inflammation in your joints. If you’re seeking to ease intense or localized pain in your joints, however, your best bet is to rub a few drops of any or all of these oils into the affected area along with a carrier oil like coconut or castor oil.

Using essential oils to treat skin problems

This topic actually merits it’s own post, as there’s just so many skin conditions out there and so many essential oil-based solutions! But to get you started, here’s a few of the more popular essential oils and their uses for maintaining healthy skin and healing unhealthy skin:

  • Lavender essential oil – surprise, surprise, it’s lavender again! Just as this essential oil can soothe your mind and disinfect your cuts and scrapes, it can also soothe irritated skin. Mixing it with a moisturizing oil like coconut or argan oil can provide an excellent soothing ointment to apply to irritated skin and rashes.
  • Geranium essential oil – geranium helps to regulate your skin’s oil production. This means that if you’re suffering from acne or even dry skin, geranium essential oil might be a good addition to your daily moisturizer.
  • Chamomile essential oil – this oil is kind of like a jack of all trades – it can be used to treat acne, eczema, cracked skin, inflammation, and overly sensitive skin.
  • Frankincense essential oil – forget anti-aging creams: frankincense contains high concentrations of free radical-fighting compounds that help to maintain skin elasticity and prevent pigmentation – two of the leading signs of aging in the skin.

Getting your hands on these essential oils

If you’re serious about making essential oils a part of your life, your best bet is to sign up with a company like doTERRA or Young Living. We use doTERRA, and are always really happy with the quality of the oils. You can read more about doTERRA here. To sign up, or simply to buy oils through the regular online retail store, we’ve provided a series of easy steps in this post.

Did I miss anything out? Do you have a go-to essential oil that you can’t be without? Have you noticed whether they’ve made a big difference in your life, or helped you recover from something monumental? Comment away, people!

 

 

 

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Posted in Essential Oils, Holistic Health & Personal Development, Natural Self Care, Uncategorized

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Using a Paleo approach for weight loss and muscle gain

Posted on 15 February, 2017 by | Leave a comment

Thrive primal exercise paleo how to lose weight build muscle

Up until now, we’ve largely focused on using paleo, primal and ancestral teachings to clean up our diet and lifestyle. Admittedly, these are two of the 3 key pillars of true health and happiness…but what about the third? That third pillar, in case you’re wondering, is exercise, and it’s arguably the biggest element of health that people are most confused over.

Throw your conventional view of exercise out the window

Think of exercise, and your mind turns into an infomercial. State-of-the-art treadmills, high-tech ellipticals, snazzy rowers, bouncy things, multi-purpose things, ab-tightening devices and, if you’re getting a bit racy, perhaps a rack of ultra-polished dumbbells. It’s ok – my mind conjures up much the same images as well, despite the fact that I’ve completely retrained how I approach exercise. That being said, what you need to do before we progress is metaphorically (and perhaps literally, if there’s no-one directly below) throw that cheesy infomercial-style gym equipment out the window.

This equipment is designed to provide a “quick fix” in your quest for a better body. But really all it’s doing is introducing convenience into the mix: with the exception of dumbells, you don’t have to think about the exercise you’re doing. Just jump on the treadmill, tap a few buttons, and you’re free to think about all of life’s other troubles. I still do a double take when I see someone hop onto the stationary bike, pick up a magazine, and just cruise for half an hour. Those same people invariably wonder why they’re not losing weight, when they’re hardly even getting their heart rate up!

Next, stop pounding the pavement and wondering why you’ve got injuries coming out your ears and the weight refuses to budge. Repetitive movements like this put the body under extreme stress, due to repeated impact with hard surfaces and physically jarring the bones and ligaments of your legs and feet. And when the body is under stress, it holds on to all the fat it can – thinking that there are hard times ahead. Do you really want to look like a long-distance runner, anyway? They’re all stringy and unhealthy looking…typically because they are unhealthy!

Finally, stop finding excuses to NOT exercise! You literally don’t need anything to get a good workout – just a few square feet of empty floor space. Abandoning this reliance on fancy gym equipment or even a nice spot to go running will ensure you don’t ever miss a workout opportunity.

High intensity training for weight loss

High intensity interval training, or HIIT, is all the rage in the alternative fitness circles these days. And it’s with good reason – HIIT offers vast quantities of calorie destruction with just a fraction of the time (and money) investment compared to the average gym or cardio workout. It’s now a well-accepted fact that our bodies respond better to short, focused periods of exercise. A 10 to 15 minute HIIT workout does that – elevating your heart rate, jump-starting your aerobic system, and fatiguing your muscles in a concentrated time slot, which minimizes the amount of stress you’re putting your body under. Remember, less stress means more weight loss, and achieving higher intensity means more calories burned faster. It’s a win-win, really.

In my opinion, if you’re looking to kick that jiggly belly or Beyonce butt fat quickly, ditching the elliptical or long runs and adopting HIIT 2 to 3 times a week is the far better option. If you’re searching for inspiration, a good starting point is to get your hands on a proven workout program. Dr Josh Axe’s “Burstfit” program provides super-intense workouts that’ll get you sweating and probably swearing a bit as well. But it’s not for the faint of heart. Otherwise, if you’re not looking to make quite as much of an investment, this DVD series comes well reviewed and for a fraction of the price.

Heavy lifting and bodyweight for muscle gain

If you’re looking to simply stay toned and slim, a few high intensity workouts per week is probably sufficient. But if you’re looking to bulk up, develop those biceps, broaden those shoulders or chisel those abs, you’re going to have to introduce something else into your life: heavy lifting.

Lifting heavy weights, otherwise known as resistance training, is an excellent way to shock your muscles, which signals to your brain that you need an increase in muscle mass in that region in order to prevent muscle damage. The heavier the weight, the greater the mass added – in theory, anyway. But this doesn’t mean that you should jump in the deep end and start doing 80-pound dumbbell bench presses when all you’ve been doing before is 10 lb bicep curls. Start by performing a 8-10 rep set of the exercise with a given weight. If you perform that set too easily with the weight, increase the weight until it becomes difficult. If you only manage to do 7 reps with that weight, use the next lightest weight. And so on.

Next, focus on key areas for your resistance training. Don’t be fooled by those buffoons who stand in the gym doing bicep curls for what seems like hours – if they’re looking like the Hulk, it’s probably because of all the nasty protein shakes and freaky supplements they’ve been taking. You don’t want to be that guy or gal – they might look good, but they’re not healthy!

Key areas are those that work out a full range of muscles at one time – these include squats, deadlifts, shoulder presses, kettlebell swings, and maybe the odd bench press. Compound exercises with heavy weights are better than specific movements with lighter weights.

Finally, keep it short and simple. As explained above, spending too long on a workout can stress the body and curtail your results. 20 minutes max of resistance training, only 2 to 3 times per week, and ideally only 3-5 exercises per workout. It’s quality that we’re looking for, not quantity.

Getting creative with workouts is key

Two of the biggest reasons why many people fail to stick to their exercise goals are:

  1. They get bored of their workout routine
  2. They use lack of access to “equipment” or the gym as an excuse not to exercise

Regarding the first point, it’s super important to mix things up on a regular basis. Changing up your workout at least every 2 months, if not more regularly, will ensure your brain doesn’t get bored and, more importantly, your body doesn’t get bored of the same repetitive movements. Performing the same series of exercises week after week can cause your body to plateau, meaning your muscles become accustomed to the movements and stop growing and/or burning fat. Besides, you want to look forward to your workouts, right? Not dread them. And if you find you can let your mind wander during a workout, you need to change it up, fast.

Regarding the second reason people fail to reach their exercise goals – this is where it can get super fun! When I travel or find myself in a new place, I take great pleasure in hunting around for things that I can use to formulate a workout. People seem to think that you need to have designated exercise equipment in order to exercise. Wrong!!! So wrong. If anything, that equipment makes it too easy to perform exercises, and the whole point is to challenge your body, not take shortcuts.

Even at home, I prefer to use unconventional tools and items to pizazz up my workouts and challenge my muscles and coordination in different ways. At the moment, I’m using a 10 liter container of filtered water as a dumbbell/kettlebell replacement (10 liters = 10 kg, which is a good weight for many exercises – just make sure it has a handle!), and a yoga mat. That’s it. And between the two of them, I can do a huge range of exercises.

Here’s a few other things that you can use when you’re away from home or the gym to get a good workout:

  • Strong lateral branches on trees, for chin-ups, wide-grip pull-ups, leg raises (abs), or simply hanging
  • round, heavy rocks (these are great for things like weighted squats, swings, lunges, and deadlifts – just make sure you have your shoes on!)
  • open fields or parks, for sprints and bodyweight exercises
  • sledge hammers/log splitters – these two provide some of the best workouts on the planet. Provided you have something solid to hit (like a tyre for the sledgehammer or a log – duh! – for the axe), they work a wide range of muscles throughout your body. Ten minutes with these bad boys and you’ll be hurting! Be very mindful of your form, though, and of your own safety.

The point is, get creative – the world is your oyster when it comes to exercise! If nothing else, investing in a kettlebell is a very wise thing to do, as there’s such a wide array of exercises you can do with them and they’re easy to transport. For men, I’d recommend starting with a 20 lb kettlebell, and for women, 15 lb or less should be effective initially.

Diet can make or break a weight-loss regime

Ok, so you’ve integrated all of the above considerations into your workout routine and you’re still not getting results. What the heck is going on? If you’re not losing weight or putting on muscle as desired, look to your diet.

With regards to weight loss, probably the number one dietary roadblock is carbohydrates. Whether they come in simple sugar form, or complex form, an overload of carbs can provide excess energy that you’ll struggle to burn off, even with those high intensity workouts. Here’s a few weight-loss pointers regarding carbs:

  • cut your fruit intake back to one or two servings a day. Sure, they’re nutritious, but they also contain a heap of fructose that elevates your blood sugar and is easily converted into fat in your body. If you must partake in some fruity goodness, stick to low sugar-fruits like raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, lemons and the occasional orange.
  • abolish all processed foods – these invariably contain a truckload of sugar. That includes “gluten-free” products as well.
  • stick to complex carbs like sweet potato, squash, and green plantains. Don’t go overboard on these either!

Streamlining your diet for maximum muscle gain

Next, if you’re like me and struggle to put on muscle mass, you need more protein!! I can’t stress this enough. There seems to be some notion amongst many people that it’s easy to get too much protein in a given diet – newsflash: it’s not easy at all! You have to eat a LOT of protein to even come close to exceeding your daily maximum, and the truth is that most people aren’t getting enough.

According to Tim Ferriss in The 4 Hour Body (an excellent read, by the way!), you should aim for 1.25 grams of protein per pound of lean bodyweight, which means you subtract your bodyfat first. I’m 167 pounds and, last time I checked, I had a bodyfat of 14 %, so I aim to eat 143 grams of protein per day. It’s not easy, but it makes a real difference to building muscle mass. Chris Kresser largely agrees with Ferriss, and in some respects advocated even more protein. For more information on the subject, check out this article.

Ultimately, everyone can benefit from more protein in their lives. And I find one of the best ways to increase protein intake is to add in a high-quality protein powder. We’ve talked before about how awesome this grass-fed, organic whey protein powder is, but if you can’t stomach dairy then Chris Kresser recommends this hydrolyzed beef protein – arguably the best source of protein on the planet.

Top tips for success

Scrolled through all of the above but still confused? Here’s my recommendations in a nutshell.

Weight loss:

  • replace low-intensity cardio workouts with high intensity (HIIT) workouts, 2-3 times/week
  • mix up your exercise routine at least every 2 months, and get creative!
  • tone down on the carbs, especially simple sugars.
  • continue to eat a paleo-style diet

Muscle-gain:

  • lift heavy stuff! Ensure you factor in 2 to 3 resistance training workouts each week. Limit workouts to 3-5 exercises (e.g. squats, deadlifts, bench press, shoulder press) and less than 20 minutes in duration.
  • ensure at least 2 rest days between workouts to allow muscle recovery.
  • get lots of protein. Lots. Consider introducing a high quality protein into your diet.
  • stick to a paleo-style diet, but considering introducing grass-fed, organic milk for extra protein and fat.

Good luck on your quest to a better body, and let us know how you get on!

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The best probiotics for your gut health

Posted on 29 November, 2016 by | Leave a comment

Thrive primal best quality probiotics

The popularity of probiotics in the past 10 years has skyrocketed. A decade ago, most people would probably have given you a bit of a weird look if you asked them whether they were supplementing with probiotics. But now, with the scientific community increasingly proving that your gut health is critical to your overall health, probiotics are a hot topic.

Now, there’s all sorts of words like “good bacteria”, “bad bacteria”, “microbiome”, and “gut flora” bandied about. They sound important, but what the heck do they actually mean? And for that matter, why do you even need to know what they mean? Can’t you just grab any old probiotic product from your supermarket or health store shelves, knock a capsule back once a day, and move on with your life?

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. There are plenty of probiotic products out there which will provide absolutely no benefit for your gut health, and others that may even do you harm. In order to get the most from your probiotic supplement, you first need to get inside your gut. Metaphorically, not literally – that would be pretty darn gross.

Why do I need to take a probiotic supplement?

Your gastrointestinal tract, henceforth referred to as your gut, is home to over 500 different species of microorganisms. This number of species is likely much higher, as scientists are still funding hundreds of new gut microflora strains every year. These microorganisms number in their billions. Billions, people!

Far from your gut being an incestuous infestation of disgusting microscopic bugs, we rely on these billions of microorganisms for our very existence. A 2012 study published in the Journal of Nutrition in Clinical Practice found that the bacteria in your gut form an intricate, living fabric of natural controls that affect body weight, energy, and nutrition. Another 2012 study, this time published in the Journal of Nature Reviews Neuroscience, noted that the gut microbiotia plays a pivotal role “in the regulation of anxiety, mood, cognition and pain.”

The take away from all these emerging studies is that the microorganisms that live in your gut are far more important than you think. They have the potential to influence almost every aspect of your health, so if things are unbalanced down there (and they probably are!), there’s no way you can ever be fully healthy.

Your gut is probably lacking in good bacteria

The reason I say that your gut microbiome (the “living community” of bacteria and yeast which resides in your gastrointestinal tract) is probably a bit sad is because modern society has it in for these useful little guys. For starters, evidence shows that a natural birth is critical for exposing newborn babies to certain beneficial bacterial strains which then go on to colonize their gut. As this article from Science Daily puts it:

Each individual’s community of gut microbes is unique and profoundly sensitive to environmental conditions, beginning at birth. Indeed, the mode of delivery during the birthing process has been shown to affect an infant’s microbial profile.

Communities of vaginal microbes change during pregnancy in preparation for birth, delivering beneficial microbes to the newborn. At the time of delivery, the vagina is dominated by a pair of bacterial species, Lactobacillus and Prevotella. In contrast, infants delivered by caesarean section typically show microbial communities associated with the skin, including Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, and Propionibacterium. While the full implications of these distinctions are still murky, evidence suggests they may affect an infant’s subsequent development and health, particularly in terms of susceptibility to pathogens.

Essentially, if you had a cesarean birth, your gut is off to a very bad start. The next great blow to your gut health comes with antibiotics. Every time your doctor prescribed a round of antibiotics to kill of some pathogen in your body, it also killed off the good bacteria in your gut. Antibiotics are not selective, meaning they kill everything in your gut – good and bad.

Finally, there’s all sorts of other environmental toxins, prescription meds, and oral contraceptives which have been shown to take their toll on your gut health. Suffice to say that your population of beneficial bacteria is not what it should be.

Are the probiotics in fermented foods enough?

This one is a little more difficult to answer. For some people, the probiotics they receive from fermented foods may be sufficient to keep their gut happy and healthy, but only if they work hard at it. These people would need to have an already healthy gut biome, and they’d need to be eating a variety fermented foods per day. Examples of fermented foods include:

  • sauerkraut
  • kimchi
  • kombucha
  • kefir
  • kvass

All of which need to be raw and unpasteurized. These foods can be very expensive to buy, and are time consuming (but highly rewarding!) to make. Most people don’t want that kind of commitment. If you do, check out our easy DIY sauerkraut recipe.

If you’re not prepared to eat a range of different fermented foods every day, or if you have been exposed to a cesarean birth, antibiotics, or have serious digestive issues, you NEED to get your hands on a quality probiotic supplement. Here’s how.

Finding the best quality probiotic supplement

If you find the right probiotic supplement for your needs, your gut will flourish. Quality probiotic supplements provide billions of beneficial bacteria which actually re-colonize your gut and make it a happy place once more. If you’ve been suffering from digestive issues (diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, gas, nausea, etc), you’ll likely notice the difference within a few days, if not immediately!

Cheap or poor-quality probiotics, on the other hand, use the wrong bacterial species or don’t allow those bacteria to actually take up residence in your gut. A classic example of this is acidophilus yoghurt – it might help your digestion when you eat it, but it’s effects are only temporary, simply because those bacteria aren’t designed to actually live in your gut.

Prescript-Assist Probiotic $49 on Amazon

This probiotic easily gets the thumbs-up from us, for a number of reasons. Firstly, it’s endorsed by Chris Kresser, a key figure in the health industry who I have a lot of respect for due to his obsession for reviewing the scientific literature and really knowing his stuff. If Chris says its good, its probably good.

Next, Prescript-Assist sources it’s beneficial bacteria from soil-based organisms – bacteria and other microorganisms which we would commonly have been exposed to before humanity developed a repulsion for getting dirt on its hands. These bacteria have been scientifically proven to live in the human gastrointestinal tract, meaning this supplement helps you to rebuild you gut population, rather than just temporarily bolstering it (as with many other probiotics).

Finally, Prescript-Assist also contains a humic/fulvic acid prebiotic which helps those good bacteria to thrive and flourish within their new home (your gut!). Essentially, it plants your seedlings, and gives them a healthy dose of organic fertilizer at the same time.

Primal Probiotics $29 through Primal Blueprint

These potent little babies pack a serious punch, and are endorsed by another of our health heroes, Mark Sisson. I like these probiotics as they’ve gone for high-potency, high-quality bacterial strains rather than just a vast number of low-return bacterial species. That’s what a lot of companies rely on to sell their probiotic product – “contains 150 billion trillion CFU’s!”, when really it’s about quality, not quantity. What’s the point in sending hundreds of billions of bacterial strains through your gut, if they don’t actually want to live there?

Primal Probiotics come with excellent reviews and plenty of information regarding their effectiveness and why they’ve selected certain strains. They’re also designed to survive the harsh environment of your stomach and make it through to your gut intact, which can’t be said for many other probiotic supplements.

Different strokes for different folks

While the above two probiotic supplements are a great start, everyone is different. With this in mind, if your body doesn’t respond well to them after the initial “adjustment” period (usually around a week), shop around and find a probiotic which is also well-respected and which suits your needs better.

Do you have a go-to probiotic supplement which you love? Tell us the difference that it’s made in your life!

 

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